One or Two Cages. What would you do?

[Doodler]

I am almost one week into having bonded bunnies and I am torn on what to do with their room.

My pair shares their own room and it currently has two Living World Deluxe X-Large cages.  Currently they have two litter boxes and one hay rack in one cage and one litter box and one hay rack in the other.  The cages are never closed and they are more used to contain the hay and litter boxes.  They have spent a lot of time this week using both cages. Sometimes they share a cage and sometimes they go into their own.

I have been considering moving the second hay rack (or getting a bigger one) and removing one of the cages.  I like the idea of having more floor space for them and of course this would also give me the benefit of only having only one cage to clean.  What would you do?  I like the idea of them having their own space when they want it but not sure it’s really necessary.  My one bun really likes the shelf that comes with these cages and although he has been ok this past week without it he has shown me signs he might like it back.  I couldn’t put the shelf and two litter boxes in one cage though.  I do have an elevated bed that I have held off putting back in the room just for space reasons but it would fit much better if I was to remove a cage.  This might be an adequate substitute for the shelf.

This is him sleeping where his shelf used to be

[DarthVadar]

Bonded bunnies are very happy sharing living quarters. With rabbits, they are either bonded or they are not; they either cuddle are love each other to pieces, or they fight and/or avoid each other at all costs. Having a a pair in the middle is pretty rare. Once two rabbits are bonded, they can share everything. So at this point, having one or two cages is a matter of personal preference. You could remove one cage and see if it works for them, and if not, put it back.

[easter]

I would get a bigger cage and have only one, rabbits do like their personal space, but you can make a box room or a tunnel. My rabbits are a pair, and they share a large cage at night and roam around our deck in the daytime and they’re happy as can be, sharing a cage, a hay rack (I just use a basket for a hay rack), and all their toys and boxes, so I would give them toys and room and leave them to a room in the day, and a large hutch in the night.
Best wishes
Easter

[Doodler]

Thank you for the suggestion. A new cage could be my 4th alternative. Honestly I would have bought a bigger cage to begin with if I could have found one. I have yet to find one that really is bigger unless I got something like the KW cage with multiple levels. I know I could try and make my own with NIC grids or something similar but honestly I think I’d rather go without a cage before I went that route. I especially like having the bottom sides on the cage to help contain the mess and a lot of homemade ones lack this (especially when you’re not gifted in making anything and I definitely lack that gift ).

[jerseygirl]

I personally would opt for the one cage (to coral the litter & hay) and have more floor space for hopping. Or other items.
You could add in a hidey type box that gives Doodles a similar feeling the the space under the cage shelf.

Another idea, if cages are same size, could you stack them and have a ramp from floor in room going up to entry of the second cage?

[Doodler]

Thanks for the suggestions jerseygirl! They are the exact same cage so they would fit stacked. I’m just not so sure I’m skilled enough to make something work. It’s definitely worth considering!

He actually rarely went under the shelf. He has a box and he used to sleep in there often but not so much now that he’s bonded. He liked to sleep on the shelf as well. That’s why I’m hoping the elevated bed would work good enough. This also takes up a lot of space but they can fit under it as well.

I know I’m probably over thinking it because he has lots of good places to sleep other than what appears to be a very uncomfortable shelf. It’s the sleeping preferences plus I’ve seen conflicting opinions about whether they prefer to have their own space at times even when bonded.

I am going to try one cage and see how it goes. I definitely think more floor room is better than having two cages.

[Coco]

I found a folding type dog exercise pen a Home Depot for around or under 50$. It can be opened into a large octagon shape, or folded into a rectangle. And folded down for travel. I have it as the rectangle now as it gives more space in my living room. You might be able to attach a shelf or two to the grids! I found a nice sized metal hanging letter box to replace the tiny hay box! I keep a small dust pan, broom set in the old hay box, and hang a small spray bottle of white vinegar & water from it too. Makes for handy clean-ups! I will post a pic of our set up if I can figure out how it is done!

[Doodler]

Thanks Coco! I would love to see your set up. Not only do I have 2 cages but I have 7 pens and a box of NIC grids to work with. I only use some of the pens for bunny proofing now that they are bonded so I have some that are not in use so I could try and come up with a good option with those. I can’t picture a good hay and litter box containment for the flooring though.

[Coco]

I just tried to upload a pic of the set up to “fluff & lounges”. Hopefully it will be approved so you can see it there soon! Her potty box just arrived today! It’s called a table top gardener portable potting tray. Would be plenty big enough for 2 bunnies. It was less than 15$ on Amazon. Low front entry, high sides to catch spatter, smooth surface so will be easy to keep clean.
Sorry it’s not cleaner, tomorrow is cleaning day. And working tonight on a new hidey house!

[Coco]

Oops, flops & lounges, not “fluff & lounges”!

[Daisy]

Posted By DarthVadar on 1/18/2019 5:51 PM

Bonded bunnies are very happy sharing living quarters. With rabbits, they are either bonded or they are not; they either cuddle are love each other to pieces, or they fight and/or avoid each other at all costs. Having a a pair in the middle is pretty rare. Once two rabbits are bonded, they can share everything. So at this point, having one or two cages is a matter of personal preference. You could remove one cage and see if it works for them, and if not, put it back.

Some are indeed heavily in love, but some have more of a brother/sister relationship and will be friendly with one another but not are extremely close like you see with couples in love. Either way they are fine sharing one cage so you’re still right haha!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Doodles on 1/21/2019 10:43 PM
Thanks for the suggestions jerseygirl! They are the exact same cage so they would fit stacked. I’m just not so sure I’m skilled enough to make something work. It’s definitely worth considering!

He actually rarely went under the shelf. He has a box and he used to sleep in there often but not so much now that he’s bonded. He liked to sleep on the shelf as well. That’s why I’m hoping the elevated bed would work good enough. This also takes up a lot of space but they can fit under it as well.

I know I’m probably over thinking it because he has lots of good places to sleep other than what appears to be a very uncomfortable shelf. It’s the sleeping preferences plus I’ve seen conflicting opinions about whether they prefer to have their own space at times even when bonded.

I am going to try one cage and see how it goes. I definitely think more floor room is better than having two cages.

If the rabbits have the whole room, chances are there is plenty of space if they want a bit of alone time so I wouldn’t worry I’d stick with one cage to put their litter trays and food and then just have a few other boxes/tunnels etc around.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By DarthVadar on 1/18/2019 5:51 PM
Bonded bunnies are very happy sharing living quarters. With rabbits, they are either bonded or they are not; they either cuddle are love each other to pieces, or they fight and/or avoid each other at all costs. Having a a pair in the middle is pretty rare. Once two rabbits are bonded, they can share everything. So at this point, having one or two cages is a matter of personal preference. You could remove one cage and see if it works for them, and if not, put it back.

Not necessarily. Every pair is different. Some are more cuddly than others. Some don’t cuddle at all but still share food/litter trays etc and then you have some that are absolute cuddle monsters but get territorial over litter boxes so need to have 2.

[DarthVadar]

I mean that truly bonded rabbits will not fight because they must share a cage. If they have a problem sharing a living situation, they are not truly bonded and need more time.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By DarthVadar on 1/24/2019 2:42 PM
I mean that truly bonded rabbits will not fight because they must share a cage. If they have a problem sharing a living situation, they are not truly bonded and need more time.

Ah yes, I agree that a properly bonded pair will not fight over sharing space but it is still normal for some to not be super cuddly with one another.

[Doodler]

I appreciate everyone’s feedback! I also interpretted what was said the same way but knew it wasn’t true. These two definitely seem to have more of a brother/sister relationship. With that said even married couples usually like to have their own space.

I was trying to get a feel from others if they find their rabbits might like having both options. I’m getting the concensus is that it doesn’t really matter much either way.

I have left both cages but have moved all of the items into one. It’s going well and they have stopped even going into the empty cage so clearly it is fine. The main issue now is the mess in one cage. Although it’s easier to clean one cage I am going to have to do it clearly more often. I used to clean boxes every other day with 3 boxes in use. Now with 2 it looks to be a daily task. Someone posted about the best litter box and that has made me rethink my whole set up even more. I just wish they didn’t drop nuggets around the litter box and that hay wasn’t so messy or I’d get rid of the cages completely.

[Author]

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