Good Cage for a kid to clean!

[Kelizah]

I will be moving to California (we're from N.J.) next May and will live there for just over 1 year because my husband is getting stationed at camp pendleton. Instead of dragging my small bunny all the way there and all the way back, my sister offered to bunny-sit him for that year..
my only problem is my sister is very afraid of any kind of rodent-like animal. so all in all, she won't mind it in her house.. but my niece will be the one to feed him, clean his cage, and all around take care of him.. with my sister to supervise.. (for some reason, my sister "just can't touch it" lol).. my niece is 10 years old and very responsible and i trust her to take very good care of him. BUT, i don't really want her scrubbing rabbit urine and feces, with the kind of cage i have now. So i want to buy a new one that's SUPER easy for her to clean.. any suggestions??

 

[sbaxter]

Here in the uk i have seen a plastic type moulded hutch in one piece with drainage hole so you can jet wash it (and who doesnt love a play with a jet wash lol)but i`m not sure of it`s size or the size of ur rabbit? what about lining the hutch with lino and leave pre cut pieces to replace it after when it`s worn out this would be wipeable,sorry i`m new to bunny keeping but thought i`d reply anyway !

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Kelizah, are you sure you'd want to leave your bunny behind for that long?
I know you say your niece is very responsible, but it takes more than feeding and cleaning to take care of a rabbit.
If your sister is "afraid of any rodent-like animal" (rabbits are not rodents, btw, they are lagomorphs), and "just can't touch it", what will happen if your bunny gets sick and needs to be medicated? What if he develops stasis, and needs to be force-fed, or given sub-C liquids? What if he needs injections?

Are you really confident that a 10 year old could cope with this? (I wouldn't trust a 10 year old to give sub-C or injections. I wouldn't even trust them to be able to force-feed without aspirating).

And even if he doesn't get sick, what about time out of the cage? Is your sister going to be able to have a "rodent-like" animal running around in the house?

IMO, it would be better for your bunny to live with you during that year, even if it will be a little stressful to move him.

 

[missyscove]

Welcome to RO!

I'd mostly be concerned about making your niece give your bun back after a year. I can't imagine she wouldn't get attached.

What kind of cage do you have now? Is Jigzy neutered? How are his litter habits?

 

[Wabbitdad12]

:helloand :welcome1to RabbitsOnline. I am glad you found the site. RO is a very active, friendly and helpful website devoted to rabbits and their slaves.

I would take the bun with you, a year is a long time to be away from your bun and since your staying in the US it wouldn't be a big deal to take him with you. Due to the length of the assignment will you be getting base housing or will you have to stay in temporary lodging facility?

Here are some good links to areas of the site you might find interesting, the Library section, full of good reference info, Bunny Blog, where you can keep everyone up to date on your bunny and your life as a bunny slave and if you bunny would like to ask questions of other buns the Bunny Chat is the spot to be. The regional forum is a good way to find a rabbit savvy vet or to post places where you get some of your supplies for your bun etc. For the lighter side and to give you a chuckle or two stop by the go to the Let Your Hare Down section for anything but bunny's.

Here is link to the rules of the site, light reading Rabbits Online Forum Rules.

If you would like to post pictures in your post this link How to put photo's in your posts will help explain that.

I hope I didn't overwhelm you with info. This is a wonderful site and I look forward to seeing pictures and reading some stories.

Dave

 

[Kelizah]

Thank you for your warm welcomes!

Over thanksgiving, I will be going back home and we'll be doing a "test run" of how my sister deals with a bunny in her home, especially since if she can't do it.. i can just run over and take him back. She thinks once she sees that it's harmless, she'll get over the fact it reminds her of a rat LOL. if she doesn't fair too well, what would be the best way to transport him? I would be flying out to California with a dog as well.. are bunnies allowed on planes? lol.. might sound silly, but the only way i've transported him was with me in the car.

right now, he's in the biggest superpet cage (i think giant?)..he's about 3-4lbs, 7 months old and not neutered and he's KINDA good about his litter box.. getting a little better.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Some airlines allow bunnies, some don't. There are a few that allow them in cabin. It would be worth it to check websites and call them to see. It would be best to get a direct flight, or at least one where you don't have to go to another plane.
You would want to have a cage or pen avaliable for when you get there. It is expensive to ship a cage on the plane, so putting it with the rest of you furniture would be better. There might be someone of the forum or something who could lend you a cage for a bit.