# Do dog kennels make good rabbit cages?



## Jayme (Mar 29, 2013)

I am thinking about using an old dog kennel to expand my bunny's cage, but I'm not sure how to start. I've seen people on this website use dog kennels and they put some kind of fabric on the bottom of the kennel, but I'm not sure what it is or how to set anything up. Also, I have a pretty big kennel, so I don't really want to make any extra levels. But any advice on how to set up a dog kennel rabbit cage would be greatly appreciated!


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## PaGal (Mar 29, 2013)

Hi! We like lots of details here so:
I assume you are speaking of a metal wire kennel. 
Do you know the size of the kennel?
What breed of bunny do you have or what is the size of your bunny?
How much time will the bun be spending in the cage?

I have a metal wire dog kennel that is used as my buns cage. He is only in it at night while we are in bed or when no one is home for short periods. He is usually out for approximately twelve hours a day. I have a Flemish giant so he has a large cat litter pan at the back of the kennel. I have a feeder hanging above it for his pellets. The feeder was good for when he was younger because I could fill it with pellets for a few two day trips we took and I knew he would not run out. Now that his pellets are limited and it is harder for him to eat the pellets I will be purchasing a dish that can attach to the side of the cage.

He has a larger sized ceramic bowl for his water. Buns drink more water when they are provided a bowl than a bottle. I purchased a heavy ceramic bowl so that it could not be knocked over or slid around easily as buns are known for playing with their bowls. He does actually have a water bottle as well so that I know even if by some chance he spilt all of his water bowl he would still have water available.

I don't have a towel or blanket for Thumper because he chews a lot. Most people that provide their buns with a blanket will use fleece as it is safer for them if they happen to chew it than other materials such as towels. 

Rabbits tend to go potty while eating so hanging a hay rack above the litter box is what most people do to help litter train and to help keep them litter trained. Or some just put some hay to one side of the litter box. I hung Thumpers feeder over the litter box and his hay rack to the front of the cage which has worked fine for me. 

Thumper doesn't spook easily and with his size his cage space is limited. He seems to feel his cage is his safe place but if your bun is skittish or if you have plenty of room you could place a box in the cage that your bun can retreat to when it gets spooked or just feels like it. 

You could also place some toys in the cage to help entertain your bun while it is in the cage.

Just a few suggestions. Hope it helps


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## Bunnylova4eva (Mar 29, 2013)

It all really depends on a couple things: size of the bunny, size of the dog crate/kennel, and your time to let the bunny out. A bunny kept in a cage that size could be fine as long as it wasn't a huge bunny in a tiny crate if it had *plenty* of time out hopping around. And, you might consider attaching an xpen onto his enclosure for exercise area. Or, for that matter, you can just use an xpen to keep him in and that would solve it too.


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## missyscove (Mar 29, 2013)

I have a 42 inch metal dog crate with 2 doors that my rabbits live in. It works really well for us because it's sturdy but I can also collapse it pretty easily if I need to leave town and take them to my mom's house. I added some shelves about half way up by resting some laundry shelving and soe cutting boards on wooden dowels. 
I've had store bought cages and NIC cages in the past. This is bigger than a store bought cage, but sturdier than a NIC cage (I also have a board on top of the cage and store most of their stuff like their blankets, pellets, hay and treats on top). 
I considered just having them in an ex-pen, but there are other animals in my house that belong to my roommates and I'd prefer to have a top on their cage, just in case.


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## Jayme (Mar 29, 2013)

I have a young mini rex-lionhead mixed girl who isn't quite fully grown, named Clover. I'm not really sure how big she'll get (if anyone can give me an estimate on that it would be helpful too). The dog kennel is a wire one and it's pretty huge, we can fit my 14 year old sister in it haha. Clover is in her cage while I'm in school, so about 6 hours, and then during the night. I feel like in her current cage she doesn't have enough space and would like to use a dog kennel to give her more space while I'm not home.


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## woahlookitsme (Mar 29, 2013)

Here is a picture of what my french lop was housed in. He had a habit of peeing on fabrics so no blankets or anything for him. The plastic floor was so much easier to clean also. His dog kennel is on the left. I had plans to extend another shelf and make a ramp but we were soon moving to another apartment and he was getting neutered so they never panned out


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## PaGal (Mar 29, 2013)

Doing a quick search I read that lionheads usually are between 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 pounds. Mini rex 3 1/2 -4 1/5 pounds, so probably anywhere in between there. Someone with more knowledge of the two breeds might be able to give you a better guess or someone that understands the genetics better but I think it's more of a guessing game with mixes. 

The cage very well may be big enough. It's hard to say for sure without dimensions, I'm pretty small so could fit into the kennel I have but I know there are ones out there that are much bigger than mine. I know every thing I have read recommends at least a 4' X 3' X 2' for a Flemish giant. They are much bigger than your rabbit should get. If the kennel is bigger than the cage you have right now and she gets plenty of time out of it then I would use the kennel. You could always later if you felt it necessary attach an x-pen to it or something else.


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## PaGal (Mar 29, 2013)

Sorry, it's been a long day and my brain is sluggish. I would check though on the size of the gaps between the wires. My kennel has pretty big gaps so you might want to put some chicken wire or something else around it so that she can't get out or some such.


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## BunnyBabyboo (Mar 30, 2013)

hmm is there a big enough dog kennel for 2 buns?? they are out at least 7 hours each(will be all day once bonded) I just heard that those cages arent big enough for rabbits.


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## Jayme (Mar 30, 2013)

Here's the cage I'll be using, and since Clover gets out a good deal (if I'm home she's out) I'm assuming this cage will be big enough. I'm not sure what to use on the bottom though since the tray is missing so any ideas would be super healpful! I'm also debating in the future getting a second bunny as well, so will this cage be big enough for 2 small/medium sized female rabbits? Or maybe a female and a neutered male?


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## Azerane (Mar 30, 2013)

It's hard to tell just from an image without dimensions, could you measure it for us? It does look quite large though. For the bottom, you may be able to find a plastic tray that fits quite well, otherwise, you could always buy a sheet of coreflute/coroplast and bend up the sides a little. Or perhaps even a solid piece of mdf or another laminated type timber that wouldn't absorb moisture.

I would probably be hesitant to house two bunns in it, though I suppose you could add a shelf at the far end for a little more space, but if they are out for most of the day, and really only spending nights in it, then probably not a problem. You will need a second cage for when you first get your new rabbit though until you can bond them.


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## Jayme (Mar 30, 2013)

The dimensions of the dog kennel are 22w x 35l x24h. Would that be big enough to potentially home 2 bunnies? (They'd both be of relatively small size-probably around 5 pounds each) And where could I find pieces of coroplast with bent up sides? Thanks!


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## flemish giant (Mar 30, 2013)

Actually with coroplast you could make it just like a tray. You just have to cut it half way through with a box cutter and then fold up the sides. This will also keep any accidents from seeping out.

You can buy coroplast at most sign stores.


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## woahlookitsme (Mar 30, 2013)

A little hint since I had the same kennel It helped ALOT that i was able to pull out the try from the slit and clean it so keep that in mind when constructing something.


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## missyscove (Mar 30, 2013)

My dog crate is a petco crate, but one of these replacement trays may fit yours as well. 
http://www.petco.com/product/102333/Petco-Dog-Crate-Replacement-Tray.aspx

I have two rabbits in a 42 inch crate, like I mentioned above. They also get plently of time out. As far as cages you can easily buy from a store, dog crates are definitley my favorite!


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## Jayme (Mar 30, 2013)

Due to a communication error between a family friend and I, I won't be using that exact kennel, so I'll get one off amazon later. I'm going to focus on getting Clover spayed first before I upgrade her cage unless I see some great deal on Craigslist.


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## missyscove (Mar 31, 2013)

Definitely keep your eyes on craigslist. You can often find dog kennels or puppy ex pens on there very cheap and they're easy to disinfect.


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## Wittlewabbit (Mar 31, 2013)

Yea i didnt get mine on craigslist but i sold an older one i did get off craigslist and bought a new one i use it for my 6 week old bunny and am going to add a second story pluse he's out from the time my hubby wakes up until i go to bed so plenty of free time lol


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