Hutch space.

Hi,

I have a 3 foot square hutch which sits over a 7 by 3 foot run. Looks more like a chicken coop. Our 7 year old male rabbit has been housed happily in this covering the sides of the run during winter but sadly he died last week.

Our intention was to extend the hutch and run in the Spring to then house 2 rabbits together but the childrens grandmother (to our surprise) has kindly delivered 2, 9 week old little boys this weekend. I'm just worried that although I am happy that they have enough run space will they have enough hutch space or get agitated with each other.

I am able to add another hutch to the opposite end which I can connect to the run but am worried this will encourage them to become territorial and begine to fight? Also we have been advised not to have them neutered untill they are 9 months old? Seems quite late would anyone advise any differently? They are not from the same litter but are well bonded at the moment.

Many thanks
Lisa

Hi there,

Sorry for your loss

New buns sounds very exciting, bless them. I got my 2 rescue males (who were from same litter) about 7 weeks ago now and they were just over a year old. I suspect that the previous owners had issues with them 'humping' and circling which I noticed could get a little aggressive/persistant. Once they were neutered the behaviour has vanished and they are more loving than ever, constantly grooming each other and snuggling up and a very happy pair. I think the car journeys for checks etc at the time help the bonding no end.

Not sure re the extra hutch, but I think the more spaces they can explore in the better. My instinct is that they'd naturally stick together but more experienced folks on the forum will be able to advise i'm sure.

Good luck x

You need to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't start fighting. Especially when then get to about 12 weeks when their hormones start kicking in. You may need to temporarily separate them until they are old enough to be neutered/recovered and then re bond them together.
What breed are they? because different breeds are neutered at different ages.
Your hutch space sounds fine for now but again depending on the size the buns will get to will need to be taken into account.

Lisa81 said:

Hi,

I have a 3 foot square hutch which sits over a 7 by 3 foot run. Looks more like a chicken coop. Our 7 year old male rabbit has been housed happily in this covering the sides of the run during winter but sadly he died last week.

Our intention was to extend the hutch and run in the Spring to then house 2 rabbits together but the childrens grandmother (to our surprise) has kindly delivered 2, 9 week old little boys this weekend. I'm just worried that although I am happy that they have enough run space will they have enough hutch space or get agitated with each other.

I am able to add another hutch to the opposite end which I can connect to the run but am worried this will encourage them to become territorial and begine to fight? Also we have been advised not to have them neutered untill they are 9 months old? Seems quite late would anyone advise any differently? They are not from the same litter but are well bonded at the moment.

Many thanks
Lisa

Click to expand...

very briefly (for which apologies but really working!!)

3ft square is too small as they cannot develop their natural behaviours in this space - I am assuming that the run is not good enough to allow access 24 hrs a day (ie it is not heavy mesh, extra heavy wood frame, large bolts and underwired on hard standing)

The RWA recommends a minimum of 6ft by 2.5ft with an attached run of very high quality fox proof.

They will need to be castrated by a rabbit savvy vet at about 14 weeks old -(who gave you the 9 month date?) the vet needs to be experienced with rabbit anaesthesia (some less experience vets will offer to do this but have a lot of losses due to lack of training - rabbits are very different to cats and dogs in reaction to anaesthesia).

I am very sorry for your loss - do you know what the other rabbit died of? It might have been something that could be infectious to the new rabbits. Seven is middle aged so it would not have been from old age.

Have the new buns had their vaccinations yet? You could check out how comfortable your vet is with rabbits when they get their vacs.

Have fun with your new buns!!

There are a lot of housing options so you might find this top will give you some ideas: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?311878-Outdoor-Housing

I think you're right, with two bouncy youngsters upgrading is a good idea. If the existing run is in good condition you could attach it to a shed or wooden playhouse via a tunnel or catflap - that would give you a lot of indoor space and it also mean you and your children can sit in the dry and interact with them - great this time of year! You can pick sheds/playhouses up second hand for similar prices you'd pay for a big sturdy hutch. Have a look on local selling sites/freads/ebay.

You could do the same (shed etc.) and then add a new run.

Or you could go for a larger hutch/run combination, about 6'x2' (hutch) and '6x8' (run) is the recommended size for two. You can buy as one or separate and link them.

Like I said, lots of options

Hi,

Thank you for your comments. One is an English spot, the other is the same size but is black with a brown mark behind it's ears which mother in law was told was a fox marking?? They were purchased from pets at home so i'm not sure how much they knew about them?

We believe our previous rabbit was a jersey wooly or something similar but we are no bunny experts. He wasn't a very big rabbit but was in good condition, beautiful fluffy coat which he kept really clean himself with little grooming from us to be honest although my daughters did enjoy making a fuss of him. He was fine one day, we noticed the following morning he'd not eaten his food and went downhill really quickly from there and was put to sleep later that afternoon The vet said he was a healthy weight, wasn't mixy or flystrike so was put down to his age??

He wasn't a grumpy bunny and was happy to be made a fuss of in the hutch or run.. Wasn't a fan of being picked up but never bit a sole..

The hutch although smaller than recomended seemed plenty big enough for him. It is of strong fox proof construction on a solid base so they can have access to it 24hrs a day. The winter before last when we got a lot of snow we tried shutting him in and he wasn't happy at all so made sure he had plenty of bedding and he was happier to do his thing as he wanted. The new ones have taken to doing the same already.

I'm not sure a shed is an option in my garden as although it's 60 foot long and maybe 50 wide the best part of it goes downhill.. I can however make it longer either by attaching another hutch or the same set up again so they both have access to the much bigger run and a hutch each if they so wish but would a 12x3 foot run make up for a 3x3 hutch each? I also don't want to encourage them to become territorial as they get on great at the moment.

Sorry for all the questions just want to do my best for them.

Thanks

Do you mean an identical hutch/run to you have - that could be an option. Would your garden let you fit them side by side? You could then link the two hutches (creating a big 6'x3' hutch and the two runs to create 7'x6' which would be a great size. I think they'd use it more that way rather than two separate hutches 13' apart.