Cage sizes

[DonnerSurvivor]

Has anyone noticed a difference in rabbit behavior based on cage size? I have Florida Whites does that are the same age one lives in a 2'x2' cage one lives in a 4'x2' cage each has there favorite spot they sit in and basically eat pellets nibble hay or sit in their favorite spot I see no behavior differences and one does not appear "happier" than the other. What do you think does cage size affect the behavior of your rabbits? I honestly think a rabbit is just as content in a small cage as a large one but am curious to hear other opinions.

 

[3mina]

For "storing" a single rabbit it doesn't seem to matter, breeding bucks and does with litters need room. My bucks work better if they can chase the doe

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I feel really bad because most of my rabbits are in 24 x 24 cages...I'd love to have them in larger ones but I just do not have the room right now. For all that though, they all seem quite content. I don't think they care what size cage they are in, honestly.

 

[ckcs]

We recently moved our Lionhead does from 14" x 28" cages to 28" x 28" cages. If anything they seem sad in the big cage. More likely due to moving from our living room floor side by side to the dining room in a rack. We have upgraded some in the past without moving them and they didn't seem to be any better or worse off.

 

[Demamma]

I noticed my bucks attitudes correlate with cage size. Our English Lop we can not keep in a run as he gets mean. We also keep him in a cage where we lift the top and he does better. My Doe' s Don't seem to be any different in attitude no matter the cage size.

 

[Zab]

Of course it makes a differense for the rabbit. But to really see it they need more space than that.

 

[DonnerSurvivor]

Yesterday I put my doe from the 4x2 cage into a 2x2 cage and placed the buck from the 2x2 into the 4x2. The doe seems much more relaxed in the smaller cage and her food intake and water consumption picked up. The buck seems to not care either way but he is totally oblivious to the world if a doe is not in his cage. Does anyone know how big commercial grow out cages are? I mean the ones were a single fryer goes into it.

 

[WallTenter]

Single fryers do not go in their own cage, they are processed at 8-10 weeks so there's no reason to separate them from their littermates.

 

[luvabunny]

I am a believer that bigger is always better when it comes to cage size, however, very few have unlimited space to accomodate their pets.
I've never noticed a few inches really making that much difference in my bunnies personalities, but when they are turned loose in a large play yard (mine is 16 ft x 60 ft, they become an entirely different rabbit.
Unfortunately, for safety's sake, while I do have an entire acre they could play in, they are only allowed supervised play time because we also have loose cats and hawks. While they are out tho, the bunnies seem to enjoy it immensely and have an entirely different attitude.

 

[Secuono]

I have one rabbit in a 32x32 [[i think]], she mainly just sits in her corner. Rest are in 2x4ft cages, they don't have fav corners and will stretch out anywhere and everywhere. They seem happier, but it's only one small cage to compare to. Have some in hutches and they move even more than in the 2x4. When they are in the open pens on the ground, they are 100% obviously happy. Always doing something or totally relaxed, etc.