cage height question

[ruralnurse]

Hi,
I am new here, had rabbits in the past.

I have searched for ideal height for cages. Wire cages specifically. I see lots of ideas and opinions on width, depth, size for bucks, does and grow outs.
I have no rabbits yet and believe in lots of planning prior to obtaining animals. I will be having a 2 tier system, I'm sure.

I will probably purchase cages from someplace like Bass. I see they offer 14 in high and 18 inch high cages.

I hope to have either satin or rex rabbits. I believe these are similar sized rabbits.

I hope for doe cages to be 36 W x 24 D and buck cages 30 W 24 D. I like the idea of subterranean nest boxes.

Are the 14 H cages offered probably for the tiny breeds?

Would a 16 H be a reasonable happy medium?

I know rabbits are more horizontally active than vertical (like a cat) but do like to get up on elevated perches at times.

Thanks for any thoughts/ideas or opinions. I am just wanting to get a reasonable set up prior to getting critters.

 

[Marinea]

Personally, I would go 18. My does love to perch on top of a box to escape their ravenous kit hoards.

Oh, and welcome to RT!

 

[Zass]

Those are both decent sized breeds.
For your does, that cage size will be pretty small is they have good litters of 10 or more.
You will definitely need growout pens.
I also suggest getting the higher cages.

One of the nice things we usually do for does is give them something to hop up on to escape their kits.
This is because it's actually very unnatural for rabbits to be confined in close proximity to their babies. They would normally hide them and return only to nurse once or twice a day.
For a while kits see the doe and think "feeding time" pretty much all the time. :roll:
I'm sure trying to drink right away whenever they see her is a survival instinct, but it sure gets annoying to most does.

 

[a7736100]

A few of my rabbits are in multi-level cat and ferret cages. They do a lot of jumping between levels after they got used to them. I find it's a great option to increase their living space. Often they like resting on the highest level.

 

[ruralnurse]

Thanks so far to all.
I have a Midwest Metal Puppy play pen (from past litter of pups) that is 48 x 48 that I would like to use as a grow out pen.

I could (with the size restrictions I will be under) make the doe cages 40 W x 24 D. Perhaps that would be better? I want to stick with 24 D so I can easily reach into the back. I will definitely go with 18 H. <br /><br /> -- Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:29 pm -- <br /><br /> Just recheck Bass (that is where I think I will order) and they make either 36 x 24 or 48 x 30. They probably do custom sizes.

 

[Zass]

I won't go deeper than 24 either, for the same reason.
I have 48 x 24 x 18 for harlequins, which are a bit smaller than Satins.
I'd say they are very comfortable cages, except for when there are 9 kits in there.

 

[ruralnurse]

If my cages for does are 36 W x 24 D x 18 H and I put a shelf along the back that is 12 inches above the floor for the does to get on and get away from babies does that seem reasonable?

Thanks again for your thoughts, it is helping me a vision of what I need.

 

[Dwc77]

If my cages for does are 36 W x 24 D x 18 H and I put a shelf along the back that is 12 inches above the floor for the does to get on and get away from babies does that seem reasonable?
The shelf seems like a good idea! I might try that myself. My doe cages are 40"L 18"W by 18"H some might say that is a little small but My nestboxes are mounted outside the cage so that's not taking up any space. Plus I'm sure if rabbits could talk they Whould say 50ft by 50ft is to small :lol: the only thing about a shelf is if they decided to use it for a bathroom. I've had my cages for 25 years and they have seen a lot of bunnies pass through them. So I say whatever works for you will work just fine. Good Luck ruralnurse.

 

[Marinea]

If my cages for does are 36 W x 24 D x 18 H and I put a shelf along the back that is 12 inches above the floor for the does to get on and get away from babies does that seem reasonable?

Thanks again for your thoughts, it is helping me a vision of what I need.

I use removable shelves that I put in when I take out the nest boxes,. They are really three sided boxes, with a top, back and ends so the doe can get on top and the kits can get inside and huddle together if they wish.

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

My doe pens are 48 wide, 24 deep, and 24 high. I have a shelf at one end of the pen that's 12 x 24 - I have the feeder up there.

Shelf lets the doe get away from the kits. Having her jump up there for food, gives her exercise and ensures that the kits aren't sleeping and pooping in her feed. Lets me give her different feed or a treat without risking that the kits eat it instead of her.

Another nice part of the shelf is that - almost always - by the time the kits are jumping up there with her, it's time to wean them.

I don't have any pens deeper than 24 inches - I want to be able to reach into the far corners of any pen I have...and I don't want to have to stick my head and shoulders into the pen in order to do that. Doe pens are 48 wide and bucks are 30 wide. Grow pens are either 36 or 48 wide. Grow pens are only 18 inches high. Pens for breeders are 24 inches high. I believe it's important for the breeders to be able to reach for the stars. (Shorter height on the grow pens isn't a big deal since those rabbits don't reach full size so they can still stretch all they want.)

All that being said, I wouldn't have a pen less than 18 inches high unless it was very temporary or a transfer cage. Good luck. :clover:

 

[wamplercathy]

I raise NZWs, with does weighing between 9-11lbs. and the bucks about 8-10lbs. These are what my cages look like.

One of these was made into a grow out pen. It was divided so each sided is 2'x2'x2'. Big enough for the short amount of time they'll be in there.

Do have a does cage in this style but it is 4'L and has a shelf. The door is large enough for me to climb in.

If I place a second tier in, the cages would only be 18'' tall instead of the 24''. That way there is room for the waste system.

Hope this helps,
Cathy

 

[ruralnurse]

This is all so helpful!

I like the idea of a shelf that mamma can get on and get away from babies. And as mentioned, by the time the little ones can get up there it may be time for the grow out pen. Perhaps something with holes so if she poops while up there it would drain.

Is my idea of using a 48 x 48 puppy plan pen a good one for grow out? It has a side door but also opens from the top.

I have seen cages with doors that open upward into the cage, upward out of the cage, downward out of the cage and side opening. Any thoughts on preferences?

Thanks again, this forum is a wealth of information and ideas!

 

[wamplercathy]

I have 2 does in cages that have doors that open on top and have to be held open by a piece of wire. Their nice because escape is more difficult, not impossible but harder. Have 2-3 latches per door. Opening size is 42''Lx12''W

Have 2 buck and 1 doe in a cage that the door swings out. Nice because you don't need any thing to hold it open. Bad because if your not on your toes they can jump out easily. Also, for mine because their so large, you need 3-4 latches per door. Again mine are large enough for me to climb in. 18''Wx18''T

I like the doors being huge. Easy for me to get in. Easy for me to reach every corner. I have major back issues and bending over and reaching in isn't happening.

I've heard of people using dog creates and cages but with them having a solid bottom waste is a pain IMO. My aunt made some wire flooring for her puppy pens. That way waste falls away and is easy to clean. So it would be up to you how much you want to spend on cleaning up after your rabbits. Personally that's the part I hate most and make it as easy on myself as possible.

How long would the little ones be in the grow out cage? Mine are there for a week or two tops. Just did weights and the litter that is due to be weaned in a week has an average weight of 3.17lbs. I'll butcher out at 5lbs or 10wks which ever comes first. For this reason my grow out cage is 2'x2'x4' divide in half, so a 2'x2'x2' section for does and for bucks each.


Hope this helps,
Cathy

 

[ruralnurse]

Wamplercathy -

The puppy play pen has a 1 inch x 1 inch grid floor that has pans beneath but I would not use the pan (simply put it over ground). The grid floor can be 6 inches off the ground or up to 36 inches off the ground.

I hear you about not bending too much and making things easy to get to and clean! Definitely something I am thinking about. That is one reason I am trying to do so much research before I have rabbits.

 

[wamplercathy]

Good call. I researched for over a year. Mainly because of health reasons but also there is a lot to figure out prior to bringing anything home. I don't know about 1''x1'' floor wire with rabbits. But only a more seasoned rabbit raiser could tell you about the pro and cons of that type of floor. I know that for cages the floor wire is suppose to be 1''x1/2'' and 14ga. Also take into account the size of the kits going into the grow out. The size of their feet and the spacing of the floor.

Just a thought,
Cathy

 

[alforddm]

I have some 1x1 wire that I use for growouts. I think it is 12 gauge wire with pvc coating. It came to me used so I don't know exactly what wire it is. It just looks thicker than the 14 guage gal after weld that I have. This would not be suitable for any commercial size rabbit under about 5 weeks. It's to large and they can get their feet stuck in it.

 

[Marinea]

Here is a pic of one of our cages

It is suspended on a wooden frame with a slant board draining to guttering going to a bucket so we can collect the waste for our garden.

PROS: can adjust the height of the wooden frame so no bending over, very sturdy with no issue of being knocked around, very easy to clean, easy to cover in case of really bad weather, (we added second doors to all our cages) so they're easy to get to all corners of the cage, and I get color in my rabbitry as I paint all the frames different colors

CONS: very heavy, so difficult to move around, our 4 ft long doe cages end up taking up about 5 ft total space so space can be an issue, building the frames does require some DIY and tools.

 

[ruralnurse]

Thanks for info on the size of the floor.

Marinea - I like the waste system. I would like to be able to collect the solid and liquid waste. I can see putting 2 buckets to collect. Perhaps one inside the other, with the inside one having drainage holes. I know how good the poo is for the garden and also have read the the urine is almost liquid nitrogen. This is really good for parts of the garden where some plants are heavy nitrogen feeders like squash, corn, brassicas, etc.

I'm getting so much great info and ideas!

 

[wamplercathy]

I used vinyl guttering and a sheet of vinyl tub surround for my waste system.


I drilled holes in the gutter to allow the urine to drain away from the bunny berries.

Then used a plastic pan from a pet rabbit cage to catch the berries. It also has holes in it to allow water and urine to leak out into the dirt floor.

I have found that a 6'' slop is best for the berries to roll to the gutter. I have a 4'' slop under the first cage and it's not enough, but under the last cage is a 6'' slop. Perfection. :lol: :lol: