Pet Bunny Care: Choosing a Cage for Your Pet Rabbit

Choosing a cage for your pet rabbit doesn't sound like a very hard task but, surprisingly, there are many things to keep in mind when you do go to buy a rabbit cage. With this article, we will take a look at breed and age-specific cages, the common debate between solid and wire floors, and discuss whether it's better to build your own rabbit cage or to simply buy one. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you'll feel much more informed and better able to make an educated decision when you choose your pet bunny's new home.

Get to Know Your Bunny's Breed

Not everyone knows what kind of bunny they own, so let me start off by saying that it's alright if you don't know what kind of rabbit you have. Some people just pick out a pet rabbit because he's cute, regardless of the breed, while other bunnies are simply of mixed origins. Knowing your pet rabbit breed will certainly make your job much easier, but it's certainly not a necessity.

If you do happen to know what kind of rabbit you own, this can help you to determine what your pet bunny will require in a cage. Some breeds of rabbit grow to very large sizes and need bigger cages with better support. Other rabbits have certain fur qualities that do better in one cage or another. Here are a few examples of rabbit breeds that may require a certain type of cage.

Giant Breeds: The Flemish Giant is the best example of a giant breed that may require a specific cage. Commonly growing to weights of 20 pounds or more, Flemish Giants not only require a larger cage than many other breeds of rabbit, but they also require a cage that has a degree of support in the bottom. Over time, the weight of a Flemish can cause an all-wire cage to bow and warp out of shape, creating an uncomfortable living area for your pet. Other large breeds include the French Lop, the Californian, and the New Zealand.

Wooly Breeds: Wooly breeds of rabbit, such as the Angora (French, English or Giant), the Fuzzy Lop and the Jersey Wooly, are usually best-suited for all-wire cages. The reason for this is because plastic-bottom cages (often sold in pet stores) do not allow waste to drain away and it can quickly soak into your wooly bunny's coat. Sure, you can use pine or aspen wood shavings, but these will also get caught in your rabbit's wool. Wood and wire cages, while nice, are often chewed upon and can pull out a lot of your rabbit's wool as he goes about his day-to day activities. If you have a sheltered place to keep your wooly rabbit's cage, chances are you'll find a wire cage to be your best option.

Rex Breeds: Rex rabbits are best known for their extremely plush "crushed-velvet" coats. If you've ever had the luxury of petting a Standard Rex or a Mini Rex rabbit, it's not a feeling that you will forget any time soon. Unfortunately, with all that soft goodness, there is still a downfall - their feet. While Rex have a very short and dense coat, they tend to have less padding on their feet than other rabbits. If they sit all day on a wire cage bottom or if left in a dirty cage, they will develop a condition known as sore hocks. For this reason, Rex rabbit breeders recommend giving these rabbits a piece of clean cardboard, carpeting or a solid box that they can hop up on, giving their feet a rest from the wire as needed.

These are the most common breed-specific cage suggestions for rabbits. If you're unsure, don't be afraid to do a little research or even call some local breeders for advice. Most rabbit breeders are happy to provide information in rabbit husbandry. After all, we all want what's best for our buns!

Pay Attention to Your Bunny's Age

It's very important to pay attention to your bunny's age, when you go to purchase a rabbit cage. For instance, if you buy a small cage for your baby bunny, chances are that you're going to have to be upgrading to a larger cage before too long. Most breeds of rabbit reach maturity between the ages of 6-8 months, so they do grow fast. If at all possible, you probably want to take into consideration how large your rabbit will be as an adult and buy a cage that will accomidate him at that age. If your bunny looks lost in such a large cage, try putting in a wooden toy he can push around or add a wooden box that he can hop up and down off of (this is a favorite past time for most bunnies).

If you're going to be raising rabbits, I also have to warn about the use of wire-bottom cages with nesting mothers. As a rabbit breeder, I experienced quite a bit of difficulty with wire cages, many with new mothers and young bunnies. First off, inexperienced mother rabbits often jump in and out of their nesting boxes and run the risk of birthing their babies on the wire. Some babies also get dragged out onto the wire when they're nursing.

The biggest problem I had with wire cages, however, was with the young bunnies. Curious about the new world, they hop in and out of their nest box to look around. Many times, they will flop down on the wire in one big huddle of cuteness, just to take a nap. It's absolutely adorable. That is, until someone falls asleep with their foot in the wire.

There is nothing more terrifying than hearing a baby bunny scream and discovering them flopping madly as they try to free a caught leg from the bottom of a wire cage. I learned the hard way, how a bunny can put his little leg through the wire and, in a panic, will thrash around wildly until they break their leg. All it takes is one experience with this and you will never leave babies in a wire cage again.

For this reason, I recommend keeping all baby bunnies in solid bottom cages until they are old enough that their feet will not go through the wire (this is usually about 4-6 weeks unless you raise dwarf breeds). Doing this will save you from a horrifying experience like the one I went through. If it saves even one bunny, it's worth it.

Wood vs. Wire vs. Plastic

There are three main types of rabbit cages that we will cover here, listing the pros and cons of each. Remember to keep the breed and age of your rabbit in mind, when considering any new cage option. Hopefully one of these will work for you.

Wooden Hutches: This is the usual choice of rural rabbit owners and backyard breeders. Usually constructed with a wooden frame and wire mesh around the sizes and bottom of the cage, this is a good and sturdy structure for someone who only has a couple of pet rabbits. What I like about wooden hutches is their versatility; usually handmade, this style of rabbit cage is nice because it can be built to specification, providing bunnies with access to lots of fresh air, while still providing sheltered areas that can be filled with straw for cold winter nights. There are several downfalls to wooden hutches however. First, they are usually quite costly to make, they are heavy and they do not last as long as wire cages; rabbits are notorious for chewing on wooden supports or making a mess by urinating on the wood. Still, if your rabbits aren't kept in a barn or in the house, this is the best option for a sheltered home for your pet rabbit.

Wire Cages: This is the common choice amongst professional rabbit breeders, being easy to clean and maintain, as well as being more cost-efficient. If you have a barn or have dedicated a sheltered area as a rabbitry, wire cages can be very versatile. Some breeders purchase tiered "stackable" cages or tower cages with pull out trays that collect bunny droppings. These are very sanitary and very easy to keep clean. Another option that's popular with small-breed rabbit breeders is the suspension cage, where the wire cage is hung from the ceiling. Again, this is a very easy to maintain cage option and the wire cages can either be bought at rabbit shows or through do-it-yourself kits for a very affordable price. Unfortunately, these cages are completely unacceptable if you keep your rabbits outside of some kind of shelter. You must have a barn or some kind of sheltered area in order to use all-wire cages.

Plastic Cages: To be honest, this is my least favorite of the three cage types. Unless you're keeping a dwarf or small-breed rabbit, chances are that your pet bunny is going to find a plastic bottomed cage uncomfortably small. Additionally, you have to stay on top of cage cleaning when you have a plastic-bottom rabbit cage; since there is nowhere for their waste to go, your pet bunny ends up sitting in it until you get around to cleaning the cage. Unless you have a pet house bunny and you're militant about keeping up with cage-cleaning, this really isn't the best option for rabbits. Unfortunately, this is the most common type of cage that's promoted by pet stores - and one of the most costly alternatives for rabbit husbandry. Considering that you'll end up paying $35 or more for a plastic rabbit cage, you're further ahead to take a day, attend a rabbit show, and bring home a nice wire cage and drop pan for your bunny.

NEVER keep your pet bunny in an aquarium, no matter who promotes it. Aquariums are meant for fish and do not provide rabbits with an adequate amount of ventilation. This can lead to dangerous and potentially fatal respiratory conditions as well as a risk over heat stroke and other health problems. Bunnies and aquariums are a dangerous mix.

Building vs. Buying

I've gone both routes as a long-term rabbit breeder and can say that either alternative has its benefits. Building your own rabbit cage is ideal for the person that only has one or two pet bunnies, as you can build the cage to your own specific needs and preferences. I really enjoyed this option, when I lived up north, as I was able to create rabbit shelters that would protect my bunnies from the elements. You can also be very creative with homemade rabbit shelters, making them as big and fantastical as you desire. The downfalls to building your own rabbit hutches are that the supplies can often be quite costly, it can be time consuming and homemade hutches are notoriously awkward and heavy to move.

Buying rabbit cages is another option and one that is usually more time (and often cost) efficient. If you're purchasing a hutch or a plastic-bottom cage from the local pet store, chances are that you're going to pay through the nose - be forewarned. A plastic cage usually starts around $35 and wooden hutches run $100 or more at pet shops - for the most basic models. Personally, I strongly promote purchasing your cages from local rabbit shows. Not only do you get a chance to get out and see all the different rabbits, you'll also save quite a bit of money on a better-quality wire cage.

Another option, if you prefer to assemble your own cage but don't want to invest in a bunch of lumber and power tools, is to buy a rabbit cage kit. The Bass Equipment Company not only sells pre-assembled rabbit cages and towers, but also provides special rabbit cage kits, as well as rolls of wire and the other parts needed to build your own rabbit cage kit. Especially nice is that they give you instructions on how to assemble a cage before you even purchase one. This way, you can see what all it entails and whether or not you feel like you can succeed in such a venture, prior to purchase.

So there are some different options for housing your pet rabbit. Hopefully we've given you some great ideas and helped to teach you a little more about what kind of home your bunny would most enjoy. Remember, you're no bunny until some bunny loves you!

Sources:

Personal experience as a rabbit breeder for many years

http://www.bassequipment.com/Home/default.aspx - Information on wire rabbit cages