Help with new rabbit cage?

Question

I just bought my rabbit a new cage. Her old one was 30' by 30' by 24' and had a solid, metal floor. Her new cage is 36' by 30' by 36' or something similar to that. It has a wire bottom, but then an area where there's solid wood. Here's a picture of it - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751752

Is this a good cage that my female dutch rabbit will enjoy? I just got it yesterday and she hates it, but I guess that's normal since she's use to her old one. I get worried about the wire bottom though - it looks so uncomfortable for her. Will she get use to it and will she be okay? Any information is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Wow, the answers here are all over the board.  Hopefully I can help.  

I don't like the cage but not for the same reasons some have mentioned.  The wire floor is appropriate for your breed - Dutch.  It does not hurt the feet of this lightweight breed.  Few breed require solid bottom floors.  Dutch are not one of them.  This cage already provides a solid "sitting board" anyway.  

The size of the cage is appropriate for this breed.  Minimum living space requirements for this breed is 24"x24" or 4 square feet - not the larger space quoted by someone else here.  The new cage is actually big enough for 2 Dutch sized rabbits.  Keep in mind your rabbit will also get out to run and play, too.  Rabbits appreciate a smaller, private "bedroom" to call their own that they can retreat to.  

This cage is also good for protection from predators on the ground and in the air.  Properly placed, it will protect from sun, wind, draft, rain, heat (placed under a shady tree), and extreme cold (below 0 degrees stuff it full with good hay).

What I DON'T like about this cage is that is is made of wood.  Your rabbit WILL find a place it can chew.  The wood is also very unsanitary and difficult to clean.  This cage will look nice for about a month and then you will begin to regret the purchase.

I too would go for a metal cage.  You can find both house rabbit and proper outdoor rabbit cages at KW Cages.  They are the biggest rabbitry and aviary supply company in the U.S.  They are based in Santee, CA and are an online company however, they offer free delivery to rabbit shows they attend if you order two weeks before the show.  Their cages will last forever and ever and for the quality, their prices are good.

For great information on safe and proper outdoor rabbit housing see Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett (available at most feed stores, book stores, and Amazon.com).

Answer 2

Dont worry your rabbit will be fine the only reason there is wire at the bottom is for cleaning purposes , and the only reason she doesnt like it is becoz it is new to her, and seems as so youve spent a genorous amount of money on it, so dont worry she wil grow to love it. Sometimes rabbits tend to get nervous and appear as if they will never like there new homes, this tends to happen when you just bring your rabbit home or it gets a new cage.

A good idea tho is to put any of her old toys in there so she will get a little scense of home in her new home, try putting her old toys,food dish,water bottle and any other thing then she wil realize its a new home but she still has a little bit of the old one.

-syddles

Answer 3

Thats a perfect cage! i have a male dutch rabbit with the same cage. But i take it out a lot to get excercise wich u should do to! Its very fun taking care of the rabbit. It could bite but only if u try to hurt it or scare it.   Have fun with your new dutch rabbit . She will get used to it dont worry that happened with my dutch too . Why not put some towels or blankets so it can get comfy.

    

Answer 4

you might want to put something over the wire part-as you said it would be uncomphertable and can sometimes cause foot problems

Answer 5

well it LOOKS like it would be an ok cage, but from all of the people saying how horrible it is, i'd really go for a wire cage that you can put more accessories in since wood sides limit that quite a bit...

also, since rabbits have fur on their feet, wire bottoms are alright for rabbits, but the dutch rabbits that ive seen dont have as thick of fur as say... a french lop (i used to show rabbits along with my sisters so ive seen all different breeds of rabbit)

but solid plastic floors have their disadvantages and advantages too. they are more comfortable for the rabbit, but they'll get dirty from soiled bedding if you dont clean out the dirty spots every day while on wire floors you can keep the rabbit cleaner if u dont feel like taking out the dirty spots with a cat litter scoop (or something like that) every day... which isnt that hard to do anyways if you keep a garbage close by and just take out the dirty spots whenever you feed and water your rabbit bc it'll only take a few moments to do...

Answer 6

Wire is easier only for you to clean you could try lining it with card board boxes that you can toss daily but i am afraid if she is used to a solid bottom the wires are going to hurt her lucky feet you could try a plastic sheet liner of some sort you could pull out and rinse as well good Luck

Answer 7

I'm sorry, btu this is actually a pretty bad hutch!

One problem is its size. The minimum cage size for one rabbit is 2 x 6 foot. This cage is only 2x3, so only half the necessary size!

The other problem is the floor. You are right - the mesh floor IS uncomfortable. Grid floors are aversive to most species (this means they do not like them and avoid being on them where possible). They can also cause serious foot problems such as "sore hocks" which is an extremely painful, debilitating condition.

It is a shame you did not ask this before you bought it, as you have wasted your money.

The best way to house rabbits is indoors, but if she must live outside you should find a well built hutch that is at least 6x2 and with solid floors throughout.

Check out these links for more info:

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/i...

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/rabbitcar...

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellit...

Answer 8

Well, the wire isn't good for her at all. They can injure their feet and honestly, would you want to walk on wire all the time?

And do you keep your rabbit outside?

http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/outdoors....

I really recommend that you keep her inside!

Answer 9

SEND IT BACK SEND IT BACK SEND IT BACK!!!!!!

WE had that cage I HATED IT!!!

If they pee out of the litterbox it will run down the legs!!

If they pee and even mess one the wooden part then you can't hardly get the odor out of it!

MY RABBIT CHEWED A HUGE!!!! HOLE IN THE WOODEN SIDE OF IT!!!

Don't put bedding in the black tray underneath (we tried to it help with odors and make it absorb and all that stupid c**p and when we pulled it out everything fell out the back of it!

I HATE HATE HATE!!!! THOSE HUTCHES!!!

Just send it back and use the other one for now and get you some of those little grids (look up ccs guinea pig cages of something) and make your own cage for your rabbit! I did it finally and they have tons of space and it was super cheap and it is easy to clean!