For those of you with plywood floors with no NIC cubes lining the bottom..

[Alicia Conklin]

How do you get the plywood and the cubes to stay together so that the rabbit couldn’t like topple it over or move the entire condo?

 

I want to rearrange Tucker’s condo to make it three floors instead of 2 and to make each floor 3 squares by 2 squares.  He doesn’t ever seem to really use his back corner and he loves jumping from floor to floor..and he’s got the big run for his run space..so I was thinking that it’d be better use of space to have him up higher and a square less long so that I could actually get to my computer to work easier LOL. 

But..I either need to buy more cubes (an hour trip) or go down the road and get plywood.  He’s got a carpet that covers the bottom so I think any kind of plywood would be ok..right?  Or are certain kinds bad?  But my worries is that if he does not have squares as the bottom…how is that structurally sound?  How does it not just tip right over?  Tucker HAD a hot spot..but we moved the condo and now he doesn’t have that urge to move his pen to dig under that spot..but after seeing how he was with that hot spot I have seen how he can just move the pen along.  Would it be different with the actual condo? 

Ok I am rambling again…so basically my question is…for those of you who have floors like this..how do you keep it staying put?  I’d love something removable easily (atleast for me) because I would ideally like to just lift the cage to clean under it and change litter pans.  My knees have been bothering me lately and so climbing down on my hands and knees to change the litter and everything has really been killing me lately. 

[RabbitPam]

In today’s paper (in FL) Targets advertised their package of wire cubes (they’re the NIC but not called that) for sale for 12.99 again. Different colors. Chances are the one nearest you has the sale – it’s probably national. There’s enough in a box for 6 cubes – pictured assembled as two deep, 3 high. It might be worth it to get a package and create the floor with the wood on top of that for a sturdy structure.

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[Alicia Conklin]

Thanks, I will see if they still have them on pay day..we do have a target around here but they never have the cubes..I don’t know if they are always sold out or what. The only place I’ve actually found them here is at Costco, but that’s an hour away AND I have to have my MIL go with us because we don’t have a membership but she does. So, if I can find them at Target *crossing my fingers* that’d make everything alot easier….however..that still wouldn’t solve my issue of being able to lift it up and not have to get down on my knees to clean the floor.

My husband will help occasionally but since I was the one who wanted the rabbit I need to be the one to clean it otherwise he’ll just be right and say “told you so” again lol.

[bunnytowne]

OH my sorry about your knees.  Can you get a chair and sit on it and reach down for the litterboxes for now? I sit down on the chair and vac up their space.  So maybe a chair would help you. I have not figured out how to make the NIC cubes 2 panels high tho.  I must be constructionally challenged. I would like it taller.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Another option is to drill two small holes (big enough for a zip-tie to fit through) on either side of the wall panel and thread a zip tie up and around to secure to the plywood base. I would stay away from strand board (lots of chemicals), particle board, and anything that is treated . Also use some 1″ x 1/2″ boards to support the floor and zip-tie it to the floor panels to also provide structural support. Personally, I prefer the panel bottoms for extra support.

[skunklionshow]

Bunny condo building has made me extra handy w/ using NIC cubes & zip ties.  I even built I cover for my radiator so I could use it as a table.  My original bunny condo was built on the base of a dog cage.  I cut through the top grid and built up about 3 stories high.  I added to the sides once Leo moved in w/ Jessica.

One thing that I do w/ the NIC shelves is to overlap them by 1 square, not 1 entire grid (make sense?)  I found that that slight overlap makes the shelves very sturdy.   I had to do something similar w/ even the wall panels b/c when I built off the dog cage, I needed to follow that size, which wasn’t similar to the dog cage.  When I use the NIC shelves I cover them w/ cardboard and then top w/ a rag rug.

I have fibromyalgia & I too have a very difficult time going up and down (some days).  Both litterboxes are on the ground floor.  I have little NIC grid doors that I tie shut when attempting to contain the rabbits.  I usually bring everything w/in reach w/ me sitting on the floor to clean litter pans.  Do NOT sit on your knees (that’s reallly bad for your joints)!  I also have found a litterbox layer method that allows me to clean out the pans every 2-3 days.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my husband to pieces and find he’s been incrediably accommodating w/ my FMS, but he does the exact same thing to me:  “..they’re your pets, I didn’t want them you did!”  I guess that when it comes to cleaning, it’s often someone else’s job!  LOL

Be sure to check either the storage section and/or hardware sections at Target.  I know when I got mine, they weren’t where I thought they would be.  During the various seasons they are often next to the portable heaters or AC/ Fans.  Hope that helps.  Also, if you can’t find them ask a manager.  It seems to me that most sales associates really don’t have any idea, but most mgrs know b/c it’s their real job, not to pay for Saturday night dates.  You can get a raincheck when on sale, but you have to ask.

[GrammyB]

I feel your pain, my knees are so bad I can’t get on them w/o terrible pain. My girls do most of the cleaning, the buns are theirs, I’m just the Grammy. hehe When I do clean I use an ottoman or a chair. You could even put a door in the back for hard to reach spots.

Our plywood is 1/2in. held up by 1×1’s that are cable tied to the condo, some people use dowels, but I like the stability of a flat surface.
There’s a pic on “New Rabbit Hutch” in Q & A.

I was thinking, when we were making it that the buns would chew the plywood, but none so far. My plan was to put OK wood around the edge if they did.

Our condo is on wheels & we have atatched an x-pen to it many times w/o it moving. We use NIC for x-pens too, overlapping like skunklionshow does. That way the walls stay upright. We didn’t overlap in the condo.

[kralspace]

Bad knees here too…lol. Mine is built pretty much like grammyb’s and works very well.

Mine are 4 and 5 grids high, but the bottom grid area is blocked off, a solid floor so they can’t get down to floor level. That way the first living level is high enough I can sit in my rolling computer chair and clean. I have door panels on each side and use one of those swisher duster extenders to reach in and sweep it out one of the doors.

In one condo where the buns aren’t compulsive chewers I have a piece of vynl flooring on the floor that works great. It’s 6 inches too long on each side so it curves and bends up the grid walls and they don’t kick a lot of stuff out and it’s a snap to run a damp mop over.

I can’t do that in the other condo because Pringles makes it her personal mission to chew the entire piece down to a pile of plastic slivers but Daisy and Lola pay it no mind.

Kathy

[ADEE]

What are the nic cubes actually called? any other ideas as to what you use as a flooring?

[Beka27]

ADEE:  the NIC cubes go by a few different names.  NIC (Neat Idea Cubes) is the name of the ones made by Fellowes, i believe.  most people refer to all of the brands by that name (same as calling tissues Kleenex, or a bandage Band-Aid, even if it’s not *that* particular brand.)

in this link you can see pics of what different members have done in terms of condos and pens.  at the bottom there are lists of where you can get the grids and other names they go by.  https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/CoolHabitats/tabid/71/Default.aspx

i get mine at Target.  they are called Organize-It cubes and are kept in the housewares section, near the plastic storage containers.  i think the boxes have 26 or 28 grids and they sell for 15 bucks.  they do go on sale frequently and are then 13 dollars.  i’ve seen a few colors there besides black and white… also navy and pink.

 

[ADEE]

I made our NIC cage last night!!! Ill be sure to share some pictures. It came out HUGE but way cool lol. The girls have been using all the levels already and our children are loving being so much closer to them

[Beka27]

where did you set up the condo ADEE? in a family area?

[Author]

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