Make a Rabbit Cage

Rabbit cages can get pretty expensive, especially when you want to give your rabbit plenty of room to run around when you're not there to let him/her out. A cheaper, more efficient way of getting a cage is to make one yourself. You'll need some wooden boards, basic tools and some other materials you probably already have around the house. Your rabbit will soon enjoy living in his homemade abode as much as you enjoyed building it!

Steps

  1. Gather the supplies needed. You can probably find most of them at Lowe's or a local lumberyard.
  2. Saw the big board into three 2 x 3' pieces. Nail them together to make two walls and a floor. Drill holes for ventilation. Make sure you put the walls on top of the floor, not on the sides, or else the ceiling won't fit.
  3. Put on the gas mask. Drill holes along the edges of the two long sides of the big sheet of plastic and along three sides of the small sheet. Attach the big sheet as the ceiling and the small one as the back wall. You can even attach the small one a little high for ventilation and/or cleaning the cage.
  4. Use a drill or chisel (preferably the drill for this task) to make a 1/4" x 2 x 2'slot in the opening opposite the small sheet of plastic. Drill a hole big enough for a finger in the small piece of wood (if you have a biting rabbit, drill the hole partially through; if you have a nice bunny, drill it all the way through) for easier opening of the cage. You will put this in the slot, but not yet. First we need a latch and décor.
  5. Use a slim nail and nail it partially into the wood on the opposite side of the slot from where the rabbit will be staying and bang it sideways with the hammer so it bends. When you turn it right, it should latch the cage.
  6. Build the pooper-scooper. Drill a hole through each dowel about 4-6" down. Insert washer through both holes. Put a 2.5" bolt through the washer and screw on a nut, preferably .5" thick. Somehow attach both buckets, one to each dowel on the same end with the openings facing each other and so that when you close the scooper the edges match up exactly.
  7. Take a pocket knife and a piece of unpainted, unprimed scrap wood and use the knife to make shavings. This will act as good terrain for the animal.
  8. Find a piece of foam padding or go to Durhams and find some cheap foam innersoles. Also find a soft rag or some nice cloth twice the size of the padding. Place the pad on one side of the cloth. Place the other side on top of the pad and sew the edges of the cloth. For a hammock, tie a piece of string/strip of cloth on either side of the bed and nail/duct tape to cage ceiling. For regular bed, place in cage under shelter.
  9. Find an old cardboard box (2-3" thick) and some scissors and tape. Cut off a corner of the box the size you want for the roof. Cut off a long strip of the box for the walls.
  10. Find an old beach ball and cut off the part you blow into. Cut the plug off (the rest of this part will be useful, it's not just to rip things to shreds). Now, you need some sort of plastic packet(look in your cupboard) about the size of your fist. In the middle of one of the two shorter sides, cut an inlet about the size of the part of the beach ball nozzle you blow into and dump out/eat all of the food in the packet (rinse at least 5 times). Now, use waterproof glue to glue the end you blow on to the packet(rubber/plastic cement is fine, but if the packet is plastic, don't use hot glue or the packet will shrivel and you'll have to start over again). When dry, tie the water bottle to one of the vent-holes you drilled in the side of the cage.



Rabbit Toy Ideas

  • Cardboard concrete forms for burrowing
  • Cardboard roll from paper towels or toilet paper
  • Untreated wicker baskets or boxes full of: shredded paper, , straw, or other organic materials for digging (try not to use dyed materials, as it can poison the rabbit)
  • Yellow Pages for shredding
  • Cat toys: Batta balls, and other cat toys that roll or can be tossed
  • Parrot toys that can be tossed, or hung from the top of the cage and chewed or hit
  • Baby toys: hard plastic (not teething) toys like rattles and keys, things that can be tossed
  • Children's or birds' mobiles for hitting
  • "Lazy cat lodge" (cardboard box with ramps and windows) to climb in and chew on. Also, kitty condos, tubes, tunnels, and trees
  • Nudge and roll toys like large rubber balls, empty Quaker Oat boxes and small tins
  • "Busy Bunny" toys
  • Plastic Rainbow slinkies
  • Toys with ramps and lookouts for climbing and viewing the world
  • Dried out pine cones
  • Jungle gym type toys from Toys R Us
  • A (straw) whisk broom
  • A hand towel for bunching and scooting
  • Untreated wood, twigs and logs that have been aged for at least 3 months. Apple tree branches can be eaten fresh off the tree. Stay away from: cherry, peach, apricot, plum and redwood, which are all poisonous.
  • Untreated sea grass or maize mats from Pier One or Cost Plus
  • Things to jump up on (they like to be in high places)
  • Colorful, hard plastic caps from laundry detergent and softener bottles. They have great edges for picking up with their teeth, make a nice "ponk" sound when they collide, and the grip ridges molded into the plastic make a neat "ratchety" sound when rabbits digs at the cap. The caps are nice for human-stacks-on-floor and bun-knocks-down kind of games. Note: Be sure not to choose caps from caustic material bottles (e.g., drain openers, bathroom cleaner bottles) since a residue of the cleaner might remain no matter how much washing off you do.
  • If you don't have the everyday supplies I mentioned that you can find in your house, search online to see if home supplies or store bought items are cheaper.

Warnings

  • Do not use wire floors unless you provide a resting board for your Rabbit. Rabbits do not have pads on their feet and their hocks will become sore. Rabbits can be very easily trained to go in a litter box (filled with hay, not cat litter, which is dangerous). In fact most rabbits do not need training if you place their litter box in the opposite corner from their water bottle. Rabbits naturally eliminate in one spot so that predators have a more difficult time in finding them.
  • Make sure the rabbits you have slowly adjust, or else they could get sick/die, so put them in an exhibit about halfway between its new cage and its old one for a little while, while you are building its cage and supplies.

Things You'll Need

  • two 1/4" thick pieces of plywood
  • one 3' by 6'
  • one 2' x 2'
  • a 2' by 3' piece of plastic
  • a 2' square piece of plastic
  • two 1" wooden dowels
  • one 2" thick washer that is less than 1" in diameter
  • some screws or nails
  • two fairly small ovular buckets
  • a gas mask (probably $5-10 on eBay or Amazon)

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