Size of hutch for French Lop

Hi there, this will be my first time adopting a rabbit but I plan to research thoroughly and really prepare myself. As of right now I am planning on adopting a three month old french lop from the nearest human society and was wondering what kind of cage or hutch I should get for it to keep indoors? I was planning on having her stay indoors pretty much all the time but not have her locked up unless I'm away from the house and no one is around to watch her. I also plan on letting her have some time outside to play and I suppose do rabbit things. I know that french lops are a very large breed but I guess I was wondering if it would be ok to get a hutch that isn't enormous just to sleep and chill in because she would be getting exercise outside it?


On a side note she also has a sister and I was wondering if I should really try to adopt both instead of just the one?

janekitty said:

Hi there, this will be my first time adopting a rabbit but I plan to research thoroughly and really prepare myself. As of right now I am planning on adopting a three month old french lop from the nearest human society and was wondering what kind of cage or hutch I should get for it to keep indoors? I was planning on having her stay indoors pretty much all the time but not have her locked up unless I'm away from the house and no one is around to watch her. I also plan on letting her have some time outside to play and I suppose do rabbit things. I know that french lops are a very large breed but I guess I was wondering if it would be ok to get a hutch that isn't enormous just to sleep and chill in because she would be getting exercise outside it?


On a side note she also has a sister and I was wondering if I should really try to adopt both instead of just the one?

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Hi there.

Personally if I was looking to rehome to someone for a French Lop I would not rehome if they intended to cage it at all. There is no cage or hutch big enough as a standalone unit for indoor use for a rabbit of that size. In fact many cages aren't suitable for any size of bunnies to be shut in.

Have you thought about the panels that some of the hutch makers are doing to screen off part of a room instead? They are like run panels only with clear plexiglass instead of weld mesh. So they look attractive and you can see through them, and they can be painted if required.

What I think you need to ponder is what size would the rabbit have to have if outside? To adopt from me a rabbit like a friench would need something like a 6x3x3 hutch with a permanently attached 8x6x3 run for full time access (or bigger depending on the size of FL) In some cases I'd say 7ft hutch or shed plus the run. And I know some rescues that would ask for bigger. So if that's what they need outside, that'll be the same amount of space a bunny would need inside too

janekitty said:

Hi there, this will be my first time adopting a rabbit but I plan to research thoroughly and really prepare myself. As of right now I am planning on adopting a three month old french lop from the nearest human society and was wondering what kind of cage or hutch I should get for it to keep indoors? I was planning on having her stay indoors pretty much all the time but not have her locked up unless I'm away from the house and no one is around to watch her. I also plan on letting her have some time outside to play and I suppose do rabbit things. I know that french lops are a very large breed but I guess I was wondering if it would be ok to get a hutch that isn't enormous just to sleep and chill in because she would be getting exercise outside it?


On a side note she also has a sister and I was wondering if I should really try to adopt both instead of just the one?

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Rabbits are very sociable animals, and always do better in pairs, so I would suggest that you adopt two (I'm surprised that the humane society hasn't already suggested this to you). Two french lops will need a LOT of space though, so alternatively, you could take her, wait to get her spayed and then bond her with a smaller bunny then?

I'm not sure how long you're thinking of leaving her in the hutch, but if it is going to be while you're at work, or overnight, then you have to bear in mind that that is a big chunk of the day. I don't think shutting her in the hutch for any length of time is a good idea really- she should be able to hop about when ever she chooses to and she won't be able to express those natural behaviours in a hutch. The puppy panels that have been suggested already are a good idea. That way you have her confined so that she can't chew up the house, but she can still exercise and do as she wants to.

janekitty said:

Hi there, this will be my first time adopting a rabbit but I plan to research thoroughly and really prepare myself. As of right now I am planning on adopting a three month old french lop from the nearest human society and was wondering what kind of cage or hutch I should get for it to keep indoors? I was planning on having her stay indoors pretty much all the time but not have her locked up unless I'm away from the house and no one is around to watch her. I also plan on letting her have some time outside to play and I suppose do rabbit things. I know that french lops are a very large breed but I guess I was wondering if it would be ok to get a hutch that isn't enormous just to sleep and chill in because she would be getting exercise outside it?


On a side note she also has a sister and I was wondering if I should really try to adopt both instead of just the one?

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Are they paired together? If yes it's really unfair to split bonded rabbits. Sorry if I've read that wrong it's just that you say both and not two?

Sisters, when they get older, don't always get along. Brother and sister is usually a very good pairing to have. It's entirely up to you of course but if she has a brother this would be better in the long term.

If you've your heart set on a French lop then I too would also get a pair (both frenchies or two different breeds). Some rescues will do bonding for you if they don't have a suitable existing bonded pair.

I'd recommend a bunny room if you can dedicate the space. You'd have to consider flooring and make sure any wires were covered and other potential hazards were out of reach.

If you can't give a whole room then maybe look at smaller breeds and go for an indoor pen such as thosed made by boyles. That's where I got mine from. It's one of the scrolling pictures on the home page (the one with the beige and blue colour scheme with the two bunnies in the litter tray). Mine get lots of free range time all over the house and some supervised outdoor play time too.

www.boylespethousing.co.uk

Just another tip, if you're going for indoor buns then litter training is essential. For big breeds or pairs you'll find lots of us use big under bed storage boxes rather than commercial litter trays which aren't big enough or high enough.