Have you ever adopted a brand new pal and need to create the very best rabbit cage setup you may? Are you already a fur mother and seeking to improve your bunny to a greater residing state of affairs?
Your rabbit cage setup is what your pet’s world revolves round. Meaning you want every thing to be precisely proper, from what it consists of to the place you place it. Rabbits could be finicky, so should you don’t set it up proper, it might finish in a multitude!
On this article, you’ll study what your rabbit cage setup must be like– from how huge it must be to the place to place it, and extra. Preserve studying to study extra about constructing the final word rabbit cage setup.
Correct Rabbit Cage Measurement
The appropriate dimension actually is determined by your rabbit’s breed and dimension. You wouldn’t want as a lot house for a Netherland Dwarf as you’d a Flemish Big. Both means, the cage must be large enough to your rabbit to hop round, stretch out, and so forth. , large enough to really reside inside.
In accordance with rabbit welfare teams, the best cage dimension for a rabbit is 8-12 sq. ft. with entry to train house of at the least 24 sq. ft. That’s sufficient house for 1 or 2 rabbits, though extra is all the time higher, particularly when you’ve got a couple of rabbit.
That’s why it’s so helpful to allow them to roam free round the home (supplied they’re litter skilled, in fact). But when that’s not doable, your rabbit will want at the least 5 hours of train within the advisable quantity of house to remain wholesome and joyful.
What Kind of Bunny Cage is Finest?
Rabbits want rather more room than any pet retailer cages can present. So, should you can’t give your rabbit free entry to your private home, think about some extra spacious enclosure choices.
My private favorite rabbit cage choice is a pet playpen. Pet play pens are normally the proper dimension, light-weight (however not sufficient to tip over), and most significantly, super-easy to maintain clear.
A crate for an extra-large canine is giant sufficient for an average-sized rabbit to reside inside. Plus, canine crates have a handy plastic backside you may slide out to scrub.
Final however definitely not least, there’s the choice of making your personal cage with snap-on C&C grids. Not solely does it allow you to design the proper bunny cage setup, nevertheless it’s additionally comparatively cheap.
Forms of Rabbit Cages to Keep away from
Aside from small pet retailer cages, there are another belongings you may see advisable which are something however good for rabbits. Listed below are another enclosures you must keep away from to your rabbit’s sake:
- Wire-bottom cages
- Aquariums & fish tanks
- Hutches except there’s 24/7 entry to a bigger space – equivalent to on the picture above
You possibly can study extra about the very best cages for rabbits and get some suggestions right here.
Free Roam Rabbits – Is Free Roam Higher?
In my expertise, and that spans over a few years, I really consider that free roam is one of the best ways to go. Rabbits that get to discover and wander their very own environment are bodily more healthy, mentally more healthy, and a lot extra.
Free-roam rabbits are sometimes happier and more healthy rabbits. And that’s not as a result of they get to wander round, doing no matter they need, though figuring out my rabbit, I’m positive that’s an integral half.
Letting your rabbits have free roam over your private home isn’t simply helpful to your rabbits both. Because you don’t want a cage, you received’t want to purchase disposable bedding. After rabbit proofing, you simply want the litter for the litter containers. Plus, that makes issues a heck of lots simpler relating to cleansing.
In case your rabbit is free to roam, you’ll want a primary station to host his meals, litter field, and mattress. We’ll get extra into that in a minute.
What Do You Placed on the Ground of a Bunny Cage
In fact, in case your rabbits are free to roam, you received’t even want bedding. However, even within the bunny cage setups we’ve lined, conventional bedding would solely result in an enormous mess.
That stated, you continue to want one thing to shield your flooring from any accidents and messes that –make no mistake– will occur.
As a substitute, listed here are some higher choices for the ground of your rabbit enclosure:
- Splat mats
- Plastic tray from a big/x-large canine crate
- Whelping mats
- Bathtub mats
- Vinyl or linoleum flooring
- Canvas floor safety / portray sheets
- Fleece blankets or liners
- Seagrass rugs
Forms of Bedding to Keep away from Utilizing
Apart from conventional bedding equivalent to paper bedding or wooden shavings (which, once more, could be a whole mess and a waste of cash), listed here are another varieties of issues to keep away from placing on the ground of your rabbit cage:
- Skinny plastic floor safety sheets
- Astro turf
- Thick carpeting
- Skinny mattress sheets
The place Ought to a Rabbit Cage or Foremost Station Go?
The perfect place for a rabbit’s enclosure or station is a peaceable room that he’s already snug in. That must be a room that doesn’t see the busy day-to-day actions of your life, just like the loud noises of the tv, children, and so forth.
My rabbit, Chile, is free-roam and prefers spending most of his time in my workplace as a result of it’s quiet, I’m all the time in there, it’s utterly bunny-proofed, and nobody however the cat (his finest pal) ever is available in. So, that is the place I maintain his station setup.
Additionally, rabbits ought to by no means be in direct daylight. Rabbits sometimes just like the darkish, being crepuscular and burrowing animals. Nonetheless, they shouldn’t be in a chilly, darkish basement both.
Important Gadgets for a Rabbit Cage or Foremost Station
When you’ve chosen the best kind of rabbit cage and determined what to placed on the ground, it is advisable set it up with all of the requirements. Even should you’ve opted to let your rabbits be free to roam, you’ll must equip their stations with the necessities.
Right here’s what it is advisable embody in your bunny cage setup or primary station:
- Water and meals dishes
- Limitless entry to hay
- Hidey homes or tunnels
- Mattress
- Litter field
- Toys
Water Bowl or Water Bottle – Which is Finest?
Water bottles could appear to be the best choice as a result of they’re handy and cleaner. Nonetheless, they’re not your best option. At first, water bottles make your rabbits drink at an ungainly angle that, over time, could cause neck and throat injury.
Whereas water dishes want extra cleansing and are more likely to spill, they’re one of the best ways to make sure your rabbit all the time has contemporary, clear water. You possibly can study extra about that right here.
Hay
Hay is totally important to your rabbit’s well being. Actually, it makes up most of their eating regimen. Even most pellets are manufactured from compressed Timothy hay. Besides, your rabbits all the time want entry to contemporary hay for his or her digestive well being.
There are lots of varieties of hay which are wholesome for rabbits, all with particular well being advantages. Once more, your rabbit all the time wants entry to hay, so it’s finest to have it somewhere else. In an enclosure, you must put some by the meals and a few by the litter field. And, for enrichment functions, stuff some in DIY toys.
Meals Dishes
For meals dishes, it’s all the time finest to have one per rabbit. You don’t need to threat a struggle, even when your rabbits get alongside.
In my time proudly owning rabbits, I’ve used metallic dishes, plastic dishes, and porcelain dishes, and my favorite is the porcelain choice. They’re too heavy for rabbits to throw round and tip over and normally dishwasher-safe.
Hidey Home or Tunnel
Rabbits are pure burrowers. And since you may’t allow them to begin digging by means of the ground, you may give them a protected place to cover or hang around. There must be one per rabbit to keep away from combating.
Hidey homes and tunnels are an effective way to assist your rabbit really feel protected in an open enclosure or maintain free-roam rabbits from spending all of their time below your furnishings.
Mattress
Whether or not your rabbits are free to roam or have a large enclosure, they want a snug mattress to curve up in when it’s time to sleep. Once more, to keep away from battle, there must be one per rabbit.
That may be something from a cat mattress to a bunched-up blanket, so long as it’s cozy, heat, and protected. In case your rabbit is free-roam, ensure the mattress is by his station or wherever your rabbit sleeps.
Toys
Your rabbits will want a number of toys to maintain their minds occupied, even when they’re free to roam. Boredom solely results in two issues in rabbits: despair and destruction.
To forestall despair and harmful chewing, your rabbit wants chew toys, puzzle toys, and interactive toys for bonding time. Get some DIY rabbit toy suggestions right here.
Rabbit Litter Field Setup
Now, to your rabbit’s litter field setup, you’ll want a litter field, absorbent litter, and plenty of hay to encourage utilization, even when your rabbit is already litter-trained. In case your rabbit is a free-roaming bun, their station must be the place the litter field or cage was once, at the least to start out.
You possibly can steadily transfer it to a greater place if wanted. It should simply take time to your rabbit to regulate, and you could have to do some additional cleansing within the meantime.
There are two varieties of litter containers you should utilize. The triangular litter containers are nice for saving house in enclosures. And the sq. cat litter containers are spacious sufficient to forestall accidents.
Each are nice choices. However, it’s largely as much as choice and what works finest to your rabbit and the rabbit cage setup.
Finest Forms of Litter for a Rabbit Litter Field Setup
Identical to with cages and bedding, pet shops will attempt to throw a bunch of various choices in your face, and only some of these will really be good to your rabbit, not to mention crucial.
Listed below are some good choices to make use of in your rabbit litter field:
- Recycled paper bedding
- Recycled paper pellets
- Shredded paper
- Aspen shavings
Forms of Litter to Keep away from
Once more, lots of the litter or bedding varieties obtainable in pet shops aren’t really good to your rabbit. Listed below are a few of them:
- Cedar and non-kiln-dried pine shavings
- Corn litter
- Clay-based cat litter
- Straw
- Sawdust
Methods to Keep away from Aggression Between Rabbits With a Correct Cage Setup
With regards to meals, rabbits can get a bit sensitive. For those who solely have one rabbit, you received’t run into this drawback. However for a number of rabbits, know that meals aggression is actual, and might solely finish in two situations:
- A struggle over meals (particularly between males).
- One rabbit dominates the opposite, which implies one rabbit goes with out meals.
You possibly can simply keep away from this by having one in every of every important merchandise for each rabbit you’ve. And by preserving these issues separate. It’s a bit of simpler with free-roam rabbits since there’s more room.
If aggression continues or escalates, think about fixing your rabbits. And if it doesn’t cease, they could must be separated.
Rabbit Cage Setup Photographs for Inspiration
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Picture by Lucy Morriss
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Picture by: Tamlyn Coronary heart
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Rabbit’s primary station | Picture by: Cindy Rogers
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Picture by: KayLyn Giles
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Picture by: Kristina Austin
Making a Bunny Cage Setup for a Glad, Wholesome Bun
For those who create your rabbit cage setup with the guidelines and recommendation I’ve given you at this time, I’ve little doubt that your rabbit will probably be joyful and wholesome. And if bonded to you, they’ll present you ways a lot they love their “new digs.”
Rabbits don’t want an entire lot. They’re not complicated like us people. However after they have what they want, they’re the very best pets {that a} human might ask for.