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Pets at Home Hutches

I've got two :wave:

They are ok, but we changed the bolts, altered the bedroom, re-did the ramps etc to make them better :lol:

One is inside and aviary, the other in the garage. I'm not sure I would keep them permanently outside as I don't think they would be weatherproof for that long :?
 
Most my hutches are pets at home but most of them they don't make anymore. I have several lavender lodges, a primrose cottage and another double but not sure what it was called. They are pretty soft wood and have been badly chewed but they are a good size for the price.
 
i got the old thistle hall one, like blackberry i made a few alterations but then got a shed anyway so it is in there as an extra now... :)
 
The ones i've seen in store are usually too small for rabbits, what will you be using it for?
 
I had a thistle hall donated. It only lasted a few months before it fell apart :? But then the bunny in it is a bit of a terror! :lol:
 
The ones i've seen in store are usually too small for rabbits, what will you be using it for?

Pets at Home were actually the only store near us who had anything over 4 foot. We got the Primrose Cottage, which is 5 x 2 x 2 double storey.

When you compare them to what is available at The Range, independent small pets stores etc then they do have a few that are a reasonable size.

I'm not ashamed to have bought a Pets at Home hutch - I bought the biggest that were available at short notice, and they have lasted ok at nearly 2 years old.

Yes, it's soft wood, and if you have a chewer it won't last.

But the stores near us rarely have anything of a smaller size now, and always have the larger sizes available, so I don't think it's far to tar every store with the same brush.
 
The more solid ones are OK, Rose Cottage, Lavender Lodge, Dandelion Den.

Avoid the Poppy Den and Daisy Cottage as these are shockingly poor quality. My guinea pig fell through one of the floors is was that thin, and he's not exactly heavy. I can't see it ever holding up a bun bum!
 
I have one and I wouldn't get it again. It's ok but the roof seems a bit thin and has become warped in the two years I've had the hutch. I don't know how much longer it will last. I think you can definitely get better quality hutches for not much more money.
Mine is a 5x2 double hutch, I'm not sure of the name...
 
I had one brand new and the roof broke after a few months, it also has a shelf bit over the bedroom area, which makes the bedroom bit very low and it's almost impossible to get the rabbits out
 
I've got the Summer Lodge which is a decent size if you have a nice run attached (it's 5x2x2 and I'm attaching a 7x4 run... perhaps a 6x4) but the bolts are useless and Nahla has chewed it to death. I've replaced the bolts and am planning to fix locks on it in summer, and I'm also thinking of putting more preserver on it and repainting it a nice colour.
 
The first hutch I bought I took back after a month as it leaked when it rained and the ramp broke off ( wasnt my DIY skills it was just very flimsy!). Swapped it for the double storey Primrose Cottage, which my foster bun uses now. Yes, the locks aren't that great - we have replaced some and also added clasps and padlocks to all the doors.

Also, the wood used to make the bedroom area is a bit pathetic. It gave up the ghost after a year, even after we tried to reinforce it. Other than that its been fine and seems sturdy. I would recommend using a wood preserver and a hutch cover though.

I think if I needed another hutch I would spend a bit more and get a better quality one made to my own spec. However the hutches at P@H are much bigger than those for sale at the other pet shops by me.
 
The first hutch I bought I took back after a month as it leaked when it rained and the ramp broke off ( wasnt my DIY skills it was just very flimsy!). Swapped it for the double storey Primrose Cottage, which my foster bun uses now. Yes, the locks aren't that great - we have replaced some and also added clasps and padlocks to all the doors.

Also, the wood used to make the bedroom area is a bit pathetic. It gave up the ghost after a year, even after we tried to reinforce it. Other than that its been fine and seems sturdy. I would recommend using a wood preserver and a hutch cover though.

I think if I needed another hutch I would spend a bit more and get a better quality one made to my own spec. However the hutches at P@H are much bigger than those for sale at the other pet shops by me.

First thing we did was remove the 'bedroom' and put in sturdy box bedrooms :lol:
 
I have 2 of their hutches, a poppy den and I have no idea what the other is... neither are the recommended size but they have access to runs which are larger than the recommended size for 24 hours a day.

I have found them both to be reasonable quality and would buy from there again if I didn't have the money to go elsewhere! The Poppy Den has lasted fine for about 2 years but the roof needs re-felting a bit now
 
I've never bought one from them, but have bought two half price 'preloved' ones. We had to do a lot of alterations before I was sure they were ok, and even then, when one of the bunnies picked a place to wee on the floor, the floor just almost disintegrated, so then we made more changes. :lol:

They have served me well for the amount I paid for them, but we demolished one this weekend and too it to the tip. One left in the shed, not assembled, and never used, bought by a family and then never used by them either.
 
I had one brand new and the roof broke after a few months, it also has a shelf bit over the bedroom area, which makes the bedroom bit very low and it's almost impossible to get the rabbits out

This sounds like the one I inherited with Pebbles. I think it was a Poppy Den. It had been kept in the kitchen, and I don't know whether he was confined for any periods of time, but for the last year since getting Pebbles it has been outside and the chickens took a liking to it instead their coop (as the rabbits weren't using it cos they were indoors) and the roof has warped and "sunk". however, I have taken it apart and washed it a few times to prevent mite infestation. Also no proper locks on the doors. I wouldn't buy this one myself.
 
I have 7 P@H hutches and have had more, I definitely agree that Daisy Cottage is a poor buy and would not buy one again, but I have 3 Primrose cottages, 2 Summer lodges, 1 Thistle hall and 1 Poppy Den single which was for a blind bun (not blind though!) Anyway my advice would be, as I have done, to buy the waterproof covers from Scratch and Newton to cover them with though as they should last a lot longer. Also I have put old tank lagging jackets or silver heat sheet things and even exercise mats under the waterproof covers for extra warmth and security! All cheaply obtained from car boots etc
 
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