NIC or Xpen?

[starshinepunk]

So I have two little female buns, both about 8 to 10 weeks old, a chinchilla Netherland dwarf, and a red and white velveteen lop. I have a wonderful large area for them in the dining room. My issue is this, my schedule just got changed from 10 hour shifts to 12 meaning I’ll be gone 14 to 16 hours a night, and I’ll be sleeping when I’m home. I want to make my buns a big enough rabbitat that they are comfortable and get enough exercise during my work weeks, with plenty enough to entertain them (levels, I have toys etc but want them to have stuff to jump on) but I also need to keep the cats out. Would I be better off buying a couple xpens and adding levels? (Can you add levels?) Or using NIC cubes? If so how many packs should I buy? The floor is linoleum but I have a couple rugs I can switch out that I’ll put down. Right now they’re in a very spacious xlg dog crate with two floors and they love it. But I’m not very creative and really want them to have fun and be able to play and get enough exercise till I have days off and can be home to supervise them being out.

[Love4Bunny]

I vote several expens. They’re easy to clean, you can add the BB mazes or cottages if you want levels, and you can attach NIC grids or netting in a frame to create a top for the pen. I think it’s better for a rabbit to have more lateral space to run, if they at least have enough space to stand on their hind legs. If making a lid out of NIC cubes, you’ll likely need 2 packs.

[starshinepunk]

Thank you so much, that sounds like a great idea!
BTW, your little buns are so cute!!!

[Love4Bunny]

Thank you They actually just woke me up with their thumping, and I walked into their room to find them huddled together in the corner peacefully, so it appears they’ve promptly resolved their little bunny dispute! Crysta generally complains when she doesn’t get her way, but it’s okay cos Thor is fairly bossy.

Your bunnies are VERY cute. I have never seen a Chin Dwarf, but he/she is so unique, imo. And I love your lops’ long ears. They look like an affectionate pair.

[Love4Bunny]

I should add that for the expens, it’s best to get 36 inches height or more. You never know if your bunny is a jumper till they surprise you, all spiderman-style.

[starshinepunk]

Thank you! My dad got them for my daughter and I after our other dwarf went across the rainbow bridge unexpectedly (I think she was far too young to be separated is what happened, she wasn’t even a nethie and she was half the size of Satin). They both were surrendered by a failed breeder to the local animal shelter. We volunteer there regularly and my dad happened to be there when they were surrendered and adopted them both after their check ups as a surprise.
I’m not too worried about Flopsie jumping, she has a deformity from a broken left hind foot she had when she was even younger (I suspect she broke the front one too but from what my dad said they looked like before he brought them home they were in horrible conditions)
They must have been caged either together or close because they appear really bonded (could just be the stress of everything that happened because it’s taking a lot of time with them to get them used to us) they barely have started venturing out of the cage, still won’t let us pet them (except flopsie will go straight to and nudge my daughter for a head rub) but I can tell they’ll be lovable buns once they get used to us.
Either way I’ll definitely get a high enough xpen even with a lid on it, don’t want my buns hurt or injured, they’ve been through enough. Thanks so much for the advice.

[starshinepunk]

Any idea on how big of an xpen I should get?

[starshinepunk]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pet-Trex-Premium-Quality-30-Exercise-Playpen-for-Dogs-Eight-24-x-30-High-Panels-with-Gate/29561439

This is what I’m thinking of for my girls, should I get two or is just one big enough?

[tobyluv]

With that one x-pen, you can make a habitat of a 4 foot square or a 2 x 6 foot rectangle, or have it as a 5 foot diameter circle. The pen will include a litter box, bowls, a hidey house, toys, etc. If you could find something around your house to mark off or make a 4 foot square, that would show you how much room your bunnies would have, making sure to include any objects that might be in the pen. If you do have a hidey box, rabbits can use those to launch themselves out of the pen, so they shouldn’t be right up against the sides.

They do make x-pens with covers. I don’t know how much of a hassle that the covers are, and how well they stay on. You might have to use the NIC cubes and have a totally enclosed pen, to make totally sure that your cats didn’t get in.  Although you could try to fashion some kind of top on the x-pen with cube grids or netting as has already been suggested.  Do you think that your cats would try to jump on top of the netting?  It might not hold their weight, or they could get tangled up in it, so I might be a little afraid of netting to keep them out.

You didn’t mention spaying your bunnies.  They are approaching the age where their hormones will be kicking in and that can lead to aggression and fighting. Besides the fact that spaying is recommended due to health issues, it is also recommended before rabbits (other than young babies) can be bonded.

[starshinepunk]

I do plan to make a top for the cage either out of nic cubes or something similar with wooden dowel rods to keep the cats out since I know the cats will lay on top of it (its their new favorite bed)
I do plan to spay the girls, I have a very rabbit savvy vet I already plan to take them to, he did the original health check on them before they were available for adoption.
I basically just want to make sure that this xpen attached to their xl dog crate will be enough room for them to get exercise when I have to work 12hr shift 4-6 nights in a row and won’t be able to give them the attention I can, on say like my 6 days off in a row.
I hadn’t thought about them not being bonded after alteration. Perhaps with an open I could make a divider of sorts till I know they’re bonded properly after altering.
Maybe I should just get one for each bun just in case….more room wouldn’t hurt them and if I need to separate them then boom no problem.

[Love4Bunny]

Those expens look fine. I think, definitely get 2 pens with a door. They are SO versatile. You can keep the buns separate when needed, and you can actually get more space than 8×4 out of 2 expens when you join them together. However, the more space they cover, the wobblier they get, but it has not been an issue for me as I am cautious when I step in and out of the pens.

Yes, I think if your cats like to perch on the top, definitely use something sturdier than netting.

I also made a fence divider out of a box of NIC cubes, and that is also very versatile.

[Love4Bunny]

If you plan on keeping the pen in a square or rectangular shape, another suggestion for a “lid” is to construct a table-like frame out of wood, and secure a “tabletop” piece of plywood (or thicker) on top. I’m sure you could add extra legs for support, or to secure the cage inside. It would keep the cats out, and also provide a storage space for lighter rabbit items. I have seen this done with dog crates, except they use foam mats or actual side tables.

[ButtersBear]

I vote xpen! I’ve done NIC cube, which was a cute and fun idea, until I actually got to assembling it haha and then had to move it around – NOT convenient.

Also, I agree, get taller than 30 inches, because my 15 month old just hopped over it. This is the one I have
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H8YTJI/ref=twister_B00P1NKX9Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 – the 30 inch is $13 cheaper right now than the one you posted from Walmart, and the 36 inch is also a tiny bit cheaper – there isn’t a little door thing, but it’s really easy with the little clips they have. Not trying to sound cheap, but totally something to consider if you’re buying more than one!

Since I did have a 3 level NIC cube home at one point, I actually binder clipped the pieces together to make extra panels and attached them to the free edge of the X-pen. I guess I could also use them to make a roof/top, but that’s hard to make when the pen is in a circle (more living area – sounds like an SAT question) instead of a square/rectangle.

[starshinepunk]

I am planning on using them in a rectangle shape as the space isn’t really made for them to be in a circle.
Thanks for all the wonderful advice guys!!

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