# NIC Plan



## littl3red (Aug 12, 2012)

Key: 
White square-Grid
Grey square-Covered grid
Dashed lines indicate a hinge

So how does it look? I'm wondering if 1) the doors look decent, 2) if the floors are tall enough, not that Teddy is very big, and 3) what I should cover the floors with. I was thinking about maybe carpet on the levels, or some cardboard wrapped in fleece... :?


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Aug 12, 2012)

It looks good. I would switch the 3rd floor to the other side. This is so there is not more than 1 grid down from a level, just makes it a bit safer. I know it can make the doors a bit harder, but if you support the levels with dowels it should work. The door should be fine as well. You might want the top to open, but that is up to you and depends on your design.

For flooring on the levels, I use coroplast and then put fleece on that for grip. You could use carpet, but is can be rough on their feet. You do need something that is firm enough that it provides a good surface over the grids.


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## littl3red (Aug 12, 2012)

Thanks! All helpful info. :biggrin:


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## littl3red (Aug 12, 2012)

Any recommendations on what to use if I can't find coroplast?


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## Imbrium (Aug 13, 2012)

linoleum might be good for the levels. for the bottom layer of my bunnies' cage/pen that doesn't have grids beneath, I got a sturdy "all-purpose" waterproof tarp at walmart for about $6 (8'x10' but they had other sizes, I think).

I was planning to replace it with coroplast once I got some but quickly decided that I liked how easy it was to fold the tarp up into a ball and take outside to clean it. my little ones aren't fully box trained, so I sweep up the stray poops, hay and bedding on the tarp daily (gotta keep it clean enough for me to sit in there with them ) and then take it outside once a week, spray it with the hose and hang it on the fence to dry.


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## littl3red (Aug 13, 2012)

Argh... Not only can I not find coroplast, but I can't find NIC panels either! I've looked at Wal-Mart, Target, Menards, and I checked Kmart today, and NOBODY HAS THEM. I guess I'll have to order them online. This is such a pain in the butt.


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## ldoerr (Aug 13, 2012)

All of those places should have them. Maybe they are out? I think that at least one of those places has free site to store. I would look into that if I were you.


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## littl3red (Aug 13, 2012)

Yeah, I think Kmart does, I'll probably end up doing that. The thing that makes me mad is that you can check if they have them in-store on the Kmart website, so I did that before I went into town just in case, and it said they had them, but they didn't. So I went into town for nothing. And I don't actually live in manhattan but about 20 miles away, so I try not to spend all my gas money going to and from all the time.


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## Imbrium (Aug 14, 2012)

I got mine very recently from walmart.com... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-Black-Wire-Storage-Cubes-Set-of-4/5005199
(if the link doesn't work, which it seems not to sometimes, just do a search for "storage cubes" and look for whitmor brand - they're the cheapest ones walmart has with the correct dimensions)

they only have them in select stores, which apparently isn't any in San Antonio, but they'll do free site-to-store or if you order at least $45 worth of "home free" items (ie three boxes of cubes) you can get FREE home delivery. I ordered on the morning of august 2nd and was told they'd be delivered august 8-10th... but then I found a heavy box on my porch on saturday the 4th! never thought I'd be so impressed with walmart, lol.

it's 20 connectors and 17 grids per box, 19.47 for black, $2 more for multi-colored and $2.50 more for white (glad I wanted black anyway!)

also, http://www.guineapigzone.com/supplies/cubes has a database of places to buy cubes/coroplast, though I found it a bit lacking.

I'd call around to local sign stores (yellow pages might help more than an internet search) and explain you want to buy plain coroplast for a rabbit cage (so they know you're not just being cheap and making a sign yourself) and see if any would sell you a piece or two... failing that, go for the alternatives like many folks do.


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Aug 14, 2012)

What about plywood instead of coroplast. You would get the very thing kind i believe 3/4"? Its like $15 a sheet. The grids can hold the weight no problem. I have plywood and coroplast. I covered the plywood with vinyl tiles (the stick kind) and placed rugs on top for traction. The area that has the coroplast has their blankies for comfort.


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## Imbrium (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm going to give linoleum tiles a try, since I don't have a way to cut plywood to the proper dimensions. I picked up some pieces at home depot tonight, they're anywhere from 39c to 99c per square foot... each tile is slightly smaller than a grid, but I don't think the bunnies will mind. the big question is whether or not they'll adhere well to the grids (they've got the sticky stuff on the back already) and whether the bunnies will chew on the edges (potentially exposing themselves to glue residue).

the same tiles on top of plywood would be a much better design overall, so I may end up asking a neighbor that's got lots of tools if he could help me cut plywood to fit.


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## littl3red (Aug 15, 2012)

If they don't stick, you could always punch holes in the edges using a knife on soft ground, and then you could zip-tie them to the edges.


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## Imbrium (Aug 15, 2012)

yeah, that thought crossed my mind... could easily punch through with a box cutter or something. I'm just not sure what to do about the sticky side. it's only exposed on the test panel right now, though, so I could always leave the backing on the others.


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## littl3red (Aug 15, 2012)

Hmm... For the one that has the sticky side exposed, you could just get some flour and dust it on there so flour is stuck to the sticky side. If you cover it well enough no stickiness should be left.


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## littl3red (Aug 15, 2012)

I just thought of flour because it's rabbit-safe, you could always use something else, you could even stick newspaper on the sticky parts if you want to take the time to press it in each square. Just some ideas, not sure if they would work...


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## Imbrium (Aug 15, 2012)

hmm, flour could work. I was actually thinking of using some of the carefresh bedding... assuming, of course, I don't go the plywood route, in which case I can peel it off the grid and stick it to that instead.


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Aug 15, 2012)

You could use cardboard to stick them to. It is easy to cut and should be easy enough to get. Corrugated cardboard would be better as it is thicker. You may need to zip tie the cardboard to the grids so it doesn't slide around. You can also cut the cardboard so it covers the grid and use extra tiles or even duct tape to cover the extra.


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## Imbrium (Aug 15, 2012)

I think my chewer would get at the duct tape... I saw mention of home depot selling coroplast, though, so the whole thing may be moot (at least as far as I'm concerned) as that seems much easier than driving across town to haggle over coroplast prices at a sign shop.

first, though, I need to finish this massive condo I'm building so I can get proper measurements for flooring and I need to figure out where to put a couple pieces of furniture I want to remove from my living room. it's slowly but surely getting closer to being a bunny paradise.

I remember doodling designs as a kid for a room-sized paradise for my hamsters if only I could've afforded enough cages and connector tunnels and bogarted an entire room for them. every once in a while, adulthood has its perks, lol - it's my house and I can do what I want! I'm splurging like mad on my bunnies, but I figure it's still cheaper than having kids! (plus there's no downside to spoiling the hell out of them)


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## ldoerr (Aug 16, 2012)

This site shows you how to do the coroplast. http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm It is really easy. All you need is a box cutter and the coroplast. I have actually found that the hardest part of the coroplast is getting it home. It comes in 4ft x 8ft sheets at home depot. I spent $12 counting tax on my most recent piece. I really like working with it. Cuts easily enough. It is sturdy and cleans VERY well. (just use a paper towel on the pee). Even dried up pee and pee stains come off supper fast with just a little bit of water and paper towels. (Shiny Things is not litter box trained). I so far have no complaints with using it. My advice would be to put the coroplast on the inside of the wire and not the outside. Poop gets stuck between the wire and corplast when the coroplast is on the outside.


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## Imbrium (Aug 17, 2012)

I went back to home depot again, this time asking where the plexiglass was instead of "do you sell coroplast" (which produced a blank stare when I tried that last week, lol)... they had a sticker for 24''x18'' sheets for about $5 each (which were sold out) and then 24''x36'' sheets that were in stock (I got two for $14.56), but sadly I couldn't find 4'x8' sheets or even a price marker for where they should be (ie if they weren't in stock) 

I think I'll put the tiles on top of the coroplast for traction, since cloth is out of the question (Nala's a chewer)


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## Imbrium (Aug 17, 2012)

question... what are people using to secure doors/lids on their NIC cages and where do you buy whatever it is? the zip-ties leave enough wiggle room to work as a "hinge" on one side of the panels that open, but I'm not sure what the best way is to secure the other three sides.

also, does anyone know what # plastic zip-ties are made of? my city's recycling program takes plastics #1-7, I assume that covers used zip-ties, right? (I checked the packaging they came in and it doesn't say >< )


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## ldoerr (Aug 17, 2012)

To secure the doors I use dog leash clips (do not know what they are called sorry). On the sides that ancor the panels to the rest of the cage I use zip ties. I think that for my doors I only zip tie one side. Then I use 1-2 clips total to secure the door. Works well.


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## Imbrium (Aug 17, 2012)

happen to remember where you bought 'em?


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## ldoerr (Aug 17, 2012)

I bought some from Home Depot and just yesterday I bought the exact same thing from Walmart. Here is a picture of what they look like. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009TMUN2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## Imbrium (Aug 17, 2012)

perfect, thanks! I couldn't quite picture what you were talking about, lol - been a LONG time since I had a dog and my brain arbitrarily decided to draw a blank. I'm gonna need another 1-2 pieces of coroplast anyway, so I'll grab some of those when I go back to home depot - I'm sure if I ask for "the kind of hooks that clip onto things" someone'll know WTF I'm talking about : P


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## beccajean220 (Aug 20, 2012)

I just finished building my NIC condo ans I used 1/4in plywood for the shelves and then I covered the plywood with fleece. It seems to work well. And I got a black commercial mat for the bottom of the cage. So hopefully it will be easy to clean. Im just gonna use my vacuum's wand attachment to clean it.


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