• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Summer Housing Issue

VikkiVet

VikkiVet

Mama Doe
So....as some of you may know, my Dad bought this "massive" shed thing with 2 levels and storage and lights and tiles etc for the buns to go in for the summer - mainly at night, but i guess also in bad weather or if they are out all day.
I've now see the thing in the flesh - its very solid and well made, but i think its too small. Each level is 2ft deep but only 17-18 inches high and 3ft6 long. Even with him adding a ramp between the floors, thats still going to be too small for 3 rabbits isnt it? especially the height?

So now i have a dilemma - Dad's done some minor repairs on it so its in great condition now. I think they should sell it to someone with guinea pigs (due to the height) and use the money to buy a better sized set up (like i said in the first place...:roll:) But Dad isnt yet convinced that its too small :roll: but mainly that anyone would buy it because its large and heavy.

What do I do? i think if i could find a buyer for him that would convince him....otherwise he'll insist its ok for the buns to be in for summer ("but they're on grass all day" not with British summer...)
HELP!
 
Yep i agree its too small which is why I didnt reply on the thread when you first posted pictures of it.
 
Dad actually gave me different measurements originally - said it was 4ft x ft 6 which would have been fine with a ramp, but he didnt know the height of each level, which is the main issue i think.
 
What a difficult situation trying to keep you bunnies and father happy :(

I'd rubbish at DIY but was wondering is there any way your Dad could extend it if he is good with wood so you can keep him happy and give your bunnies the extra space needed. Or could you get them something more suitable with the excuse it is a bargain and you couldnt refuse although I can understand as a temporary home you wouldnt want to be spending a great deal of money? You could also show him RWA or RSPCA leaflet on housing bunnies to give him an idea of where you are coming from if you think that will help.

Hope you can work things out :wave:
 
Rexbun said:
What a difficult situation trying to keep you bunnies and father happy :(

I'd rubbish at DIY but was wondering is there any way your Dad could extend it if he is good with wood so you can keep him happy and give your bunnies the extra space needed. Or could you get them something more suitable with the excuse it is a bargain and you couldnt refuse although I can understand as a temporary home you wouldnt want to be spending a great deal of money? You could also show him RWA or RSPCA leaflet on housing bunnies to give him an idea of where you are coming from if you think that will help.

Hope you can work things out :wave:
Click to expand...

Dad is pretty good at DIY, and really enjoys it. Problem with extending the current set-up is a) its already quite bulky so parents arent keen on it taking up any more of the patio, and b) its got lots of internal insulation and built-in heatpads :shock::shock: and the walls are lined with ceramic bathroom tiles so it would all get wrecked if we cut through it.

I think i will advertise it on here for a guinea pig lover as it would be perrrrrrfect for them, and get something else, probably a 6ft bike shed and convert it.
 
Definitely too small I'm afraid. Rabbits are quite energetic animals and so need quite a lot of room to move. The minimum hutch length should be 4ft, but bigger would often be better. As for height, I don't of any specific legal minimum, but if you think about the way a rabbit moves, a reasonable amount of headroom is essential to stop it banging its head. As a general rule, the more room they have to move, the happier they will be.
 
ThePetExpress said:
Definitely too small I'm afraid. Rabbits are quite energetic animals and so need quite a lot of room to move. The minimum hutch length should be 4ft, but bigger would often be better. As for height, I don't of any specific legal minimum, but if you think about the way a rabbit moves, a reasonable amount of headroom is essential to stop it banging its head. As a general rule, the more room they have to move, the happier they will be.
Click to expand...

The minimum hutch size recommendation of the RSPCA is 6ftx2ftx2ft with a permanently attatched run :)
 
w1lll said:
Guidelines which none of your hutches comply with. Quite a lot of them aren't even suitable for guinea pigs
Click to expand...

It's important to remember that "room to move" isn't always linear. If a hutch is 4 foot long but is two tier, it can have up to 8 feet of usable space for the rabbit. Obviously whether this is an appropriate option for your rabbit depends very much on the size and energy levels of the rabbit, as well as the amount of time it spends in its hutch. A rabbit that is expected to stay in the hutch during the day time will require a larger home than one who spends all day out of the hutch and only uses it to sleep.
 
ThePetExpress said:
It's important to remember that "room to move" isn't always linear. If a hutch is 4 foot long but is two tier, it can have up to 8 feet of usable space for the rabbit. Obviously whether this is an appropriate option for your rabbit depends very much on the size and energy levels of the rabbit, as well as the amount of time it spends in its hutch. A rabbit that is expected to stay in the hutch during the day time will require a larger home than one who spends all day out of the hutch and only uses it to sleep.
Click to expand...

Not really I homecheck for the rspca and our min is 6x2x2. A rabbit should be able to do three hops, stand up on its hindlegs and also flop
 
ThePetExpress said:
It's important to remember that "room to move" isn't always linear. If a hutch is 4 foot long but is two tier, it can have up to 8 feet of usable space for the rabbit. Obviously whether this is an appropriate option for your rabbit depends very much on the size and energy levels of the rabbit, as well as the amount of time it spends in its hutch. A rabbit that is expected to stay in the hutch during the day time will require a larger home than one who spends all day out of the hutch and only uses it to sleep.
Click to expand...

4ft minus space for a ramp/hole on each floor doesnt leave a lot of room to hop around, especially with a sleep compartment on each floor. its not enough space for a medium bun, nowhere near enough for a large bun, and the little 'uns are more active than the rest, so need MORE space not less!

I agree that if they have an attached run and/or spend most of the day outside then the use of the hutch is less, but thats highly weather and temperature dependent, and you cant know if your buns like to be in or out before you buy the hutch.

Save the decent 4ft hutches for the guinea pigs, there's no excuse for using them with rabbits.
 
ThePetExpress said:
It's important to remember that "room to move" isn't always linear. If a hutch is 4 foot long but is two tier, it can have up to 8 feet of usable space for the rabbit. Obviously whether this is an appropriate option for your rabbit depends very much on the size and energy levels of the rabbit, as well as the amount of time it spends in its hutch. A rabbit that is expected to stay in the hutch during the day time will require a larger home than one who spends all day out of the hutch and only uses it to sleep.
Click to expand...

What's your excuse for the 4ft single level 'rabbit' hutches that you sell then?
 
I feel I should stress that our range is by no means an exhaustive selection of hutches and we are aware that in many cases our hutches aren't big enough to meet all requirements.

There are a number of different organisations who provide differing guidelines on the correct size for rabbit hutches, of which the RSPCA's recommendations are amongst the largest.

Our hutches are aimed at a variety of different small animals, not just rabbits, and some of them are more suitable for much smaller pets. We're aware that this isn't made as clear as it could be on the site (we are looking into this as part of a wider redesign). Our reason for only providing smaller hutches up to this point is that in the past all our hutches have been delivered to us ready assembled, seriously limiting our storage capacity, as well as the price at which we can deliver for.

However, we are now beginning to stock flat pack, easy assembly hutches, which we hope will be popular and will be easier to store and deliver. If this experiment is successful, we'll soon be able to start selling much larger hutches that meet all the guidelines set by all organisations.

We'd certainly be interested in the forum's feedback on any of our existing hutches, as well as the new ones when we get them in. It isn't in anyone's interest, least of all ours, to sell hutches that rabbit owners such as yourselves don't want to buy. We'd rather draw on your combined expertise to ensure that we are offering the best products on the market for pets and owners alike, if that is OK with all of you.
 
ThePetExpress said:
I feel I should stress that our range is by no means an exhaustive selection of hutches and we are aware that in many cases our hutches aren't big enough to meet all requirements.

There are a number of different organisations who provide differing guidelines on the correct size for rabbit hutches, of which the RSPCA's recommendations are amongst the largest.

Our hutches are aimed at a variety of different small animals, not just rabbits, and some of them are more suitable for much smaller pets. We're aware that this isn't made as clear as it could be on the site (we are looking into this as part of a wider redesign). Our reason for only providing smaller hutches up to this point is that in the past all our hutches have been delivered to us ready assembled, seriously limiting our storage capacity, as well as the price at which we can deliver for.

However, we are now beginning to stock flat pack, easy assembly hutches, which we hope will be popular and will be easier to store and deliver. If this experiment is successful, we'll soon be able to start selling much larger hutches that meet all the guidelines set by all organisations.

We'd certainly be interested in the forum's feedback on any of our existing hutches, as well as the new ones when we get them in. It isn't in anyone's interest, least of all ours, to sell hutches that rabbit owners such as yourselves don't want to buy. We'd rather draw on your combined expertise to ensure that we are offering the best products on the market for pets and owners alike, if that is OK with all of you.
Click to expand...

I`v had a look through your hutches, and have noticed that you are selling
3ft and even 2.5 and 2ft guineapig cages. these are much too small to house guineapigs. i have 2 guineas, and would not dream of housing them in a 2 ft cage. the recomended minimum size for a guineapig cage is 4ft x 2ft. I was wandering if you have any plans to stop selling these shoe box`s ? as i fear people might even buy them as housing for their rabbits aswell as guineapigs because they are so cheap. sorry if this post comes accross as
being abbrupt it is not meant to be,:. I am just mearly trying to point out that what you are selling is not acceptable as housing for rabbits or guinea pigs. :)
 
ThePetExpress said:
Our reason for only providing smaller hutches up to this point is that in the past all our hutches have been delivered to us ready assembled, seriously limiting our storage capacity, as well as the price at which we can deliver for.

However, we are now beginning to stock flat pack, easy assembly hutches, which we hope will be popular and will be easier to store and deliver. If this experiment is successful, we'll soon be able to start selling much larger hutches that meet all the guidelines set by all organisations.
Click to expand...

What a ridiculous reason!:shock:
If a hutch is not big enough for the recommended animal - then you should not supply them at all! This reason should not be based on storage space or price - but rather bigger hutches & fewer of them in your storage. :)
Should you not be setting the example for pet ownerson behalf of the pets?

Those who have no experience should be advised correclty - not encouraged to believe that animals do not need any space, are easy to keep & are not time-consuming. They are all these things!:D

Just remember when you order your hutches & other animal cages - when we buy a house - we dont go by these guidelines:
Can we stand up straight?
Can we walk 3 or 4 steps?
Can we jump?

:lol::lol::lol:
No! We like to have different rooms & sights 7 sounds & activities & be able to stay in or go out! Well animals do too - ALL animals! Make a difference & use your position to educate!

Thanks for taking notes & look forward to seeing what you have on offer & dont forget price is important too!:D
 
ThePetExpress said:
Our hutches are aimed at a variety of different small animals, not just rabbits, and some of them are more suitable for much smaller pets. We're aware that this isn't made as clear as it could be on the site (we are looking into this as part of a wider redesign).
Click to expand...

The only two animals that hutches are aimed at are rabbits and guinea pigs. As has already been pointed out to you - the minimum size hutch for guinea pigs would be 4ft x 2ft so that's a lousy excuse. :?

I'm sorry but I'm absolutely fed up with seeing ridiculously small accommodation for animals. It's so wrong. I daren't even look at your 'mouse' and 'hamster' cages as I would only get more annoyed. :roll:
 
phoenixsansbury said:
I have just bought a rabbit and i am very confused about its house, what type of house does it need and where can i get one.
Click to expand...

Firstly just a heads up I wouldnt have a link on your signature advertising rabbits for sale when this is primarily a rescue forum...;)

I am taking it as you havent got a hutch then you havent got the rabbit yet?
Think long term and get the biggest hutch and run you can find then you wont need to upgrade later on. Like people have said the RSPCA reccommend 6ftx2ftx2ft with permanent run attached. If you have never had buns before a hutch and run is an easy starter for you rather than sheds etc...
Happy Hutch (just google Happy Hutch) do a nice 6ft hutch and run. Its worth the money in the long run. Also rabbits like company so if you decide to get another bun then you can add an extension to the run, which they also do.
If you dont know what kind of house a rabbit needs i reccommend buying a rabbit book and also going through the diet, housing, and health sections on this forum.:)
 
jane28 said:
Firstly just a heads up I wouldnt have a link on your signature advertising rabbits for sale when this is primarily a rescue forum...;)

I am taking it as you havent got a hutch then you havent got the rabbit yet?
Think long term and get the biggest hutch and run you can find then you wont need to upgrade later on. Like people have said the RSPCA reccommend 6ftx2ftx2ft with permanent run attached. If you have never had buns before a hutch and run is an easy starter for you rather than sheds etc...
Happy Hutch (just google Happy Hutch) do a nice 6ft hutch and run. Its worth the money in the long run. Also rabbits like company so if you decide to get another bun then you can add an extension to the run, which they also do.
If you dont know what kind of house a rabbit needs i reccommend buying a rabbit book and also going through the diet, housing, and health sections on this forum.:)
Click to expand...

That poster was a troll, methinks, due to the fact that they haven't posted since, advertise free ads rabbits in their signiture, and haven't even been online since they originally posted

:wave:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Breeding two sisters
Replies
15
Views
667
halfpenny
H
C
Hutch recommendations
Replies
2
Views
129
Shimmer
S
sazzy
Hutch Lining
Replies
2
Views
122
tonibun
T
Back
Top