What all should Bug4H have *BEFORE* she gets her bunny?

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HOWsMom

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We were making a list, figuring out what all she should have on hand *before* she gets her bunny.
Also trying to figure out rough estimates of cost, and where / how she can save money on things, and what should be splurged on.

  • Cage
  • Litter box
  • Food Dish (we are looking at "J" style feeders - we use them for our degus and love them
  • Water bottle
  • Hay rack
  • Food
  • Hay
  • Harness & Leash - she wants to do 4H Bunny Hopping
  • Grooming supplies (nail trimmers, etc)

Do rabbits need cage bedding the way many small caged pets do? (ie - for our degus we have about 2" of kiln dried pine shavings down)

Or can they be in a bare bottomed cage, or with towels / rug / blankets down ?

Is a wire bottomed cage better, or a solid bottom ? Will breed make a difference there?
She is in love with the Rex breed, but there are others she is also interested in.
 
Well potty trained young and adults can be in bare bottom cages with a litterbox

Make sure any blankets do not have strings (no terry cloth or knit for sure) in them as a rabbit can eat these and get them stuck in the digestive tract

I used free dog cages I got from a kennel and modifed them for rabbits by adding finer mesh wire flooring and second or third levels to utilize the vertical space

Human finger nail or toe nail trimmers work well for bunny manicures

Some bloodlines of Rex are very prone to sore hocks because their don't have very much fur to protect and cushion the skin so solid bottom is actually recommended for this coat type (giant breeds are also more susceptible because of all the weight their feet support)
 
She will be building her cage from wire mesh panels.
I've seen them called rabbit condos, C&C cages, NIC/Coroplast cages, etc.

So, it will be a BIG cage, but not expensive. <br /><br /> __________ Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:32 pm __________ <br /><br /> What kind of toys / house / etc. should she have for inside the cage ?
 
I have a dog exercise pen for a pet rabbit right now. It's spacious and was inexpensive when purchased at PetSmart's friends & family sale. I like to have some sort of bedding material on the floor of my cages so the rabbits do not have trouble getting traction when they move. The slipping and sliding can lead to joint issues. Go ahead and have the cage set up so that when you bring home your bunny, you can put him in and leave him alone. I like to give rabbits 2-3 days with minimal contact so that they can adjust to their surroundings. As for flooring material, if you are making a C&C cage, the corrugated plastic sheets should be fine with thick bedding over it. I like to provide a solid resting surface in cages with a wire mesh floor.

Choose the type of food you'll be feeding and make sure you have a reliable source to get it. This includes hay. A good rabbit breeder will give you a week supply of pellets to help your rabbit transition to new food.

Pick out a variety of toys for your bunny until you learn his preferences. Toys that can be tossed, rolled, shredded, and rattled are popular with my Harlequins.

From personal experience, rabbits do better with a large litter box than the corner style ones they sell at the pet store. Visit the dollar store and pick up a large rectangular cat box. Hay racks are commonly positioned over the box to entice rabbits to use it.

If you are unsure of the breed of rabbit you will be getting, hold off on buying a harness just yet. You want the harness to fit well. Also, if you are reasonably good at sewing, you can sew your own harnesses and leashes specific to your own rabbit's size. I'm not that great at sewing and have had good luck with it. :)
 
I got a ton of marchioro single level cages on huge discount, not that the brand isn't still expensive even then, and put pine pellets in the bottom. I have netherlands though so roughly 2x4' cages are plenty big without needing to build my own and this way I have a bottom with a lip. They still manage to spray the walls about 3' up. I don't litterbox train mine. It's harder to litterbox train intact rabbits especially if you plan to have more than one and/or take them around other rabbits. They tend to want to mark their territory when they are not fixed and have exposure to other rabbits. At minimum you are still likely to get a few droppings per level and in front of doors that will get kicked out if you have no edge to the floor.

Wire cages are a lot less maintenance. I am probably going to stacked wire again when I have the money. They do still have an issue of pee not going in the pan but a lot more of it and nearly all droppings go down and you don't have the mess of tracked bedding. Pull the pan, dump the pan, sprinkle some odor absorbent material if you want, and replace the pan. Not my current 15-20mins per cage scooping out the bedding and poop every week, sweeping the bedding on the floor, breathing in pee covered dust from the bedding, composting the bedding....
 

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