Rabbit enclosure height?

[luna]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Nicola and im new to the forum. i have been reading alot of the posts over the last few days and think this forum is great…i have learnt lots but i still have a couple of questions. Currently i have 4 guinea pigs and two hamsters but will be getting an 8week old male netherland dwarf in 3weeks time. i am so excited

I really just want to know if the cage size and enclosure i have will be adequate for the little guy. we will be keeping him in our living room. The cage size is 39″x 20″x19″ high. i will have the cage sitting in a run with the front of the cage pulled back so he has access to the run measuring 45″x45″x20″ high. we also plan on giving him free range of our apartment gradually depending on how he gets on with litter training once he has been neutered. my main concern is the height of the run. will he be able to jump out over it? i have a net that i can put over it but i would be afraid he might try to jump out and get a limb stuck in the net. i have been looking at the cube cages and they look really good but i live in ireland and its not so easy to get them here. i am just  worried i have gone about everything the wrong way and the run is going to be no good to me now which is a pity because i have two of them i can join together to make a really big space. it works great for the guinea pigs but forgot that rabbits can jump quite high. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. looking forward to getting to know everyone:-)

 

Nicola xx

[rabbitsmba]

Hi and welcome to BinkyBunny!

I think that the height might be a little short. As a baby it might not be an issue but as he grows he may be able to jump it. If the NIC panels are not readiy available where you live, a dog exercise pen might be a good alternative. Some of them disconnect so you can open them up and use them as a fence as well as an enclosed area. Might want to give that a try.

*Ireland* – I visited Ireland a few years back – what a beautiful country! Hopefully I will get to visit it again one day!

[Beka27]

welcome here! i’m so pleased you’ve been doing research and you’re asking for help. there is a lot of conflicting info on the internet, but BB is a good site as far as what works best.

the 20 inches is going to be too short. most buns can jump onto couches and chairs that are even higher than that. also, most dwarves can jump higher than bigger bunnies b/c they have less weight to get off the ground. the NIC grids are 28 inches high when stacked 2 high. and i know some buns can jump over that. what you have will work for a little bit, but start getting prepared for something else… either try and order the NIC grids, or purchase an exercise pen like rabbitsmba said. xpens typically (at least in the US) come in 3 sizes 24, 36 and 48 inch. i’d go right for the 36 inch if you were to go that route.

this is what my rabbit had before:

now i have two 36 inch xpens since i am bonding a second bun.  they are each 4 x 4 feet when made square:

 

[ScooterandAnnette]

Our Xpen enclosure is about 24″ high and one of our bunnies has been known to escape over it from time to time.
– Annette

[luna]

Wow Beka27, those enclosures are pretty impressive. Would love more space but unfortunately for now i cannot have a permanent set up like that. i actually went online and ordered an outdoor rabbit pen. it is the same kind of material as in your pictures. The thing is we are going to be putting the cage under a desk in the living room so we are limited when it comes to size. the pen i got measures 46″x23″x23″high and we can still attach the run to the front of it in the evenings. i have come up with a solution for the height and any potential escapes. with my spare run i will use two of the panels to form a lid for the run so at least i have that sorted. The actual table will form a lid for the cage i ordered on line

 

Thanks everyone for getting back to me so quick. It makes sense alright that a dwarf could actually jump higher than a heavier rabbit . Nevery thought about that !!! Was looking at the pictures of different set ups people have for their bunnies. I am totally inspired…when we get a bigger place im gonna have a room especially for my animals. cant wait!!!

do ye think the size of my pen/cage that i ordered on line will suffice without the run when im not here during the day and at night? it is 46″x23″x23″.

 

Nicola

[Beka27]

that’s the smallest size that i would recommend, and that’s in addition to at least 4 hours of playtime outside of the cage each day.

[luna]

Great…plan to have him out all of the time  ( under supervision) when he has been neutered and litter trained. also i plan on attaching the run most of the time if i can get round my boyfriend. he thinks the animals are taking over the apartment so i have to try be considerate but i usually get round him

i have had rabbits before but they were kept outside. I had two netherland dwarves called chloe and chip, a white one named Libby,and a lop called Jessie who ate his way out of every hutch we had him in! I loved them … and spent all my time outside with them. What i really liked  was how cuddly they were. they all loved to be held except chip who instead gave me kisses. what iv noticed alot of people saying about their rabbits is that they dont like to be held and can develop behavioural problems. i really hope my little guy settles in and doesnt turn aggressive:-/ !!! Maybe im only remembering the positive but do a high percentage of rabbits bite?

[Beka27]

aggression and territorial behavior is normal in the unaltered bunny. i would get him neutered as soon as possible (about 3-4 months) and with daily interaction he might learn to tolerate being held. they can bite, and it hurts, but a lot of those problems happen when the hormones are allowed time to really set in. get him neutered young and with a lot of one on one time, things should be great. all rabbits have their own personality, and in time, you will learn what he does and does not like. there is a strong possibility that he will exhibit “troublemaker” behaviors until he is older… about 1-3 years old. some buns take longer to mellow out, which is why adopting an adult is the best for everyone involved. that way you know the personality before you bring them home. i’m guessing in Ireland you probably are very limited with your options as far as shelters/rescues tho.

[luna]

Yes you are right there.. We are very limited here in Ireland when it comes to anything animal related. I have to order all my cages, accessories online from germany. We dont have any resues that i know of…just the ispca and dspca who rarely have any small pets and when they do they are snapped up immediately. Thats a good thing though, im not complaining. I am getting my bunny from a breeder of netherland dwarfs down the country. It will be a 3hour drive so i hope he will be alright on the journey back. i dont know what im going to do about the water situation. i wont be able to attach a water bottle on the travel box. any suggestions on how to give him water? i dont want to disturb him too much on the journey!

The litter will be ready in two weeks to go so i will either be getting him then or the week after. the lady who breeds them says they have been well handled over the last two weeks by her and her child and they are very friendly and come straight up to the cage door when she approaches so hopefully my guy will be used to handling have spent a fortune in the last week on cage, toys, wooden tunnels, cuddle cups, fleece bed, a covered cat litter tray, house etc! I just cant wait…two weeks is going to be soooo long

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I know I hate waiting!! You could bring some really watery greens, like romaine and parsley and soak them in water before you feed them to him. That would probably really help to keep him hydrated.

[Beka27]

wet veggies was my thought too. i’d suggest you stop every 90 minutes or so to check on him, offer him some water in a bowl, change the towel in the carrier. he should be fine, just a little bit stressed out. when you get home you’ll want to let him settle in for a day or so before you start doing a lot of handling.

i know… it’s not cheap having rabbits (any pets actually) but it is absolutely worth it!

[luna]

Thats a really good idea…i had thought of that but he will only be 8weeks old. is it ok to introduce a baby bunny to greens that soon?

[Beka27]

i would do something simple like romaine lettuce. generally they suggest 12 weeks, but if you gave him a bit it would probably be fine.

[luna]

Thanks guys,

Yeah i love spending money on the animals. My piggies and hamsters are so spoilt but i get so much enjoyment from them so its money well spentI will do that so with the veg…just one more question. should i give him hay aswell or will that just make him more thirsty on the journey?

[osprey]

In my experience transporting bunnies, most of them will not eat or drink while the car is moving.  My suggestion is stop half way for 15 minutes or so, offer the bunny some water and some hay (most likely alfalfa/lucerne legume hay at his age), and then get on the road again.  If you are really concerned about water, you can give him a squirt of water from a syringe.  You should find out from the breeder if the bunny has had greens before, my guess is that he will not have had greens so do not offer him too much as it could upset his digestive system.

Good luck with your bunny, and please post pictures when you get the baby!

 

[luna]

Thanks Osprey,

Might bring a syringe as a back up plan alright, cant do any harm. Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Will post pics of my new bunny and his setup when he is settled:-)

Nicola xx

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