Beyond confused, help!

[JessiDarklighter]

I adopted a freshly weaned male rabbit around a year ago. The breeder gave me a bunch of general information, but was a bit vague about housing. She did dissuade me from using aspen or any other wood based bedding product because this particular bunny is double maned and long haired, and she had discovered they are apt to have problems with aspen bedding getting tangled in their fur. So I had brought in a large dog crate to house him in, but quickly learned he made too much mess to contain on the floor of the crate. so I put in a large box and moved in a wire rack so he could walk back and forth over the waste bin. I was worried this was not enough space, so as soon as I had extra money I went out a bought a double critter nation cage.
I realized the hole to move between levels was not big enough, so I did research online to find a way to modify the cage to be better for my rabbit. To my horror, I instead found that every person who posted online about critter nation cages said they were unsuitable for rabbits. I also saw a post that said rabbits need at least 4 hours of free range exercise a day, and my pet doesn't get anywhere near that amount. We were letting him loose on the bed, but after the third time he peed on the exact spot where my husband sleeps, I've just put him on the floor in front of the bed and redirected him anytime he goes more than a foot from me. So someone please help me out here.
I spent 150 dollars on the critter nation cage. I've got a friend willing to buy it from me, so this is my budget for creating a better life for my pet. I need to know exactly what cage to get (please, no DIY solutions, I want a well assembled product that I don't have to spend a lot of time finding parts and coaxing them together. I LOVE the double doors on the critter nation cage) I also need to know exactly how much time he needs for exercise, and what I can get to act as pen/run for him so I'm not worrying about him chewing on electrical wires or hiding under the bed.
Suggestions please?

 

[Watermelons]

They really dont make commercial cages that are suitable which is why people build their own.
No, critter nations are not suitable for rabbits. They need more space. Critter nations are great for ferrets or rats but not Rabbits.

You can easily purchase a dog x-pen and set that up around a large wire dog crate (48" one ideally).
Is he neutered? Most rabbit owners do not use any litter and simply use blankets on the bottom of the cage so there really shouldnt be much of a mess. Litter only in the litter box.

 

[Blue eyes]

As a sample of an x-pen cage...

If your rabbit doesn't get much out-of-cage time, then providing 30 square feet as permanent space provides for that extra space. The photo shows how a single x-pen can make that space if an existing wall is incorporated as one wall.

 

[katiecrna]

Forget cages. There are not many suitable for rabbits, and they are expensive. Get an exercise pen that is at least 32inches tall. Buy one off Amazon, they are a lot cheaper than a cage and provide more room. That's what most of people on this forum use.

 

[katiecrna]

This is an example of a pen. This is my rabbits pen. I just have a carpet for flooring, a litterbox, hay rack, bowl of water and some chew toys.

As far as exercise time... it is suggested that they get 4hrs of exercise a day. But with a pen, they are able to run around a little bit and stretch their legs. Sometimes my rabbit is out all day and night, sometimes I can only let her out 1-2 hrs a day.

 

[katiecrna]

By the way welcome to the forum )

 

[Aki]

Yeah, I agree with what was said. Those several storeys cages aren't made for rabbits but for chinchilla, and are pretty dangerous. You can have a cage, a simple 1m long cage will do... if it's open with a pen attached or inside a room where the rabbit is free to go. For a pen, most owners use those wire organizer cubes because you can assemble them the way you want which prevent having some big square thing in your room impeding you from closing the window or accessing part of the room.
In any case, the rabbit MUST be able to get in and out of the cage by himself. Cages which openings are hovering over the floor are no good.
I have a normal 1m cage, but my rabbits have their own room. The cage is there because the bowl of water, the litter box, the hay rack and the vegetables are put inside. I find it easier to clean that way.
Having a pen is good, but it doesn't replace several hours of freedom. Putting the rabbit on the bed is not a good idea. The bed is soft and a desirable place. With the sofa, it's the place the rabbit is the most likely to pee on. Those are actually the two places that I would advise NOT to let the rabbit on. Beside, it restricts his movement, providing not much exercise. The rabbit needs at least one rabbit-proofed room where he can just run around for 4-5 hours minimum everyday. It's not hard to do: you put hard plastic protections on electrical cords, you don't leave things on the ground and don't put books at rabbit level or put something in front of them (I lived with rabbits free-ranged in my room for 5 years and it worked just fine). Being neutered would help with cleanliness, as someone mentioned.
It sounds like you didn't find a good source of information. In English, the most reliable is the House Rabbit Society website. I suggest you read it all, especially about housing and diet, because it's very probably there are other problems than your rabbit's housing if you got your infos in the wrong places :
http://rabbit.org/category/care/

 

[Azerane]

I agree that manufactured cages really aren't suitable for rabbits. Most are either too short in height, or length, or both. Something that some people use indoors but takes up a lot of space is a timber outdoor chicken coop and run. Just as an example: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LARGE-Ch...Chook-House-Guinea-Pig-Run-W109-/152129419971

But even with something like that, they still need to come out for play time for at least 4-6 hours per day.

My cage is a DIY NIC cage, so I suppose that's no help to you. But they are very flexible. I have a playpen attached to the front of mine for when I'm home my pair have constant access to it whenever they want. Their cage is at least 25 square feet, and their run at least double that.

Recommended minimums are 12 square feet of living space, and 32 square feet for a play area. Keep in mind that a taller cage with multiple smaller levels is not suitable to make up most of the space, long space is better than verticle space, eg. I level of 12 square feet, is better than 2 levels of 6 square feet each. http://www.therabbithouse.com/guide_size.asp