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Some Questions about Dog crates for people in the know..

2Angels

Young Bun
Hi everyone,

I am thinking of getting a dog crate but have a few questions if people can help me who either have one or know about them.

Are the metal bars non toxic? does anyone know? or has anyone had any problems with the bars before? Or are they quite safe for bunnys? (as i know bunnys sometimes like to knaw and on some of the rabbit cages it says 'non toxic metal' or something)

Has anyone ever had any problems with sharp edges? paws getting hurt? or is that all okay?

Has anyone ever had any problems with bunnys jumping out of the door? (I am planning on havin this as a base so they can come and go as they please) like hurting there foot on anything when jumping out of the cage?

Are there any disadvantages to having a metal or plastic base? which is better?

Sorry for so many questions, any advice would be great as these are just a few concerns I have as the crate is made for 'dogs' so just a few things i wanted to check are suitable for bunnys.

Thanks so much :wink:

xxx
 
I don't know about the bars, Jack occasionally chews his and hasn't come to any harm, it hadn't really occured to me it could be harmful to him...sorry that's not much help!

There are no sharp edges, but if you have a very small bunny I'd watch for it escaping through the gaps at the bottom: you could put wood or something around the base to block up the holes. Some of the crates have spring loaded doors/ catches: I was advised to avoid those as if the bunny chews them they have small parts which they could hurt themselves on.

There shouldn't be any problems with your rabbit jumping out the door, the jump is only about 10cm, but its easy to put a ramp up if your bun has problems. When mine hurt his foot a few months ago we put a little cardboard ramp on either side so he could walk in, but he still jumped in anyway!

I chose a plastic base, as they are easy to clean, and provide a more constant temperature: I thought metal would get too cold in winter and too hot in summer. The plastic based one was also slightly cheaper!

Hope thats some help :D

Kate and Jack
xx
 
2Angels said:
Hi everyone,

I am thinking of getting a dog crate but have a few questions if people can help me who either have one or know about them.

Are the metal bars non toxic? does anyone know? or has anyone had any problems with the bars before? Or are they quite safe for bunnys? (as i know bunnys sometimes like to knaw and on some of the rabbit cages it says 'non toxic metal' or something)

The bars seem fine on Sophie's very large dog crate! The bars have never caused us a problem!
Has anyone ever had any problems with sharp edges? paws getting hurt? or is that all okay?

Safe as houses! No sharp edges in there at all :D

Has anyone ever had any problems with bunnys jumping out of the door? (I am planning on havin this as a base so they can come and go as they please) like hurting there foot on anything when jumping out of the cage?

The doors open fine and are only about an inch or so up from the floor, so the bun is fine to get in and out!
Are there any disadvantages to having a metal or plastic base? which is better?

Sophie has a metal base, sometimes she slides around a lot, but she doesn't mind - otherwise she wouldn't eat everything that I put in there to stop her sliding :wink: They are fab to clean and are very hygenic. Sophie doesn't like anything on the bottom, her hay and things are in a rack, so the floor is nice and clean!!! :D Great for mommy to clean!!! :D

Sorry for so many questions, any advice would be great as these are just a few concerns I have as the crate is made for 'dogs' so just a few things i wanted to check are suitable for bunnys.

Thanks so much :wink:

xxx

No probs, I have found that it is the best thing I have bought for Sophie!!!
 
oooh, just seen you crate Sophie, that is lovely!!!!!! Sophie bun is v jealous... although says its ok cus mommy is asking her cousin to put some shelves in!!!! :D
 
sophiemarmion said:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/sophiemarmion/HomeSweetHome004.jpg

sophie

oooh, thats fab!

2Angels - I asked about the coating on the cage before I got mine too and ended up looking it up, I'm sure it was called powder coating, and it was none toxic to animals.

My crate is powder coated, the buns chew it a bit but they're both fine.

As for the base, I got a plastic one, I decided that if the buns wee'd on it it'd be les slikely to corrode - whether this is true I don't know. The plastic one is easy to clean, and like Loopylop my two are much happier not to have anything on the bottom of it (tut, after I went out and bought them a selection of fluffy blankets!).
 
BevBunny said:
The plastic one is easy to clean, and like Loopylop my two are much happier not to have anything on the bottom of it (tut, after I went out and bought them a selection of fluffy blankets!).

LOL, I used to put loads of hay down for Sof and she used to kick it all out of the way, she used to make a right mess! it's great bare, sooooooooooo easy to clean!!!! :D Then I got vet bed and she chewed that :evil: Wasn't happy when i paid £10 for a little sqare! What is left of it is now in her vet carrier!!! :lol:
 
2 of my rabbits Louis & Twinkle have a 36" crate which I bought from Ebay, as they are kept in a spare bedroom I leave the side door open and have attached a run to it for extra room, They are quite small bunnies but I have had no problems with trapped paws, chewing, or sharp edges. Mine has a metal base as the 36" crate does not come with a plastic base, but the metal base has been great during these past hot days as it has been lovely and cool to lie on, in the winter, or on cooler nights they have the option of sleeping in a soft dog bed, or on straw mats, so they have a choice of surfaces to lie on.

this is Louis & Twinkle in their crate.

Homeagain24june054.jpg
 
Thank you so much to everyone that replied... it has been so helpful, and they sound great for bunnys.

Just a couple more questions (sorry :oops: ).... Has anyone ever had any problems with bunnys managing to get out of them? (say if you shut it in the day when your out)..What are the clips on the door like? Are they very secure?
Are they suitable for small breeds (netherland dwarf/lionhead/mini lop/dwarf lop)? Has anyones little bunny managed to squeeze out of a gap? Are there any big enough gaps where a small bunny could get out of?

Again sorry for all the questions :lol:

Thank you! :D

xxx
 
There seems to be various types of closure - the one I had was abit like a bolt and quite stiff (plus one top and bottom) so I don't think a bun could manage it. It you find they do then just stick a padlock around, I don't think buns can work keys :D

Tam
 
2Angels said:
Thank you so much to everyone that replied... it has been so helpful, and they sound great for bunnys.

Just a couple more questions (sorry :oops: ).... Has anyone ever had any problems with bunnys managing to get out of them? (say if you shut it in the day when your out)..What are the clips on the door like? Are they very secure?
Are they suitable for small breeds (netherland dwarf/lionhead/mini lop/dwarf lop)? Has anyones little bunny managed to squeeze out of a gap? Are there any big enough gaps where a small bunny could get out of?

Again sorry for all the questions :lol:

Thank you! :D

xxx

Well as I have said, and also as you see from the photo I have small breed liohead rabbits in mine, Twinkle (the orange lionhead) is really quite small weighing under 1kg, and she has not escaped though the gaps, she can push her nose quite far out but the gaps arent even bigenough for her to get her head through. Obviously it depends on the smallness of your bunny, I have a baby nethie in a rabbit 100 cage, he may beable to squeeze through the gaps but I havent tried him, but i doubt it.

As for the door catchs, they are bunny proof in my opinion, but the handles being in a loop you can always tie a piece of wire or string round the handle and loop round a bar of the cage, or even use a padlock if you are worried, but it would have to be a very clever and strong bunny to move the handles aside to open it.

Dont hesitate to ask any more questions.

You could go to a local pet shop such as pets at home to have a look at them more closely before you ordered one from ebay as most dog crates in respect of wire spacing and door catchs are the same, shops just seem to be alot more expensive.
 
Sophie would never be able to get out of hers :lol: She is a dwarf lop (but a big one :lol:) No chance what so ever with Sophie!!!!!

The locks on the cage on the one I have are very secure!

I had my crate from www.cages4pets.co.uk, it was £57 inc delivery, which I thought was a right bargain!!!!! :D
 
Hi, we are going to get one of the black coated ones for the new buns, the largest size I have seen it 2.5' x 4', and add a corner shelf half way up which will give an extra 5sq ft of space (I hope this is possible!) I might get some carpet squares as flooring but not sure yet, have to think about this... I am tempted by vetbed but think they will just chew it.
 
I might get some carpet squares as flooring but not sure yet

i brought a pack of lino squares from the £1 shop, i know that sometimes mine dont always use the litter tray so i thought this would be better than carpet!

2angels, my 2 bunnies are netherland dwarfs and they havent managed to get out of it! they love it so much i dont think they would want to they are always sitting snuggled together on the first shelf! :D

sophie
 
My crates were the brass-coloured ones from Argos a few years ago ( I got a nice powder coated one from friend who bought the wrong size for her dog...) Certainly no-one, unless theyre pig sized would get through the wires. The plastic bases are chewable - though not too tasty as they didnt do it for long. They also discolour eventually like litter-trays can do. But then bunny pee can strip floor-varnish :shock: Ive also found the corner that got pee'd on the most has started to rust. But thats after years of use.
 
sophiemarmion said:
this is my dog crate that i brought from ebay.

i have had no probs with paws getting hurt or anything like that.
i am really pleased with it, my bunnies love the extra space and i would recommend them to anyone.

i have a metal based one, and have lino tiles on top of it.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/sophiemarmion/HomeSweetHome004.jpg

sophie

What a fantastic little home!!!!! I want one (for elvis of course!!! :lol: :shock: )
 
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