Rabbit is a very active and quite an explorer pet, and having one means you have to set their own space within yours. Because having a rabbit at a cramped space will caused it to get stressed and will triggered some disorders which will turned bad for both you and your beloved bunny. That’s why you need to know what kind of space your bouncing buddy need. This time, we will share some ideas about how to make a nice, comfy cage for your beloved bouncy buddy. There are many ways to build one, but here we will explain 10 steps to build a comfy cage for your rabbit. It’s simple, easy to do, and your bunny will definitely love it! Read also Most Important Guide To Take Care of Baby Bunny Without Its Mother
Why we need to build a comfy cage for our rabbit?
Rabbit is a social and active pet, but naturally in their habitat they’re prey for most carnivores. That’s why rabbit tends to hide inside its safe space. If you bring a new rabbit a home, it tends to hide under your furniture, or somewhere at the corner of your house. And even worse, it will try to bite and scratch everything in its sights. And of course, you can imagine if they chew on the wires, which you don’t want that to ever happened. That’s why we need to make a comfy cage for your beloved bunny so they’ll stay safe and happy with you.
1. Pick the right choice of cage
The size of your bunny’s cage should be big enough for it to hop around, and not make it feels too cramped up. Ideal size for a rabbit’s cage is around three hops long with two hops wide and taller than a sit upright bunny, which all measured in adult rabbit’s size. Besides the size, please do consider about your rabbit’s weight as well, since wire cage might be not the right choice for your bunny. You can pick wooden one if your bunny quite heavy for a wire cage.
2. Set solid floor inside cage
Rabbit tends to lean most of its body weight on his strong back legs, and if you put them in a wire cage with no solid floor at the base of the cage, it will cause pain for them. If the pain develops, it will spread until its spinal, which will be dangerous for your bunny’s health. Always set a solid floor with bedding on it to prevent any pain on their legs. With that, your bunny doesn’t have to worry about having any pain while exploring their new home!
3. Check for urine guard
Just like other living things, bunny dues excretion as well. But in bunny’s case, it will spray when they urinate and that might not be a pretty thing to notice around your house. To prevent any of it spreading into your stuffs, you need to check for any urine guard for the cage. If the cage doesn’t have any urine guard, you can improvise by putting cardboard as a replace. You might need to change it often since it will spread an unpleasant scent, but at least your bunny isn’t in danger since cardboard is friendly enough for it.
4. Put litter box
Beside urinating, your bunny’s dung might also be another problem if you don’t know how to solve it. To handle this case, you might need some patience to teach your hopping buddy to use its litter box. You can put some of its dung into the litter box and let your bunny learn where to do its business. As told before, it might take some time for your rabbit to understand the use of the litter box. But once they know the usage, you’ll have no worries about this problem anymore!
5. Cozy cage placement
Your bunny’s cage will be worthless if you put it on a dark and stuffy space, even though the cage is large enough. The cage’s placement is essential in steps to build a comfy cage for your rabbit since it needs enough sunshine and well-ventilated space around them so they won’t get stressed. You can place it in a spare bedroom if you have one, or if you don’t have any spare room, you can place it in the room where it’s calm and have enough fresh air and sunshine coming through.
6. Keep away from other pets
If you have another pet like cat or dog, please remember that rabbit might feel afraid and get stressed whenever those are around them. You need to separate them and make sure that they won’t meet each other. It’s better to release one to roam around your house and put another in its cage. For example, if you want to let your bunny to hop around, make sure that your cat or dog are locked inside its cage and can’t get out from it.
7. Put a comfy bedding
As mentioned above, rabbit tends to lean its weight on its back legs. And it’s important to put solid floor with bedding on the bottom of its cage. As for the bedding itself, you can use various material, from the natural one like hay or something synthetic like foam. If you use hay, make sure it’s thick enough to make sure your bunny gets warm enough at night. If you use foam, it should be around 5 to 6 inches thick to make sure your bunny is comfy enough. But again, if you use foam you still need to cover it with hay since it will be dangerous if your bunny chew on the foam.
8. Give diet regularly
Food is essential thing for any living creature, and rabbit is one of them. You need to make sure that your rabbit gets appropriate food in appropriate portion every day. Rabbit eats vegetables and fruits, but the best diet for your hopping buddy is hay, since it provides fiber and doesn’t make your bunny overweight. But sure, mixing the diet is a great idea, since it will keep your bunny excited over food and won’t get bored as well.
9. Put toys inside
To keep your rabbit happy, you can also put its toys inside the cage. Any toys that able to move around attracts your bunny’s attention, even if it’s just a ball with a small bell inside. They will chase and roll it all day, but remember you need to change its toys periodically to prevent boredom. Checking on 7 useful tips to make your rabbit busy at home might gives you more ideas about this point.
10. Stay quiet around the cage
Rabbit tends to get stressed over quick, surprising gestures or noises. It’s important to keep its surroundings calm so they won’t get stressed. That’s why putting its cage inside a spare room is a great idea to prevent such things happened. Or if you don’t have any choice and had to put the cage on a public area, make sure that the public area is a place that calm enough so your bunny won’t get stressed.
And that’s 10 steps to build a comfy cage for your rabbit, it’s easy steps to do even by yourself. Hope you can follow on those points above and having a great time with your beloved hopping buddy!