I put something like plexi glass on the ground...but it's made of something thinner. I found out today that plexi glass would have cost me 20-40 dollars..so i looked for something else. I don't know what to put on the shelves/stories however. I was thinking carpet, but i think my bun would eat it and chew it up. Another possibility was cardboard, but that would be shredded up again too probably. I want something cheap but practical...I was thinking about using the same plastic thing i used for the ground, but it's kind of thin and I want to use something thicker and more solid. (last option will be just to use that though)
You could get remnants of linoleum or vinyl flooring, which should be pretty inexpensive.
I wouldn't recommend plexiglas or coroplast for the shelves. Neither of them provide great traction (keep in mind that bunnies do not have padded paws, only fur) and while they're fine for the floor, she'll be jumping on and off those shelves. A lot of people use carpet and it works great for them... personally, I avoid carpet for my rabbits because my boy Traveller will eat the carpet fibres.
When they're caged I put cardboard over the shelves. Yes, it gets destroyed (some rabbits will chew it up quicker than others), but it's easily replaced and you can't beat the price. You could also use grass mats, but it'll be chewed up and costs a lot more than carboard.
Also, how many litter boxes should i purchase? the dimensions of the cage are above ^, and there is one little shelf (so she can jump to the bigger shelf) and one long L-shaped shelf above the smaller one. She will also have run of a small room. I was thinking maybe one or two in the cage, and then one outside of the cage. is that good? And what kind of litter boxes exactly should i get? I've heard of cement mixing pans and things like that...but where can i find those?
It depends on your rabbits... IMO two should be fine. Start with two in the cage. Once she's litter box trained, move the one she uses less out into the room. Supervised out of cage playtime until she's box trained.
How big is she? If this is a young or small sized rabbits, all she should need are cheapo small cat litter boxes like you find at the dollar or grocery store. Cement mixing pans are great for larger or multiple rabbits. You can buy them at a hardware store (same section you'll find huge cardboard tubes-- great for any rabbit room!). They are just large rectangular trays which have smooth bottom.
I read about binder clips, spring things, and some other stuff but i couldn't find any. I looked around OSH and Do-it-center, but they didn't have anything i was looking for. Anyone know where i can find something better?
I've used binder clips and those little plastic clips for closing food bags. Highly recommend medium sized binder clips (metal kind), they fit perfectly on the 1.2x1.2 openings for the NIC cage. You should be able to find them at Target, if not, any office supply store.
And since I am going to be training my rabbit to litter train, how should i go about it? should i leave her in the cage until she gets it down, then let her out? i'm gone most of the day because of school, so i wont be able to supervise her 24/7. And in the litter boxes, should i just put some litter and a bunch of hay? what happens if she doesn't use the litter boxes...do i pick her up and put her in the tray when i see her going bathroom somewhere else? (remember...i'm not going to be home all day)
Yes.
I would only take her out for supervised play time until she's litter box trained. Some rabbits catch on faster than others, but they're actually really easy to train. We're mostly talking about URINE here. Even well trained rabbits will sometimes leave droppings here and there, but rabbit droppings are so easy to sweep/vacuum up, don't sweat it. If they're having trouble with the box, it could be hormone related (ie, spraying) or a medical problem.
Litter and hay, yes. You could either put a layer of hay over all the litter (personally don't like to do that, wastes more hay), cram a pile into one side of the tray, or put a hay rack next to the box so she has to sit in it to get the hay. They tend to potty when they eat, so this will encourage her to use the box. Toss in a little used litter and droppings to give her the right idea.
Set the box up in a corner, they tend to prefer that and it won't be crowding the cage. If she chooses a different corner, just move the box to wherever she chooses.
Do you plan on eventually giving her free run of the room? Be very diligent with rabbit proofing.
The biggest concern, by far, are electrical cords. Your best bet is to keep them all 3-4' off the floor, with no way for the rabbit to reach them. Hiding them behind heavy furniture is iffy... smaller rabbits will be able to cram themselves between furniture and the wall (*cough* Traveller *cough*). Some use plastic tubing to cover the cords, but I think a determined rabbit will have no problem chewing through that.
Most rabbits will chew up wood furniture, and books.
One nice thing about NIC is that you can also use it to make a pretty nice gate/wall. Two panels high is low enough to step over and tall enough they probably won't jump it (this is in general... mine never jump the wall, but I'm sure there are those who will!).
~Jixie
