# Cage demensions for Mini-Rex



## Adrienne (Mar 17, 2010)

So I put together a NIC cage last night for the new bun...she will have plenty of time outside of her cage, between 2-4 hours a day so how small can I get away with? Right now it measures 3ft by 2 1/2 ft and there is a panel wide shelf with a panel wide area to 'periscope' in. She can pretty much sit all the way up in the part that is only one panel high as well. Is this adequate for a Mini-rex?


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## elrohwen (Mar 18, 2010)

I think the minimum size for any rabbit, even small ones, is 4'x2'. And honestly, 2-4 hours outside of her cage is really not many so she should have a larger cage. If she was out 18 hours a day or something, you might be able to get away with the size you have.


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## Adrienne (Mar 18, 2010)

Boo... may really have to work on re-homing her in that case. I just don't have the room for anything bigger and don't have the time to let her out more due to the cats and dogs and toddler. Thanks for the input. Hopefully I can keep her until Easter is over and then work on finding her a new home. Sucks, she is such a sweetie I really wanted to keep her:tears2:


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## elrohwen (Mar 18, 2010)

Can you build the cage up instead of out? The footprint is still a little small, but if she had 2 or 3 levels to jump around on I think that would make a difference. I understand not having a lot of room or time! 

Also, would it be possible to build a little foldable pen area with more NIC grids? You could put a pen attached to her cage and give her more run time that way and the other animals won't be able to get her. She could still have 2-4 hours free run, but at least the pen would give her more room for maybe another 5-6 hours per day, then you could just fold it up when you need it out of the way.


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## bigwigbunny (Mar 20, 2010)

I think that cage size sounds really good, especially when you look at the sizes of cages that rabbitry people keep their rabbits in. If you look at kd cage online their rabbitry cages are much smaller so I think many house rabbits live a life of luxury. 

If you can set your cage up in your laundry room area you can let your rex out more often and that would help.


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## undergunfire (Mar 20, 2010)

*Adrienne wrote: *


> Boo... may really have to work on re-homing her in that case. I just don't have the room for anything bigger and don't have the time to let her out more due to the cats and dogs and toddler. Thanks for the input. Hopefully I can keep her until Easter is over and then work on finding her a new home. Sucks, she is such a sweetie I really wanted to keep her:tears2:



Oh no! Don't rehome her! A 3 1/2 x 2 ft (36" x 24.5") cage for a Mini Rex who gets run time every day sounds pretty fair to me because, just think...what if you rehomed her and someone kept her in a tiny pet store cage with NO run time?! My rabbits each only get 2-4 hours of run time per night (some nights they don't get out because I am too busy!) and 1 bunny is in a 3 panel x 2 panel cube cage (which is 42" x 28") and my other 2 bunnies are in 4 panel x 2 panel cube cages (56" x 28"). I think they live a pretty darn good life inside of the house with me even with their "limited" run time - they could be living elsewhere in much worse conditions!!!


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## Adrienne (Mar 21, 2010)

Thanks guys for the encouragement. I really didn't want to re-home her exactly for the reasons undergunfire stated...at least here she will get some free time and a decent cage. She just sleeps in her cage anyways and even during free-time prefers to lay and be pet to running around. :biggrin2:


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## mistyjr (Mar 21, 2010)

I have to agree with the rabbitry cage part.. Yes Rabbitries keep there rabbits in smaller cages then that. All Our rabbits are in 2x 2 1/2 cages, excpet the Standard Rex is a little bigger cage. If she gets out daily it is fine!


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## undergunfire (Mar 21, 2010)

*Adrienne wrote: *


> Thanks guys for the encouragement. I really didn't want to re-home her exactly for the reasons undergunfire stated...at least here she will get some free time and a decent cage. She just sleeps in her cage anyways and even during free-time prefers to lay and be pet to running around. :biggrin2:



See! I bet she's one happy bunny :hug:.


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## AquaticRex (Jul 2, 2010)

i wouldn't worry about the size. maybe add another level but other then that i think it's fine. i have a standard rex rabbit and he's in a 4x2 pen with 2 levels. he tends to run around in that just fine, kinda funny watching him twitch/jump. another thing that i did that you can always do is i made a detachable part. i made it so that the center 2 squares that make my door fold up. i also made a carrier that is 2 cubes long and made the doors be on the side, they open away from each other. i made it so that when the carrier doors are open you can place it to the doors of the cage and sit the cage doors on top of the carrier, presto a little more space that can be taken off when needed. just use paper clamps to keep everything from being taken apart (toddler).


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## dixonsrabbitry1 (Jul 8, 2010)

i wish I had some kd cages.  Most rabbits living in a rabbitry also live the life of luxury. Esp if they are show rabbits. They are just kept different then house rabbits are. 

anyhow, 18x24 inches is the minimum requirement to house a mini rex in. Though some pet owners and breeders keep them in smaller cages, and they are fine. Your cages sounds like it has plenty of room in it to me.


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## Shaded Night Rabbitry (Jul 12, 2010)

*dixonsrabbitry1 wrote: *


> i wish I had some kd cages.  Most rabbits living in a rabbitry also live the life of luxury. Esp if they are show rabbits. They are just kept different then house rabbits are.
> 
> anyhow, 18x24 inches is the minimum requirement to house a mini rex in. Though some pet owners and breeders keep them in smaller cages, and they are fine. Your cages sounds like it has plenty of room in it to me.


They make smaller than that? ; I have 18 by 18s for my bucks, and show does... I thought about making 12 by 24s of my own to put 2 to 4 month old juniors for growout. X3 If you know of somewhere that makes anything smaller, please let me know!


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## MikeScone (Jul 12, 2010)

*Adrienne wrote: *


> Right now it measures 3ft by 2 1/2 ft and there is a panel wide shelf with a panel wide area to 'periscope' in.


That's an adequate dimension, in my estimation. My mini-rex Scone's cage is 1/2 meter x 1 meter (roughly 19" x 39" - it was an Italian-built cage, so it's metric).

I would think about adding a second level over maybe half of it, though. Rabbits love to be able to jump up to an above-floor-level perch, and it would add 50% to the area of the cage without adding to the footprint. That's what I did, and Scone spent much of his time up on his balcony, relaxing and surveying his world. 







I used wire shelving from Home Depot to make the second level - because the shelving came in 6' lengths, it was easier to make the second level 4' and let the balcony overhang a bit (each 6' piece supplied an end and a side). The "L" shaped edges of the shelves support an old table leaf cut to size and covered in a terry-cloth towel (stapled underneath the shelf). There was plenty of room on the shelf for Scone to stretch out.


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