New to rabbits -- Pet Store animal

[Hyzenthlay4]

Just bought him. He's not as calm as we were told he would be-- but he doesn't bite at all, likes to sniff people's arms and faces, and enjoys running around on the living room sofa and in my son's room.
Haven't named him yet... but my son is reading "Watership Down" (I read it a long time ago) and may pick a name from that book.
We have a temp cage for him and are going to buy a large inside hutch --any suggestions ?
PetSmart has some nice ones; but they're expensive.
Is there a way to make an inside hutch that won't smell of potty or whatever ?
We're going to use cat litter for a litter box.
So fare we have a water and food dish, and the rabbit has dumped them both over at least three times. Driving me nuts. :cry1:

 

[woahlookitsme]

Other people will most likely elaborate but look into rabbit NIC cages (just google it) and you should find tons of options for housing. I used those attached to a metal dog crate that I had for my French lop.

Don't use cat litter inside his litter box it is toxic. Look into wooden pellets. We buy a huge bag for 5 bucks at Tractor Supply. If you don't want it to stink then cleaning very often is recommended. Some people clean out the litter box daily for my bun two to three times a week was fine

For food and water I recommend heavy ceramic bowls. Another alternative would be cups that attach to walls likes the ones you would use for a dog kennel

 

[Hyzenthlay4]

We're going to a larger city where there's a TS store...will look into the wood stuff.
As far as bowls, there's a petsmart store there too. hoping to get 'Bluebell' fixed up.

 

[missyscove]

Congratulations on the name!
In general you want the largest cage you can fit in your space. Smaller can work if your rabbit is going to have a lot of time out of the cage. I personally use a 42 inch wire dog crate with an exercise pen attached for my rabbits. I modified the dog crate with a shelf and that works really well for me and is easy to clean although I'm lucky to have rabbits with almost perfect litter habits.

 

[Hyzenthlay4]

We're working on the litter habits. also going to take him to the vet for neutering. He sprays around a bit.

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes, there are numerous options for inexpensive, yet roomy housing. The NIC cages mentioned by woah are popular. You could also use an exercise pen too, or a combination of the pen with either a NIC or an XL dog crate.

Since you are new to rabbits, I'd like to offer you my website too. It is just informational (nothing sold) about caring for rabbits. It includes info on housing options, litter training, bunny proofing, good diet, etc.
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

Litter habits should improve once hormones dissipate after neuter.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We got all of ours at the local feed store. If you were near here I have several that are no longer in use.

 

[Hyzenthlay4]

Hi Nancy, no, we live in another state.... but I'm still thinking about some form of nic shelf cage.
Want to try that flooring as well.

 

[Azerane]

Hello there and welcome to the forum

 

[thumpingBerry]

An idea on caging for you ...

I built a cage out of organizer grids (can be found at Sears as well as other places ... I think a box of around 20 grids is around $23), with a base of coroplast (corrugated (SP?) plastic) ... which can be found at a sign supply store. To prevent chewing on the plastic, the wire grids are inside the cage. Grids are attached using cable/zip ties (found at hardware stores). Cost me about $60 total for a cage that is roughly 2 feet by close to 5 feet long. Picture is attached.

I have a door in front that is basically a 2 x 2 grid section that isn't attached at the top, and I close it using the clips such as found on dog leashes.

You can google "C & C cages" to see what I am talking about on the grids and coroplast.

 

[Hyzenthlay4]

Sorry been busy.
Had him neutered finally.
We're using a pine pellet based for litter box and he kicks it all over.

 

[Blue eyes]

Are you topping the pelleted litter with hay? That will usually keep them busy munching on hay rather than kicking stuff around. I'd suggest trying that first since it would be the easiest. Just add more hay at least once a day.

Otherwise, some people have placed grids over the litter so bunny can't dig at it. But then there will be more work cleaning the grids of urine, etc.

 

[Hyzenthlay4]

Might try the hay on top of it, thanks.
He leaves sticky black poops --they stick to everything. Have been bathing his back feet and butty at least twice a month. He's a lot of work.

 

[Blue eyes]

Poos should not be that way. Could be a diet issue.

 

[RavenousDragon]

Welcome to the world of rabbits! The smell improves VASTLY once a male is neutered, so that will help for sure. We made these cages from grids we bought on Amazon and carpet from Home Depot, for a little over $50 each (which is pricey, but they love the multiple floors, carpeting, etc.). Since you are new to rabbits, they do need lots of hay! So keep that in mind- pellets are a supplement at best. And fresh veggies! We better get lots of pictures of your new cutie!

 

[Aki]

The 'poos' you talk about are probably caecotropes. Are the misshapen and smell quite bad? If they are, it means the diet is too rich. In general it means that you are giving too much pellets and that those are too high in fat / sugar. What's your rabbit's diet? Which brand of pellets are you using? Normally, it should be his size in hay, about 8% of his weight in vegetables with 2/3 of leafy greens and 1/3 of 'hard' vegetables and about 2% of his weight in pellets (or 10% of vegetables if you decide to go with a no-pellet diet) every day.
Treats are uneccessary, but if you want to give them you can give tree branches like apple tree or hazelnut tree to munch on or a thin slice of apple once in a while. No commercial treats (they generally contain dairy products, honey, molasses and other stuff rabbits have no business eating), no grains, no "mix" with colorful things in them, of course no human food.
With a good diet, the rabbit shouldn't leave any more caecotropes. They are very rich in vitamins and it is important that the rabbit eat them (finding them is also never all that pleasant for us).