RabbitHutchShop- Metal coating inside hutch? Help!

Does anyone have one of the hutches The Rabbit Hutch Shop made?

I bought my hutch from The Rabbit Hutch Shop in June. My hutch has a sort of metal coating on the inside of the roof of the hutch - I'm not sure why. The problem is that it is cold, and I am worried that this will draw the heat out of the hutch - is this a risk? The other issue is that since the colder weather started, it has been getting condensation forming on it, and recently this has turned to actual droplets. The inside of the roof is wet and cold to the touch because of this.

Is this a potential health issue? Or will it make it damp or cold in there? I'm worried as I have a snuffle-bun, and he also has weightloss problems, so it is really important that he stays warm and in healthy air.

I don't know what to do, the company don't make hutches anymore, they stopped shortly after they made my one.

Oh I think mine is plasticy wood on the inside of the roof :?

I would maybe try putting a bit of insulation (not sure what to use) and then screw up a sheet of wood. That would help keep the heat in and hopefully stop any condensation. I think.

LittleEskimo said:

Oh I think mine is plasticy wood on the inside of the roof :?

I would maybe try putting a bit of insulation (not sure what to use) and then screw up a sheet of wood. That would help keep the heat in and hopefully stop any condensation. I think.

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It's odd, it isn't a sheet of metal, as it isn't smooth - it is slightly rough like wood would be, but silver and cold like metal - almost as if the wood has been given a sort of metal coating.

Is yours from the same place?

Do you think it is a risk, then? I'm more than a little miffed as I paid 289.99 for the hutch and run, I would have thought that much would guarentee a hutch that was dry inside, at least.

The inside of the roof is wet? :? I wouldnt be happy about that at all!

I'm not happy at all. I think I may email them, but I don't know what to ask them to do - do I want money back, or for them to send me a new roof, or something to put over it.... I guess they can't come out and fix it, or make a new hutch.

You can't see it well as the photos were taken in the dark, but you can just about see the drops on the roof in this photo, all those dots are water drops:



And this was my hand, all wet after running across the roof in the bed bit (sorry its out of focus):

:shock: I would definitely email them, that's shocking! Surely that will start dripping down and making the whole hutch damp :?

Is the roof attached to the hutch, or does it come off? My Happy Hutch roof started leaking so I emailed the guy and he is sending me a new one, but the HH roofs are not attached to the hutch so easy to take off. I would expect them to replace the roof personally, if it comes off.

AnnieElms said:

:shock: I would definitely email them, that's shocking! Surely that will start dripping down and making the whole hutch damp :?

Is the roof attached to the hutch, or does it come off? My Happy Hutch roof started leaking so I emailed the guy and he is sending me a new one, but the HH roofs are not attached to the hutch so easy to take off. I would expect them to replace the roof personally, if it comes off.

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Well I think it came flat packed (my Auntie and Uncle put it together for me before I arrived) so the roof must have been off. It is screwed down/on to the hutch though now. A new roof would be good I guess, I'll still be annoyed though as it will be a right pain (and a two person job) to do.

Do you think I should ask for a new roof? Problem is they don't make the hutches anymore, they just sell other brands now.

I would personally email them to ask for a new one (without the coating on), as the one you have isn't really fit for purpose if it is wet. I was just thinking about it and wondered if they had tried to make it sort of insulated by adding a reflective coating? But it isn't really doing what it's meant to do...just a guess.

nessar said:

Well I think it came flat packed (my Auntie and Uncle put it together for me before I arrived) so the roof must have been off. It is screwed down/on to the hutch though now. A new roof would be good I guess, I'll still be annoyed though as it will be a right pain (and a two person job) to do.

Do you think I should ask for a new roof? Problem is they don't make the hutches anymore, they just sell other brands now.

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Oh no I think I might have the same stuff, feels like wood with a plastic covering kind of thing

I have no idea, that has never happened to me :? Is your hutch sealed or does it have enough air flow. Like with sheds you need to make sure they are ventilated to stop condensation

LittleEskimo said:

Oh no I think I might have the same stuff, feels like wood with a plastic covering kind of thing

I have no idea, that has never happened to me :? Is your hutch sealed or does it have enough air flow. Like with sheds you need to make sure they are ventilated to stop condensation

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Is yours silver and cold? It is the coldness that is convincing me it is a metal coating- it is too cold to be plastic or wood.

Well it has a mesh door and a mesh panel - so 4(L)x2ft(H) of the 6x2ft front is mesh - so I think it must be getting enough air flow. There is also a roughly 1-2cm hole in the bedroom door where a knot was in the wood, and a gap between the side and back pieces of the hutch where the pressure of having it sat on the run seems to be pulling the two apart slightly. So if anything I think it may have too much airflow.

nessar said:

Is yours silver and cold? It is the coldness that is convincing me it is a metal coating- it is too cold to be plastic or wood.

Well it has a mesh door and a mesh panel - so 4(L)x2ft(H) of the 6x2ft front is mesh - so I think it must be getting enough air flow. There is also a roughly 1-2cm hole in the bedroom door where a knot was in the wood, and a gap between the side and back pieces of the hutch where the pressure of having it sat on the run seems to be pulling the two apart slightly. So if anything I think it may have too much airflow.

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Hmm I don't think mine is cold like metal would be, I have never noticed it being cold when I touch it. Maybe they changed the design at some point. Not entirely sure what you could do apart from giving them an email to ask about it

I would drop them an email and express your concern and ask for their advice about what to do about it - they might know an easy fix for the problem or offer to do some some of repair/replace.

It does sound like it should be adequately ventilated... you don't cover it over with plastic at night or anything that could be trapping the moisture?

It may just be as the warm air rises you get a little pocket of hot air trapped at the top, which then hits the cold roof and forms condensation, with it being so damp at the moment, getting extra air in doesn't help as it's full of moisture anyway! See what they say, but the solution might be to insulate the roof more.

Are you sure it's not just paint? Wood can be cold and if it's painted with something to stop moisture soaking in, then that may cause a problem like your getting.

If it’s at wet as you say then the hutch is not fit for purpose, and the company should replace the roof.

No, its definately not just paint on wood - the texture is wrong and it is colder than wood. Could possibly be metal paint that they've sprayed on wood/plastic?

Last night the condensation had turned to ice, so there was actually ice inside the hutch! The whole roof was coated in ice. Really not happy.

nessar said:

No, its definately not just paint on wood - the texture is wrong and it is colder than wood. Could possibly be metal paint that they've sprayed on wood/plastic?

Last night the condensation had turned to ice, so there was actually ice inside the hutch! The whole roof was coated in ice. Really not happy.

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Have you spoken to the company?

nessar said:

No, its definately not just paint on wood - the texture is wrong and it is colder than wood. Could possibly be metal paint that they've sprayed on wood/plastic?

Last night the condensation had turned to ice, so there was actually ice inside the hutch! The whole roof was coated in ice. Really not happy.

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That's pretty bad :? Have you managed to get a hold of them? Hopefully they might be able to send you a new roof or something since they only screw on. Fingers crossed.

No I haven't emailed them yet - don't want to call them as there won't be a record of it. Trying to get the wording right on my email is tricky, because what I want is going to be quite difficult for them to produce - they don't manufacture hutches anymore. They do sell other brands, but there are none by a decent brand, or a good size.

My issues are the roof, the small hole in the bedroom door and the gap between the back and side of the hutch where the pressure from sitting on the run is causing them to separate - the last two will make the hutch draughty. So what I really want is a new hutch of better quality, not just a new roof. That will be quite expensive and troublesome for them though, so I don't know if they will agree. Do you think that is reasonable? A hutch should be free from damp, ice and draughts really, in order to be fit for purpose. But as they don't make them anymore, perhaps I should ask that they give me the money to buy a hutch of better quality from another company? However I wouldn't be happy with any old company, I'd want a good quality hutch, like I thought I was buying in the first place! And it would also have to be compatible with my run :? as I bought the hutch and run together from The Rabbit Hutch Shop.

The other issue I am having is photos - the problem is much much worse at night, but because of the lighting any pictures that I take do not show the problem properly. Do you think I need to attach photos or could I send just an email in the first instance?

The solution isn't your issue though Nessar. Tell them what's going on and let them figure out a solution, even if it's just a refund so you can solve it yourself or buy a new hutch.

As for the photos I'm wondering if a torch would work better and then turn off the flash.

Drop them an email describing the problem and asking for advice, they may offer a repair or replacement or might just have a easy to do solution. There is no point speculating about new hutches until you've spoken to them

Hi there,

I brought a hutch from you on xxxxx and I'm having a problem I hope you can help me with. With the current wet weather the inside of the roof (which seems to have some sort of coating on) has condensation forming on it and on cold days it turns to ice! Obviously this dampness isn't great for the rabbits living in it. Could you suggestion a way to resolve the issue?

Thanks

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If they ask for pics then worry about taking them, first thing is to raise the issue with them as it may be a problem they know about and have a solution to

Tamsin said:

Drop them an email describing the problem and asking for advice, they may offer a repair or replacement or might just have a easy to do solution. There is no point speculating about new hutches until you've spoken to them

If they ask for pics then worry about taking them, first thing is to raise the issue with them as it may be a problem they know about and have a solution to

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I agree with Tamsin, you need to speak with them telling them about the problem, it sounds as if there is more than just one problem so they need to be made aware of the all problems.

If you disagree with the solution they offer, that’s fine but you need to allow them to offer you a solution.