Thanks! Our rabbits absolutely love their homes! And I don't have to worry they're getting in to trouble while I'm at work but also know they have enough space to hop and play when they're caged up.
We ziptied a layer of grids to create a base to then slide the wood on to. The wood isn't that thick and we haven't had any problems with the weight or anything in the 2.5 years since we constructed them. They are very easy to clean with a shop vac :)
Thank you for posting this! This has been the most helpful video I've found on TH-cam for building your own cage. You seem to have done everything very inexpensively, and even solved my question of how I should house two rabbits together while waiting for them to get acquainted. My chestnut dwarf bunny, Tozer, is full of energy and the cage I had previously used for guinea pigs was not proving as useful as I'd hoped. I am getting another bunny in a week and needed a solution pretty fast. Thanx!
So glad I could help inspire some people to make a better home for their bunnies! Our bunnies sure love all of the space they have! Bunnies are so special! I believe for the larger cage we built only with NIC cubes and used +5 packs. Apparently there are two sizes of grids out there in the US use the smaller size (I think about an inch spaced diagonally per little grid) as most rabbits can fit their heads through the larger ones.
If you're going to use wire I would suggest hardware mesh. Chicken wire is too large, your rabbit could try and chew on it which could cause cuts or get it's head stuck in it. If you make the floors out of wood I would still do something to it like tile it, otherwise you won't be able to clean it properly. And your rabbit will need lots of comfy places so it's feet don't get sore hocks from the hard wood floor. I'm sure your rabbit will love the added space! Happy building :)
Those grids can be found at several places, most home decor stores carry them. I have seen them at Lowe's, Home Depot, Space Age Shelving, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Oh my gosh, thank you thank you thank you! My bun is starting to outgrow her cage and we are planning on bunny proofing my entire room for her. This will help a whole bunch!
We used the same supplies - it was a wooden base (all natural so your hammy can safely chew the sides) and tiled flooring that I put the shavings on top of. My hammy loved it because it gave her lots of space to run around!
Hubby built the ramps from a thick plywood and used small rectangular dowels for the steps which he attached with small nails. The hinges were from Lowe's which he attached with a drill and screws. :)
Some people use x-large dog crates to house their rabbit. As long as the bunny can stand up fully on it's hind legs in the cage and comfortably hop 3 times across the cage with all of his things in it then it's enough space during cage time :)
@rawdog268 Thanks for your concern. If you're referring to the boards we used for the floors it wasn't a concern. The boards were fully tiled and then we used all natural wood to border each floor. There is absolutely no way our rabbits would come in to contact with the board. We built these over a year ago now with no issues.
These cages are actually much more spacious and cost effective then pet store cages :) All we used to secure each level were storage cubes and zip ties, then we placed the sized piece of tiled pressboard on top of this 'shelf'. For extra support we used wooden dowels under the level that were the same width as the cage.
It depends on what quantity the packs of grids come in and the size you want to make it. Our packs came with 13 grids in a pack so to make Rocky & Honey's cage I believe we used 5 1/2 packs. 13 grids was what we used to build the hamster cage I used at the end - definitely nowhere near big enough for a rabbit to be comfortable (of even fit) in!
Bayle younger im estimating between $130 usd to $140 usd for a 56in × 28in × 56 in (1.55556 yd × 0.777778 yd × 1.55556 yd). This is what i am estimating it would cost me, to make a 2 floor condo
@LESREID2 I'm so glad my video was helpful to you! I leave the technicalities to my husband who told me he used very small screws that he sized for the steps and the wood. When he screwed them in from the front, it was enough to make them hold but the screws weren't long enough to poke out the back! Our rabbits can be pretty rough with their stuff, so I don't think glue would be strong enough. Especially for Honey she's a tad chubby! Good Luck and happy building!
I use the black plastic connectors that come with the grids and secure with zip ties. I find this to be better than using only zip ties because it makes a sturdier unit. I find when using just zip ties the floor sags and it just doesn’t feel or look as sturdy. Either way of connecting the grids is ok, it’s just a matter of preference but I wouldn’t advise using the connectors by themselves. I did that on one section of my original condo and it came apart several times. Just from the weight & bunnies hopping around.
It isn't ceramic tile, just those stick on tiles. :) Also I guess it would just depend on your rabbit. I use activity mats (which are kind of square sections of a foam like a yoga mat) during play time but I always put a blanket on top because otherwise my rabbits dig and chew at the foam so I think it all depends on the rabbit. If yours isn't really a digger or chewer than that would be okay and easy to take out and clean.
They've never really taken an interest in the cable ties. There's a few that have fallen off because Rocky has nibbled the wood close to where we drilled but they've never sat there chewing them. I think they have so much free space they're not trying to break out of their cage. Plus the cable ties and cubes are about the same colour and as you see in the video I used tons of cable ties!! :)
I am getting a bunny for my birthday (I'm 13 and they haven't said the breed yet; nor the gender) but this helped out so much!! I wanted to make a special home for them to go with the outdoor and indoor space I have, but those are just for exercise, thanks so much for your help!!!
You guys are very creative and did an awesome job! Thanks for thinking of others and making this video for us, that was super nice of you. I happen to have a whole big stack of these cube grids in my garage - and tons of zip ties and wire cutters, so this works out perfectly. I plan on building a feral cat 'nursing station' in my basement. I have a feral cat colony in the backyard with around ten cats, and occasionally they need to be enclosed to take medicine.
My hamster loved it as she could climb all over the cage. I liked it because it allowed for 100% airflow so I never found it smelled and I could make it a decent size for her. The first time I put her in it she was running around like crazy all over the place!
There are corner litterboxes you can buy at the pet store but depending on the size of your rabbit he may not use it. I never thought of velcro, that may work. The important thing is that the substrate that you use in the litterbox has to be different than what you use in the rest of the cage so they can distinguish them form one another and it helps to pick a spot your rabbit tends to go in anyways and put a box underneath it.
@BoolaHoola I think that's a great idea! You could build a pen like enclosure that zip ties or binder clips to the sides of your cage to give Penelope (love the name btw) more room that's still rabbit proofed. Just make sure it's 3 cubes tall all around, my rabbits could easily hop any that were 2 cubes high, especially if you have any tunnels, hidey houses or cardboard boxes in the enclosure which they could use as bunny launch pads.
It's short for exercise pen. You can buy them at any major pet store. It's just a large pen area made out of metal gates. You can see that the bottom part of Willow and Ollie's cage is an ex-pen the top is the nice storage grids. We got our ex-pen at petsmart.
@booskie132 There is a chance that they will chew a few of the cable ties but there are few they'll be able to access (there are many ties like on the base of levels that the rabbits can't get at). That's why we kind of overdid it with the ties and why we cut off the extra part of the tie. As for eating them, I've never had my rabbits do that, just once in a while I'll find one on the floor of their cage.
thats amazing!! Im talking my mom into getting me a rabbit but i would have to get 2 rabbits so the other rabbit would have someone to hang out with. But i went to my friends aunts house and they had a cage they made and it was heated with two stories. It was also made out of wood with tile as the floor base. There was ramps, a litterboxes, and food and water. This cage is awesome though!!!
If you currently have him on bedding this can actually prevent them from forming good litter box habits because he will treat his cage as one big litterbox. Once we switched to larger cages and ditched bedding with the exception of the litterbox they had no problems using that as their place! You can also check out this article on my website: budgetbunny.ca/2012/09/13/when-bunny-wont-use-the-litterbox-10-useful-tips-to-improve-litterbox-habits/
I did cut them extremely short but not enough that they would pop back open. Your idea is a good one but there are literally thousands of cable ties to do that on. I can tell you that we had these condos for years and there was never an issue with them. Any time I’m fostering or working on bonding pairs I use the same idea to create a pen out of the cubes again with no issues. They are also commonly used for guinea pigs.
Lots of zip ties hold the levels in to place. There are also large pieces of wooden dowling I show in the video that we laid width-wise to add extra support. Cages have been like this almost 3 years with no issues :)
It's actually very easy! I use a shop vac to quickly vacuum up all the its and bits around the cage, I take out the litterbox, clean it and put in new litter and then spray a vinegar/water solution on the tiles, wiping them dry with paper towel. If you don't have a shop vac, you can also use a small dustpan and broom (which you can find at the dollar store) but the shop vac is quick and easiest! Takes me about 8-10 minutes a cage. :)
I would still say the wood and tiled flooring like we've done. The problem with coroplast is that rabbits are such fanatic chewers it wouldn't last long. We used the same idea to build our hammies cage which I use bedding in. When it comes time to clean, I remove my hamster, use the shop vac to vacuum up the bedding then spray the tile flooring to clean it and you're done :)
Your video was awesome.. I have been working with the grids. What do you use to make the grids stand ridged. My walls seem flimsy... I am building this for indoor pets with feathers. 5 tiny Serama chickens... They are the size of a pigeon. This size of C&C cage would be perfect for them.. C&C is not just for bunnies and piggies.. :D
Thanks you for making this video I can't wait to make my rabbits a new cage and also for where to get the things you will need because I have been looking for them but they were all really expensive.
Hmmm I'm sure ingesting a lot of the plastic coating on the grids wouldn't be ideal. Since I bordered all the levels on the cage with untreated wood I find the rabbits go to town on that and don't touch the grids. I've also used the same concept for our hamster cage and again Chandler chews on the wood and never the bars. Were you just planning on creating a large play pen out of the grids or were you looking at building a larger housing area for play time?
@SnowWhiteLily21! Thank you for watching and for such positive comments! With limited space available this was the most logical way to build. If you never bond your rabbits you can keep the cages separate but we are now removing one of the cubes underneath the full floor of the wood, cutting a hole in the tile, framing the edges and adding a ramp to join the cages together. Would have been a little easier to do it first but wasn't an option for unbonded rabbits at the time. Enjoy your cuties!
What an amazing idea! I saw one of the Chan Man's cage tours and just HAD to find this video! While I'd absolutely LOVE to make this, I have a bin cage that took a full 3 days to make and, while I love it, I feel like now it's just a tad too small :( But my mom put so much effort (and frankly, I put quite a bit of money in it), I just can't give up that cage....may someday. But this is a great idea! Wish I saw it 6 months ago!
Bin cages are a great alternative as well :) One of our previous hammies Lucy lived in a Habitrail Ovo that was attached to a large bin and it worked out great!
@FlyingAlbino777 If you rabbit likes to use his litterbox that's great! Any poop that goes flying when he jumps in and out you can use a small dustpan to sweep up regularly or use a shop vac on the cage which is fast and easy if you have a messy bunny! We bought storage bins for our litterboxes but bought two and bolted the first one to the side of the cage, then sit the other one in it. Your rabbit cant move the box when jumping in and out but you can easily lift out the box for cleaning.
It's just thick unfinished untreated pine plywood. We used rectangular wooden dowling, cut it down and used tiny nails to hammer them on to provide little steps. Then used large hinges at the tops to attach the ramps to the second level.
Thanku for the great video. I’m going to be moving my outdoor bunnies into the garage as soon as we get it cleaned up. They have a 2 story hutch but after seeing this I’m wondering if maybe I ought to just extend on our X pennlike you did yours. Can I ask how hard it is to clean the cage if you have it all walked up with the wire cube panels? You mentioned to use “natural wood” which means unfinished/unpainted wood? What type of wood should I be looking for at Home Depot hardware store and can I use fence boards?
Hi BudgetBunny! I will soon be getting a rabbit and I am so excited to build this cage!:) But before I purchase the supplies I was wondering what the measurements for all of the wood are. Thank you for this video!:)
@FPDood It wasn't hard, but it was a LOT of work. These took us about 3 1/2 days of working straight (we built 4 cages total) and then a day of organizing and setup. My Husband is a perfectionist and was really picky about how they looked. Hehe. He cut plywood about 8 inches wide then used heavy duty hinges to attach the ramp to the upper levels. He used small pieces of cubed shaped dowling every four inches up the ramp as 'steps' and nailed them in to the wood. I hope that helps!
Not at all, the only thing I've run across was the bunnies have really chewed the top of the wood where the twist ties were on the bottom level so a few ties ended up not serving a purpose anymore since they had gnawed down to where the drilled holes were. It's been three years now and that is such a minor thing - cages have held up nicely :) I have quit a few updated cage tours since this video.
Mine had to get used to the tile because it was a slippery surface but I didn't want to use carpet because I knew they would just dig it up. The only thing I would be wary of with using veneer is that they might eat the finishing but that could really happen with any flooring you use.
what an amazing idea! im going to build one of these for the rabbit im going to get. just have to rearrange things in the animal room to fit it in. the store bought cage i was going to get cost £100 ($200?) and i didnt really want to pay that. this cage gives way more room and 2 levels. im going to use coroplast as a base as i already have some. will stick textured lino onto it so its not slippy. ooooh project! thanks so much for doing this video! =) x
great video!! im getting a holland lop in a couple weeks from a breeder here in Toronto and was out looking at cages today. Thankfully i didnt buy anything and jus came across your video. Im so building this in a couple days! lol
We actually tiled the wood so the flooring of the cage is linoleum not wood. It's therefore easy to wipe up any messes. The only wood the rabbits have access to is the four inch siding we put around the cage to stop any mess like hay, litter etc. from falling out of the cage but mine all use their litterbox well and I've never had a problem with them peeing on that wood.
We used an all natural wood we found in the lumber section of Lowe's. Sorry neither Hubby or I can remember what type it was but you have to make sure it's not pressure treated or has any kind of finish to it. They will chew on it but just like outdoor hutches and runs that are made out of wood it will take years and years for them to do any real damage. It's been 2 years now and there's little nibble marks but nothing else.
@155LH I totaled it at around $600 - that's give or take, I try to hit up pet shows etc. for cheap hay and stock up but that total's from litter, food and hay included for 4 rabbits over the course of a year from the local pet store. Also the one we built from scratch cost us $150 that's $50 less than we paid for Rocky's first too-small rabbit cage in store! Four rabbits for food for 1 month is approx. $40. Which is only $10 per rabbit! :)
@FPDood Definitely! I have two rabbits in a 4 long by 4 tall and 2 wide with four levels and it's a ton of room for them during the day time and meets the requirements of the HRS. Happy building, those are some spoiled bunnies if they get to be in a 4x8x4!
I currently have the Living world deluxe rabbit cage in the XL size and it works wonderful for my one female 5 year old rabbit. Since i no longer breed her i am wanting to pair her with another female or hopefully a neutered male if i can find one available for adoption and i want to build a NIC cage! Great video it's going to help me a lot
+DIY animal queen 123 No bc, they can still feel the wire and can get sore hocks. What I do for my rabbits is they have lineoleum over the plywood, then a memory foam matrass pad cut to fit their cage and on the sub levels they have just the lineoleum (rabbits love to have different flooring). Finally, they have just fleece on some areas of the sub levels. Hope I helped!
+Jazz Smith no sadly they can get sore hocks it also probably isn't going to be to stable for a floor depends on how you put the grids together though hope this helps ❤️ btw cute dog
i just got a youtube account and my rabbit acutaly just died a few weeks ago, i have been looking at your vidios and am exited to get my new rabbit in a few weeks!
I dont have another suggestion unless youre willing to purchase an x-pen which already comes clipped together in sections that way you don't really need zip ties. The only problem with this is that x-pens are pretty expensive but you can modify it like we did in the video (it's Ollie and Willow's cage) to have multiple levels. I can tell you that storage cube cages are becoming more and more popular for many types of small animals and everyone seems to use the zip ties and not have problems :)
Hi, may I ask what are the measurements for the wood used in making this cage? I am not very handy with tools so I figured I could give the measurements to the building supply store to cut for me. It would be greatly appreciated thanks.
The wood on the sides, can u cover that with tile too or will the rabbit chew on that too? And where do u apply the hot glue on the sides of the flooring. Or in btwn each tile thrghout the whole flooring, if that makes any sense
What about the cubes with the big squares? My set came with two separate bags and a box of connectors. One bag with the small squares and one with big squares. I'm thinking I'll cover it with hardware mesh.
I'm sure he will love it and it'll stop him from being so destructive around your house! Rabbits are very curious and love to chew everything so be careful to rabbit proof when Marvin is running loose. 2 story condos are good for better exercise for your rabbit, keeping their back legs toned and giving them more space! You can also join the storage cubes to block off your bed, preventing your rabbit from getting underneath. If you decide to build one, good luck!
The tile and carpet is a minimal cost compared to the rest of the construction. The body of the cage itself will be the most cost. I don't really have anything else to recommend because you need something you'll be able to clean. I got 4 tiles for $1 at our local dollar store. You may also find a good price on lino that comes in a big roll you cut down at your local hardware store if it's a discontinued pattern. Some people use carpet but I didn't because I knew my rabbits would dig and eat it.
How do you get the second cage on tops bottom wood to stay? wouldn't it be too heavy? im super interested in these cages as the petstore ones i have now are way too small. it looks really hard to put together and clean tho that's the only drawback. are they easy to clean if my rabbit isn't litterbox trained?
I also saw some other person on YT screwed on wheels on the bottom of her cage but I think it was a one floor cage for one rabbit. Cold I do that with two stories?
hi, what kind of wood is your husband cutting in this video, and where was it used for the cage (2:59) because its not the same wood you put the tiles on (pressboard)? Im actually in the process of building a cage and using your video for a guide. thanks :) btw...great videos...great channel! should be picking up my little Holland Lop in a couple days, excited :)
Also instead of buying the storage cubes from places like Wal-Mart or Home Depot, go online and search for store supply dot com (I can't add web addresses) they have the grids for $1.10 per grid. Its a lot cheaper. Plus they are really good with delivery. I order yesterday and received them today. :)
Hello, I'm planning on building a cage for my bunny, but I'm worried about the wood tiles when there are "accidents" Doesn't the wood absorb the pee/water etc?
What is the other metal material used 4 the first floor? It looks professional, and I need to find stuff like that where u can have nice door, and a heavy sturdy cage. Hope u can find out for me, or can tell me where to get it. Thx! :)
I can reach all the way back in either direction lol. It was something I made sure of when designing them. Some people choose to use a small broom and sweep up the mess before wiping them down. I just shop vac it!
Thank you so much for this:) I just recently got a bunny and we are going to make his cage a 2nd level this weekend. I have a question--on the ramp where you have the small cross boards(so the bunny doesn't slip) did you glue those pieces down or nail them?
I really like it because it's cheap and pretty big i think that might be the next big thing on youtube verses bin cages! what type of wood did you use???
What type of wood did you use? I want build something with wood that is safe for them to chew. I know you mentioned natural wood but is there a specific type that you used?
Thanks! Our rabbits absolutely love their homes! And I don't have to worry they're getting in to trouble while I'm at work but also know they have enough space to hop and play when they're caged up.
Just finished making a cage for my daughter's bunny. Came out awesome. The bunny is very happy with the extra room. Thanks for the awesome video.
We ziptied a layer of grids to create a base to then slide the wood on to. The wood isn't that thick and we haven't had any problems with the weight or anything in the 2.5 years since we constructed them. They are very easy to clean with a shop vac :)
Thank you for posting this! This has been the most helpful video I've found on TH-cam for building your own cage. You seem to have done everything very inexpensively, and even solved my question of how I should house two rabbits together while waiting for them to get acquainted. My chestnut dwarf bunny, Tozer, is full of energy and the cage I had previously used for guinea pigs was not proving as useful as I'd hoped. I am getting another bunny in a week and needed a solution pretty fast. Thanx!
So glad I could help inspire some people to make a better home for their bunnies! Our bunnies sure love all of the space they have! Bunnies are so special! I believe for the larger cage we built only with NIC cubes and used +5 packs. Apparently there are two sizes of grids out there in the US use the smaller size (I think about an inch spaced diagonally per little grid) as most rabbits can fit their heads through the larger ones.
If you're going to use wire I would suggest hardware mesh. Chicken wire is too large, your rabbit could try and chew on it which could cause cuts or get it's head stuck in it. If you make the floors out of wood I would still do something to it like tile it, otherwise you won't be able to clean it properly. And your rabbit will need lots of comfy places so it's feet don't get sore hocks from the hard wood floor. I'm sure your rabbit will love the added space! Happy building :)
Thank you sooooo much for showing this video to make it very easy to assemble a beautiful and practical rabbit cage!
You're welcome! Glad that you found it helpful! :)
beautifulwhitecat ye
Those grids can be found at several places, most home decor stores carry them. I have seen them at Lowe's, Home Depot, Space Age Shelving, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Oh my gosh, thank you thank you thank you! My bun is starting to outgrow her cage and we are planning on bunny proofing my entire room for her. This will help a whole bunch!
You're welcome! Glad that you find this helpful! :)
We used the same supplies - it was a wooden base (all natural so your hammy can safely chew the sides) and tiled flooring that I put the shavings on top of. My hammy loved it because it gave her lots of space to run around!
Thanks so much!! My fiance just got me a bunny for my birthday. He seems pretty unhappy in his little cage. Now I can make him a big one. :)
Hubby built the ramps from a thick plywood and used small rectangular dowels for the steps which he attached with small nails. The hinges were from Lowe's which he attached with a drill and screws. :)
Some people use x-large dog crates to house their rabbit. As long as the bunny can stand up fully on it's hind legs in the cage and comfortably hop 3 times across the cage with all of his things in it then it's enough space during cage time :)
Your cages look awesome! Thanks so much for such an informative video - it's inspired me to build something like this for my rabbits!
@rawdog268 Thanks for your concern. If you're referring to the boards we used for the floors it wasn't a concern. The boards were fully tiled and then we used all natural wood to border each floor. There is absolutely no way our rabbits would come in to contact with the board. We built these over a year ago now with no issues.
These cages are actually much more spacious and cost effective then pet store cages :) All we used to secure each level were storage cubes and zip ties, then we placed the sized piece of tiled pressboard on top of this 'shelf'. For extra support we used wooden dowels under the level that were the same width as the cage.
It depends on what quantity the packs of grids come in and the size you want to make it. Our packs came with 13 grids in a pack so to make Rocky & Honey's cage I believe we used 5 1/2 packs. 13 grids was what we used to build the hamster cage I used at the end - definitely nowhere near big enough for a rabbit to be comfortable (of even fit) in!
how much did everything cost alltogether
Bayle younger im estimating between $130 usd to $140 usd for a 56in × 28in × 56 in (1.55556 yd × 0.777778 yd × 1.55556 yd).
This is what i am estimating it would cost me, to make a 2 floor condo
@LESREID2
I'm so glad my video was helpful to you! I leave the technicalities to my husband who told me he used very small screws that he sized for the steps and the wood. When he screwed them in from the front, it was enough to make them hold but the screws weren't long enough to poke out the back! Our rabbits can be pretty rough with their stuff, so I don't think glue would be strong enough. Especially for Honey she's a tad chubby! Good Luck and happy building!
Awesome ideas got great ideas to build the ultimate rabbit condo.thank you all who posted how to videos
Your welcome and good luck! :)
I use the black plastic connectors that come with the grids and secure with zip ties. I find this to be better than using only zip ties because it makes a sturdier unit. I find when using just zip ties the floor sags and it just doesn’t feel or look as sturdy. Either way of connecting the grids is ok, it’s just a matter of preference but I wouldn’t advise using the connectors by themselves. I did that on one section of my original condo and it came apart several times. Just from the weight & bunnies hopping around.
It isn't ceramic tile, just those stick on tiles. :) Also I guess it would just depend on your rabbit. I use activity mats (which are kind of square sections of a foam like a yoga mat) during play time but I always put a blanket on top because otherwise my rabbits dig and chew at the foam so I think it all depends on the rabbit. If yours isn't really a digger or chewer than that would be okay and easy to take out and clean.
They've never really taken an interest in the cable ties. There's a few that have fallen off because Rocky has nibbled the wood close to where we drilled but they've never sat there chewing them. I think they have so much free space they're not trying to break out of their cage. Plus the cable ties and cubes are about the same colour and as you see in the video I used tons of cable ties!! :)
I am getting a bunny for my birthday (I'm 13 and they haven't said the breed yet; nor the gender) but this helped out so much!! I wanted to make a special home for them to go with the outdoor and indoor space I have, but those are just for exercise, thanks so much for your help!!!
These look like they'd be perfect for fostering buns! I'm working on a trio, and I'm using this as a partial guideline for a GIANT 3x4x5 NIC cage :)
You guys are very creative and did an awesome job! Thanks for thinking of others and making this video for us, that was super nice of you. I happen to have a whole big stack of these cube grids in my garage - and tons of zip ties and wire cutters, so this works out perfectly. I plan on building a feral cat 'nursing station' in my basement. I have a feral cat colony in the backyard with around ten cats, and occasionally they need to be enclosed to take medicine.
My hamster loved it as she could climb all over the cage. I liked it because it allowed for 100% airflow so I never found it smelled and I could make it a decent size for her. The first time I put her in it she was running around like crazy all over the place!
There are corner litterboxes you can buy at the pet store but depending on the size of your rabbit he may not use it. I never thought of velcro, that may work. The important thing is that the substrate that you use in the litterbox has to be different than what you use in the rest of the cage so they can distinguish them form one another and it helps to pick a spot your rabbit tends to go in anyways and put a box underneath it.
@BoolaHoola I think that's a great idea! You could build a pen like enclosure that zip ties or binder clips to the sides of your cage to give Penelope (love the name btw) more room that's still rabbit proofed. Just make sure it's 3 cubes tall all around, my rabbits could easily hop any that were 2 cubes high, especially if you have any tunnels, hidey houses or cardboard boxes in the enclosure which they could use as bunny launch pads.
It's short for exercise pen. You can buy them at any major pet store. It's just a large pen area made out of metal gates. You can see that the bottom part of Willow and Ollie's cage is an ex-pen the top is the nice storage grids. We got our ex-pen at petsmart.
@booskie132 There is a chance that they will chew a few of the cable ties but there are few they'll be able to access (there are many ties like on the base of levels that the rabbits can't get at). That's why we kind of overdid it with the ties and why we cut off the extra part of the tie. As for eating them, I've never had my rabbits do that, just once in a while I'll find one on the floor of their cage.
thats amazing!! Im talking my mom into getting me a rabbit but i would have to get 2 rabbits so the other rabbit would have someone to hang out with. But i went to my friends aunts house and they had a cage they made and it was heated with two stories. It was also made out of wood with tile as the floor base. There was ramps, a litterboxes, and food and water. This cage is awesome though!!!
If you currently have him on bedding this can actually prevent them from forming good litter box habits because he will treat his cage as one big litterbox. Once we switched to larger cages and ditched bedding with the exception of the litterbox they had no problems using that as their place! You can also check out this article on my website: budgetbunny.ca/2012/09/13/when-bunny-wont-use-the-litterbox-10-useful-tips-to-improve-litterbox-habits/
Great video.
Hint: Those little ends that you left on the cable ties that you cut, are super sharp.
Dan Wright and what do you suppose she does ?
Touching the cut ends with a lighter or flame of some sort will smooth the sharp edges. Just a quick touch is all it takes.
Also they are straight, so they might slide up and down. I believe it would be best to do it at an angle to avoid this problem
I did cut them extremely short but not enough that they would pop back open. Your idea is a good one but there are literally thousands of cable ties to do that on. I can tell you that we had these condos for years and there was never an issue with them. Any time I’m fostering or working on bonding pairs I use the same idea to create a pen out of the cubes again with no issues. They are also commonly used for guinea pigs.
Lots of zip ties hold the levels in to place. There are also large pieces of wooden dowling I show in the video that we laid width-wise to add extra support. Cages have been like this almost 3 years with no issues :)
What are the measurement for the cages?🤔
It's actually very easy! I use a shop vac to quickly vacuum up all the its and bits around the cage, I take out the litterbox, clean it and put in new litter and then spray a vinegar/water solution on the tiles, wiping them dry with paper towel. If you don't have a shop vac, you can also use a small dustpan and broom (which you can find at the dollar store) but the shop vac is quick and easiest! Takes me about 8-10 minutes a cage. :)
I would still say the wood and tiled flooring like we've done. The problem with coroplast is that rabbits are such fanatic chewers it wouldn't last long. We used the same idea to build our hammies cage which I use bedding in. When it comes time to clean, I remove my hamster, use the shop vac to vacuum up the bedding then spray the tile flooring to clean it and you're done :)
Your video was awesome.. I have been working with the grids. What do you use to make the grids stand ridged. My walls seem flimsy... I am building this for indoor pets with feathers. 5 tiny Serama chickens... They are the size of a pigeon. This size of C&C cage would be perfect for them.. C&C is not just for bunnies and piggies.. :D
Thanks you for making this video I can't wait to make my rabbits a new cage and also for where to get the things you will need because I have been looking for them but they were all really expensive.
Try looking at yard sales, online ads etc. You can often find people giving away or selling their storage grids for cheap. x
Hmmm I'm sure ingesting a lot of the plastic coating on the grids wouldn't be ideal. Since I bordered all the levels on the cage with untreated wood I find the rabbits go to town on that and don't touch the grids. I've also used the same concept for our hamster cage and again Chandler chews on the wood and never the bars. Were you just planning on creating a large play pen out of the grids or were you looking at building a larger housing area for play time?
@SnowWhiteLily21! Thank you for watching and for such positive comments! With limited space available this was the most logical way to build. If you never bond your rabbits you can keep the cages separate but we are now removing one of the cubes underneath the full floor of the wood, cutting a hole in the tile, framing the edges and adding a ramp to join the cages together. Would have been a little easier to do it first but wasn't an option for unbonded rabbits at the time. Enjoy your cuties!
What an amazing idea! I saw one of the Chan Man's cage tours and just HAD to find this video! While I'd absolutely LOVE to make this, I have a bin cage that took a full 3 days to make and, while I love it, I feel like now it's just a tad too small :( But my mom put so much effort (and frankly, I put quite a bit of money in it), I just can't give up that cage....may someday. But this is a great idea! Wish I saw it 6 months ago!
Bin cages are a great alternative as well :) One of our previous hammies Lucy lived in a Habitrail Ovo that was attached to a large bin and it worked out great!
Great tips video! Could show us how to clean this cage? Especially how to clean the tile floor. Thanks
What hinges should we use id really like to know and thank u for the video it os a great help than just looking at pictures
@FlyingAlbino777 If you rabbit likes to use his litterbox that's great! Any poop that goes flying when he jumps in and out you can use a small dustpan to sweep up regularly or use a shop vac on the cage which is fast and easy if you have a messy bunny! We bought storage bins for our litterboxes but bought two and bolted the first one to the side of the cage, then sit the other one in it. Your rabbit cant move the box when jumping in and out but you can easily lift out the box for cleaning.
It's just thick unfinished untreated pine plywood. We used rectangular wooden dowling, cut it down and used tiny nails to hammer them on to provide little steps. Then used large hinges at the tops to attach the ramps to the second level.
Thanku for the great video. I’m going to be moving my outdoor bunnies into the garage as soon as we get it cleaned up. They have a 2 story hutch but after seeing this I’m wondering if maybe I ought to just extend on our X pennlike you did yours. Can I ask how hard it is to clean the cage if you have it all walked up with the wire cube panels? You mentioned to use “natural wood” which means unfinished/unpainted wood? What type of wood should I be looking for at Home Depot hardware store and can I use fence boards?
Do you know if the bunny can grip veneer?Would veneer replace tile?
Hi BudgetBunny! I will soon be getting a rabbit and I am so excited to build this cage!:) But before I purchase the supplies I was wondering what the measurements for all of the wood are. Thank you for this video!:)
@FPDood It wasn't hard, but it was a LOT of work. These took us about 3 1/2 days of working straight (we built 4 cages total) and then a day of organizing and setup. My Husband is a perfectionist and was really picky about how they looked. Hehe. He cut plywood about 8 inches wide then used heavy duty hinges to attach the ramp to the upper levels. He used small pieces of cubed shaped dowling every four inches up the ramp as 'steps' and nailed them in to the wood. I hope that helps!
Not at all, the only thing I've run across was the bunnies have really chewed the top of the wood where the twist ties were on the bottom level so a few ties ended up not serving a purpose anymore since they had gnawed down to where the drilled holes were. It's been three years now and that is such a minor thing - cages have held up nicely :) I have quit a few updated cage tours since this video.
Oh man. Your bunnies are so precious :). So is mine - I'm going to amp up my bunny pen. Thanks for the inspiration :)
Mine had to get used to the tile because it was a slippery surface but I didn't want to use carpet because I knew they would just dig it up. The only thing I would be wary of with using veneer is that they might eat the finishing but that could really happen with any flooring you use.
what an amazing idea! im going to build one of these for the rabbit im going to get. just have to rearrange things in the animal room to fit it in. the store bought cage i was going to get cost £100 ($200?) and i didnt really want to pay that. this cage gives way more room and 2 levels. im going to use coroplast as a base as i already have some. will stick textured lino onto it so its not slippy. ooooh project! thanks so much for doing this video! =) x
great video!! im getting a holland lop in a couple weeks from a breeder here in Toronto and was out looking at cages today. Thankfully i didnt buy anything and jus came across your video. Im so building this in a couple days! lol
Thanks for this video. It is inspiring me to modify my rabbit cages to give my bunnies more space
We actually tiled the wood so the flooring of the cage is linoleum not wood. It's therefore easy to wipe up any messes. The only wood the rabbits have access to is the four inch siding we put around the cage to stop any mess like hay, litter etc. from falling out of the cage but mine all use their litterbox well and I've never had a problem with them peeing on that wood.
How did you build the ramps. I am building one today and I need to know how to build ramps. This is a great video!
No prob! Your bunny is going to love it's new home! :)
We used an all natural wood we found in the lumber section of Lowe's. Sorry neither Hubby or I can remember what type it was but you have to make sure it's not pressure treated or has any kind of finish to it. They will chew on it but just like outdoor hutches and runs that are made out of wood it will take years and years for them to do any real damage. It's been 2 years now and there's little nibble marks but nothing else.
@155LH I totaled it at around $600 - that's give or take, I try to hit up pet shows etc. for cheap hay and stock up but that total's from litter, food and hay included for 4 rabbits over the course of a year from the local pet store. Also the one we built from scratch cost us $150 that's $50 less than we paid for Rocky's first too-small rabbit cage in store! Four rabbits for food for 1 month is approx. $40. Which is only $10 per rabbit! :)
Great idea about bolting the litter box!
@FPDood Definitely! I have two rabbits in a 4 long by 4 tall and 2 wide with four levels and it's a ton of room for them during the day time and meets the requirements of the HRS. Happy building, those are some spoiled bunnies if they get to be in a 4x8x4!
All natural untreated pine is what we used. Perfectly safe for small pets.
Hi what do you use for their litter??
I currently have the Living world deluxe rabbit cage in the XL size and it works wonderful for my one female 5 year old rabbit. Since i no longer breed her i am wanting to pair her with another female or hopefully a neutered male if i can find one available for adoption and i want to build a NIC cage! Great video it's going to help me a lot
Can you just use the c&c squares for flooring and put fleece on it??!
Jazzyln Smith No because they'll feet will still get damaged from the grid, they need a flat surface :)
+DIY animal queen 123 No bc, they can still feel the wire and can get sore hocks. What I do for my rabbits is they have lineoleum over the plywood, then a memory foam matrass pad cut to fit their cage and on the sub levels they have just the lineoleum (rabbits love to have different flooring). Finally, they have just fleece on some areas of the sub levels. Hope I helped!
+Jazz Smith no sadly they can get sore hocks it also probably isn't going to be to stable for a floor depends on how you put the grids together though hope this helps ❤️ btw cute dog
Where did you get the tiles from and how much? Also how many did you need to buy to fit your cage ?
this is brilliant. I was thinking about spending money on a hutch. I'm going to try this
i just got a youtube account and my rabbit acutaly just died a few weeks ago, i have been looking at your vidios and am exited to get my new rabbit in a few weeks!
this is amazing! only one question where did you put the pen? the only room we would have would be in our living room and I think that's a bit weird
We had a spare bedroom devoted to the small animals.
I dont have another suggestion unless youre willing to purchase an x-pen which already comes clipped together in sections that way you don't really need zip ties. The only problem with this is that x-pens are pretty expensive but you can modify it like we did in the video (it's Ollie and Willow's cage) to have multiple levels. I can tell you that storage cube cages are becoming more and more popular for many types of small animals and everyone seems to use the zip ties and not have problems :)
Hi, may I ask what are the measurements for the wood used in making this cage? I am not very handy with tools so I figured I could give the measurements to the building supply store to cut for me. It would be greatly appreciated thanks.
Can I ask where you got the hinges and ramps? And how you attached them? I really want to do something similar for my bun.
The wood on the sides, can u cover that with tile too or will the rabbit chew on that too? And where do u apply the hot glue on the sides of the flooring. Or in btwn each tile thrghout the whole flooring, if that makes any sense
What about the cubes with the big squares? My set came with two separate bags and a box of connectors. One bag with the small squares and one with big squares. I'm thinking I'll cover it with hardware mesh.
this video helped so much because I'm building a rabbit condo thank you so much budgetbunny
You're welcome! :)
I'm sure he will love it and it'll stop him from being so destructive around your house! Rabbits are very curious and love to chew everything so be careful to rabbit proof when Marvin is running loose. 2 story condos are good for better exercise for your rabbit, keeping their back legs toned and giving them more space! You can also join the storage cubes to block off your bed, preventing your rabbit from getting underneath. If you decide to build one, good luck!
The tile and carpet is a minimal cost compared to the rest of the construction. The body of the cage itself will be the most cost. I don't really have anything else to recommend because you need something you'll be able to clean. I got 4 tiles for $1 at our local dollar store. You may also find a good price on lino that comes in a big roll you cut down at your local hardware store if it's a discontinued pattern. Some people use carpet but I didn't because I knew my rabbits would dig and eat it.
How do you get the second cage on tops bottom wood to stay? wouldn't it be too heavy? im super interested in these cages as the petstore ones i have now are way too small. it looks really hard to put together and clean tho that's the only drawback. are they easy to clean if my rabbit isn't litterbox trained?
ok thanks :) also, what type of wood did you use for the ramps?
I also saw some other person on YT screwed on wheels on the bottom of her cage but I think it was a one floor cage for one rabbit. Cold I do that with two stories?
hi, what kind of wood is your husband cutting in this video, and where was it used for the cage (2:59) because its not the same wood you put the tiles on (pressboard)?
Im actually in the process of building a cage and using your video for a guide.
thanks :)
btw...great videos...great channel!
should be picking up my little Holland Lop in a couple days, excited :)
I think plywood
your bunny's are very adorable
Bailey Rogers Thank you!
+BudgetBunny what is your age. Just being curious don't freak out!
+BudgetBunny How many packs of storage grids dos you need?
Ye I love your bunnies ❤️
Also instead of buying the storage cubes from places like Wal-Mart or Home Depot, go online and search for store supply dot com (I can't add web addresses) they have the grids for $1.10 per grid. Its a lot cheaper. Plus they are really good with delivery. I order yesterday and received them today. :)
Hello, I'm planning on building a cage for my bunny, but I'm worried about the wood tiles when there are "accidents" Doesn't the wood absorb the pee/water etc?
What is the other metal material used 4 the first floor? It looks professional, and I need to find stuff like that where u can have nice door, and a heavy sturdy cage. Hope u can find out for me, or can tell me where to get it. Thx! :)
The dollar store is always a great place for finding some creative pet supplies! :)
Thanks!im going to try this for my new bunny.Good work.
I can reach all the way back in either direction lol. It was something I made sure of when designing them. Some people choose to use a small broom and sweep up the mess before wiping them down. I just shop vac it!
Thank you for sharing this video, it inspired us for our new rabbit condo:)
That's lovely to hear! :)
Thank you so much for this:) I just recently got a bunny and we are going to make his cage a 2nd level this weekend. I have a question--on the ramp where you have the small cross boards(so the bunny doesn't slip) did you glue those pieces down or nail them?
I really like it because it's cheap and pretty big i think that might be the next big thing on youtube verses bin cages! what type of wood did you use???
how many tiles did you buy and how much wood? what were the measurments of the wood? thank you :) i really like your condo and i wanna copy D:
There aren't any more grids sold at Walmart. Are there any more options with the walls?
What type of wood did you use? I want build something with wood that is safe for them to chew. I know you mentioned natural wood but is there a specific type that you used?
How many grids did it take to make the base levels of honey and Ricky's cage so like with-ought the 2 levels
what did you put the tiles down with? mortar?
How did you build the ramps? I understand the hinge part, but the actual ramp?