building a cage

jimboshippos · Dec 6, 2009

I've made a C&C/NIC/whatever ya wanna call 'em. Its with the 14X14'' grids and its 2 grids wide, long and high. going to puta 1X2 landing half way up and a 1 grid landing in the middle of one of the bottom grids to make a "stair case".(above litter pan in picture) might be hard to understand the picture but im sure people who have these cages will be able to understand it. obviously it isnt done! here it is before i put in the reinforcing wall.

and here it is afterward, i plan to put a landing over the litter pan to sorta make a "rest room" to contain the mess that may be created.

well there it is thus far :-D I will still have like 2 maybe 3 i think grids letf over too

elrohwen · Dec 7, 2009

That's a good start! I just have a few suggestions:

- not sure if you planned to do this already, but the shelves need some kind of flooring; chloroplast works well; You might also want to reinforce them with dowels underneith.

- your new bun may not like the hammock; I've heard of some buns who do, but just be prepared and don't worry if he completely ignores it ;-)

- not sure how big your bun will be, but the litter box you have is probably too small, even for a very small bun; I think you'd be better off with a small cat box or something that's at least 12"x12" square. The bigger the box, the easier litter training will be!

- I'm not sure if you have more room to expand the cage, but if you can, I think something at least 2 grids by4 grids would be a better size for a single bun. Having levels is great, but buns really need 4'x2' of space on the ground level in order to be able to hop around and get some exercise.

Otherwise it's a great start for your first cage! Do you have a top for the cage planned out? Some buns can jump 3ft, so you might need to have a top to keep your bun confined.

jimboshippos · Dec 7, 2009

yea its not done, im getting coroplast in a couple weeks. im also gonna find some carpet scraps. im wanting to get a dutch rabbit since they stay fairly small. I probably will get a bigger litter pan if that one doesnt work out, it was just an irresistable $2 on the clearance and came with the thingies to hold it to the wall. and i still have to make the top, i have like 6-7 more pannels than shown in the picture so i have plenty to finish the design i have started

funnybunnymummy · Dec 7, 2009

Looking good so far!

Just a couple critiques:

Dutch bunnies may be small, but they'll still need at least a 2X3 NIC cage. As it is, he's barely got enough space to hop up and down off the second level. And definitely get enough grids to put on a top!

Also, until your bun is litter trained, you might want to consider putting something like a vinyl tablecloth or shower curtain or one of those plastic mats that go under office chairs over your carpet. It'llmake it much quicker to sweep up any stray poops or hay.Plus save yourself a few headaches if he/she decides to pee outside the litterbox... :shock:

Hope that helps!

Rue

elrohwen · Dec 7, 2009

In my opinion, that cage is still too small for a rabbit, even a small dutch rabbit. The minimum recommended size is 4'x2' and that cage is closer to 2'x2'.

funnybunnymummy · Dec 7, 2009

If you don't have enough floor space to go 3 or4 grids wide, try building up instead. Hopping up and down the levels is good exercise for buns. Plus many buns seem to like being up high where they can oversee the goings on in the house.

But definitely make the cage bigger. It's just too small as it is!

Hope that helps!

Rue