The Art of the Cage
By Bernadette Worden
The term house rabbit can be applied broadly to a number of living styles. It can be used to describe a rabbit who lives indoors in a cage, a rabbit who lives indoors just like a cat, or a rabbit somewhere in-between, with confined time and caged time. To each of these rabbits, one thing is very important to their comfort and safety: their cage.
The process of choosing a cage can be a difficult one, but it is entirely necessary for any rabbit lifestyle. In an effort to keep this an internet-only zone, I highly recommend you start by looking at KW Cages. Wherever you buy it, expect to spend anywhere between 40 dollars to 150 dollars. Consider what your rabbit will use the cage for as you choose. If they will live in it full time, you need to look for a cage with substantially more space than if it is just a home to go back to after a day in your house. Take note of whether or not your rabbit will be using this for eating, sleeping, the toilet, playing, or something else.
Once you have picked a cage, it is time to set it up to be home for your rabbit. There are many choices for cage liner, and the one you use depends only on what your rabbit likes. CareFresh, which can be found at your local pet store (other retailers on the weblinks page of this topic), is a great all-purpose choice for whatever your rabbit is using the cage for. Traditional beddings like pine or cedar shavings are acceptable, although no longer widely recommended (and take it from me, pine and cedar are horribly messy; I stopped using them about five years ago and still find pieces everywhere). If your rabbit is toilet trained to one area of the cage (or out of the cage), you have more options about bedding. All you need to do is put something where they go; in my experience, they seem to like the back right corner. After that you are free to try other types of bedding - hay, newspaper, towels.
If your rabbit lives in the cage full time, it is very important that you have toys available to them in the cage. Rabbits like to reorganize their environments, so lightweight toys that they can throw around are the best. Toys designed for birds usually fare very well, though some retailers make toys specifically for rabbits.
Now those of you whose rabbit does live in the cage full time may be wondering how on earth you could let your rabbit roam the house freely. It is a gradual process that most rabbits can be introduced to at any stage of their life. While younger rabbits are more rambunctious, you know what they say about teaching an old rabbit new tricks. The first step in freeing your rabbit is to create a penned environment (that includes their cage) that they can be released into (pens can be found at KW Cages, above, or in the puppy training area of many pet stores). Keep this in mind: rabbits like to dig, rabbits like your carpet. Though not true to all rabbits, chances are that you need to make a decision right now to sacrifice the well being of your carpet for the joy of your rabbit. The other thing to remember is that if you have the cage against the edge of the pen, your rabbit can use it as a stepping stool to make its way out. Once you have done this, it is easy to let them have the penned area all to themself, all the time.
The next step is by far the hardest, and if you can get past this, you can get past anything. At this point you need to let your rabbit out into your house. Remember to rabbit proof your house before you try this step! If there is a specific room of the house you would rather the rabbit stay out of for now, buy a baby gate. When you get this baby gate, keep in mind how high your rabbit can jump, and what materials it can chew through (no soft, thin plastic). At the beginning of this stage, you may find it necessary to herd your rabbit back into the pen at night. Eventually you won’t have to do this anymore, and then your rabbit is truly a free house rabbit. For my rabbit, this point came when she had already eaten everything of value, chewed through the baby gates, and knew how to actually open the pen.
When your rabbit is completely free, it is a good idea to give them an area, which includes their cage, litterbox, food space, and maybe some cardboard boxes, phone books, or toys.
Happy Hopping!
About the Author:
I play the violin (hence the name), and I love every sound it makes, no matter how horrible. I am a huge John Williams fan (the composer, not the guitarist), and it is one of my biggest dreams to meet him.
I am an all around animal lover, although cats seem to like me. I have a freakish cat who thinks I'm god and she is my second in command, and a rabbit who likes to eat and sleep and grit her teeth. I don't remember the last time a room in my house hasn't been scattered with Carefresh and hay...
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.
