# Our bunnyâs luxury condo (Picture-heavy!!)



## Molianne

Hey there!

I just wanted to share with you guys the cage my boyfriend and I built for our rabbit. We used the NIC idea, but took it to the next level...



This is what the cage looked like at the beginning, when I could stand straight in it with my head just touching the top:








This is what the cage looks like now that itâs all done:







Itâs easy to clean and we can reach the bunny quite easily, no matter on which level or step they are.



This is the cage when itâs closed. Notice the small bunny-sized door? 









That small door was made using two panels of NIC, one being part of the cage and cut-through, and the other one cut to fit the hole and attached using tie-wraps. Weâve had to sand where we have made the cuts, because it was very dangerous for both the bunny and our hands.









And we used a left-over piece of wood, covered it with tissue and attached some brackets to it to become the exit ramp:









You can see how and where we cut the panels (you can also see that we bunny-proofed the outside corners of the cage, and we used the same material to make the inside corners of the cage uneatable):









The âhuman-sizeâ door is kept shut using two hooks (and do notice the wheels; they are just so useful!):









We built it one level at a time (you can see here that the top one was only begun). We used spruce wood for about 90-95% of the cage, we did have to use pine :









We used some brackets to secure each level:









This is how the NIC panels are fixed to the wood frame (you can also see that we only painted the outside wood). Iâm also very proud of the fact that we have not had a single piece of wood cut by anyone else then us  :









Hereâs an almost finished look. We were putting back the NIC panels on the cage (weâve done that a million times...!). We tiled the whoooole cage and used epoxy grout to be sure that no pee would touch the wood so the cage will be good for years and years. We chose carefully the tile so it wouldnât be too glossy/slippery. The tiles we have here have a porous feel, but they are not so our bunny have a good grip when hopping and running and no pee nor any liquid will be absorbed by the tiles.:









We attached the ramps in order to still have them a bit movable (we wanted an easy-to-clean cage). And the added pieces of wood on the ramp are cut in pine wood (and yes, Pooky chews on it, but not often at all):















And hereâs a happy bunny discovering her new cage-to-be, halfway up to the second level...:









... and on her favorite step of all (the highest):









Small bonus: we didnât really know what to use as food bowls, and everything at pet shops was too big. We were shopping for that purpose when we ended up in a kitchen supply store and found a chocolate fondue kit. The bowls are just perfect for the cage and Pooky, and the best part: it only cost 14 $ for the whole kit which included four bowls!









I think Iâve said all I had to say about our cage... *If you have any questions, feel free to ask!*



On a side-note, our new bunny is getting along well with Pooky and he went into the condo with her for the first time last week; he really enjoys it as much as Pooky does!



Until next time, bunny lovers and cage-builders!

~Molianne


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## LakeCondo

Overachiever, lol. If I were in Quebec, or even Ontario, I'd ask about buying one from you.


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## agnesthelion

Jealous!!! 

I'm on a quest as we speak to either build a new cage or buy one. Im very envious of yours. I agree with Orlena....can I buy one from you


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## Samara

What is...how did you...I never thought.....

Me next?


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## Molianne

Lol If we ever were to sell that kind of cage, the postage fees would be horribly high! And I know about the jealousy: a few bunny-owner friends would want one too!


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## KieraKittie

That looks fantastic, I was actuly drawing out plans for my up coming bunny cage project that included the NIC grids with a wooden frame (just wire seemed blah) though nothing this extraordinary. But you did give me a few ideas. Thank you for sharing!


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## BunMommaD

That is awesome! Wow... Jealous...


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## ZRabbits

What an absolutely awesome, well thought out set up for your bunnies. 

Thanks so much for sharing step by step how this came to be. I love the ramps. 

Again it's awesome. Most important your bunnies think it's awesome too, which is what it's all about. 

K


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## Nelsons_Mom

This is very impressive! Over the next two weeks, I am going to be working on my custom rabbit cage. I originally was going to use NIC, but I decided to go with fencing instead and use the NIC I have as a play-pen fence because I was so convinced it wouldn't work out. 

You sure proved me wrong! That looks like it would last for years. Excellent job!


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## melbaby80

WOW what a great looking cage!!!


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## blondiesmommie

Wow!!! That is awesome!! Super jealous! We've been talking of building one, I think something like that would be too small, I don't think my rabbit could fit through the holes, actually I'm not sure if she'd climb up lol that's really an awesome cage!


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## blondiesmommie

... Although I bet my rats would LOVE it LOL


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## Hismomma

OMG! I am currently in the process of building Batman's cage and I just LOVE the tile idea  I am definitely going to steal that . I have the frame built kind of like yours But only the front will be mostly wire and the sides will have little peek a boo windows. Building your own bunny cage sure is fun huh?


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## LakeCondo

You could reduce the shipping charges by making it a kit.


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## SOOOSKA

All I can say is WOW. That is one Beautiful cage.

That will be great once their bonded too. It's so big the can have their alone time.

How long did it take you to build it? 

What did you put on the cage wall behind the hay? I put flexable cuttingboards but the hay still makes a mess on the other side.

Thanks for sharing.

Great job.

Susan


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## Samara

:thumbup


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## Molianne

*SOOOSKA wrote: *


> All I can say is WOW. That is one Beautiful cage.
> 
> That will be great once their bonded too. It's so big the can have their alone time.
> 
> How long did it take you to build it?
> 
> What did you put on the cage wall behind the hay? I put flexable cuttingboards but the hay still makes a mess on the other side.
> 
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Great job.
> 
> Susan


It took us about 2 to 3 months to build because we didn't rush it (and we were working our jobs too!). But if you'd have, say, a 2-week vacation and dedicated it to cage-building, you'd have enough time. I have to say that the tile-cutting was a precise and time-consuming step...!

Also, we build the cage with no plans drawn. All we had were our ideas and my boyfriend's head to figure everything out (crazy, I know...! I tried to talk him into drawing something, but there was nothing I could do lol)

And about the hay dispenser, it's actually made with a back panel so that hay stays in the cage (we had ordered two at a local petshop store that didn't keep it in stock):








I actually never seen those anywhere else on the internet or petshops except in a very few cage kits that included one.
There is still some hay that find its way out of the cage, but it's not messy at all when compared to the out-of-the-cage hay dispenser we had before!

Thanks for your questions 
~Molianne


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## jujub793

excellent job and some great ideas!


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## cwolfec

Man, you have one lucky bun! And I love the hay holder thingy. My buns always throws his out of the cage


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## Nela

Mais quel superbe condo! :biggrin:


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## jap08m

how did you attach the grid panels to the wood frame? would you recommend attempting this with (4) 24 x 60 panels so it would be more sturdy as it goes up?


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## fuzz16

great cage! I used vinyl tiles to make mine lighter and easier to cut to fit. I am no where near as creative or good with woodworking as this, i like it a lot.


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## Nancy McClelland

:great: show offs!


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## Molianne

*jap08m wrote: *


> how did you attach the grid panels to the wood frame? would you recommend attempting this with (4) 24 x 60 panels so it would be more sturdy as it goes up?


Hey there!
The grid panels are almost attached by themselves to the wood frame. We cut a line along the piece of wood that would later become the frame just big enough to let the grid come in with a little bit of human help. Because of the tightness, the grids stand in place:





It's a bit weird-looking, but if you look at the more horizontal part of the panel, it's inserted in the wood (it's placed in about just as far as it could go, as far as my boyfriend made the cut). The grey-painted part and the wood (again both horizontal) are really the same piece of wood. That's what we did for the whole frame and panels.

We still attached the grids together using some tie-wraps just to make sure that our bunny wouldn't be able to force its way out (though she never even tried) using this "pattern":





I guess the way we inserted the panels in the wood frame makes it sturdy enough (nothing has moved so far lol), and I would recommend you to *try it* beforehand with 24 x 60 panels (if you can of course). We did use plenty of tie-wraps to try some sizes to the cage-to-be and to see where it would fit (we first thought of a two-level, 2 panels x 4 panels cage, but it was to big and inconvenient for us to place anywhere in the living room). Sometimes, it can be more difficult to play with big pieces and to make everything hold together than working with a few more smaller pieces. Just play with it and when you feel confident that it's going to stand up, just go for it 

And thanks for asking! Happy building!
~Molianne


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## mootpoint

Wow, I want one! It's amazing, and your buns look super happy in there 

(I'm actually close enough to Quebec to steal it too...hehehe)


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## cheryl

Great looking cage...and what a beautiful girl Pooky is...


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## lizzym

That cage is ridiculously awesome. Great job!


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## LaylaLop

This is similar to what I was hoping to design with tile and a front-opening door. I would be building it for 2 so I'd probably make it 3 wide buuut I may be using some of your pictures for inspiration


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## Molianne

LaylaLop wrote:


> This is similar to what I was hoping to design with tile and a front-opening door. I would be building it for 2 so I'd probably make it 3 wide buuut I may be using some of your pictures for inspiration



Go ahead and be inspired  lol
Just si you know, we built this cage knowing we'd get a second rabbit. We've now only recently started to let them in it together, and they are just fine  They have lots and lots of space to get around easily (and they are soooo cute when they're cuddling)


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## Preston

[align=center]What a wonderful cage. I love the simplicity and very neat design it has to it. Just amazing.

I'm working on building one of my soon-to-be-bunny, however I still have one question that looms over my head. When I travel, what in the world would I do with it? I visit family every winter and I've already decided I'm bringing the bun with us. I could easily fit the cage in the hostess's home but how would I get it there? I know traveling can be traumatic for a bunny and I also know that changing cages can be. A combination of the two would just kill the poor bun. So what do you plan to do with the cage while traveling? Keep him in a different cage? I just need some insight here.

~Preston[/align]


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## Elliot

Excellent cage! I love it!


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## bella1013210132

Was it expensive? I've been wanting to build a new cage


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## blondiesmommie

I still think this cage is phenomenal!


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## ldoerr

AMAZING!!!!!!!


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## Hyatt101

Wow! Nice cage! What did you use for the ramps and how did you secure them down?


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## Molianne

Preston said:


> [align=center]What a wonderful cage. I love the simplicity and very neat design it has to it. Just amazing.
> 
> I'm working on building one of my soon-to-be-bunny, however I still have one question that looms over my head. When I travel, what in the world would I do with it? I visit family every winter and I've already decided I'm bringing the bun with us. I could easily fit the cage in the hostess's home but how would I get it there? I know traveling can be traumatic for a bunny and I also know that changing cages can be. A combination of the two would just kill the poor bun. So what do you plan to do with the cage while traveling? Keep him in a different cage? I just need some insight here.
> 
> ~Preston[/align]



First of, sorry for the _very_ late answer (wedding... a time-consuming project...!)

We do not plan on travelling the cage at all. We are lucky enough to have a few friends who also have rabbits so when we go on vacations, they go over to our house to feed them, change the water and interact with them.

Maybe you could build a smaller one for travelling purposes? Sorry I can't help you more on that..!


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## Molianne

bella1013210132 said:


> Was it expensive? I've been wanting to build a new cage



Although we didn't track and write anything down, we do believe it cost us about 300$.


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## Molianne

Hyatt101 said:


> Wow! Nice cage! What did you use for the ramps and how did you secure them down?







The ramps are made of spruce wood and this is what we used to secure them (on the underside). It left a little gap when you look at the ramp the right way, but the rabbits never tripped on that and it leaves just enough space to lift the ramp a little (useful when cleaning!).


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## green

Wow that cage is tall. I saw a long version looks like a 2 story house. For the price I thought it was worth it.


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## Fodderfeed

Thats not a condo it's a penthouse! Well Done!:dancingorig:


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## BunnyBabyboo

If I had the money Id buy one from you!! lol. But Binoo isnt a big climber or jumper so.. xD


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## Tauntz

Love your bunny luxury condo!!! Wow! Would love to be able to make something like it for my buns! Looks great & seems to be easy to clean & get to the bunnies! Boy, you are fortunate to have a crafty boyfriend to help you too! You both did a fabulous job!


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## aabernathy319

What are the dimensions on this cage? I'm wanting to build 1 like it for a mini Rex baby. This cage is awesome!!!


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## dwiley

aabernathy319 said:


> What are the dimensions on this cage? I'm wanting to build 1 like it for a mini Rex baby. This cage is awesome!!!



Each NIC panel is 14" x 14". It looks like it's 4 panels tall, 2 panels wide, and 2 panels deep, so it's 56" tall and then 28" each way.


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## Nicolelarge

Hello! Great job on the rabbit hutch. I was wondering if you just keep then in there or if you have somewhere outide aswell


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## Blue eyes

Nicolelarge said:


> Hello! Great job on the rabbit hutch. I was wondering if you just keep then in there or if you have somewhere outide aswell



The cage-- as it is-- would be too small for permanent living space. (The post was originally from 3 years ago). 

Each level is only about 4 square feet. That provides no real hopping space. The base of a cage should allow a minimum of 3 full hops across. This one does not. It would actually be better if it were laid on its side. That would provide a base of over 8 square feet -- double the current. Even on its side, bunny would still need exercise time outside the cage each day. 

Rabbits may enjoy extra vertical space but horizontal space is what counts.


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## Molianne

dwiley said:


> Each NIC panel is 14" x 14". It looks like it's 4 panels tall, 2 panels wide, and 2 panels deep, so it's 56" tall and then 28" each way.



We never took the time to really measure it, but these measurements sound about right.


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## Molianne

Blue eyes said:


> The cage-- as it is-- would be too small for permanent living space. (The post was originally from 3 years ago).
> 
> Each level is only about 4 square feet. That provides no real hopping space. The base of a cage should allow a minimum of 3 full hops across. This one does not. It would actually be better if it were laid on its side. That would provide a base of over 8 square feet -- double the current. Even on its side, bunny would still need exercise time outside the cage each day.
> 
> Rabbits may enjoy extra vertical space but horizontal space is what counts.



My bunnies will agree to disagree with that...

90% of the times when we open the door and leave it opened (sometimes for hours), they will just stay in the cage. We have to physically remove them from it to have them hop around, and if we close the door to stop them from re-entering the cage, they will just look for ways to open it (with two successful attempts so far XD ). The only moment they will come out of it by themselves is in the morning, and it's never a long outing.

Also, regarding the 3-hops unofficial rule, I *absolutely* do agree it'd be better with a horizontal cage. But then again, they DO run in that cage, up and down and up again. Even faster when I shake a papaya fruit tablets bottle! I've seen Chance get to the top within seconds without having to stop nor looking like he had a hard time doing so. Yes, it was a serious bet we took when we decided to make it tall rather than wide, but from all the years they've lived in it, it does look like it's no big deal to them. Annual vet visits didn't show anything wrong with that "lifestyle" either.

Still, bottom line is that although having had the space, it would have been wide, the bunnies look totally contempt with it (and their forced outings/playtime), so it's probably not completely wrong. 

~Molianne


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## Jaregan

Could you please update your account?! We're using your pictures as a guide for our own cage and now your pictures suddenly can't be viewed!


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## Blue eyes

Jaregan said:


> Could you please update your account?! We're using your pictures as a guide for our own cage and now your pictures suddenly can't be viewed!



This configuration would provide more floor space:


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## Blue eyes

This link has more pics of cages on this forum:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=85838


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