Rabbit cage: which is the best of 2021?
Rabbits, which have traditionally been farm animals, are now the companion pets that many families decide to take in. They are very loving, clean and intelligent animals. And the common thing is to have a large cage at home, in which these pets can live. A rabbit needs a space to feel safe.
Cages protect the furniture in your home from the sharp teeth of rodents and offer your rabbit its own place. The animal must have enough space in its cage to stretch out and be able to play in it. In the following lines we will analyze this product and learn more about rabbits as sweet companion animals.
The most important
- A rabbit cage must have differentiated areas for eating, sleeping and playing areas, so that the animal is more comfortable.
- Even if you have a rabbit cage in your home, you should allow your animal to go for a walk around the house or in the garden for a few hours a day.
- There are a wide variety of rabbit cages on the market, with different materials and sizes.
The best rabbit cages on the market: our recommendations
In the following lines you can find a classification with the five most popular rabbit cages on the market. In addition, each product comes with a detailed summary of its characteristics. In this way, we want to help you make an appropriate decision about which cage to buy for your rabbit. Do not miss it!
- The best metal cage for rabbits
- The most functional rabbit cage
- The best wooden cage for rabbits
- The best outdoor cage for rabbits
- The rabbit cage with the best value for money
The best metal cage for rabbits
This rabbit cage has a stable 17 centimeter metal base. It stands out because it allows each user to assemble the structure as they prefer. The product comes with 20 metallic meshes of 35 x 35 centimeters and with another 12 meshes of smaller size. There are 42 plastic connectors and 100 cable ties. It weighs almost 8 kilos in total.
This article is sold with a manual that allows to know the different possible combinations of the meshes. Thus, it will be you who decides the shape that the cage will take, according to the needs of your rabbit and the space you have available in your house. Buyers claim that this is a very versatile and adaptable product.
The most functional rabbit cage
This is a simple design cage that features a front opening. It is made of polypropylene plastic, which is non-toxic, and the paint that has been used for the bars is lead-free. Buyers appreciate that the cage allows cleaning of the base and corner without having to disassemble it.
This product is made in Spain and weighs 2.4 kilos, is 34 centimeters high and 40.5 and 70 centimeters wide and long. It is recommended for small rodents. The front door opens upwards. It does not come with a feeder or a drinker, but it offers the option of buying the cage and these accessories by paying a little more.
The best wooden cage for rabbits
This cage is made of fir wood and iron. It stands out because it has closed parts like a stable, so that the animal can hide and rest, and other open parts with bars for dispersal. The two floors are connected by a ramp. The cage can be placed outside, since the roof is waterproof.
It has four front doors. It does not come with a tray where your rabbit’s stool is collected, but one can easily be added. Buyers comment that their pets play in the part of the bars and sleep in the area covered with wood. In the part that is destined to rest you can put a blanket.
The best outdoor cage for rabbits
This cage has a pine wood frame, has a cubicle of the same material and the rest of the structure is surrounded by an iron wire mesh. The roof is made of green asphalt, which protects your pet from the rain if the hutch is outside. It is divided into two floors connected by an easy-to-climb staircase.
There are buyers who say that it is difficult to assemble, although in general they appreciate the relationship between quality and price of the product. Between both floors of the cage there is a removable tray to facilitate the cleaning of your pet’s stools. It has a front door that closes easily with a latch.
The rabbit cage with the best value for money
It is a simple cage with a door in the front. It comes equipped with a removable metal niche that makes cleaning the space easy. It has a stainless steel trough. It is made in Europe and the vendors specify that all the materials that have been used for its construction are safe for animals.
It is rectangular in shape and has thin bars separated between them by 27 millimeters apart. Thus, the animal can feel comfortable and at the same time there is no risk that it will escape. It comes with accessories in blue or orange and users appreciate that there is a good relationship between the price of the product and the quality it has.
Shopping Guide: What You Should Know About Rabbit Cages
It is becoming more and more common to have rabbits as pets and a cage is a very important element, since it provides the animal with security. In the following lines you will understand what the purpose of having a good cage is and we will solve various frequent doubts that people who live with one of these rodents have.
Should my rabbit come out of its cage?
A cage gives your rabbit a private home in which to feel protected. But the animal also needs a change of scenery and access to new stimuli. Therefore, even if the cage is large, experts recommend that you give it the option of walking around the house or in the garden at least two hours a day. This way you will exercise and not get bored.
There are rabbits who love their routines and going out will not be a great motivation. But it may also be that you have a pet that loves to discover new smells and spaces and, in that case, you should ensure that it can spend time every day visiting places outside its particular corner.
How to maintain the basic cleanliness of a rabbit cage?
To avoid bad odors from excrement and urine, and to protect our rabbit from bacteria that can harm its health, it is necessary to keep its spaces very clean. It is recommended that a rabbit cage have well-differentiated spaces, placing a litter box in the area for your pet to relieve itself.
This tray and its surroundings should be partially cleaned practically daily and thoroughly once a week. Rabbits enjoy the hygiene of their home and it is something necessary for you too. Feces and urine are the main causes of bad smell, so the box where the hay is placed should be cleaned.
How can I disinfect a rabbit cage?
In addition to regular cleaning of the cage, you should also disinfect it monthly. You can buy products intended for this work or you can use boiling water and vinegar. It is necessary to disinfect the different parts of the cage and also the objects that are in the cage.
It is important that you submerge the waterer in boiling water, as well as other utensils that are available for your rabbit to use. You must remove the stains from the litter box, something that can be done with vinegar to eliminate bad odors.
How big should a rabbit cage be?
Experts consider that the cage should be as large as possible, always within the space you have available at home. And it is that your pet has to have enough space to stretch comfortably within what will be his private home. The cage must have an adequate height so that a rabbit is not shrunken.
It is positive to divide the cage into differentiated spaces: eating, resting and playing areas, for example. They do not need to be separated by walls, but with different elements. For your pet’s comfort, the sleeping area can be padded with hay, newspaper, or wood chips.
In which part of my house should I place the rabbit cage?
It is important that your rabbit’s cage has good ventilation, but that it is not exposed to drafts at the same time. It is better not to get direct sunlight for the comfort of your rabbit, especially in very hot climates. In addition, the cage should be close to places in the house where there is activity.
Rabbits like to be in contact with humans. Being in a very isolated cage can be very boring for these animals and can make them feel sad. At the same time, put the house intended for your pet in a place with little traffic so that it does not bother you when passing by or to avoid tripping over it.
Can I put the rabbit cage in my bedroom?
Keep in mind that rabbits are nocturnal animals, so having your pet around during sleeping hours could prevent you from sleeping well. Deciding whether to sleep near your rabbit or not depends on how well trained, clean and healthy the animal is, but keep in mind that the cage will always have some smell.
It is possible that between midnight and 2 in the morning your pet is very active. Before sunrise, between 5 and 6 in the morning, it is also a time when rabbits play.
What food should prevail in a rabbit cage?
We all know that rabbits love carrots. But the reality is that these animals are lovers of all vegetables. For your animal to eat and be happy, it must have broccoli, lettuce, parsley, endive, endive, coriander, spinach, tomato and celery, among other foods, on hand.
Also, the most important item in the rabbit’s diet is grass hay, and it should be served in unlimited quantities. The long fibers of the hay keep the intestine of the animal healthy and prevent the formation of hairballs in its stomach. Anyway, don’t forget that a rabbit does not start eating vegetables until its 3 months.
Can a hare live in a rabbit cage?
Many people mistake hares for rabbits. But they are both different animals. In order to distinguish one from the other, physically it should be borne in mind that hares are generally larger and faster than rabbits and that the former have longer ears. Also, hares have not been domesticated. The latter means that, while a rabbit is a good pet, a hare would be very unhappy indoors and even more so in a cage.
In fact, they are not even proper animals for a farm, except for some species. While rabbits are happy around humans, the hare stays away and alert.
What should the floor of a rabbit cage be like?
Many rabbits can suffer from a problem called pododermatitis, which leads to sores on the back of their hind legs if they sit on hard floors or wet bases. Therefore, it is necessary to offer him a cage with a comfortable floor. If your rabbit’s cage has bars at the bottom, cover them with a solid, flat material.
It is also common to include in the floor of a cage pressed shavings in the form of small wooden cylinders, which absorb well the odors of urine and which is a comfortable base for a rabbit. For the space intended for sleeping, make it soft. You can put newspaper and a soft, fluffy blanket, for example.
Can a pregnant rabbit live in a cage with the male?
Several rabbits can live together as long as we offer ample space, unless a female becomes pregnant. In that case, we will need separate locations. The female, when pregnant, becomes surly and can attack the male, since she feels the need to protect her young. Therefore, give it its own space.
It is recommended that a rabbit have no more than two deliveries per year, since this process requires a lot of effort and can be harmful to her health. Rabbits should breed between eight months of age and four years, veterinarians suggest. And it is more advisable to wait for the heat periods to begin the process.
Purchase criteria
Size
Materials
Design
Cage Accessories
Base
Size
Before choosing the cage, if your bunny comes home as a baby, you must calculate what its size will be when it grows up. These animals need their particular corner to be a space where they can move and stretch comfortably. The size will also depend on the space in your house, but keep in mind that a cage will be better the larger it is.
Even if the rodent takes a few hours out of its cage for a few hours every day, it also needs to have room to stretch up and down within its private home. You have to be able to play and walk to be happy. The rabbit sector for animal welfare in Europe recommends a cage height of 50 centimeters.
Materials
If we take cleanliness into account, cages that are entirely made of wood must be discarded, as this material absorbs and retains urine and it is difficult to eliminate its odor. Although wood is comfortable for the parts in which the animal sleeps and it keeps the place warm. The easiest to clean are plastic and metal.
If this home is going to be outdoors, it must be waterproof, especially its roof. You have to make sure that the manufacturing materials and the paint are not toxic, since the rabbit is likely to gnaw on different parts of its cage.
Design
It is ideal, as we have already mentioned, that a rabbit cage has differentiated spaces depending on the activities and routines. You can buy the product already divided or you can get a simple cage and make the partition yourself. Here we will see the most common styles and designs that you will find in the market:
- Mesh: This option offers you the possibility of designing yourself, with mesh and connectors, the cage you want for your rabbit. They are usually made of wire. Sometimes these products are already assembled, allowing the easy joining of more than one cage of this design.
- Stable style: These are usually spacious cages. They are divided into parts made with small metal bars, for playing hours, and other wooden and sheltered areas for your rabbit’s moments of rest. In many cases they have more than one floor connected by a stair or ramp.
- Simple style: Many cages consist of a wide rectangle with a door on the top or side. They are usually made of plastic or metal and you can divide that space yourself by placing objects inside.
Cage Accessories
Your rabbit cage must have different accessories to make it the ideal place where your pet lives. The cage should have several parts in which the animal can eat, play and sleep. And you must have the utensils that are used for these basic daily activities of any living being. The most important are:
- Drinker. Better than a bowl with water, you must have a rabbit drinker, as they help maintain water hygiene. If it is an open bowl, hay or even feces may fall on it. The drinker must be securely attached to the bars.
- Henera. A rabbit always needs to have hay on hand. This is the most important thing you can give her to eat and there are rows designed so that all the herbs are well collected in a single space.
- Feeder. There you can put the feed or the vegetables that you will give your rabbit daily.
- Corner. This is the name of the litter tray or litter tray, intended for your rabbit to relieve itself. It is usually placed in a corner and hence its name.
- Toys. To make your rabbit happy inside his cage, give him toys that he can gnaw on or that allow him to do physical exercise such as bridges or stairs.
- Brush. Your rabbit needs a brush from time to time to remove its dead hair.
- Manta. To differentiate the corner where your pet should sleep, and also make it a comfortable place for him, a blanket is the ideal complement.
- House or closed box. These pets love having an isolated space where they can rest quietly.
Base
The bottom of a cage is very important, as it is where your rabbit rests for most of the day. And as we have already discussed, its hind legs are sensitive. Many times the floor that the cage brings already serves for our pet as it is. At other times, it is recommended to add some different material.
A rod-based or smooth plastic cage will be easier to clean, but less comfortable for the animal. Newsprint or wood chips can be allies in these cases. They absorb urine and should be changed often to maintain hygiene, but at the same time they are kinder to your rabbit’s paws.
Summary
Rabbits are sweet and affectionate animals that, thanks to their character, have been gaining fame as pets. Cages are a very essential element in your life, as we have seen in this article. So it is very necessary that when you go to buy one you do it with a good dose of information. That is our purpose.
Before opting for one or another cage, look at the size of your rabbit, observe its concerns and decide where in the house or in your garden or balcony you can put it. They will be three key elements that will guide you in your final decision. When you have it, you can fill it with small details that will make your pet happier.