FLOORING ON SHELVES IN YOUR NIC CONDOS

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

So i have been working on this NIC cube condo for months now lol. I stopped during the process for a while cuz we were short on money.  I’m getting some extra money soon and i’m dying to finish it. I’ve got the main part of the cage built  but i’m trying to figure out how to line the shelves in the cage. I can’t really come across any coroplast plus, its kinda expensive.

How did everyone else  with  a NIC cube condo line their shelves?  I’m not the best at building things so i need alot of help. Sometimes just looking at pictures isn’t enough.

i plan to put the condo on top of a big area rug cause the bunnies dont eat or dig at carpet.  I’m just kinda confused, should i cut up some area rugs to line the shelves? Does there need to be something on the shelf , then put carpet or blankets on top of that. Just curious on how everyone else did theirs.

Also, the cage is  massive.  It’s 4 cubes long ,   by 2 cubes wide,   and 4 cubes high.  Is that TOO big for my 2 little buns?

[Beka27]

the bigger the better, as long as it’s structurally sound, and you can clean it out okay. you could try the indoor outdoor carpeting and cut it down to fit the shelves. if you need to secure it, you could cut a few holes on the edges and secure to the shelf with zipties.

[skunklionshow]

It sounds like a great space for them!  Did you make the shelves out of the grids & secure w/ zip ties?  I have cardboard on top of the shelves and rag rugs over the cardboard.  I haven’t had any major issues w/ chewing, peeing, or destruction w/ the rag rugs.  I do pull them out and put them in the washer when they get kinda musty.  I also bought a few of binky’s sea grass rugs to put atop of the rag rugs..just to give them some additional textures.  Can’t remember what the woven one is made of…but it is a great chew mat for Jessica

[BBMommy]

I have thin pegboard cut to fit and attached with tie wraps on the shelves. The upper level I just use a layer of sturdy carpet squares with a rag rug over top of that.

Good luck!
Kim

[Scarlet_Rose]

Check your local home improvement store, or better yet – a carpet outlet store that sells small leftover rolls of linoleum & carpet. Most places you can score enough for the entire cage for about $4. Rags rugs from the dollar store work well too. I ended up sticking peel & stick lino tiles on pressboard for the base (easy cleaning) then putting carpet, tiles or other flooring (removable) on top.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

yes, the shelves are made of the grids with zip ties connecting them.  thanks for the ideas guys!  I like the idea of the peel and stick lino tiles Scarlet. Can you get that stuff at like a home depot store and how much does that stuff cost?

Man! I’ve gone through tons of zip ties! They are becoming the most expensive part of the cage

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh yes, I should have bought stock in them! LOL Peel & stick tiles can cost anywhere from .50 cents each to several dollars. I think that someone here scored them at the dollar store or Big Lots for very cheap!

[Sage Cat]

Hey Y’all,
I just re-did my buns NIC condo over the weekend. I don’t have a photo yet. Kay was my excellent supervisor!

I put a large piece of plywood on the floor – my house is a rental – then covered that with rag rugs – 100% cotton in case they chew & dig.
The condo is 4 panels wide, 2 panels deep & 3 panels high.
They have 2 shelves – made of panels covered with plywood and then covered with towels.
I used a ton of zip ties to make sure it is sturdy!

I can easily remove all of the rag rugs and towels for replacing, washing once a week – or more if needed!
It is totally styling!

[Beka27]

i can’t wait to see pics!

[Scarlet_Rose]

That’s great Sage Cat, although I am wondering how over time the uncovered wood is going to smell and how it will clean up? However, I do suppose if your rabbits have good litterbox habits it might not be a problem. I would be interested in hearing how it goes/progresses.

[osprey]

I used plywood for a while in my condo, but as Scarlet_Rose said, eventually we got into a pee war in one spot and I could never get the smell out of the wood.  I swapped it out for coroplast, much easier to clean.  Another problem with wood is that a thin sheet is nice and light (say 1/4″), but it will warp and not lay flat on the panels underneath.  I also used some heavier plywood (3/4″), and it lays really flat, but boy is it heavy to move the condo with that stuff in it.  I also tried a faux sheepskin as a floor, but they dug at it so much that the wire was exposed half the time.

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Interesting Osprey, thanks for sharing your experience! I’ve always shied away from the raw/exposed wood for those reasons, but did not have the actual experience from it.

[Gravehearted]

i love the coroplast – you might take a look on ebay, since there are often listings for it

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

I do look on ebay quite often ( I’M SO ADDICTED) but after shipping cost it gets to be quite expensive.  I keep checking though

Scarlet Rose- what kind of board are you using? You said press board but i’m not exactly sure what that is. Is it like cork board or more like thin plywood board?

I have a really cool idea for the condo i’m making but i can’t tell ya’ll cause its going to be a surprise..hehe.  So if it works out like i want, I’ll post pics asap. Money can be such a set back….geez

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hmm, let me see if I can find it.  O.K. it is officially called “hardboard” and here is a link to it:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100053064&N=10000003+90051+503003

 

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

the link didnt work for me Scarlet Rose but i’m pretty sure i know what your’e talkin about. I’ll just go to home depot and ask for it

thanks a bunch!

[ADEE]

I used the cheapy wood, its glossy on one side and rough on the other. I have that on the shelves (the grids are also under it to give it added support) and cover the shelf with a crib sheet. works perfect!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Just to be a bit softer for Rupert, whose leg needs a very soft surface so he doesn’t get an absess on it (I guess that’s a danger with a crooked leg) I took those giant foamy cube things, you know the interlocking kind-people use them in basements, kids rooms and garages, they look like puzzle peices and can be colored-anyways, I put those on the floor, and then choroplast over top of them; That way its easy to clean, can’t be chewed and cushier!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi ADEE,  it sounds like you’re describing hardboard to a “T”

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Millstead 1/4 In. x 2 Ft. x 4 Ft. Standard Hardboard Pre-Cut Panel

[bunnytowne]

I have had such a hard time with NIC flooring too. Finally we went to lowe’s and found something that works. it is a 16×33 under the bed storage plastic thing with top too. 4 inches tall. Works great. Finally a solution.  I had such a hard time keeping the bathroom floor clean.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

So i went to Home Depot this weekend and found the hardboard stuff. It’s definatly what im going to use . Looks like great stuff and a great price too. Hopefully i can go get some today and get this project finished. Thanks again for all your help guys. Without you i’d be clueless

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome! There are so many options for flooring it is hard to say which exact one you should use, and it really depends upon you and budget, oh yes and of course how many and what you have power-tool wise and the know-how to use them or coerce your handyman to do it for you.

 

Also, be sure to make pieces small enough width-wise so you can take them in and out the door and remove for a good wipe-down or for rearranging the cage.

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