# Where can I find a really good rabbit habitat?



## KelseyCupcakes (Apr 8, 2012)

Hi all, I'm looking for a nice cage that will make a 4.5 lb lop happy. His cage now was perfect when he was just 2 months but now he's half the size of it! He isn't in there in the day only at night cuz it is just too tiny. Where can I get a really good sized rabitat to make my boy happy when I'm away?


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## LaylaLop (Apr 8, 2012)

If you look around in this part of the forum you'll find lots of ideas from NIC cube cages, to dog xpens, to modified dog crates for cages. Most store bought cages, as you noticed, aren't large enough. 

Here's a picture of my current xpen set up:







This was when I had an NIC cube cage (on left) next to the ex-pen for bonding them.


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## LakeCondo (Apr 8, 2012)

Kim has & had the best setups! The xpens are easy to find in pet departments, but the nic panels are meant for storage, so will be with other storage things. Yziou fasten them together with zip ties. Depending on your flooring, both xpens & cube pens may need some rabbit-proof flooring.


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## Nela (Apr 10, 2012)

You can usuallyfind dog playpens and cages for cheap in local ads too. I definitely recommend these kinds of setups and NIC cages over any type of commercial pet cage.


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## ZRabbits (Apr 10, 2012)

This is what I use for my bunnies. They love their individual space, plus with the x-pen they get some time outside which they love. 

Nic pens are nice, but it's not the only thing that will make your bunny happy. Those commercial pens, along with hutches like this are just as good.






This worked well for us until we found the others. Now it will be utilized for our backyard bunny run for our bunnies to go in if they please. 

It depends on how much space you have in your home or your backyard. Plus IMHO, getting something TOO big will overwhelm a new bunny. 

Just my thoughts! Wishing you luck finding what you need for your bunny.

K

BTW, Dobby is my biggest bunny (5 lbs) and one of the green ones (on stand) is perfect for him. He can stretch out, stand up with NO problems. Just so you know because you might think I have all small bunnies.


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## Nela (Apr 10, 2012)

Of course they can work. I should have clarified better. It's just that I prefer to recommend the other simply because you get more out of your money. The read-made cages are an easy solution, and equipped with a space to run, it can work of course. I just find that the other are more versatile and can offer more space permanently. As in, if they decide to have a bunny500 they can do it whenever they please. Of course, I have a hutch for one of my own girls and though it's big, it doesn't allow for the bunny500s. Lol. The revised habitats being built should allow that though. What I meant is that when you are first starting out, if you are going to buy something and have the space for it, those are good points to keep in mind. I think the others are better for what I want for my own buns, but they are by no means the only solution for everyone either.


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## ZRabbits (Apr 10, 2012)

*Nela wrote: *


> Of course they can work. I should have clarified better. It's just that I prefer to recommend the other simply because you get more out of your money. The read-made cages are an easy solution, and equipped with a space to run, it can work of course. I just find that the other are more versatile and can offer more space permanently. As in, if they decide to have a bunny500 they can do it whenever they please. Of course, I have a hutch for one of my own girls and though it's big, it doesn't allow for the bunny500s. Lol. The revised habitats being built should allow that though. What I meant is that when you are first starting out, if you are going to buy something and have the space for it, those are good points to keep in mind. I think the others are better for what I want for my own buns, but they are by no means the only solution for everyone either.


Why are you clarifying to me? If it works for you, great. 

And regarding my crates, I did get a great deal. I shop around. 

I think giving someone all kinds of info to help them choose what's best for their bunnies is what this forum is all about, isn't it? 


Again KelseyCupcakes, wishing you luck on finding what you need for your bunny. 

K


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## MiserySmith (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm a big fan of NIC cages. They're so easy to change up, just buy a new pack of zip ties and go at it.
They can be made any shape/size to fit in weird places, you can use them to make levels, etc.
The only problems occur if your bunny isn't litter trained. Mine is only litter trained for pee right now, but that means all I have to do is move the cage off his blanket, shake it off and wash it. Then sweep up the poops and put it back.

Here's a couple pics of different cages I've done for Peppy

Oldest: 


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380163_10150583004002323_629497322_10872770_72890835_n

Current: 


cagg


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## NewBunnyMomma (Apr 11, 2012)

I built this on the fly, right now mine only has one floor but I can add to it as needed. It is bigger and much cheaper then buying a rabbit cage from the store.

http://www.rabbitcondo.com/how-to-build-a-rabbit-condo


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## yannikin (Apr 11, 2012)

Contrary to the majority of public opinion, rabbits do very well in confined spaces. Enough space for 3-4 hops and to stand up is plenty. Just make sure that your bunny is out of the cage 4-8 hours a day and it'll be a happy camper! If you can't commit to 4-8 hours of day of playing with your rabbit, then you don't have any business being a rabbit owner!


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## LaylaLop (Apr 11, 2012)

I think if 8 hours a day was required for us to spend with our rabbits than 90% of people on here wouldn't own one. 

My rabbits get to see me in passing by, and the evenings when I usually let them out. But, I do have a fairly large set up and they are a pair, so they don't seem to require my direct attention as much as a lone bunny. 

There are LOTS of ways to house your rabbit. My rabbits I had in high school years ago were kept in the garage in wire cages but I put tile down on 80% of the floor. They got to come inside for about 1-4 hours a day, or outside in a supervised pen in the grass, and run around in a bunny proofed area and they were happy and lived 7-9 years.

Mine now have a dog xpen and some days are out all day, but other days if I'm not around to supervise they stay in their pen. I rent, so I can't have them chewing up the trim or carpets when I'm away. I compromised by giving them the largest space I can afford so that they won't feel pent up if they don't get out for a day or two. 

Just my two cents, but if you keep in a store bought cage and let them out frequently that can work well, if you don't have as much time to let them run around, an NIC cage or xpen is a good solution. There is no one perfect cage. After I move I'm going to build a condo for them that is easier to clean than my xpen. Best of luck choosing your rabbit's home!


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## yannikin (Apr 11, 2012)

i said 4-8


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## LakeCondo (Apr 11, 2012)

I think 4 hours daily would be a good reason not to have a rabbit for most people, even for a retired person like myself. There is no reason for a rabbit to be out of an xpen or nic setup except occasionally, as long as they're big enough & he or she is given things to play with.


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## yannikin (Apr 11, 2012)

you guys are all really bad rabbit owners! buahahaha


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## Elliot (Apr 11, 2012)

*yannikin wrote: *


> Contrary to the majority of public opinion, rabbits do very well in confined spaces. Enough space for 3-4 hops and to stand up is plenty. Just make sure that your bunny is out of the cage 4-8 hours a day and it'll be a happy camper! If you can't commit to 4-8 hours of day of playing with your rabbit, then you don't have any business being a rabbit owner!


What makes you an expert in this field? All animals need exercise to be in good health. They also need down time as well. I would think a bunny played with even two hours straight would be one stressed and tired bunny.This is why an appropriate habitat in size is just as important as out of cage time. All people have times when they need to be away. Heck, some of us actually work for a living, so we can afford bunnies,cages,food,bedding,toys,etc...


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## melbaby80 (Apr 12, 2012)

*yannikin wrote: *


> Contrary to the majority of public opinion, rabbits do very well in confined spaces. Enough space for 3-4 hops and to stand up is plenty. Just make sure that your bunny is out of the cage 4-8 hours a day and it'll be a happy camper! If you can't commit to 4-8 hours of day of playing with your rabbit, then you don't have any business being a rabbit owner!


That's extreme considering that my dogs don't even get 8 hours of my time. Heck, my own children do not even spend 4-8 hours a day playing with their pets. Who does honestly? Small animals are pretty self-sufficient. They have their pens, exercise pens etc or even room time to stretch. That generalization of owning a rabbit is obviously your own opinion which is quite frankly rude.


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## Nela (Apr 12, 2012)

*Snickers*

You should come here and try to play with my Divabelle and see how quickly she tires of you. 

Rabbits are social animals of course but they can also be quite happy just being a bunny and just chew up stuff, destroy things, lounge about, etc. Both my girls are way too fond of just being rabbits to really pay much attention to me but Crumble seems to be a bit more cuddly. I do think individual rabbits need different things according to what they like best. For example, our Smores was truly a people-rabbit and wanted nothing less than being with people ALL the time. So he lives in a home where the mum is a stay-at-home mom and they have 2 kids. He gets loads of attention and that's what works for them. 

Of course one can argue that my girls are outside and even though we spend time with them regularly, perhaps they just never fell into that people pattern. However, I had indoor bunnies thatwanted just as little of my presence as my current outdoor girls.

For me, I want my buns to be able to stand, jump, bunny500, binky, and stretch/lounge, at all times so in *my* family, my pet spaces must allow that to happen. That doesn't mean that in the past I wasn't limited in space and had smaller cages, so they only got some limitedfloor playtime and that made me a bad bunny owner. I think you can see it in a rabbit when they are happy and when they aren't truthfully. You do the best you can with what you have and as long as those bunnies are happy and well-taken care of, that's 'good' in my opinion. 

Personally, I value quality over quantity and base quantity on the individual bunny. There's just really not one single perfect way... Having pets is just like having kids and what one family does is not necessarily what the other family can or wants to do. Does it make one better than the other? No, not necessarily.


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## LaylaLop (Apr 12, 2012)

My rabbits can actually hop out of their cage at any time since I know they can hop out. The boxes they easily hop up onto are half the height of their xpen, so theoretically they should be able to hop over the other half, onto the cooler sitting there and into the rest of the room and the entire apartment, but they never have even for food or the hay there. They just don't WANT to. They actually prefer their cage 90% of the time even if given the chance to be out. A lot of times if I leave the door open they both will do an exploratory run around, binky, then go back into the cage and chill. Guess I just made it too fun for them!

As Nela said, there's no one single perfect way. There are too many factors to have one ideal housing for everyone to follow. It depends on your budget, your rabbit's personality, your rabbit's activity level, if they have companions, size of rabbit, age of rabbit, health of rabbit, climate, safety of pet (confined from other pets), etc. It's just too many things to even list.

As long as you take care of them to your best ability and make them happy and keep them healthy and safe then that's all they need from us as owners, or "bunny slaves"... 

Speaking of which tomorrow I get to deep clean their xpen and find all the places they flung poo in the room... Having all those things to climb on seems to give them extra turd launching distance


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## ZRabbits (Apr 12, 2012)

100% agree with Nela and Kim. 

It what is best for you and your bunny. There is no set rule on how to house or keep your bunny happy and healthy. They are INDIVIDUALS. Just like kids. 

Kim, love the "poo launching". Our Neville can toast poo with the best of them. It's just funny seeing him tear around the room in his x-pen and find a poo rolling to your feet which is across the room. He's talented at "poo launching". Shame it's not a sport. lol

It all boils down to one thing. You got to love them! And they will love you back.

K


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