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hints and tips

spudsmummy

Warren Scout
hi there

I am thinking about building my 2 buns a new house once they are bonded. I am after any hints and tips, dos and donts.
I know its should be atlest 6x2x2 but i am planing on it being much bigger with a big run too.
I am more after ideas for designs. the space i have is 6ft by about 12ft. they can have the lot :)
any hints to make it easyer for me to clean out and look after.

any photos and ideas welcome

thank you
Paula
 
A shed or dog kennel with attached run would be easy to clean out and would also mean you can go and sit with the buns and spend time with them in bad weather.

Lino on the floor makes it easy to brush and you can add shelves and extra levels to give them more places to sit
 
My advice would be to make the hutch 6ft x 2ft with two levels, so about 4ft high plus the legs. This makes it an easy size to make as you can get your wood cut into the right size pieces easily, eg lots of 6ft x 2ft and 4ft x 2ft pieces can make that hutch. Use some square and thick timber to build a frame, something like 45mm x 45mm timber. Keep it simple. Then just use rectangular pieces of plywood, something like 6mm thick to build the floors and sides on to the frame.

I would design it so that the doors of the hutch open onto one side and there is a door that opens onto their run on the other side. This makes it easy to clean out as you don't have to move the run, the run can be permanently fixed onto the hutch very securely using long screws. Make the ramp inside the hutch long and a gentle slope. I would keep the downstairs dark with doors that have no openings on them so that they have somewhere dark and safe to hide. I would then have some windows on the top level and leave the top level open with their food area up there.

For the run I would recommend building it using aviary style panels. They are pretty easy to make yourself and quite easy to build together into a run by just screwing them together. Use some timber that is quite thick to stop any foxes etc chewing it, something like 1 inch by 2 inch. Make each panel in factors of 3ft, so 3ft x 6ft or 3ft x 9ft so that it is easy to fit the mesh to as the mesh comes on 3ft wide rolls. Just a basic rectangle will do but with a support beam every 3ft. For the mesh you want to get a LOT and the cheapest place is usually eBay. You want galvanised wire mesh with holes of about half an inch by one inch. I recommend putting mesh panels on the bottom of the run to to keep it totally secure. You can put paving slabs or turf or mats on top of the mesh to make it more comfortable. If you want to make the run easy to get into you can make one or two of the panels hinged with bolts to hold them in place.
 
I recently posted photos of mine. If you look down you should find them under a thread called something like - thanks for advice, inside bunny condo - something like that and theres one of the outside called - ...... and the outside.....

If I were doing it again I would make it wider, longer and taller!!! A shed with a large, high wire run I think would be great. The buns don't care that I have to crouch every time I want to get in (it's 3.5 feet high - I'm only 4ft10 though!!):lol: I'd like a larger area to shut them into at night in the winter too as mine just have constant access to their whole condo. I think it would be easier to keep them warm at night if they could be locked in a shed and still have plenty of room. I'm planning on adding a shed via a tunnel to the existing condo so they will have an extra 4x6feet and I wont wreck my back when I visit them in their wee house!!

So then in conclusion..... High enough to stand up in, as big as possible as bunnies will gladly use whatever space you give them and a largish area where they can be locked up at night. Obviously - very sturdy, draught and damp proof with very strong wire pannels.
 
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