Flooring? Tiles? New cage help.

[leyley904]

 Hey fellow bun-lovers!

I’m designing a new cage for my boys. Right now I have a long skinny cage (~2.5×7 ft) and I feel it’s to “cage-ish”. I know that sounds stupid, but it’s just a big block. It feels too… bleh. And it’s hard to fit much in there because it’s so narrow. I also like to have more spots for, sort of, “rooms”. Like, a spot to put the “bedroom” or “bathroom/kitchen” (those pesky buns eat and it goes straight through ’em!). It won’t be sectioned off, but just…. not one big rectangle, you know?

 

This is what I have in mind: (two separate cages, split down the middle, not bonded )

(made in Google SketchUp)

To explain it a bit: 

The red, blue, and green are coroplast. It will have 3 inch sides to keep poop and hay in it’s place (mostly). They are each different colors just to make it a tad easier to look at. 

There are 4 doors, 2 on each cage.

You can tell what is the doors by the thick light gray “frames” on the front of the cage. When they are opened, the cage will basically have no front to it, allowing easy cleaning.

Outer doors open out, inner doors open towards each other. The door frames will be wood unless I think of something better, and will be hinged with actual hinges (not zip ties like they are now.)

The cage itself will be made out of storage cube grids, as my current one is. I don’t use the connectors, I use zip ties. My last cage took over 800, but the pain in your thumbs after tightening so many is well worth it knowing your cage is sturdy. 

I will have metal pipes running the length of the cage for added support (I do in my current cage)

Unlike before, with my stacked cages, I can put out a pen (or bun proof my room permanently) and open the door and that’s all. When Beans gets floortime now I have to basically get everything out of his cage and put it in the pen! Now they can BOTH go in and out of their cages as they please to eat, drink, and poop.

The mesh in for the doors (in the frames) won’t be grids like the rest of the cage, but some other sort of metal mesh. With grids it is too heavy to be a functional door.

 

Here are some specs (I love that word )

CURRENT CAGE:

(same for each bunny, I’m just giving the dimensions of ONE cage)

Bottom level-:28″x84″ – 2352 sq” –  16.3 sq’. (Please let me know if my math is wrong, I’m using this stupid calculator on the computer!)

Top level is the same, but taking away hole for access up and down: 28″x70″ – 1960 sq” – 13.6 sq’

So each rabbit has a total of 30 sq’.

 

FUTURE CAGE:

Bottom level: (taller than before, more room to hop) 70″x28″ + 14″x42″ – 1960 sq” + 588 sq” – 2548 sq” – 17.7 sq’

Middle level: 28″x42″ – 1176 sq” – 8.2 sq’

Top level: 42″x42″ – 1764 sq” (minus 196 sq” to account for access hole) – 1568 sq” – 10.9 sq’

17.7+8.2+10.9 sq’ = 36.8 sq’

 

So, they do gain square footage! 

Right now they just jump 14″ to get from level to level.

 

Okay, you are probably thinking I’m going crazy as I haven’t asked any questions….

 

QUESTIONS:

1) Is this a good idea? Do they like longer, narrow cages? I don’t see why they would, but you never know!

2) FLOORING! I need help! Right now I use drawer liner topped with fleece. I like it, but not for the hole cage, probably just one level. What can I use for the other levels? I like the idea of having tiles (ceramic?) that have a bit of texture (no slipperiness). Is there any way I could water proof something like that for the occasional accidents? This is just something that popped in my head, so it could be really stupid!

3) Anything you would change about the “architecture” of the cage itself?

4) Should I use shelfs to help them get from level to level? I feel like they would want to use their jumping ability (I have no clue how I got that in my mind….) but it is quite a jump for netherlands… They seem to stick to one level until they need something on the other.

5) ANY SUGGESTIONS! I WILL TAKE ANYTHING!!! 

 

Thank you guys for reading my absolutely massive post! But I guess my main concern is the flooring. 

 

Happy ….. uh….. Bun-ering! 

 

P.S. I these smiley faces!!!

 

 

 

[Deleted User]

Leyley, that is a cool sketch you made.

I find rabbits prefer longer narrower cages where they can really run a distance.

Shelves are great, buns love them so if you can incorporate those — do it.

I use ceramic tiles for my rabbit shelves but in the past have used them for flooring too. I personallly like them for my rabbits and they love them too. Three of my rabbits prefer sleeping on tiles over sleeping on fabric or cardboard. One concern with tiles is that they are very slippery, but most tiles have a rough surface at the bottom that you can use as upside.
Hope that helps!

[leyley904]

Thanks! The cage is actually just 14 inches shorter. 28 inches wide just doesn’t allow good use of space. Do you think that them giving up 14 inches of “long-ness” is worth it getting more space overall? (And cleaning pluses for Mommy!)

That’s a good idea about putting them upside down! I’m going to look and see if I can find any with enough texture (maybe try to test them with the buns if they are cheap) but I will definitely use the tiles upside down if I can’t find any with good traction (which I know is a high possibility).

Are you rabbits litter box trained? Benny and Beans are mostly, but have occasional accidents. I wouldn’t want that pee to get down and the cracks and ruin it the cage (well, it would at least create a stink!). Is there a way to seal it? I was thinking that if there isn’t a safe way to seal them I could cut the tiles to size inside the coroplast. Tight enough that they wouldn’t slide around, but I could still pick the individual tiles up if the buns were to have an accident. If I did it that way, I could replace some tiles without redoing the whole thing. Like if this one or that one smelled really bad or got stained (if ceramic stains).

Sorry I have so many questions. I mean, I know ceramic tiles can be sealed. But I don’t know if its do-able for a safe bunny cage. Also, I’m sick today and kind of out of it! But it is a good day for cage planning (if I can focus)!

 

ADD: Oh, and this cage would fill up a whole wall of my room and extend out far into the middle, too! I’m desperately trying to find a way that I can still sleep in there next to my nosy babies (I’m a heavy sleeper!). I get to put some of my furniture in my sisters room (moving out) this summer, so that’s why it’s even a possibility that I would sleep in there…..

But now that I think about it……. 

BUNNY ROOM!!!!!

It would take some convincing, but I wonder if my parents would allow it…. hm…. 

Oh, jeez, this would be so much easier if my buns could just get along!

[Deleted User]

Or, you can put a tarp underneath the tiles to catch accidents. Tiles fit very well together even unsealed and very little will go through the cracks.

If you are using tiles for floor cover you might have to adjust the cage dimensions to fit the tiled space, you know? Or do you own a wet blade? That’s the only thing you can cut ceramic tiles with.

[Deleted User]

*the advantage of not grouting the tiles together, is that on a hot day you can cool down your rabbit by refrigerating a couple of tiles and then putting them back into his cage nice and cool.

[Nibbles_NZ]

I don’t mean to be negative but if you split the cage down the middle because they are not bonded. They are just going to be territorial of THAT space. Were you planning on opening it up when they are bonded so they can both share the whole thing? They will still have claim over thier sides of the cage. I was going to do that too and I was told by people on this site and the vet that it is a bad idea. When they are bonded, they have to have a whole new space…one that niether one of them has claim over. If you put them back in that one, they may never bond. I’m sorry to do that to you. I know how you feel. Saying that it felt too cageish made sense to me. I had mine in two seperate xpens next to eachother and had to move them each to seperate rooms because my male kept scent marking everywhere. It will throw everything off. We have to re litter train him now. He can still smell her. Of course he is still intact. Are yours spayed/neutered?

[Deleted User]

Leyley, you can insert a cardboard piece where the cage is split into two compartments. That way your rabbits won’t be able to bite at each other. Once you proceed to bonding you would have to abandon this common shared cage for the reasons Nibbles stated. However, once they are bonded and have set their new bond for a few weeks in a different location, you can then move them back into the common cage minus the split barrier.

[leyley904]

Well, it’s been a long time that they haven’t gotten along and they keep getting worse. They once had a huge brawl when I went away for less than 2 minutes with blood and hair everywhere, that was a long time ago when they were actually getting along “okay”. I don’t see how I will be able to keep it up. If I put them on neutral territory, right when they are next to each other they draw blood.
They both seem to enjoy being alone, Benny more than Beans. One day I may be able to try again to see if Beans would like a girlfriend, but not anytime soon. Benny didn’t get along with the other rabbit at his previous owners’.
If I do decide to try bonding them again (if I learn some new techniques) I will just build a new cage. But, I really don’t see that happening.

Also, I don’t think you came off as negative at all. I’m open to all opinions. I won’t be offended if you think that this post is all wrong. I’m constantly learning. I just want what’s best for the rabs.

Oh, yes they are both neutered. Each 2 years old. (Maybe 3 years old, I can go check if needed)

[Deleted User]

If they drew blood you would need a more solid divider than cardboard, maybe coroplast.

[leyley904]

Oops, sorry I guess I was already typing away before you posted again, Petzy!

All this talk of bonding… makes me really want them to get along. Maybe I will try again. Not NOW, but maybe I can plan it all out to find a way that could work this cage into the plan, the appropriate way.
*Sigh* Just thinking about it makes me nervous, all the fighting is so scary and terrible. I will definitely research bonding as if I had never even heard of it before I even consider starting to try bonding them again!
Thanks you guys. I really do want whats best for them. It seems like having them bonded is expected, and needed.

Also, the grids I’m building my cage with is made of grids. It can be taken apart by clipping (insert huge number here) zip ties and put back together. If it were to come up (Like I said, I could plan it all out so this would most likely be unnecessary) I could easily take out a barrier.

[Deleted User]

Sounds like a great plan to me.. Grids are so handy to have for that reason, you can always redo any habitat into a new one and you can de-scent them too.

[leyley904]

OOH, I’m getting all ahead of myself (and you!)

No, they are terribly-impossibly-confusing when it comes to their relationship. They love each other through cage bars. They can even sit side by side on my lap. It’s…. a lot to explain. So a heavy barrier wouldn’t be needed.

Should I go ahead and make a thread explaining it? It would take me a while to type out!

[Deleted User]

Explain their dynamics you mean? If so, you could make a thread about them in the bonding section even though you are not bonding right now.

[Nibbles_NZ]

Petzy makes a great point. If you have grids, you can always descent and change the cage without spending anymore money. Just make sure you clip the zip ties very short that there are no sharp ends. It can harm your bunnies.
I think just going to the bonding section is a great idea! Talking to people who are going through it and have experienced it is so much easier than researching it. I’m sure you can get some great advice! I have heard that bonding can be difficult. I am scared to bond mine (when that time comes). Good luck to you!

[Spidey]

1) Is this a good idea? Do they like longer, narrow cages? I don’t see why they would, but you never know!

Not sure but long cages will let them stretch out and My buns enjoy that and I never see them periscope in the cage anyway, your bun may vary…

2) FLOORING! I need help! Right now I use drawer liner topped with fleece. I like it, but not for the hole cage, probably just one level. What can I use for the other levels? I like the idea of having tiles (ceramic?) that have a bit of texture (no slipperiness). Is there any way I could water proof something like that for the occasional accidents? This is just something that popped in my head, so it could be really stupid!

Most big box stores will sell solid sheets of linolium which I have in my cage and is textured enough they do not slip around too much

3) Anything you would change about the “architecture” of the cage itself?

A ton of different thingsm but that is me and how I think and how I think for my buns. My suggestions, and I am a designer, is let it sit a few days, do not look at it. Then revisit, re question, and build it in your head a few times. This will let you see the flaws, if any, in your design. Take your time and think what would your buns like. I went through about 5 different ideas before I settled on my final one.

4) Should I use shelfs to help them get from level to level? I feel like they would want to use their jumping ability (I have no clue how I got that in my mind….) but it is quite a jump for netherlands… They seem to stick to one level until they need something on the other.

See my answer to 3 but they may like jumping and if not you can always add to it if needed…

5) ANY SUGGESTIONS! I WILL TAKE ANYTHING!!!

Keep at it! Your drawing looks great! I think you are in the right direction…

Here is the cage I built…

[Nibbles_NZ]

Spidey, does your bunny free roam the house or the room most of the time or do you keep it in that cage? The cage is cute but really small.

[Deleted User]

LeyLey, I had this picture saved from the San Diego HRS website — I really like this little set-up. If I only had 1 bun I would have something like it.

Have you considered xpens instead of grids? You could have two narrow ones and then combine them into a large one after the bonding.

[mocha200]

i LOVE your cage! i would think of a few different ideas then chose from your ideas!

[leyley904]

I’m definitely bonding now. I still need to plan out what I will use for the cages during bonding time, maybe I could just use my current cage?

Hopefully this will all work out. I have millions of ideas spinning in my head of what I could make if I didn’t need two cages, but just one!

[Spidey]

Spidey, does your bunny free roam the house or the room most of the time or do you keep it in that cage? The cage is cute but really small.

 

 

They free roam anytime I am home.

 

And the cage is not small, it is 5x2x2 feet…

More than enough room for a 15lb flemish and 5lb lop

 

[leyley904]

I think the angle is weird, plus you have a large rabbit in there! It doesn’t look like 5 feet in the picture, but I’m not saying you’re lying or anything… That’s just why Nibbles asked I think.

Sadly I can’t have my bunnies free range even just in my room . I have too many cats. And a couple terriers! That’s why I’m trying to give them the most room possible. I was thinking that if the bonding goes well I could do a cage, like, where there is a big cage, then a skinny “run” to a tall cage with lot of shelves. So they can go really fast down the run, or they can go up higher and look around. And I was thinking I could have a section of it by the window were they can bask in the light! I think I’m going to look up things about how wild rabbits live. Like, how their burrows are set up. And maybe I could incorporate some tunnels into their cage, or make an outdoor playground for them. It would be above ground, I wouldn’t want them actually burrowing!

Sorry, I just love thinking of different designs! I’ve been babbling, haven’t I?

[Deleted User]

Leyley, your rabbits will like those things you are talking about, the window to bask, tunnels… you can make it real nice even if they can’t free-range!

I have four rabbits and I keep them in my basement where I could build their pen larger and it is cool, and I have an easy time cleaning up after them.

I had this ramp go up to a window where they could hop out into the yard but right now this feature is ‘out the window’ because I have weasels in my yard.

the floor is concrete and I just use cardboard pieces to cover it. For the winter I have a large carpet to lay down for them.

Keep us posted on your project.
 

[kralspace]

Those bunnies look very very contented 😉

[leyley904]

Yes! I saw your bunny ramp to the outside on the projects thread! It’s totally awesome! The indoor cage is really cool too. I like the idea of using the cubes as a pen (or using an x pen) but it makes me so nervous. Benny likes to bite the bottom horizontal bar and push it out and pull it towards him. I would be nervous that he would either find a way out, or that one of my cats would become interested in “what’s inside this big fence thing”! If I did have an x pen cage I would want one like the one you showed me earlier, in the wood frame. And I would get a cover. Though I like the versatility of the grids, plus I already have a billion!

Also, your big tunnel looks like bun heaven! I just have the “bleh” ones from the pet store. I’m going to get a big pvc/drainage-type pipe soon for them!

[Deleted User]

If you have a billion grids, you can prevent the problem of Benny moving the sides of the pen; I found, too, that regular sides of pens tend to move easily but since I built shelves into the sides the sides are very sturdy, rigid and heavy, especially with the tiles on them. Benny couldn’t move those. Also, if you make it a rectangle, the structure will have added integrity too and will be harder to move. But the wooden frame is best, if you can make it that way, do it. I used to have a top but it annoyed me so I just built higher sides.

[Beka27]

And if you’re limited on space, I’d probably build it higher too. You can do 3, 4, even 5 levels of varying sizes. I personally prefer xpens b/c of how easy they are to move around and clean, plus I can go inside to retrieve a bun if necessary, or to feed/clean up. But I’ve seen very nice condos too.

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