Rabbit Cage Size & Options

[xeclipse]

So, when I got my little bunny, Godzilla — somehow, this name has stuck , I got him at the flea market, and I ended up purchasing a cheap cage there just to make-do until I came up with a better idea. I recently moved back home from college for the summer, and since I am finally settled in, I wanted to come up with a new cage solution. The cage he is in now is 30 inches long and 20 inches deep. It also has a couple shelves for him to climb up on. I think this is okay temporarily until I get him a bigger one, right? He is still very small and weighed about a 1lb last week.

I’ve been pouring over craigslist for a used, large rabbit cage that I could put in my room, but I also started looking at how other people have their bunnies set up. Since money is pretty tight for me, and I want to work on getting him neutered asap, I thought maybe I could create a fun place for him with the stuff I have here at home. I have several dog x-pens. I believe they are 4 feet by 4 feet. Right now, he can get through the bars, but I thought maybe I could come up with some chicken wire or something to tie around it until he got bigger. I also thought for the floor I could put a tarp down. Could this maybe work? I also have a bunch of dog crates for medium to large sized dogs that I thought I could possibly convert into a bunny cage, but again, I am thinking he could wiggle through the bars. Any thoughts on this? I just want to make sure that he has enough room and that being in his cage isn’t a total prison sentence.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Sarita]

Definitely do the dog x-pens – those are the best in my opinion.

[KatnipCrzy]

Wow, sounds like a tiny bunny!  I would also recommend an ex-pen though it sounds like you will have to reinforce the spacing until your bunny is bigger.  I would check out wire fencing at the local home improvement store- and zip tie (cable tie) that to the outside of the ex-pen to prevent any wiggle thrus.  Sometimes the edges of wire can be sharp so just make sure that there is nothing that Godzilla can scratch himself on- and nothing that you will scratch yourself on when you are walking by.  My first thought was to recommend a plastic fencing- but I really think something the bunny can NOT chew thru would probably be a better bet- that way you don’t have to worry about him escaping and getting into trouble when you are not watching.

For underneath the cage you could use a piece of linoleum or something similiar.  I use vinyl from Joann Fabrics- it is sold on a large roll and I think other people use it to cover picnic tables, etc.  It is clear (or tinted) and there are different thicknesses- but it is pretty cheap.  I learned with my first bunny that anything you put on the floor to protect the carpet should lay flat- otherwise they will nibble the wrinkes.  So a tarp if it flat, linoleum, vinyl or tiles is fine to protect the floor.

I cover the vinyl with fleece for my bunnies- so the carpet is protected by the vinyl and the bunnies are pampered by the fleece.

[Beka27]

I third the xpens. They are the best in my opinion. Can you pick up some NIC grids and ziptie those around the perimeter? When you no longer needed them for the xpen, they could be used for bunny-proofing somewhere else in the house.

[xeclipse]

Thanks for the help guys! I think I am going to go with the x-pen. Also, thanks KatnipCrzy for the vinyl suggestion. I will definitely look into that! I also am going to try and come up with the NIC grids, Beka. I am glad I can use some of the stuff I have here at home. He seems like a pretty happy bunny, and I just want him to have a nice sized habitat for when he is not running around.

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