Bunny Cage?

[Harlequin]

Hi! I have a nearly 6 month old harlequin Netherland dwarf doe. She is becoming a bit bigger than I expected. When we got her, we ignorantly bought the “bunny starter kit”, with the tiny cage. She is still in that cage, and I hate it. I went online and found a nicely size and priced dog x-pen that looks perfect for her, but when I showed my parents, things went downhill. They said that they don’t like how this is becoming a “hobby”, and that the bunny is already “taking up my whole room”, and the bunny is just fine. They said they never would have gotten the bunny (her name is Hazel) if they knew she needed a bigger cage. What do I do?  

[Love4Bunny]

Oh, that is a tough one. I’m so sorry it is tricky for you right now. Why do you think they object to the bunny taking up the whole room? Are they concerned about cleaning up a mess, does it have to do with your pet taking up time that you would spend doing other things, or the cost of the ex-pen, or neither of those?

I picked up both of my ex-pens from Craigslist/ Trading Post for dirt cheap.

Another option is to buy those gridded NIC cubes. They cost US$20 for a pack of 18, I think, and you could ziptie your own cage (might be cheaper). If you go to YouTube, you might be able to find a tutorial on building one.

You are right that a rabbit needs space inside – 3 hops minimum (and outside-the-cage time). In the meanwhile, just continue to give Hazel as much outside time as possible, and protect everything in your room that Hazel could destroy (wires, carpet, baseboards).

[Harlequin]

Thanks. I have NIC grids around my room as “fences” to keep her out of certain areas of my room, and every day she gets about 6-8 hours out of her cage, hopping around my room. My best guess is the fact that the “bunny package” was 200$, and believe what pet store people say. Believe me, I’ve tried to change their minds, but nothing really works.

[vanessa]

I think you can do a fair deal with the NIC panels. I have constructed all sorts of shapes and sizes, reconstructed, remodeled, etc, all kinds of bunn condos. I’ve done single, double, and 3-story condos. With NIC ramps. I use cardboard over the NIC floors ont he second/third level, with cheap airline-type blankets over the cardboard. Since your parents are concerned, you could keep using the bunny package cage as a hidey hole. Bunnys like hidey holes. I’d cover the roof and 3 sides to make it dark and cozy, and put it in a NIC square that has 2 or 3 panels per side. That woudl be sufficient for a day time enclosure. I’d personally let the bunny have freetime in the bedroom between 5pm and 5am, and then put her back inthe NIC “cage” during the day, seen as bunnies rest during the day, and are most active during evenings and early morning. If your parents don’t want her loose in the bedroom overnight, it sounds as if she is still geting enough free time, which is great. Perhaps – instead of getting another cage, get another box of NIC panels and expirament with a cage that yoru parents woudl agree with, as long as you still use the bunny package that they bought you. You can make the NIC “cage” 2 panels high, make a NIC roof, and even a NIC gate for you to access. I have a NIC fence around my bed coz I dont’ want bunnies under the bed, and also a NIC fence dividing a room with 2 pairs of bunnies. I have a NIC gate that I can swing open and access the other half of the room.
My NIC bunny condo was 12 foot long, (I’m replacing it with a wooden condo that I’m making). There is a lot you can do with NIC, for relatively little money, and still keep using the petshop cage as a hidey hole. Does that sound do-able?

[Love4Bunny]

I forgot that I have an NIC gridded fence, which I’ve used for everything from bonding, to barriers, to creating temporary pens for sick bunnies. They are brilliant if you need to change the shape of the space, and I would even suggest creating a longer cage, as opposed to a traditional square one, since bunnies need length for hopping. This way, it will take up a smaller footprint in your room, and hopefully, make your parents a little happier. You can also use the wall as one “side” of the cage if you attach the grids to the wall, but you may want to keep protecting those baseboards (mine love them).

[cinnybun2015]

I wish that I had NIC fences. I use an X-pen, and I think that I bought it off e-Bay at some point- and I’ve had them for at least six years!! They are extremely hardy wire pens, and maybe if you put together something to convince your parents that an X-pen will last for a long time, they’ll change their mindset… from what I’m hearing, they don’t want to spend any more money on Hazel. I’m sorry that you’re in such a difficult position right now. Good luck!

[Harlequin]

I got them almost there with the NIC cage. I explained to them how we already have the grids and just need zip ties. They are close to agreeing because Hazel opened the top door on her current cage and got her head stuck between the door and the rest of the cage (the door closed on the back of her neck) and I had to come to the rescue (lucky I heard the scrambling). It was quite scary, seeing Hazel so distressed from that. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was open, it was bad. I checked her, and she has no injuries and is now going about normally, don’t worry. We have ties holding down the top now. My parents are worried she could choke herself and die if that happens again and I am not there, so they are slowly coming to the NIC grid cage.

[vanessa]

That sounds really difficult. I would also worry about her hurting herself. I use a combination of zip ties and the plastic connectors that come with the panels. They keep them nice and sturdy.

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