Anyone made themselves a wooden rabbit run?

As above really, I've bought a 5x4x2ft rabbit hutch for my two small bunnies. I know its not big enough so my plans are to extend it/add a run on.

Runs are expensive,so I fancy having a go at making my own. Has anyone done this and has any advice?

we made this for our rabbits


and this for our chickens



General advice would be:
make the panels to fit your mesh, rather than cutting the mesh. If the mesh comes in a 2ft wide roll then make the panels 2ftxwhatever.
Take the time to do your joins well (we did half lap and they're nice and strong)
Use U-nails as well as staples to attach the mesh.
Probably an obvious one, but make sure you have something on the bottom like paving slabs or weld mesh to stop rabbits digging out and foxes digging in.

BattleKat said:

we made this for our rabbits

and this for our chickens

General advice would be:
make the panels to fit your mesh, rather than cutting the mesh. If the mesh comes in a 2ft wide roll then make the panels 2ftxwhatever.
Take the time to do your joins well (we did half lap and they're nice and strong)
Use U-nails as well as staples to attach the mesh.
Probably an obvious one, but make sure you have something on the bottom like paving slabs or weld mesh to stop rabbits digging out and foxes digging in.

Click to expand...

Thanks you, thats helpful (although I can't see the pictures!). I have no idea how to do join's so I might need a crash course!

I'm also considering making my own. How much did your rabbit run cost you to make runhardlivelong?

I made this one it's 1.2m wide x 3m long


They have had lots of fun munching on the timber and escaping :roll: under the wire so had to mesh the bottom :lol:

The new run panels I am making are 60 cm high and 1.5m long this time wire part in so no chewing and mesh and turf the bottom


I have made 6 so far as I plan a 6 m ish long by 1.5m wide run along the fence of the garden :thumb: once they move into the summer house properly

We made ours, it was already a fenced off area (was the veg garden) make sure you use weldmesh not chicken wire as rabbits can munch through chicken wire, and so can foxes. Don't forget the roof needs doing in the same way, and under the turf needs meshing, or you can slab the bottom :thumb:

We've made a couple. Honestly though I don't think I would do it again. By the time you've bought the screws, hinges, catches, staples etc I don't think you save all that much. And it is REALLY time consuming. I enjoyed doing it, but I don't think it's worth the effort. I also think a bought one would be sturdier - ours is given extra strenght by being fixed at the bottom on 4 sides and also along one side at the top but on its own it's not that strong as we didn't have the knowledge or skills to do the joints 'properly'.

Esupi makes some very good points.
To make a run to the same standard as one you would buy will generally cost you near to that price. If you make mistakes or need to buy any tools it might end up costing more.
It's time consuming and can be hard work, especially without power tools.
The average home made run doesn't look as good as a bought one.

I think it's worth making if
You have specific requirements (like we had to build around a tree)
You're making something very large or more than one structure so can buy mesh economically
You already have the materials or can acquire them for free/cheap.
You enjoy doing it.
AND
You have the necessary skills.

I echo the comment about weld mesh rather than chicken wire as well, rabbits can chew through chicken wire like it's string.

ETA: I loved making my runs but if I were starting fresh with no way to get the wood cheap/free and no powertools I would definitely buy!

I have just recently made one and converted a poppy den PAH hutch from 4ft to 6ft....it has taken 2 weekends but I have had fun!

For the run which is 6ft by 6ft it cost me £14 for mesh, £10 for wood and then the screws, some hinges and a lock which was about another £10. So basically it has cost me about £25.

Mine cost about £25 - £30 to make. I made separate panels this time as I found it easier to put together. Half of the top is hinged so that I can get in to clean it.


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We made our own. Clever RedFraggle married a joiner. A vet would've been better but a joiner hubby has it's advantages. It's cheaper for us because he gets trade prices.