A new rabbit enclosure

Question
Hi, Lee. I have just had a 12 foot rabbit cage made for my family of 9 dwarf lops but am reluctant to put them out into it yet for keeps so they are still living in 2 conjoined puppy playpens in the open plan kitchen dining area (the table is in the garage). My concerns are that it has metal trays (pullout ones) and only one layer of flyscreen where the request was for three layers. I am finding that their claws are scrabbling on the metal trays and having trouble finding purchase. What can I put down that they will be able to run around on ( newspaper is no good- they shred that instantly) that can be rotated and washed when they occasionally wee outside the litter trays, that won't be harmful if they chew? The length of it is being wasted as they can't get a run up ( they look like cartoon characters when they try ). They have the run of the living areas in the evenings but that's only 3-4 hours. How many layers of flyscreen are needed to keep the mosquitoes with their myxomatosis and calicivirus away? It could only take one bite to infect one and they could all die. The cage cost me just over $1100 and, at the moment is sitting largely unused. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me.

Answer
Hi Nerida,

first, if you paid for someone to make this cage for you and you requested 3 layers of flyscreen, and only got one, I'd make them put 3 layers on.  You've paid for it.  Plenty.

Usually in the cages I have seen for small animals, there is a cage-wire bottom in between the animals and the pullout trays.  That is the 'base' floor you can put nicer flooring items for them like synthetic sheepskin rugs, some flooring tiles (upside down) in hotter weather that can help cool them down.  So my thought would be you need to put in some kind of decent wire mesh floor above the pullout trays so that you can actually pull the trays out for cleaning without causing problems for the bunnies.  Then you can put more comfortable flooring toppers on top of that - even old soft cotton towels are nice for them to rest and sit on.

I am also assuming that your cage is going to be kept indoors or partially indoors (a garage?).  Keeping them indoors is the best way to prevent them from getting outside diseases.  Wherever they are, I'd put up hanging flypaper (well above them so they can never get to it) and if you can, a hanging bug zapper somewhere nearby that can attract mosquitoes.

As for how many layers you need, at least two (minimum redundancy)would be my guess, but I am not sure how it is being attached, or how cumbersome it makes it for you to deal with cage cleaning or accessing your rabbits.  And hopefully it's something they can't chew through on their own.

I'm not sure where you geographically are, but in the US myxomatosis is a pretty rare event in rabbits.  Yes, the risk goes up if you expose them to outdoors, but they'd be more likely to have a fly problem rather than that.  Flystrips will be important, and a bug zapper that attracts mosquitoes could help.

Lee