Clean Living Large 2-Level Cage ?

[ilr369]

Instead of wire mesh, this cage has a platic bottom and hole in it; is this bad for rabbit feet?

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[Sarita]

Well, this looks awfully small for a rabbit really.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yes, that looks too small! What other cages are you looking at?

[Beka27]

i would actually be more worried about a rabbit’s foot going thru the hole when jumping around. it looks like they could end up with a broken toenail easily. i’d look for something with a solid bottom and definitely larger than that. in my book, the little perch at the top doesn’t really even count as a level. i don’t know why they sell it as two-levels. it’s hard to get manuafactured cages that are big enough. i like the marchioro XL cage because it a good size, but even with that, a lot of out time in necessary.

[JK]

I agree with Beka. Adding an xpen to the Marchioro cage is great!

[ilr369]

I’m also considering the following:

Super Pet My First Home Extra Large Cage

and

My Deluxe Home, Giant

What cages do you suggest for rabbits?

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[MarkBun]

Maryann lived on such a flooring for over 5 years without incident. I did, however, fill the bottom with litter pellets until it reached the holes though so that might have helped.

[Beka27]

here’s a link to a page about the marchioro cage.  they are pricey, but i think they’re a better investment than a tiny (still expensive) cage that will be of absolutely no use to you.  like knowlton said, it’s helpful to have an xpen that attaches to it to provide a larger confined area to play.  or you can skip the cage and just go for the xpen, which is more cost-effective.  even more cost-effective (AND FUN) is building your own NIC Condo.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.guineapigcages.com/images/Marchioro3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.guineapigcages.com/petstorecages.htm&h=240&w=400&sz=27&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=c_GBMkkPrXIXvM:&tbnh=74&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmarchioro%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

 

i made an enclosure to attach to my marchioro cage.  the total area is about 4 x 6 feet.  but i were to do it over i would have just gotten an xpen as a cage and skipped the marchioro.

[Beka27]

those cages you posted are 70 and 90 dollars respectively, and they still look too small. i would skip both of those and just buy an xpen which would cost you about the same price.

[Beka27]

 

this is the xpen.  the price at petsmart is 65 for the 24 inch high, but i would get the 36 inch high at least which is 75 bucks.  if you make it square, it is 4 x 4 feet and should be able to fit neatly in a corner.

[Sarita]

I agree go either with the x-pen or do the Marchioro/neat idea’s pen combination.

Those cages at pet stores just aren’t adequate for rabbits.

[babybunsmum]

i agree.  i had a small cage for baby which ended up just being a litter pan (botton level of nic in pic).   what i love the most about pinky’s set-up is that it’s easy to clean compared to any other set-up i’ve had before.  any hay / poops / paper shreds can easliy get swept down into the litter box which is also where i keep the hay.  in the litter box i have a separate low sided plastic container that has yesterdays news pellets in it where pinky pees.  this is really easy to dump so the wet stuff can get cleaned out daily & the rest every few days (hay & poops go into the composter).

this has 42 nic panels (2 extra were needed to extend the litter level because the tub i had was too wide) but i will have to add 4 more panels to enclose the rest of the top opening since pinky recently learned how to jump out!!  i used plastic sign board (choroplast) to cover the grid floors.  so that’s about 4 packs of nic panels @$10 ea and $30 for the sign board = $70 i think i spent another $25 on the hanging food dishes & zip ties to hold it together.   and it needs a couple of tie rods to stability on the top (i think i bought fibreglass ones for a couple bucks a piece at homedepot).

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[kimberleyanddarren]

i have a bog standard out door hutch but its indoors and i also have an xpen which i move around depending on where i am ie in bed or on sofa he only goes in his hutch at night and is in the pen for the rest of the time (as i am litterbox training him) with runs when i can give 100% attention, i think the cages you are looking at do look quite small, the rabbit cages are usually much bigger with bigger and thicker bars and two doors one at the front and one at the top. Have you looked at buying second hand if you are short for money?

[Beka27]

it might be possible to get a used xpen on craigslist. they’re metal bars, so i can’t imagine that anything would happen to them to make them hard to use secondhand, or better bought new.

[ilr369]

Is a cage that is 46.5″ by 24″ by 24″ (LxWxH) a suitable size?

The blue cage at the bottom is actually 40.5″ x 18″ x 20.5″. Are those numbers ok?

[kimberleyanddarren]

46.5 X 24 X 24 should be ok yes, but really its to get one as big as you can get!

[Beka27]

[46.5 X 24 X 24] would be good, but how much is it? chances are you can get an xpen for that price or even less.

[Gravehearted]

yes – 46.5″ by 24″ by 24 is a reasonable sized cage for most small to medium sized rabbits. However, it will not be big enough for a larger bunny.
the bigger the cage, honestly the happier the rabbit will be!

I highly recommend the Marchioro largest size pen. If you have the time and inclination building an NIC condo gives your bunny a lot more space, since you can build up without taking up huge amounts of your floor.
It also will cost less than most of the cages.

[apanda]

I would suggest an X-pen. You can get one on craigslist.org for even cheaper than the price mentioned here, I got mine for $20. They are flexible so you can change their shape, and if it is too big for your space you can fold back a panel to make it fit!

[ilr369]

If I’m dedicating a small room in my house for the rabbit, do i need an X-pen to enclose the area as well?

[Beka27]

how small is the room? it’s not necessary to have an xpen also, but you need to be sure the room is secure. completely bun-proofed, and you need to not care if carpet, walls, baseboards, etc get chewed or marked. i know some folks have rooms for the bun. will she still have run in the rest of the house? it’s important that she be socialized, esp. if the room is away from the main living area.  is there a door in the room?  you might want to remove it and put a baby gate in the doorway to allow for air ventilation and so she can still see and hear outside her room.

if you were to do that and had room, you could even get one of those long shallow underbed plastic storage boxes for a litter/ hay box.

[Bunnies4ever]

I live in a 4 bedroom house and my buns live in one of the bedrooms. They have a large 2-story cage with an x-pen attached. A picture of it is in the cool habitats section. They don’t have free range due to the size of my home, but they love their space. If you have the space to attach an x-pen to their cage that would be ideal.

[ilr369]

The room is 130″ by 124″.

[angoralvr]

Posted By ilh369 on 04/08/2008 6:52 AM
If I’m dedicating a small room in my house for the rabbit, do i need an X-pen to enclose the area as well?

If you have a room that is completely bunny proofed (ie no cords or other chewing dangers in bunnys reach) then you shouldn’t need a pen although one might be useful for litter training. I don’t use any sort of pen at all for Lilly because she is in my sunroom and I removed everything from the room that isn’t safe for her. There are still a few cords in the room, but the plug in is up high and the cords are all kept up where she can’t get to them.

[MarkBun]

Posted By ilh369 on 04/08/2008 6:52 AM
If I’m dedicating a small room in my house for the rabbit, do i need an X-pen to enclose the area as well?

Not really.  However, do realize that if you plan on having anything else in there, expect it to be destroyed eventually.   And you’d want to have some sort of gate for the door if you’re not going to be giving them 24/7 free roam.  I wouldn’t suggest opening and closing a door in a room that has a bun on the loose.  To easy to hurt them that way.

[ilr369]

Thank you for the information!

[ilr369]

Another question! Sorry, but do you know any good gates for doors that I could use?

[MarkBun]

Well it depends upon whether or not he’s a jumper. Most baby gates will work just fine unless he can get some height and get over it.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I like the baby gates that can be installed on the side of the doorframe and will swing in and out like a door rather than a stationary one.  I went to Babies R Us for the one I have, my two are large 9 pound rabbits and cannot get over it.

This is like the one I have. It’s a “hands free” gate:

Instead of an x-pen to have as a small run for them outside on the porch I have this “superyard” for around $65.  I got mine for free from my brother who did not need it anymore:

[Beka27]

i like the gate scarlet rose posted. any gate would work, but the ones that have mesh or plastic could be easily chewed if the bun wanted to. since that gate is solid, there’s nothing to really get a tooth on.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Exactly Beka. I used to have a plastic mesh one….they ate a hole in it big enough for their behinds to fit through, but they didn’t do that until four months after continued use of it. I guess their aggression/frustration towards it needed to build up, then they destroyed it. LOL

[rabbitsmba]

Not really. I have 2 bonded pairs and each pair have their own room. Everything is bunnyproofed and there is no cage in there at all, just a baby gate at the door for when No one is home and I don’t want the two pairs to “accidentally” meet. If oyu are aboe to devote a whole room to the bunny, IMO, a cage isn’t neccessary, so long as oyu feel comfortalbe leaving bunny to roam around the room while you are not home.

Other than that, financially, an xpen or a pen made from the NIC grids is WAY cheaper than buying a cage.

[ilr369]

Yea, I’ve decided to make a condo with NIC grids. If I make the choose to make the condo multi-stories, will my rabbit go up there? Or would s/he just stay on the bottom?

[Beka27]

oh good!  i think you’re gonna have fun building it!  are you still going to keep it in that room?  or put it in a more communal family area.  my personal preference is having bunny out with the rest of the family so she really feels like she is a part of it, but i understand if the room is the only space available.

this is a link to the cool habitats page which has pics of others members condos.  it helps to see what other people have done.  binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/CoolHabitats/tabid/71/Default.aspx

if you scroll down, there are links to sites with building instructions as well as stores where the cubes are available.  some other people have also said they have gotten a bunch of them secondhand on craigslist for very cheap.

as far as levels, i think the buns do use them, but you need to make sure they are very securely built with plenty of support.  if it’s rocky, the bun may not want to go up there.  it sometimes takes a few days or a week for them to get used to everything.  when building, you will want to have a way to access each level separately for cleanup or if you need to get to the bun in an emergency.

if you have any questions about the building process or how to situate it, please ask.  i think it sometimes takes some trial and error to get it correct, but it is worth it.

[Gravehearted]

ya! I am betting your bunny will LOVE having the multi-level condo! Some bunnies take a lil time to explore the different levels, but most really love them.

We also have a baby gate that’s hands free and really like it. It’s all metal, so they can’t get through. The one issue we ran into, is ours is in a hallway, wihch is a tad wider than doorway. So there was enough of a gap for the bunnies to sneak though, we just wedged in a 2 x 4 and it’s working great. I’ve seen bunnies chew through the old fashioned plastic and wood ones, so wouldn’t recommend it.

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