Help with designing custom, two storey rabbit cage?

[emilyrose]

Hi everyone! I've been reading these forums for awhile but only just joined!

So, I have two pet rabbits. One female named Lola who is 1.5 years old and one male named Bailey who I only got a week ago. He is almost 3 months old. I've had Lola since she was just over 2 months old and, to be honest, there was a stage when I almost gave her up. Let's just say, her time as a teenager have been HORRIBLE. She has gotten over most of it now but she used to be very aggressive and territorial.
My long term goal is to have them as a bonded pair and get one litter from them before having Bailey neutered.
Lola is a creamy-orange, dwarf mixed breed and Bailey is an albino - not sure of his breed yet though as he's still very young. His ears are A LOT larger than Lola's though.

I'm aware that all the cages I have aren't suitable for them to live in together comfortably, nor can I find an indoor cage on ebay that would be big enough so I started researching C&C cages for rabbits. Not so much C&C though, more just ideas of what I can make with the Whitmor wire storage cubes.
This is the basic idea of what I want to build:

But! Mine will be slightly larger as mine will be 3 by 4, not 2 by 4 like in the photo. I will be using the same idea though. I love that it will be on wheels!
I love in a remote town in Western Australia so I don't have much choice of places to buy materials except Bunnings and so far everything I need will cost me $200, which is cheaper than most cages in the first place! The Whitmor storage cubes will be bought from ebay though.

So, what does everyone think? Will this be big enough for the pair? They will also have daily floor time for one to two hours.

EDIT: here is a link of the blog where I found this idea... http://allisonoja.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/new-rabbit-condo-so-after-admiring.html

 

[Northwinds Rabbitry]

:mbounce: :welcome: :mbounce:

 

[Marinea]

Welcome to RT, Emilyrose!

The first thing that jumps out at me in your post is the plan to breed the two rabbits down the line. I am assuming, based on your post, that Lola has not been bred before. I would be concerned that she might be a bit old for her first litter. I believe most breeders like for a doe to have her first litter before she hits one year of age.

I would also have a back up plan in case the two rabbits just don't get along and cannot be bonded. There is no guarantee that they will. If they do, I think the cage you are talking about will be fine, assuming that the buck is also a smaller size.

I am sorry if my post is coming across as negative, but there is a big change in going from one rabbit to two living together. In a perfect world, all would go great, but that often doesn't happen, and we need to be prepared for it.

I wish you luck with it, and we would love to see pics of the buns.

 

[emilyrose]

Thanks for the reply! I understand where you're coming from but I have checked with my vet and they believe she should be fine but should keep up with vet visits once she is pregnant.
I've already introduced Lola and Bailey a few times and all is well. They mostly ignore each other, sometimes there is the occasional humping but there hasn't been any aggression.

Don't worry, these aren't my first rabbits. I will put photos up soon!

 

[Dood]

I think 4long x 3wide x 2high is plenty big enough for two small breed rabbits. I actually modified a ferret cage for my two house bunny does and have attached a pic, its 4long x 2wide x3high.

I would worry about the wood eventually needing to be replaced and to make sure it doesn't have any glue or preservatives in it in case they are chewers.

You also need to make sure the sides don't collapse and if your going to have it 4long x 3wide I would put the entrance to the second level in the middle of the floor so the wood floor can stabilize all 4 of the walls