Small cage set up

So I adopted a little bun a few weeks back and she came with this relatively small cage. I'm a poor college student and have no money for a bigger one yet, so I'm trying to work with the space I have. (She also free-ranges in the bunny-proofed part of my bedroom for most of the day too.)

Here's what I set up today:




Anyone have any other ideas to enhance her little house?

Could you partition off part of your room so when she cant have access to all of it she can at least still have some freedom ?

You could try to locate some cheap off-cuts of wood to use as sides to an enclosure. Then you could make hidey holes from cardboard boxes, as you have in the cage. But really the cage is far too small for a Rabbit to be confined to for any time at all. You could use it as a litter tray within the enclosure.

If you have any Charity Shops near you then you can often obtain very cheap items such as a child's chair. Rabbits love to hop up onto ledges and a small child's chair in the enclosure would give your Bunny something to sit up on.

I already have all that stuff set up. This cage is just for the night or when I'm out. She has lots of bunny playspace with boxes and such. Good idea about the thrift store though, I could use some more toys for her.

could you let her free range in the bunny proofed part all the time so she doesn't have to be in the cage at night or when you are out? then the cage can become a litter tray :thumb:

I have cats and I don't want to leave my door closed all the time due to ventilation issues. I'm home 90% of the time so she gets lots of running about. I feel safer knowing she's in her house and can't escape while I'm sleeping or away. Maybe I'll soon be able to convert my whole room to a bunny play area.

Could you sell the current cage and buy a two story one? Or get some NIC cubes and make a bunny area, or even, get a cheap wire run with roof. A puppy pen with an off cut of wood on top (to stop cats entering) would also enhance buns home, as well as providing a "shelf" on which you can store all of its bits. Have you considered making it an outdoor bun, as you could probably buy a large second hand hutch cheaply to give bun more space. If you don't want to shut your door, you could always use a few sides off a puppy pen and hang them from the top of your door frame with a couple of hooks, and tie the bottom down to maybe a piece of wood that you can slot into the door frame, this will still let air in, but stop the bun getting out, so that bun can free-range all day

A two-drawer bedside cabinet with the top drawer removed and the bottom one filled with hay can make a nice hide in a buns indoor area, you can then turn the removed drawer upside down as a step. Rabbits NEED a large amount of space, and are very expensive pets, please expand your rabbits' living area as much as possible to increase its' quality of life

The thing is bunnies are most active early morning and late evening, ie when you are asleep and bun is in the cage. So when bun is out all they want to do is sleep but when they want to run and jump they are locked up.

A puppy pen would be much kinder and its not that hard to rig up some sort of roof to keep cats out, or to get a high one that they wouldn't bother jumping into.

Hi there

Although all the stuff you have in the cage is very necessary and great for enrichment , if you look she doesn't actually have any room to properly hop or stand with those objects in there. If you take out the toys, she then might have a little bit more room to move, but she then doesn't have anything to play with or anywhere to hide. So really, the space isn't big enough for her to be shut in ever. If you got a second rabbit (as I believe you said you wanted to?) there wouldn't even be enough room for them to lie down next to each other.

I know you are in the US (some people might not have twigged that yet) so you probably have to keep her inside due to the extreme weather etc. and there is also less appropriate accommodation and advice. But these NIC panels are available in the US and over the internet and are a very reasonable price. You could even put her current cage inside them for her to use as a hideaway and litter tray, and you can make a roof so the cats can't get to her.
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...door-Housing&p=4899624&viewfull=1#post4899624

Also, I don't know what type of cats you have but my cats love my rabbits. I did proper introductions and made sure the cats knew the rabbits were above them in the 'food chain' and they now exist together great. Having said that, I know some cat breeds and personalities (like with some dogs) are just not rabbit friendly and have to be kept separate.

Good luck with your efforts! ::thumb: Your bunny really is beautiful

Thank you guys, but I don't have any money yet to buy a huge 200$ cage. I don't have a job and have rat vet bills right now. Please don't assume that because her cage is small that I don't want to get her a bigger one. She is out of her cage just about 20 hours a day. I play with her up until 4 AM then I let her out at 8 to play some more while I sleep. She is in her cage for barely 4 hours which she really spends eating and chewing on stuff. I've been looking for NIC panels to make a safer enclosure and when I get a second bun Ill have some income to buy a cage.
So please don't imply I keep my bunny locked up. I've already done many of the things people suggested, but this post wasn't really about that, it was about the cage. I feel a bit insulted that you guys seem to imply they I don't take enough care of my bun and that I don't give her space to run, I'm working hard with the budget I have and the space I have.

And Jaffacake, I've been wanting to introduce her to my cats, but I fear they'll get aggressive. They used to be outdoor cats and the bun is just 3 months old. I'm going to look up on how to do this. They might not mind the rabbit because they don't mind my rats, but I don't want her to get hurt. Whenever they're in the vicinity they don't really pay attention to the rabbit anymore, though she perks up and seems worried.

Try freecycle/craigslist/free ads. You might be able to find a dog crate, a second cage you could link (open both doors and push them together) or some puppy pen panels for free/cheap. Brand new cages can be very expensive but if you're willing to DIY a bit and have some imagination it doesn't have to be expensive

steeve said:

Thank you guys, but I don't have any money yet to buy a huge 200$ cage. I don't have a job and have rat vet bills right now. Please don't assume that because her cage is small that I don't want to get her a bigger one. She is out of her cage just about 20 hours a day. I play with her up until 4 AM then I let her out at 8 to play some more while I sleep. She is in her cage for barely 4 hours which she really spends eating and chewing on stuff. I've been looking for NIC panels to make a safer enclosure and when I get a second bun Ill have some income to buy a cage.
So please don't imply I keep my bunny locked up. I've already done many of the things people suggested, but this post wasn't really about that, it was about the cage. I feel a bit insulted that you guys seem to imply they I don't take enough care of my bun and that I don't give her space to run, I'm working hard with the budget I have and the space I have.

And Jaffacake, I've been wanting to introduce her to my cats, but I fear they'll get aggressive. They used to be outdoor cats and the bun is just 3 months old. I'm going to look up on how to do this. They might not mind the rabbit because they don't mind my rats, but I don't want her to get hurt. Whenever they're in the vicinity they don't really pay attention to the rabbit anymore, though she perks up and seems worried.

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It is possible to have lots of space without using a cage. My buns free range in my bedroom. Can you not completely bunny proof a room and let her in there?
When I first got a bun I kept him in a cage only when I went out or went to bed, and he used to bar bite constantly, because he was bored. He was out for most of the day but it was not enough and nowadays I can't even keep a cage in the same room as him because he bar bites so badly. I feel so bad about keeping him in a cage now, and it just shows how much mental damage can be done by keeping them in a small cage for even some of the time.

Another thing to think about, is can you afford vet bills? I struggled when I had rats to pay for at the vets but rabbits are about 10 times worse. Your bun will need neutering (£50-£200 depending on the vet and the sex of your bunny) and vaccinating (£20-£42 depending on the vets). Rabbits are prone to dental problems and so you could be looking at having to fork out for a dental every 6 weeks (I ended up having to with my bridge bun). In the passed year I have been to the vets about once a month with various problems (an injured foot, vaccinations, check ups, arthritis, sore hocks, eye problems).
Only last month I had to rush one my buns to the vets at 12am because he'd stopped eating, setting me back another £95 (which is very, very cheap for an our of hours service). Also she will need a neutered friend to keep her company, rabbits do get lonely, even with you spending all your time with her. Nothing replaces another rabbit.
Just remember that a rabbit is NOT a cheap animal! I have learnt a lot since getting Fiver on a whim 5 years ago...if only I had known! :roll: :lol:

I've been searching my Craigslist frequently. I'm mostly seeing cages like mine, the 'starter per' kind and they're asking lots. Still searching though!

As I said, my bunny runs around in her part of the room. I want to bunny proof my whole room, but she already has 2/3 of the room and I don't want her under my bed.

I found a very good vet who is very cheap already, and since I'm in the US, my state doesn't require vaccinations. I've got money saved for vet emergencies, and I'm already planning on a spay so I've got the money for that. I don't want to dip into vet savings just for a bigger cage when she already has space to run around. I figure vet first, cage later.

It must be the difference in areas, I expect to pick that type of cage up quite cheaply. I suppose it depends what common near you though as to how cheap they go.

As long as she gets lots of running about time then it is something you can plan/save for.

With toys, and a small space in particular, a good idea is to have a toy box and rotate what she has. That way you don't fill the cage with so many toys she hasn't got room to place, and rotating them makes old toys exciting again otherwise they can tend to get ignored quite quickly.

steeve said:

I've been searching my Craigslist frequently. I'm mostly seeing cages like mine, the 'starter per' kind and they're asking lots. Still searching though!

As I said, my bunny runs around in her part of the room. I want to bunny proof my whole room, but she already has 2/3 of the room and I don't want her under my bed.

I found a very good vet who is very cheap already, and since I'm in the US, my state doesn't require vaccinations. I've got money saved for vet emergencies, and I'm already planning on a spay so I've got the money for that. I don't want to dip into vet savings just for a bigger cage when she already has space to run around. I figure vet first, cage later.

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Ah, you are in the U.S..ok. I thought that myxi and VHD was quite prolific all over the U.S, but I have no idea what the case is with vaccinating over there.
My buns just go under my bed. :roll: Could you get a little fence to put round your bed? Not much point buying a new cage if she is to be free range anyway. (Obviously you could get one in the future just in case to ever needed to lock her away)
Have you looked at puppy pens? I think you can get them quite cheaply. My friend keeps her buns in a puppy pen, most are not tall enough to stop a bun jumping out, but you can always put a sheet or something over the top.
I think ebay would be your best bet, I have no idea what online shops are in the U.S!

Obviously money for vets is the main thing, so I can see your thinking there. I personally wouldn't keep a bun in your cage for more than 5 mins, so I would say that, right now, a cage is priority. Although this is only my OPINION, and I can understand others who would prefer to have emergency money for vets. :thumb:

I'm trying to think of some more toys for her, she seems to have lost interest in the ones she has. I also give her her food while she's in the cage so she has something to look forward to. It may look really tiny in the pictures, but she has space to stand up and hop around and stretch out. I take one of the boxes out for the night so there's more room.
The small cages on Craigslist are going for like 50$. And the bigger ones are all like 100$ or so and I don't have that money. Im working on covering up my shelves (her free range space is partly in my closet, it has no door) and she likes to jump up and sit in my clothes. I'm going to leave her one open but if I close off the others she'll be able to roam at night.

We honestly have no fences, I use this blue folding mattress/chair thing as a barrier and it works well for now. I've been looking for play pens but again they're pricy here. I could let her go under my bed, but its filthy and there are wires so I'd rather not. A fully white bunny is going to get filthy FAST.

I'm getting a job soon, so ill have some on hand money to spend on more bunny and ratty things, like a better cage.

Another category to look under would be baby play pens. I imagine more of those are sold so they might work out cheaper? I've seen people use fire guards too - the metal grills you put to stop children getting near an open fire. It's amazing what you can repurpose :lol:

Oh that's a good idea! I might even ask some family friends if they have any lying around. I'm still trying to litter train her though and it's a pain. She goes in her cage, but as soon as I open up another part of the room she starts doing it on the floor. I blocked it off for a week and then cleaning everything with vinegar. Today I opened it up again and bam on the floor. I gave her a large litterbox and put hay in the farthest corner but she still poops next to it. It's frustrating and I can't let her roam all the time if she's going to cover everything in poo.

steeve said:

Thank you guys, but I don't have any money yet to buy a huge 200$ cage. I don't have a job and have rat vet bills right now. Please don't assume that because her cage is small that I don't want to get her a bigger one. She is out of her cage just about 20 hours a day. I play with her up until 4 AM then I let her out at 8 to play some more while I sleep. She is in her cage for barely 4 hours which she really spends eating and chewing on stuff. I've been looking for NIC panels to make a safer enclosure and when I get a second bun Ill have some income to buy a cage.
So please don't imply I keep my bunny locked up. I've already done many of the things people suggested, but this post wasn't really about that, it was about the cage. I feel a bit insulted that you guys seem to imply they I don't take enough care of my bun and that I don't give her space to run, I'm working hard with the budget I have and the space I have.

And Jaffacake, I've been wanting to introduce her to my cats, but I fear they'll get aggressive. They used to be outdoor cats and the bun is just 3 months old. I'm going to look up on how to do this. They might not mind the rabbit because they don't mind my rats, but I don't want her to get hurt. Whenever they're in the vicinity they don't really pay attention to the rabbit anymore, though she perks up and seems worried.

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Don't worry, it's obvious you are trying to do right by her otherwise you wouldn't be here! It's just so many of us have been in your position and hadn't realised quite how much exercise rabbits need. Especially as toys wise most bunnies prefer running around, doing 'binkies' (you may have seen some of those already), periscoping and jumping around than actual playing as such.

Having said that, here's some cheap and easy ideas that my buns sometimes enjoy!
1) Cardboard tubes stuffed with hay and healthy treats
2) You could attach one of these to the top of the cage and put her veggies in there (if she's on veggies now?) to make her work a bit for them http://www.petsathome.com/shop/veg-to-ball-toy-by-pets-at-home-31834
3) Mine liked these jingle balls, as well as cheaper small cat balls for pushing around. http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/Products/NC2584/supreme-rabbit-jingle-ball-toy
4) Newspaper weaved through the bars to rip up.
5) Treat balls that dispense pellets to spread out her feed.

I definitely think you should do what Tamsin say's and rotate the toys so she doesn't get bored and she still has enough space to move about. And looking at altering second hand puppy pens and stuff is a really cool idea. Rabbits are very expensive pets, but with indoor homes I have heard of lots of people who've not spent much at all- they just needed imagination! It sounds like she gets a lot of free time already though so that's great, and hopefully you can just keep looking until you find the perfect way to improve her home.

As for introducing the cats, I just locked them out of the house and let my rabbits well and truly chin everything in site, then I sat the bunnies on my knee and let the cats back in. One is used to rabbits and was not fussed in the slightest, except for looking a bit bemused when Foxie started to groom her like she was a rabbit. The other cat is a bit aggressive sometimes and used to bring back lots of dead mice :shock: so we trained her to do 'sit' and 'stay' and then over a period of a week we got her to sit still whilst the rabbit sniffed at her. To begin with we had two people in the room to supervise, as Foxie and Merry were only 2 months and quite small, and we were ready with a water bottle and a towel to grab the cat if needed. It was never necessary though, she either ran away from them or tried to sniff at them :lol: Now they all chill out in the garden together and give each other kisses. Foxie the rabbit and Sachmis the tyrant cat are always flopped out next to each other in the garden. Although the cats actually hate (and one will attack) each other they like the rabbits and I don't worry about them being together at all. Well actually, when Foxie chases them off their favourite arm chair I kinda feel sorry for the cats :lol:

Try adding an extra tray or two to start with. I use washing up bowls for litter trays

Her litter training will be much more reliable after the spay.

For the cage, I would put things on the side bars and ceiling, and try to put in a small shelf, I would take out one of the boxes to give bun more hopping space, and put something over one third of the cage to give a sheltered hide-away.

Have you considered getting another little cage like that and joining the two doors together? Just temporarily, that way when you're sleeping, your bun can have one play room and one bedroom