Researching Bun-Buns; Cages, x-pens, and hardwood floors

[RatAtaT]

Hey guys. So as you can probably tell from the username, I am a rat owner who has fallen in love with small animals. I’ve had rats for about three years, and you can also find me on RatForum.com. I currently have five, having lost one, Rome, on Friday to old age and tumors. (34 months, when they’re only supposed to reach two years.) I love, love, love my rats, but they don’t live long enough, and I thought a bunny might be a good alternative.

I took a look around, and I know that x-pens and grid/cube set ups are the go to, but I also have several predator animals in my house, namely my ex-feral cat, Kaida, and King the husky mix, destroyer of worlds. King is a big love bug, but being a husky, there isn’t a baby gate, chain link fence, x-pen, or cube system out there that he can’t collapse. He, also like some huskies, has a strong prey drive. Found this out when he busted open one of my rat’s travel cages and grabbed a baby. (Baby’s fine – growing into a normal adult. Understandably scared of dogs, though.) Couldn’t tell if he was trying to rough house with it or eat it, but an animal that small surviving time with a seventy pound dog tells me it was a case of the world’s most dangerous playtime. Not an experience I ever care to repeat.

Oh, he also knows how to open doors. (Don’t ever get a husky, ya’ll. They’re amazing dogs, but dear God, they are more work than a racehorse.)

The one thing, mysteriously enough, that he hasn’t figured out is my Living World Deluxe Habitat XL that I bought for Rome when his back legs gave out (HED). I also have a 48″ dog crate that he may or may not be able to collapse/open.

Bunny would be kept in my (deadbolted) bedroom, which measures approximately 12’x13′, give or take a foot, but I need something to keep him in when I’m not home. My main concern for the room is less of King letting himself in, and more of one of my housemates leaving a door open (which has happened.) My rats are in a very solid Critter Nation for this reason.

My work schedules vary, including work from home, but for all intents and purposes, bun-bun would spend about eight hours in the cage, having free run of my room while I’m home, and about two to three hours of active playtime. I do have an x-pen I used for the rats, but I upgraded their area in a way that both they and bunny would have their own deal. Rats go up, rather than out anyways; saves me floor space. Most likely I would used the pen to keep bunny away from my sewing equipment. (Fleece items, anyone?)

I have hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of cages of every variety flowing out the wazoo, and I really don’t want to buy another. Just wanted thoughts on the dog crate vs the Living World. The crate has more space, but the cage cuts down the overall mess and is mishap free. (Safest.)

Also, I’m renting and wanted to know if anyone has tips on keeping hardwood floors relatively scratch free. Crap happens, but I don’t want to lose out on extensive damage. Would one of those rubber horse stall mats work? 

[LuckyBunny]

I’ve owned rats for about 10 years in my life and having a rabbit I can safely say there is no comparison one can make of the two. They are really different. And I don’t mean rat-hamster different I mean just a whole different ball game. Rabbits are a lot like cats or dogs. I say mine is like a cat and a horse had a baby.
Now about the cages. I use a 48″ x 36″ wire dog crate for mine when I am at work and I wouldn’t use anything smaller. Cages made for rabbits are horrible places for rabbits to be. I would suggest doing extremely extensive research about rabbits and their care and body language before adopting one.

Edit; I’m not trying to come off rude. I just got a rabbit thinking she would be like all the other small pets I’ve had and it’s been a huge learning experience. They’re way more difficult to care for than I was personally expecting and it’s really important for you to know as much as possible without jumping straight in like I did haha

[RatAtaT]

Thanks for the advice. I understand your concern; like I said before, I’m very active on a rat specific forum, and we get people wanting to keep a lone rat in a ten gallon aquarium more often than I like to remember. One of our newest members bought a two, maybe three, week old rat from a feeder store and was trying to feed it hamster food. In her defense, she was following the advice of the store employee, but I wish more people did research.

I’m anticipating getting a bunny in December, so I’ve got lots of time. You don’t happen to have any experience with Guinea Pigs, do you? I’d like to compare the two. I was thinking rabbits are quieter, which is a bonus for me. I can deal with thumping, but the wheeking and squeaking doesn’t appeal well.

My rats are like a cat and a dog had a baby. I don’t know about you, but I like to think they have all the loyalty and intelligence of a dog with the maintenance of a cat. I definitely don’t expect the rabbit to act like a rat, but it would be nice to have a small animal that lives more than two years. I know I’ll probably never find a pet that’s as perfect for me as a rat, but I’ve literally lost a rat each month this year, and ignoring the financial cost of cremation, it’s taking its emotional toll on me as well. (All of mine are over two.)

I’ve had experience working with rabbits in a farm situation. My sister also briefly had a house bunny that I almost took in, so I have a general idea of the difference in personalities between rats and rabbits. There’s currently a rabbit at my old job who sits alone, mostly ignored, in a hutch in a dusty barn that I kind of fell in love with. He doesn’t have a name, to my knowledge – he’s just referred to as “that b@st@rd”. The owner hates him (it’s her granddaughter’s – who ignores it) and he has no room to run around. He’s a big as the hutch. When I first started working there, I cleaned the hutch out, and there was literally four to five inches of caked, soaking wet pine shavings, hay, straw, and rabbit feces. I about puked. I left that job in December when I broke my ankle, but I know he’s still there. I’m not necessarily sure I want him specifically, but he’s been on the back of my mind for the past six months. Hopefully somebody has been keeping up with him because I was the only one caring for him while I was working there.

If I got him, he’d have to be in the dog crate because he’s a meat rabbit (huge). Maybe it’s just because he doesn’t have space but he’s pretty chill. If he wasn’t excessively destructive, he’d eventually get free run of the room. I’m currently working on a dog room as an alternative to crating my dogs, so once I get that completed, which I hope should be done by December, it would be much safer to leave him out. He’s also twice the size of my cat, so I’d be less worried about her jumping a gate or something and taking him out.

I’ve also got experience with grooming. I already waltzed through the FAQ. I’ve trimmed nails before (farms, family favors). Didn’t know about the anal glands on rabbits, but I’ve, unfortunately, dealt with them in dogs. I have to buy greens anyway; I’ve still got rats and work with a small animal rescue. (We mysteriously don’t take in rabbits.)

Sorry for such a long answer. I guess the summary of all of this is that I’m only 75% green when it comes to rabbits. I wanted to assure you that I’m not going to just dive in. (Did that with mice and… oiy -shudders-. Especially since the most likely candidate for adoption is a 2+ year old neglect case.

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