I need some advice on a new cage for Honey. He now has a wire cage with a pull-out pan for bedding and all of his \"business.\" He does have \"squishy poop\" sometimes that gets stuck in the grate and it really is a pain to scrape it off the grate when I clean his cage. He uses the bathroom mostly in one corner, so I was thinking that one of those cages with just a regular bottom would work. He\'s 1 yr. old, though, and I don\'t know how he\'d do with a new cage; I also worry about the bedding-is it okay for them to lay on it? Would he be able to adjust to that? Should I just get a new cage similar to the one he has? He needs one a little bigger, but I will still have to scrape off his droppings if it is a pull-out kind. The corner he pees in now is kind of yucky-it looks like there\'s pee in it even after I just clean it. I also saw those litter pans you can get for rabbits, and I think Honey might use one, but I wasn\'t sure if he was too old to try it. He spends half of his waking hours cleaning himself (I think he has a fetish or a little OCD..
and I worry that laying in bedding would drive him crazy.
What kind of cages to you all prefer? Any advice on making a change??
Make sure your rabbits have unlimited hay to eat, and you may need to cut back on the fresh vedgies to clear up the \"squishy poop\" problem. As for cages, I would prefer a wire bottom cage that I could hose off, but my rex sometimes has problems with the bottoms of his feet, so I have a solid bottom. What kind of bedding are you using? You could try putting a litter box in the corner of his wire bottom cage. That might give you the best of both worlds.
harplady Wrote:You could try putting a litter box in the corner of his wire bottom cage. That might give you the best of both worlds.
That\'s what we use and it works wonderful. Our Midnight was a little over a year when we introduced the litter box. She took to it in no time at all. I have one in her cage and one I keep on the floor for when she has play time out. Our three bunnies took to it easily - but they were 2 months old when we added in to their cage.
I\'ve found the solid bottom is a mess to clean. When we tried that, I wound up cleaning the cage every day so their \"business\" didn\'t get overwhelming to them or us.
But it\'s what works best for you and Honey Bunny.
Thanks. I think you\'re right, and I should stick to the wire bottom cage, but I will get a bigger one. The one Honey has now is only 18\" wide and 23\" long. Does anyone know of a good pet store chain to look for one?? The one he has now came from Wal-Mart and it\'s not too great. I have to keep an extra lock on the door, because he can get it open. How exactly do I supply \"unlimited hay?\" Do I just give him huge amounts in his cage? A lot of it falls through the grate. Should I put it in a bowl or something? Should I try the litter pan now, in his current cage, or wait until I get a new one? How can I get him used to a new cage?
Harplady:
What problems does your rabbit have with his feet? I\'ve heard that they can get blisters on their feet from the wire...is this true? How did you notice them?
Kelly: I bought Petey\'s cage at a Tractor Supply store and they had quite a few types. I do like the wire cage bottom for easy clean up. I do however, put a magazine down on the floor of it so when he is up and about, he is on the magazine, and not the wire. Then daily I pull off the top sheet of the magazine to keep it tidy in there. It works well.
I also bought him a hay manger which is a plastic container that attaches to the outside of the cage and you fill it with hay. Then Honey can munch as often as he likes. they like to pull the hay through the wire. I used to put hay in the cage and it was very messy. This is nice. They are like $5.
Petey has a corner litter box and he took to it immediately. I think rabbits prefer the corner type because they like corners! He pees and poops in it religiously (except a marble or two now and then beside his cage). My guess is Honey will take to it right away!
KellyW Wrote:Harplady:
What problems does your rabbit have with his feet? I\'ve heard that they can get blisters on their feet from the wire...is this true? How did you notice them?
Chewy has a problem with his feet only in the summer. In the winter his coat is thick and he has plenty of fur on the bottom of his feet. In the summer when he sheds, his feet get bald on the bottom. When it gets hot humid outside, they will then crack, resembling athletes foot and sometimes get open sores. The problem has a genetic component to it, and my other rabbit doesn\'t have this problem. They have a solid bottom cage, only the ramps are wire, but the wire is plastic coated.