# Floor base



## ldoerr (Dec 27, 2012)

As most of you know by now I am planning to build a new rabbit cage for my girls in the next month hopefully. I have most everything figured out EXCEPT the floor. I am spending my own $$ on this cage (I am a broke college student with no job, and did not get any $ for Christmas, LOW budget). My mom wants the flooring to be light weight since I will be moving a lot. I want it to be water proof since my bunnies do not have good litter box habits and I disinfect the cage weekly with vinegar. I have been thinking either 1/4"plywood with peal and stick tiles on top OR coroplast with something so the rabbits do not go skidding all over. The problem with the coroplast is that I do not know where to get it. I doubt that Home depot will have as many sheets as I need (5-7). When I was getting the coroplast that I have now all the sign stores were WAY overpriced (like $30 a sheet). I explained to them back then that I was building a rabbit cage, but still sky high prices. I also did a google search and did not find many places that would even have coroplast in the area. As for the plywood, it is over $10 a sheet at home depot, which seems ridiculous. Any help or advice would be appreciated


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## whitelop (Dec 27, 2012)

You could find a water proof tarp to put under the cage. As long as your girls aren't chewers.
I know we have Harbor Freight Hardware stores here and their tarps are dirt cheap. I don't know if y'all have them there, but if you do check it out. 

You could look at home depot and get as many as you can and if you can't get as many as you need, then ask them to order some or when their next truck comes in. I've never bought coroplast, so I have no idea how it comes. If you do get coroplast, then you can get the stuff that goes under office chairs on carpet so they don't slide all over the place. Or those cute little palm tree shower floor stickers. lol


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## JBun (Dec 27, 2012)

A tarp would be the lightest and cheapest flooring option, but if either rabbit chews then that might not work. You could try something like this-
http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashion-fabric-apparel-vinyl-laminated-fabric-clear-vinyl-fabric.aspx
I got mine at walmart in the fabric craft area. I got, not the thickest they had but the one just below that for $4 a yard. I don't know exactly how thick it is considered, but I thought it would be thick enough that my rabbit wouldn't be able to chew it. I liked that it didn't seem like it would be slippery for them. The only thing that I didn't like is that it smelled a little bit.


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## ldoerr (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks for the link JBun. That might be just what I am looking for. It does provide traction correct?


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## cardcrimson (Dec 27, 2012)

Though I'm new and just set up my first cage. I think my bun likes his fleece and coroplast. He chewed the plain coroplast, but i've covered it with fleece I got from Joann's Fabrics, on sale right now for about $4.50 a yard in a variety of colors. Plenty of traction and so far no chewing.


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## Nelsons_Mom (Dec 27, 2012)

I'd go plywood and linoleum tiles. I'd seal the plywood though, in case anything slipped through the cracks. Whole thing should be about 30 bucks.


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## ldoerr (Dec 27, 2012)

I do not think that I could get the plywood for $30 even. The cheepest plywood that I could find at home depot is over $10 a sheet. I need 5-7 sheets of it (rough estemate).


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## cardcrimson (Dec 27, 2012)

Nelsons_Mom said:


> I'd go plywood and linoleum tiles. I'd seal the plywood though, in case anything slipped through the cracks. Whole thing should be about 30 bucks.



Wow, plywood out here (San Fran) was painfully expensive, that's why I went with the coroplast. Just slightly more per sheet. . . .


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## JBun (Dec 27, 2012)

I just put the vinyl in my rabbits cage today so we'll see how it goes, and if she's able to chew it. I made sure to secure the edges down so she couldn't get her teeth on the edge to start chewing it, and it's thick enough that she shouldn't be able to get a hold of it in the center part, with her teeth to chew it. It seems pretty slip resistant, much better than the linoleum anyways, and it will still be easy to sweep up after her and wipe up any pee accidents. The smell isn't bad once I laid it out and let it air out for a few days. If your walmart doesn't have it, you can probably find some at a fabric store. Just make sure you get a thick enough one that will resist any chewing efforts. You'll need somthing somewhat solid under it as it is just a fabric. Anything will do, even cardboard, and you'll want to make sure if your buns are chewers, that they can't get at the edges of it to chew on.


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## Blue eyes (Dec 27, 2012)

ldoerr said:


> I do not think that I could get the plywood for $30 even. The cheepest plywood that I could find at home depot is over $10 a sheet. I need 5-7 sheets of it (rough estemate).



Whoa! A sheet of plywood is 4' x 8' so how will you need 5-7 sheets for the floor?

A cage with a floor bottom of one sheet of plywood wouldn't be able to fit through a doorway. (and would be very heavy)


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## ldoerr (Dec 28, 2012)

The cage is a 4x2x4 NIC cage with 2 full floors and 2 floors that are full floors with 2 cubes taken out of. I am also redoing the cage at my parents house that is currently a 3x2x2 and turning it into a 4x2x2.


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## Blue eyes (Dec 28, 2012)

Ahh... I see. Well you probably only want to have the base be plywood. That will make it quite heavy in itself. The upper levels don't have to be plywood. You can use a very thin, very light wood similar to paneling or pegboard. (I just used carpet since my buns didn't chew it. I just put the carpet on top of the grid panels) 

Another idea is to use roll linoleum/vinyl on the upper levels -- the only trick is that you would need to secure the edges so buns don't chew on them. That tubing that is used over wires could also wrap around the edge opening of an upper level and cover the edge of the linoleum. The linoleum edges that are against the side walls may need to have a strip of 1x1 down to cover the edge. (am I making sense?)

One sheet of plywood would provide the base floor for both cages.


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## LunaBun (Dec 29, 2012)

I think I have decided to use pieces of plastic sheeting you can get at Home Depot... Shower section. There are different styles, the ones I'm thinking of look like shower tiles...or beadboard. They're not too expensive, and meet your other reqs as well.


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## LunaBun (Dec 29, 2012)

Here: http://m.homedepot.com/p/Aquatile-1-8-in-Toned-White-Tileboard-709108/202090197/


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