best indoor cage for bunny with joint problems?

well, i shall be the proud mommy of this pair of special little guys on monday :

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/moreinfo.asp?RabID=3529

i did originally have a dog crate ready for them but after speaking with Jane last night i thought maybe a big indoor cage would be best? because they have joint problems they need to be out most of the time which means i will be having them basically free range in my bedroom. the cage therefore would only really be there to use as a toilet and to shut them into when needed. my bedroom isnt very big so to be honest putting a dog crate in here wouldnt be the best idea.

can someone please suggest a cage suitable for a pair of bunnies for this sort of living arrangement?

cant believe i will be going from 1 bunny to 4 :shock: bunny love eh? :lol: although not sure what Gabriel will make of it all! :shock: :lol:

Could you not go for a smaller dog crate, or perhaps a puppy pen (if they're littertrained)? The only problem I'd see with an indoor cage is the leap in and out of the door if they've got joint problems.

I know how it feels..within the 6 months I worked at Notcutts I went from 1 bun to 5 :lol:

I've got Maa in a 3' dog crate just overnight - it has her litter tray and dishes and a piece of carpet in - the rest of the time she has the run of the room - My bedroom's tiny and it just squeezes into a corner by my desk and bed, under the window - If you rearrange your furniture I bet you can fit your crate in somehow - a 3' one wouldn't be big enough for 2 bunnies as they need space to avoid them fighting, and preferably 2 litter trays or one very big underbed box.

The top of a dog crate is useful too - I've got a heater on top of mine as there was no floor space left

Dog crates are very good for rabbits with poor mobility due to their low lips. Even when Lace was a lot less mobile than she is now she manages to lurch over and out. I cut the vetbed so that it would fold over and cushion the bar for her. She likes to lean on it, and even grooms it sometimes :lol: The size is good too as there is still enough floor space for exercise when they aren't feeling up to getting out.
I have 2 48" crates in my bedroom one on top of the other as the one from the living room had to go up there to make room for the Christmas tree :roll: Lace's is in the kitchen though as she couldn't manage a litter tray before, and is still a bit erratic about them.
Purposebuilt cages tend to have ridiculously small doors that have to be plied apart and removed if they are to have access in and out, and even then the rabbit needs to be really fit. To lift them oput you need to be able to use the top door, which stops you putting anything on top of the cage. Dog crates are very strong. The one in my kitchen has a piece of conti board on top of it which makes a very useful surface, you could easily turn one into a great desk. In fact I am thinking about putting this computer on one instead of using this table which has only the one boring purpose.

ooh that's a good idea Louise - can squeeze even more animals in the house then :lol:

I hadn't thought about the low door on a crate being good for a slightly disabled bunny - Even fit as a fiddle Benny had to be careful jumping out of a marchioro cage door, and like you say, when the roof is being used as a shelf you can't use that door either :?

you lot are hopeless arent you! i say no dog crates and what do i get?? :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

i have a 48inch dog crate here for them-it was originally going to be going in the animal room which after sorting the room out over the past couple of weeks, is now plenty big enough for another crate. but after talking to Jane, she thinks the other animals may scare them as she said that fast movement etc tends to(and there are ratties in the animal room!)

the only thing is, to fit the 48inch crate into our room without it being in the way we would have to move one of our wardbrobes out :shock: hmmm shall have a think and try and figure out if there is any where for the wardrobe to go. i tell you i might as well just get rid of all of our belongings and let the animals take over completely! :shock: :lol:

Other than dog crate all the actual cages have 4" (atleast) trays which if the bunnies are going to go in/out themselves is going to be a problem. Dog crates come in a range of sizes frpm 2' to 4' so I'm not sure the benefit of cage over a small dog crate? It's probably going to end up the same floor area but double the price, half the hight and with a step :lol:

Another option would be a small hutch without legs. It wouldn't need to be particularly touch, a plywood one would do and you could line it with lino to catch any wee.

Another option would be a very large plastic carrier - you can get giant version of the normal cat carriers.

Tam

thanks for those suggestions Tamsin. well they will be going in the crate for now anyway as its the only thing i have for them at the moment! :lol: il see how they do with the crate and how much they actually leave it(Jane said they are not very active so not sure if they will stay in their cage alot anyway?) if they spend most of their time out of the cage then a hutch or giant carrier would definately be worth considering.

im going to go out and get a couple of pillows tommorrow to put where there is the little step out of the crate, make it easier for Tiny Tim to get in and out of it then i think!