We have a Bunny Abode for our two rabbits, Duncan and Boo. They LOVE it! It really is designed for the bunnies' needs and gives them enough space to stretch when they're in. They're well made, look great, and easy to clean. We've been really happy with the service from Leith Petwerks as well.

These are nice, but expensive. And good to see that they got the two story version since just one would definitely not be enough for a rabbit. For my guy I ended up with a popular DIY rabbit cage that there are many websites devoted to - here's one from a quick google search. http://members.aol.com/bunrabtoo/neatcubs.html

Rabbits are great but require quite a lot of room and lots of time out of their cage unlike what the petstores try to tout - that they're a smaller alternative to a dog or cat - my rabbit took up much more space than my cat or dog ever did!

i am glad to see something about a pet that is not a cat or dog! any help on finding a creative apartment-sized tank for a moderately sized turtle would be appreciated. . .

I agree with everything sneakers said! The 1-story Abode is NOT big enough for a happy rabbit. They really enjoy having the different levels. We looked at the 2-story but it was just too much money considering we built the DIY one for around $30. It definitely seems like more of an eyesore in our living room, but maybe that's partly because we got black wire instead of white.

Our bunny chewed the electric wires, making it a nailbiting experience (for us) to have her out of her cage. We had to "bunnyproof " everything, cover the wires in bunny repellent plastic -- even so.

She was a very big adult bunny that we had rescued from our yard, never very tame, but she did get friendlier and we got very fond of her. Some child's pet abandoned in the alley behind our row of houses. It is true, they take up a lot of space.

Wow, my beloved Bambou would love this. Alas he has the small and boring cage but he's always out-he's lying on my bed now, chewing his blanket. It's true that they need a lot of out-time but watching him all comfy and relaxed right now makes me the happiest pet owner ever.

I have a nyc bunny - litter trained. She roams the kitchen. She won't even come out because my boyfriend sneezed once while she in the LR.... anyway. I had the place bunny-proofed until one day my fridge didn't work. She chewed the cord. Thank GOD she didn't get shocked. I had no clue she could get back there. Bunnies rule. AND you don't have to use smelly cat liter... she goes in a box of hay.

Oh I forgot to say I have a foldable playpen type thing that Dr. Fosters & Smith sell. It can take any shape. Check it out...

Oh I've always wanted a bunny!! These are very cute homes...now just to find a place to put it...

I've seen some bunny condos built from the neat idea cubes (as posted by sneakers above.) That's a great cheaper alternative to the Bunny Abode. We use wood stove pellets in our bunnies' litter boxes. It's really cheap ($4 for 40lbs, natural ones without any other additives) and the used bunny litter is wonderful in our compost pile.

Our bunnies tend to stay on the living room carpet during their out-time, and we've also got an x-pen around their condo to give them more play space when we're not around. We've bunny-proofed a lot of wires with vinyl tubing, but fortunately it hasn't been a big issue yet with these two. They're more interested in customizing cardboard boxes and just hanging out.

The two storey condo looks like a good rabbit cage, but expensive. I made my own two storey rabbit cage out of the largest dog crate you can get, then building the second level (I think this would only be suitable for dwarf sized rabbits though due to ceiling height).

An important point for your friend would be that rabbits need a private space in their cage where they can't be seen-as prey animals they need a place to hide if they want it or they can get stressed otherwise. This can be a cardboard box or a pet carrier. If anyone reading this is considering getting rabbits, this article on the excellent rabbit care website www.rabbit.org covers all the important points on housing:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/place-space.html

I hope your friend enjoys having a rabbit, they are marvellous pets!

I have a dwarf bunny and this would be great for her/him. (I don't know the sex yet because it's so young) The price is a wee bit much at leith Petworks. The price needs to come a bit down.

I have 3 bunnies at home, 1 of my own and 2 foster rabbits. I'm a big fan of letting bunnies run loose. They do need a den where they can hide and sleep (especially if they are not in a pair or triple with other bunnies), but they can do quite well just having a small den if they have free rein over the rest of the room. I cover all of my cords, but that is the only object they have gone after.

Well, I did have one foster who was good at climbing who found a pear up high on a side table and devoured half of it before I got out of the shower and caught her. I just learned to put all food away where she couldn't climb or smell it.

At different times, I have used x-pens and Neat Idea Cube diy pens. If you get a big role of velcro, then you can take apart the NIC pen and re-use every part. This is especially helpful if you live in an apartment and move somewhat frequently.

As Sian mentioned, the House Rabbit Society provides a lot of great info for people who are new to rabbits. They are great companions for those who understand them and how they are different from cats and dogs.

In the DC area, there are multiple rabbit rescue groups but I work with a chapter of HRS, http://rabbitsinthehouse.org/

We are always looking for donations and volunteers and of course, people to adopt rabbits.

Erica in DC, maybe you can help.

We really wanted to let our rabbit run loose but it just got too crazy. Even when we're home, if we didn't watch him constantly, he chewed the curtains, the cords (covered), our books, furniture, couch, carpet, window screens... omg I don't think there was ANYTHING he didn't chew. He always has plenty of fresh hay and wood blocks, woven mats, wicker tunnels, cardboard boxes etc. in his cage. He chews those too, but it just isn't enough I guess! We got a spray bottle to shoot him with water when he started chewing, and it just trained him not to chew when we could see him!!

I thought maybe we weren't paying enough attention to him, but when I spend time with him he seems very happy and then starts to pull up the carpet or runs away to chew on a table!

So he stays in his 3-story Neat Ideas cage when we're not there, and we let him out to run around freely when we're there to watch him. I still wish we could get him a smaller "den" to replace the NIC cage and leave him out in the house while we were away. Any ideas? He is 2 years old.

Flash looks awesome! =-)

As the makers of the Bunny Abode, Scot and I are thrilled to see them listed here on Apartment Therapy. I wanted to respond to some of the comments.

Size of the single level
It is larger than the guidelines of the House Rabbit Society (its 48"x24") but we agree, it isn't the best choice for rabbits which are contained most of the day. However, many of our customers have free-roaming bunnies in their home, and simply want a place their bun can call home, and they can use in an emergency if it's safer for the bun to be contained for a period of time. In addition, we have some customers which start with a single level and then purchase the "Add-On Level" so they can grow their home.

Cost
We've made these since 1997, a full ten plus years, right here in the USA. We bootstrapped our small business straight out of college, and we are always trying to find the best domestic materials at the best prices. We pay a modest but living wage to our employee (it's just Scot, me [and I work outside of this business to make ends meet], and one employee at this time) and we run a simple, environmentally friendly company. Yes, the number on the price tag of this item is higher than that on the cheap imported plastic items you might find elsewhere. But the cost of that cheap item is so much higher when you figure in the irresponsible business practices and a plethora of other things that may be wrong in its production.

Yes, we could find ways to lower the price. For instance, a business consultant once told us instead of making these here, we should just ship the materials overseas, have them manufactured there, and then shipped back to us. By exploiting overseas labor, all that could happen for less than the cost of making them here. We didn't find that acceptable. I'd rather pay an employee a living wage here, to do good work here, and who can then turn around and contribute to his or her own local economy.

The price is comparable, if not cheaper, to items of the same size--if you can find them. We have some of our very first customers who have condos that are over ten years old who are still thrilled with their Bunny Abode Condos. Many of these were people who had, in just a year or two, gone through multiple types of housing because they didn't work, they broke, or weren't acceptable in some fashion.

Not to mention, when you do business with us at www.petwerks.com and email or call with a question, you get to talk to US, not some outsourced person who knows nothing about rabbits. We have over 20 years combined of experience with rabbits both as our own companions and in rabbit rescue and fostering. I've helped to start and managed an HRS chapter, we've responded to large abuse and neglect cases, and we have consistently fostered rabbits as well as had our own long eared companions in the family.

It's true that if you are looking for the cheapest passable solution, we aren't what you are looking for. And I'm certainly fine with that! :-)