# what type of wire flooring for mini lops??



## savannahg4 (Aug 30, 2013)

I have two mini lops that I am wanting to move into a bigger hutch. I have written out my plans and i have a good idea on how it is supposed to look. My problem is that I don't know what size wire to get. I don't want it to be too big for their little feet but I have also read that if the wire is too small it causes friction?? I am a first time bunny owner so lets just say I need some more educated people to help :confused2:


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Aug 30, 2013)

1 inch by 1/2 inch is perfect aim for a 14 gauge, 12 is amazing and 16 is used by many people without problems.


----------



## woahlookitsme (Aug 30, 2013)

For our cals the bottom was 1/2 by 1/2 
The sides were 1 by 1/2 with off set wire 1/3 of the way up to act as baby saver wire


I feel like if the bottom was 1 by 1/2 babies feet would fall through. Ignore this if they aren't going to have babies


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Aug 30, 2013)

woahlookitsme said:


> I feel like if the bottom was 1 by 1/2 babies feet would fall through



Our Holland lops kits do really well on the wire, they adjust very quickly and there feet don't slip through, never had any problems with my lionheads either, but I guess it depends on your breed and how your rabbits reacts on the wire. 1" x 1/2" is the usual size on the flooring that you would get from a dealer

We also have resting mats and litter boxes the kits can go to if they are having trouble and need to be a little more mature before they are comfortable on the wire ( Well all our cages have resting mats but the litter box is something we have in our doe's with litter cages because it helps a lot with cleaning


----------



## majorv (Sep 1, 2013)

Commercial cages are typically 1"x1/2" wire for the floor, but you can usually upgrade the floor to 1/2"x1/2" grid. We made our own hutch when we had Californians and we opted to use 1/2"x1/2" because we felt it would be easier on them because of their weight, and easier for the kits. The poop still falls through. I just personally like the smaller grid and when I get new cages I will upgrade the floor if I can.


----------



## FreezeNkody (Sep 1, 2013)

Guess it's me, but I've never put my 3 rabbits on any wire. I use just a carpet and linoleum. 


Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Sep 1, 2013)

FreezeNkody said:


> Guess it's me, but I've never put my 3 rabbits on any wire. I use just a carpet and linoleum.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum



It really a personal choice. A lot of breeders use wire because it is a lot more sanitary for the rabbits to be housed in. You have to be careful because the linoleum can cause the foot to bow unnatrually as it walks which can lead to sore hocks. I like the wire because it is easy to maintain and my rabbits feets stay clean, and I like the fact they are sitting in there waste, just my personal opinion.


----------



## savannahg4 (Sep 1, 2013)

I am getting lops for showing so I am definitely using wire. No urine stained fur for me please.  

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Rabbit Forum mobile app


----------



## majorv (Sep 1, 2013)

Outside hutches typically have wire floors, or at least partially wire.


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Sep 1, 2013)

savannahg4 said:


> I am getting lops for showing so I am definitely using wire. No urine stained fur for me please.
> 
> Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Rabbit Forum mobile app



Oh I hate the stains, we got a wire cage stack and it was the best thing that has happened to us. The other cages we have look just like the cage in the picture except the other stuff is taken out and a divider was put in it. The grid on those cages made my pure white rabbit turn into a yellow puff ball :vomit: 






Wasn't too happy lol, we are ordering more wire cages they are definitely the better cage out of the two types! We split a litter up we put one broken on the wire the other one in the blue cage. The one in the blue cage got terrible stains so we ended up keeping the one in the wire because he looked so much nicer!


----------



## FreezeNkody (Sep 1, 2013)

RabbitGirl101 said:


> It really a personal choice. A lot of breeders use wire because it is a lot more sanitary for the rabbits to be housed in. You have to be careful because the linoleum can cause the foot to bow unnatrually as it walks which can lead to sore hocks. I like the wire because it is easy to maintain and my rabbits feets stay clean, and I like the fact they are sitting in there waste, just my personal opinion.



I clean the floors daily, never waste  


Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum


----------



## savannahg4 (Sep 1, 2013)

I have definitely seen some icky looking rabbits before. I have the rabbits in the wire stacking cages for now. I want them to have a lot more room and I also want to expand my herd so I just wanted to know what size wire to get 

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Rabbit Forum mobile app


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Sep 1, 2013)

FreezeNkody said:


> I clean the floors daily, never waste
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum



Mine litter boxes are scooped daily as well. Yet my rabbits still get pee stains. Like most of the things I say it really is a personal opinion on how you raise your rabbits:  Some people just like the wire better than a solid floor. Also when you have more than 10 rabbits its hard to clean the cages daily because at that point its not just a pet anymore, there is a whole new commitment level.


----------



## OakRidgeRabbits (Sep 2, 2013)

This post wasn't about the why or why not, so I'll try to walk away without starting another one of my novels! But I just wanted to mention that, coming from someone who has rabbits on both floor types, wire is undoubtedly the most sanitary option for show rabbits, and a great option for many pets too.


----------



## RabbitGirl101 (Sep 2, 2013)

RabbitGirl101 said:


> It really a personal choice. A lot of breeders use wire because it is a lot more sanitary for the rabbits to be housed in. You have to be careful because the linoleum can cause the foot to bow unnatrually as it walks which can lead to sore hocks. I like the wire because it is easy to maintain and my rabbits feets stay clean, and I like the fact they are sitting in there waste, just my personal opinion.



Aren't, they aren't sitting in their waste lol, I typed that too fast!


----------

