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Will our hutch be classed as been big enough

princess12

Young Bun
We have a sage house hutch from pets at home and it measures 4ft by 4ft by 2ft, it is on two levels. From reading on the fourm it seems that when you adopt they want you to have a hutch 6ft by 6ft by 2ft. Would we not be considered for adoption because of the size of our hutch, we would be looking at having two rabbits. We do have a run for the rabbits and they would be let out on a morning and then put back in the evening.
 
It depends on the rescue.

Personally I don't think 4ft by 2ft is big enough, even if it does have two levels. It's not enough it terms of length so a rabbit can't behave as a rabbit should when locked away. Would you be having a permanent run attached...perhaps that might make your hutch acceptable to a rescue.

I don't know why shops still insist on making these hutches, as they are no better than keeping birds caged in tiny cages.

It's very much a personal thing, some people are comfortable keeping their rabbits in smaller hutches, to me they just look miserable in there and I couldn't do it!
 
Thankyou for your help. Our rabbits would be in a run all day from morning to evening, they would be using the hutch to sleep in, the other alternative is for the rabbits to be allowed to run around the garden. Our rabbit that we had before used to spend all day in the garden and then we got him a run which he used to stay in and he just used his hutch to sleep in on a night.
 
Thankyou for your help. Our rabbits would be in a run all day from morning to evening, they would be using the hutch to sleep in, the other alternative is for the rabbits to be allowed to run around the garden. Our rabbit that we had before used to spend all day in the garden and then we got him a run which he used to stay in and he just used his hutch to sleep in on a night.

What about attaching your existing run to your hutch and making sure it's fox proof... you would probably find that the bunnies would opt to be out in it late at night and early morning, then would probably just doze during the day... you could let them run around the garden when you are at home :)
 
What about attaching your existing run to your hutch and making sure it's fox proof... you would probably find that the bunnies would opt to be out in it late at night and early morning, then would probably just doze during the day... you could let them run around the garden when you are at home :)

Thats a good idea. How would we attach the run, it is a a round one, and it is taller than the hutch.
 
Thats a good idea. How would we attach the run, it is a a round one, and it is taller than the hutch.

Can you attach some pictures and people may be able to come up with ideas?

An attached run would be a good idea, it does need to be fox proof so it will need a lid/top too. You could design one yourself and have one made, that's what I am doing at the moment, I have a massive 6 foot hutch and we are laying paving slabs for the run which we are going to make. I have other runs attached to sheds for my other buns but I had a joiner make those for me. This time my dad is going to have a go but he is pretty handy with stuff like that so it should be OK.

You definately need to put a run onto paving slabs so that nothing can dig in and the buns can't dig out.

I only let my buns free range in the garden when I am outside with them.

Good luck

Rabswood
 
the sage house isnt very deep, and i remember when pets at home used to sell them they did actually say for guinea pigs, theyre not intended for bunnies at all unfortnatly.

Also a run with netting on top isnt very secure.

I hope we can help you get a bunny or two but i think you will need to upgrade your accomodation first

:) x
 
the sage house isnt very deep, and i remember when pets at home used to sell them they did actually say for guinea pigs, theyre not intended for bunnies at all unfortnatly.

Also a run with netting on top isnt very secure.

I hope we can help you get a bunny or two but i think you will need to upgrade your accomodation first

:) x

When we bought our hutch, we were adopting a rabbit from them and they recommened the sage hutch to us.
 
When we bought our hutch, we were adopting a rabbit from them and they recommened the sage hutch to us.

unfortnatly this is sometimes the case, some staff do not know what is right for what animal, but on the website (they dont sell it anymore i just checked). it used to say for guinea pigs. not for bunnies. its annoying because you buy it thinking it will be suitable, but unfortnatly sometimes they get it wrong.

xx
 
the thistle hall and the sage house are two different hutches, which one is it that you have? :wave:

x

I have just looked further down the page and it is the sage house. It is annoying that they told us it was suitable for a rabbit, if we had know, we would never have bought it.
 
I have a sage house here as a rescue hutch, it is really tiny and i try to keep single lionheads, or smaller breeds/guineas in it as there is no way two nethies could happily be in it, let alone a larger breed, unfortunately most pet shop staff do not realise as they have not been properly educated.
 
The best and cheapest way to make your hutch sutible would be to buy some avary panels and make a large secure run with them, then your buns can have access to it all day and night and have the hutch as shelter...I am sure there are somepictures of other people who have done this...will go and look :) Are you any good at DIY?

Some ideas here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=163558&highlight=Aviary+panels&page=3

Do you have a concrete or patio area you could use
 
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Just spoken to pets at home and they said that it was suitable for a rabbit, they have said that i can take the hutch back and they will refund the money and use it towards a bigger hutch that they have. He said that the primrose cottage and the orchard manor were suitable for two rabbits. What do you think? Thankyou for your help louise, im no good at diy thats why we bought one. If we decided to make one where is the best place to get the stuff we need and what kind of wood.
 
I would say the Orchard Manor as that is 6ft :)

It is good that they are willing to correct thier mistake

There are avairy panels on ebay but I don't know where else you could get them :?
 
Yea the sage house is biddy for 2 guinea pigs.. a rabbit would only manage 2 hops on the bottom floor (if it's lucky) the main top area isn't worth the wood (ladder area takes up this area) there is only a strip of actual floor space. A bun can't stand up on it's hind legs properly either. The bedroom is tiny - not big enough for a stretched out bun, just big enough to huddle in.. 2 buns would be a squeeze literally. There is only just enough space in this hutch to allow one rabbit to stretch out comfortably. Our dutch Rosie used to get in the piggles hutch when I was cleaning it (the piggies were out on the grass, out of harms way at this point) so I am going by her size and the space of the hutch available to her.

It is good PAH are willing to correct their mistake - but crazy how they recommend this product for rabbits!

Your pen is an xpen - we have one too, unless it's pegged into the grass it isn't escape proof (and then they can dig out instead :roll:) The netting is only secured by plastic clips so fox-wise I wouldn't feel comfortable using this as a permanent unsupervised run.

Where about's are you in UK? We used aviary panels for our run.. and got them from http://www.kingdomforestproducts.co.uk/ who deliver nationwide.. a 6foot x 3foot panel costs £15-£25 depending on what specification you choose (full mesh, a door, half mesh - half wood, etc) and delivery was about £25. You can customise your run to the size you want, and it is very secure. All we did was screw the panels side on, together at the corners to form a square.. 3ft high x 6ft length. It's an easy bit of DIY. Just pre-drill the holes first so you don't split the wood. If you are putting the sage house in as a bedroom area - you could use the panels upright so height would be 6ft.

If you get a different hutch from PAH take into consideration the aviary panels standard 6ft x 3ft size.. although they can custom make them (this costs more). So you can get a hutch to suit your run meaning less diy work :D

Alternatively if you have a wood mill nearby - you can get treated timber cheaply, they will cut it to size and all you need to do is screw it together and buy/staple the mesh on...

Hope this helps :wave:
 
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