Level supports for a NIC condo?

[JustPeachy]

So I recently moved to a new apartment and have to rebuild my boy’s castle. However, I decided with the extra space I have now that I can give him a bigger better place. My original plan was a 3×4 base that goes 3 high (this measured by those 1×1 cubes). However, after looking at my materials, I decided to change it to 2×4 base that still goes 3 high. Now I built him a condo before at our last place and it was about 2×3 with a 2×2 second level. I used dowels there and had the cubes jerry-rigged to fit a big black base thing. 

(Of course over the time he was in it, I rearranged and changed it around. Like I ended up moving a litter box into the black thing because he liked laying down there so having a separate box kept it cleaner. Also, the hammock ended up coming out cause he hated it. But that’s the basis of what it was like.) 

Anyways, so here I am rebuilding and I realized my old shelves don’t quite fit my new place, so I’m trying to figure out how to rebuild the levels. Should I use dowels again to support my pieces? What other options can I consider to support them?

The pieces for his levels are all wood, and I have vinyl for the floor. I will post pictures once I get it built.

[DanaNM]

I use dowels to support my levels, which are also wood protected with vinyl, like yours.

I also added a dowel running up each corner (zip-tied on) on the outside for added stability, as my condo is 4 grids tall.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bunbun500]

What worked really well for mine was just screwing in some 1×1 wood legs to the 2nd level, making sure the legs were placed properly to fit against my baseboard. If you don’t have baseboard (I can’t tell if you do) I would maybe screw it to your base as well for added stabilization. We used this set up in our apartment and when we moved to our house we just unscrewed the legs and everything was easy to move & reassemble.

[Azerane]

My condo has 3 levels. The base obviously, a 2nd major level which is the same size as the base except for the hole for the stairs, and a 3rd smaller shelf level. The 3rd level is made from plywood and is simply supported by lengths of timber and cable tied on. The 2nd level is also plywood however underneath the whole level I have grids, so I basically built the second level using grids (to stabilise the frame of the cage) and then dropped the plywood down on top. So it has nothing else supporting it since the cage is holding it there.

[JustPeachy]

Wow, all those condos sound really nice! 
Once I started building I found that it was pretty stable how I put my cubes together, so I just left the outer frame as all cube and zipties. However mine if only 3 cubes high, I can see how going four high you’d need the extra stability. I liked the idea of utilizing the baseboard in the stability of the levels, but this apartment’s baseboard is basically rubber things and I really didn’t want to have the condo depending on the walls (if that makes sense?). I was also working with limited supplies and tools because I don’t have the same access to my parent’s shop that I had at my old place. However, I think my mom taught me pretty well in the art of being handy because it all came together quite well. 

So here are the finished picture:

I ended up finding slightly bigger square dowels to support my levels and screwed them to the platforms to create stability. I might add a ramp or two eventually, but Peach has always been a good jumper/climber. My frame was pretty stable without extra wood, so the other frame is just cubes and zipties. I used a sheet of vinyl flooring (that funny enough matches my flooring) and ziptied it on two sides of the condo. The back as some excess that is just pressed between the condo and wall. My platforms are wood planks with peel and stick vinyl tiles on them then covered with fleece. The door is really complex and I need to eventually make it more secure, but the whole middle two front cubes open all the way up.

There is a towel in there right now (but he’s pretty good about leaving towels alone) because he proceeded to “defleece” that platform and then drag it to bury his water, so it’s drying in my bathroom.  I’ll move it back after cleaning it. I also moved the hammock he hated in there to see if he will try it again, he’s unsure but definitely likes it more there than how I had it in the other condo, so we will see.

He seems happy with it. He’s pouty right now because he’s had a lot of excitement this last week and I think it’s catching up with him, but he’s my good boy and I know once he realizes all the nooks and crannies I’ve situated for him, he’ll be very happy 

Thank you again, everyone, for your advice and I hope my condo maybe gives others some ideas and inspiration. 

[joea64]

I have a 2-level NIC-based condo that I bought from a guy on eBay who specializes in building them as kits for people who aren’t all that handy with tools (like me ). It’s been a delight for Panda and Fernando thus far, but I do think of finding something, possibly dowels, to support the upper level since they spend a lot of time on it, especially during the day when they hang out in their hidey boxes. The upper level is carpeted baseboard laid over NIC grids and seems to be pretty stable; the buns, both young adults, weigh probably 4 pounds each max – I won’t have a specific figure until they have their first checkup later this fall – and the only other thing generally on the upper deck is their two hidey boxes, both made from old cardboard beer cartons and consequently quite light.

[DanaNM]

Looks great JustPeachy! I think screwing the levels to the dowels prob adds a lot of stability too!

One thing to be aware of, that I can’t quite tell from your photo, is that generally you want to be sure that the bunny can’t jump down from any level higher than what they could jump up to. So, be sure that he can’t jump all the way from the top to the ground floor, as they could be injured. This might already be the case, but I can’t quite tell from the perspective of your photo.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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