# Nice-looking indoor rabbit cage?



## dheditor

Hi, all. I'm new here and would love your opinions on really nice-looking bunny cages. I just moved my bunny into the bottom level of a double Critter Nation cage. I absolutely love the way Critter Nation looks--the powder-coated steel, etc.--but it isn't working well as a bunny cage because the pan is too shallow, and he's strewing bedding everywhere. He also doesn't have as much room as I'd like him to have. I do not mind buying him a fancy cage of his own, but I don't want one with plastic or wire, as I want it to look as nice as possible in my house. The Critter Nation looks more like furniture, but it simply isn't an ideal bunny cage. Do any of you have suggestions for cages that provide for a bunny's needs and yet still look more like furniture in your house?

Best,
Deanna


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## undergunfire

I have the new Super Pet Giant cages. I really like them...they look nice and are large (47"x24"). They are still cage-y looking, though .

You might want to check out making your own cage if you want it to look like furniature. I'm not sure what cages there are out there that don't look like, well....a cage.


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## Luluznewz

you can buy dog crates that are made out of nice wood. The thing is, rabbits chew wood, so you would have to make sure yours left it alone. 

Also, I noticed that dog crates are a lot darker inside than a pet cage. I'm not sure if it would be too dark for them.

I think you will have more luck looking for nice dog crates than nice rabbit cages.


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## NorthernAutumn

I think my buns' cage is pretty nice... I'm biased though 
2 bookcases put together.
Click on my blog link under my avatar, and go to pg. 2 of the blog. 32nd post is where it starts


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## dheditor

Thank you all. Those are nice. They just aren't quite what I'm looking for. Maybe I'll end up having a deeper pan custom made for the Critter Nation at a sheet-metal shop or something.


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## undergunfire

*dheditor wrote: *


> Thank you all. Those are nice. They just aren't quite what I'm looking for. Maybe I'll end up having a deeper pan custom made for the Critter Nation at a sheet-metal shop or something.


I wouldn't house rabbits in the Critter Nation, as it just isn't a rabbit cage (I've had one and wouldn't put a rabbit in one).....its more meant for pet rats as the pet rat community pushed for Midwest to produce one after housing rats in Ferret Nations for so long. The CN just isn't set up for rabbits in mind.


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## dheditor

Yeah, I know. It definitely isn't ideal, for him or us, even though the CN has as much floor space as many of the rabbit cages. We're about to put our house on the market, though, and have to have everything looking as nice and uncluttered as possible. I just wish I could find a handsomer rabbit cage! It seems some manufacturer is really missing out on a market here....


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## aurora369

I have seen a couple of pictures of people converting a nice piece of furniture into a cage. Like a sideboard or a credenza, so it looks exactly like a piece of furniture but it has a bunny inside.

Here is a picture that I found on the internet when looking for some ideas a little while ago. I do not remember where I got this picture from, so unfortunately I cannot give credit to the person who made this cage. But I love this cage and I am going to have my Uncle custom build me some cages that look somewhat like this in the future. 




Click to see bigger image.

I believe this a converted piece of furniture and that the cage is in a dedicated bunny room.

-Dawn


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## dheditor

Wow, I really like that, Dawn. Thank you. It looks like it might be a pain to clean, but it really is handsome and roomy. Maybe I'll see if my husband can do something like that....


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## aurora369

When I have my Uncle build me something, I am planning on lining it with linoleum. My current cages have linoleum lined bottoms with edges covered by metal stripping to prevent the buns from pulling it up. I have mine glued down firmly, so the buns can't pull it up. This makes cleaning a breeze. I just use a hand brush to sweep up any stray poops and mist with 50/50 vinegar/water mix and wipe up.

As long as you make sure the door is big enough for you to reach to all corners, cleaning shouldn't be that bad. Having a lino covered floor would also be great for litter training, which makes clean up even easier.

-Dawn


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## funnybunnymummy

Wow! That IS an awesome cage!I'm getting all kinds ofgreatideas just looking at it! (Oh, Gus! I think you're getting a new cage when we move! :biggrin2

Rather than building from scratch, I'd start checking out thrift shops, used furniturestoresandCraigslist for a buffet or credenza with the right dimensions. If you could find one with three doors, instead of one, that wouldalso make cleaning (and catching bunny if necessary...) a lot easier.

And definitely line the shelves with lino. I used lino sticky tilesbecause they're cheap and easy to work with and clean up just about as well as the sheet lino does. Like Dawn said, all you need is a handbroom or Dustbuster toclean up the stray poops and hay and then asquirt of vinegar-water and a wipe down and the cage is sparkling clean again! 

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## undergunfire

Dawn....awesome find! I wish I could have a piece of furniature to turn into a cage now. I can't believe I didn't think of that, as people do it with rats all the time....they call it "grotto style".


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## aurora369

Yeah, I spent a long time one day googling to try and find some nice examples of pretty rabbit cages. I liked that one the best.

I did find another website that had instructions for converting an Ikea (I think) piece into a nice cage. They tiled the bottom of theirs.

I am very lucky that my Uncle does working as a hobby. I am just waiting to see if I can manage to bond Baxter and Sugar, as then I would only need two cages and it would change what I wanted. But, I am going to get my Uncle to build me some custom pieces to exactly the sizes and styles that I want and have them completely lined with linoleum on the inside.

I definitely think that by scouring the second hand stores or antique shops, you could find a lovely piece of furniture to convert into a cage. Then you could have it right in the living room, and people would just think it was a nice credenza or side-board at first glance.

-Dawn


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## undergunfire

*aurora369 wrote: *


> I definitely think that by scouring the second hand stores or antique shops, you could find a lovely piece of furniture to convert into a cage. Then you could have it right in the living room, and people would just think it was a nice credenza or side-board at first glance.
> 
> -Dawn


That is a good idea! From now on I am going to search for something for a good price to turn into a rabbit cage. It might take a while, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

My husband is mad at me because we JUST bought the new Super Pet Giant (47"x24") because we needed more floor space in our new bunny room (we stacked them) and NIC cages were just too bulky and wouldn't look good/feel like we had more space. Now I want to either find a furniture piece at the thrift stores or we can build one together with my dad's help.

I just found this last night, and I really like it. It reminds me of the Leith Petwerks condo's (but wouldn't cost you $300 to make!).....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/korimatiessa/3732566651/
_(picture copyright to korimatiessa on flickr)_

Still a cage, but I think it looks really nice...you can even get pet/kid safe paint to make it match your decor and/or add a decorative wood border. You can use NIC panels as the fencing, if you have them already.


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## dheditor

I bet a storage chest would work great. We have an unfinished furniture store near us that has some options that look really good: http://www.woodyou.com/bedroom/blanket-and-storage-chests

You could cut out those three front panels, cover them with screen, and voila!


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## aurora369

Yes, that does look like it would work quite nicely. 

If possible, try to get a door opening on the front as well as the lid lifting. Gives bunny easy access to jump in and out of the cage on their own.

-Dawn


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## funnybunnymummy

Maybe you could add a drop down ramp like this?







(I am SO building Gus one of these when we move! :biggrin2

Rue


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## dheditor

Ooh! I really like that one....


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## Evey

This is an amazing thread! When I move out of my parents' house, I would love to do something like this. I feel like I am never satisfied with housing so I'm always changing the NIC cages I have.


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## aurora369

Oh, I so love that one! That ramp idea is wonderful. I'm going to use that for mine...

I'm loving this thread too!

-Dawn


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## bunnylove817

This is technically a hutch but i thought it was pretty 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

or

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-23729


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## funnybunnymummy

This isn't a rabbit cage, but I can't help thinking, wouldn't this make the most GORGEOUS bunny hutch?







Or just imagine a pair of bonded buns in one of these armoires:






This one evenhas some storage underneath for bunny's food or toys!






I am SOnevergoing to be able to look at a piece of furniture again without thinking how it could be customized it into a fabulous bunny home... 

Rue


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## dheditor

Yeah, I really do like that white piece. I'd love to find something like that to customize. Now what is that piece of furniture called? It doesn't really seem like a buffet...


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## funnybunnymummy

That would be considered either a sideboard or credenza.

Rue


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## pocketsizedrhino

Aren't these furniture pieces a bit too narrow to really comfortably house a rabbit? It is nice that they could run back and forth if it is long but there is still a lack of footprint. The bunny would need a lot of out of cage time to stretch everyday.
I love NIC cages for the size but I know that is definately not nice looking for the OP's situation.


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## JadeIcing

You would be surprised the bunny 500 bunnies do in narrow cages. :shock:


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## undergunfire

So I found this.....
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/07/diy-project-nicoles-modern-bunny-hutch.html

Learn more about it here, too....
http://www.designcuriosities.com/search/label/n + s + eames


I am soooooooo doing this sometime. I am not sure when, but I want to do it sooner then later because Ikea doesn't always keep furniture forever. Hopefully I will have the money in a year.


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## dheditor

Great find, Amy! I also like Hillary Swank's rabbit cage, mentioned in the comments: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/04/07/garden/swank.9.jpg

The grating on it is particularly nice.


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## bunnylove817

Amy- that cage is awesome, and that bunny is absolutely adorable!!


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## hln917

*aurora369 wrote: *


> I have seen a couple of pictures of people converting a nice piece of furniture into a cage. Like a sideboard or a credenza, so it looks exactly like a piece of furniture but it has a bunny inside.
> 
> Here is a picture that I found on the internet when looking for some ideas a little while ago. I do not remember where I got this picture from, so unfortunately I cannot give credit to the person who made this cage. But I love this cage and I am going to have my Uncle custom build me some cages that look somewhat like this in the future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to see bigger image.
> 
> I believe this a converted piece of furniture and that the cage is in a dedicated bunny room.
> 
> -Dawn



Wow! Looks just like my girls' cage! Wonder if the same person built it? We got ours thru Freecycle. This lady's father built it for her. It's actually in 2 pieces and all we had to do wasswitch outthe floors and added pexiglass to the corner where their litter pan is. I love this cage so much, I'm trying to convince hubby to build another one for Baci!






We also changed the bottom door so the girls has access in and out.






This is my favorite part, it makes it so much easier to clean the top and refill the food. Their is also a cover which goes over the ramp opening if we need to close off the top.


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## undergunfire

Helen....your cage is AWESOME! I want to build one of those sooooooo bad!

What are the dimensions of your cage?


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## Mrs. PBJ

Wow I wish i could do would for storm but he chews wood likes it nobody business. 

I was going to get a member to make me some flooring cause storm like cloth floors he does not chew cloth but they never replied when i asked again the second time so i gave up on that. 

Although I willl never look at another piece of furniture the same way again either

but I am getting my pet giant cage next week


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## Myia09

Wooow great cage!


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## funnybunnymummy

What a fabulous cage (though,it doesn'tfeel quite right calling these awesome rabbit homes "cages"! ). And you got it off Freecycle no less! I am green with envy! :biggrin2:

Rue


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## hln917

Thanks Amy. It's 49w X 42h X 26d. The top level is 17h, bottom level is 18h. I'm trying to convince hubby to build another one this summer for Baci. 

Rue, this was probably one item I really wanted on Freecycle that I was able to grab before anyone else requested it.


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## CB Millicent

I am drooling over some of these awesome cages! I want to build something for my bonded buns and am hitting Craigslist and thrift stores for old furniture. No luck yet, but I'm so excited about the possibilities!


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## Beverly

I'm actually looking for a cage for my guinea pig. Guinea pigs need at least 7.5 square feet for one, 10.5 square feet for two. They need solid floors, not wire, and the sides should have a chicken wire or mesh no more than an inch wide.
Would you make something like that? I'd like it to be attractive for my living room. They can be made multi-level with ramps between levels.


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