Is my hutch big enough?

Hi there~

I'm collecting my two baby bunnies at the end of the month, so I'm still setting everything up.
They are going to live inside a shed (with windows) inside their hutch because our area has lots of foxes so I want them to be safe. I've got a hutch and a run for them.
The hutch has two floors and is 4ft wide and a little over 3ft high (it doesn't have tall legs, the bottom of it opens straight onto the floor) It's one of the ones that has two wooden floors and can be separated into two hutches by folding the ramp up if needs be.
I was wondering if that would be big enough for them during the day while I am at school and during the night while I am asleep (and presumably they will be?)
I would set up the run in the shed and possibly in the garden on the grass in the afternoon/evening (obviously only if I'm right there for outside)

But I thought that maybe I could try to put the hutch inside the run? And only have half of the lid on? I don't know if this would work as the shed hasn't been put up yet and the hutch is still in the driveway... The run is still in the box (although it was all second hand) and if I set it up I would have no where to put it until the end of the month.

If that would work, should I open the bottom of the hutch so they have access to the run in the morning when I feed them, and then close it again so they are in the hutch at night?
Or just leave the bottom doors open so they have permanent access to the run?

If that doesn't work would the hutch be alright for the both of them - they are only small but I don't know what breed they are yet, just that they are lop eared.

Thank you


Edit:

I also just thought, I could always get some sort of wiring you know like an xpen to section off half of the shed for them to have, although my mother is very insistent on reminding me that it is NOT my shed, and NOT the rabbits shed, it is for their hutch so they aren't killed by foxes and she will be storing the garden furniture in there in the winter :/
Also as we already bought the hutch and run im not sure how that would go...
We got them both 2nd hand for £25 so maybe I could persuade her to clean the hutch up with me (as it isn't in best condition) and maybe we try to sell it for more? (as we got it for £15) but parts of the wood are chewed and it isn't actually in very good condition...

I just want my bunnies to be happy... I could always just try to set up the run with the bed and everything in it???


Please help!

All things considered though - the hutch they are currently in is very small, 3ft maybe less but it is a single hutch and they are sharing it. And were sharing it with their mother when I was working there in July just before the summer and probably still are.

The Rabbis Welfare Association and Fund (Which a lot of us here support) now states that you need at least 10ft x 6ft of permentant space for the rabbits to be able to access all day and all night.

I actually started out with a hutch much like the one you describe and my two now live in a large enclosure indoors, the hutch is sitting in the garden and I must admit when I look at it I think ''There's no way I could make my two live in that now''

The 4ft hutch would probably be fine if you got a large run to attach to it? x

Sarah1991 said:

The Rabbis Welfare Association and Fund (Which a lot of us here support) now states that you need at least 10ft x 6ft of permentant space for the rabbits to be able to access all day and all night.

I actually started out with a hutch much like the one you describe and my two now live in a large enclosure indoors, the hutch is sitting in the garden and I must admit when I look at it I think ''There's no way I could make my two live in that now''

The 4ft hutch would probably be fine if you got a large run to attach to it? x

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Thank you :3 I don't know how big my run is... I'm going to have to get it out to look at it now (annoying haha)
Honestly, why do pet stores sell hutches that aren't legally big enough?! Ridiculous

Mae said:

Thank you :3 I don't know how big my run is... I'm going to have to get it out to look at it now (annoying haha)
Honestly, why do pet stores sell hutches that aren't legally big enough?! Ridiculous

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There are no laws governing the size of run. It's just recommended best practice.

MightyMax said:

There are no laws governing the size of run. It's just recommended best practice.

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Oh alright, thanks but still they shouldn't sell hutches and runs that are far too small for the pets to be comfortable in them

The hutch would be fine if it is always open into the shed, so just a cosy place for a bed. A 6ft wide hutch would be better but gather you've already bought the 4ft one. They must not be shut in the hutch at all though, ie they should have access to the shed at all times. Ideally, you could attach a substantial wooden run to the side of the shed, all set on paving slabs, to prevent them digging out or predators digging in. In that way they can exercise and run around when they choose, rather than waiting for you to put them in the run. They are most active at dawn and dusk. There are some splendid ideas of sheds/housing on the forum. If you take a look you will get some good ideas.

Babsie said:

The hutch would be fine if it is always open into the shed, so just a cosy place for a bed. A 6ft wide hutch would be better but gather you've already bought the 4ft one. They must not be shut in the hutch at all though, ie they should have access to the shed at all times. Ideally, you could attach a substantial wooden run to the side of the shed, all set on paving slabs, to prevent them digging out or predators digging in. In that way they can exercise and run around when they choose, rather than waiting for you to put them in the run. They are most active at dawn and dusk. There are some splendid ideas of sheds/housing on the forum. If you take a look you will get some good ideas.

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The thing with that is that my mother is always reminding me that it is NOT my shed or the bunnies, and she will be storing the garden furniture in there for the winter. I thought about maybe putting the hutch inside of the run and only having half of the lid on? I could try and persuade her to give them half of the shed and I could section it off somehow.... I'm stuck for ideas, I wish I had have known before I bought the hutch :/

Edit to main post:
I also just thought, I could always get some sort of wiring you know like an xpen to section off half of the shed for them to have, although my mother is very insistent on reminding me that it is NOT my shed, and NOT the rabbits shed, it is for their hutch so they aren't killed by foxes and she will be storing the garden furniture in there in the winter :/
Also as we already bought the hutch and run im not sure how that would go...
We got them both 2nd hand for £25 so maybe I could persuade her to clean the hutch up with me (as it isn't in best condition) and maybe we try to sell it for more? (as we got it for £15) but parts of the wood are chewed and it isn't actually in very good condition...

I just want my bunnies to be happy... I could always just try to set up the run with the bed and everything in it???

Mae said:

Oh alright, thanks but still they shouldn't sell hutches and runs that are far too small for the pets to be comfortable in them

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Breeders keep rabbits their whole lives in one foot square cages, with no hay or enrichment.

All perfectly legal!

Mae said:

Oh alright, thanks but still they shouldn't sell hutches and runs that are far too small for the pets to be comfortable in them

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They are out to make money, I'm afraid. They sell some awful wire cages and runs they say are suitable for rabbits, which they clearly are not, and sawdust for bedding, when there is evidence to show that it can cause respiratory problems. Same as all the sugary treats we are made to feel we should be buying for them .....etc etc

MightyMax said:

Breeders keep rabbits their whole lives in one foot square cages, with no hay or enrichment.

All perfectly legal!

Click to expand...

Oh my god that's awful!!

I feel so sad because I know that my bunnies right now are in a single hutch cramped in together and with their mother and they never get let out, only put in a separate same size hutch as theirs is cleaned. I can't wait to get them and give them a nicer home

Also at the farm, they have 7 baby bunnies all in together in a single hutch (3ft I think?) it's terrible. They're all falling over eachother, and the horrible thing is that they have six single hutches all together, and they keep food in them!! instead of having 2-3 rabbits per hutch (which is still bad) but they have 7 all together in one!

Can you take a photo of your set up and where the run will be? It's hard to picture and we may be able to think of constructive ideas!

Ask your mum to watch these if she's not convinced about giving them more space in the shed. A lot of people on here don't use hutches, but whole sheds instead, me included. Remember any outdoor pen MUST be thoroughly predator and dig proof if they're left unattended - threats include birds of prey and other people!

Another cool video:

And this one too!

I thought the shed was to be 'theirs' but obviously this isn't the case. I'm not sure what to suggest, then, particularly as the hutch isn't in very good condition. Rabbits are expensive pets to keep, I'm afraid, if you are going to do it 'properly'. They have to be neutered, have annual vaccinations and urgent vet attention if they are ill.

Mae said:

Oh my god that's awful!!

I feel so sad because I know that my bunnies right now are in a single hutch cramped in together and with their mother and they never get let out, only put in a separate same size hutch as theirs is cleaned. I can't wait to get them and give them a nicer home

Also at the farm, they have 7 baby bunnies all in together in a single hutch (3ft I think?) it's terrible. They're all falling over eachother, and the horrible thing is that they have six single hutches all together, and they keep food in them!! instead of having 2-3 rabbits per hutch (which is still bad) but they have 7 all together in one!

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Are you rescuing or buying from the farm? Is it a public farm or a private one? Are they regular rabbit breeders or was this an accidental litter? The housing they're in sounds like some of the neglect cases rescues have taken on!! Poor bunnies.

sounds like you have a few option here. You could either have the hutch in the shed permanently open and section off part of the shed for the buns so your mum still has space. Then you could put a catflap on the side of the shed and the run outside the shed so they can go in and out. (I think this will give them the most space) or you could attach the hutch to the run either by a runaround tube, catflap or attach it straight to the hutch.

Don't worry about having a 4ft hutch for now you can increase the space over time and it sounds as though these bunnies are in a very small space so I'm sure they will be happy with getting more space. maybe you can save up and invest in a bigger hutch later on.

What sex bunnies are you getting?

catxx said:

Are you rescuing or buying from the farm? Is it a public farm or a private one? Are they regular rabbit breeders or was this an accidental litter? The housing they're in sounds like some of the neglect cases rescues have taken on!! Poor bunnies.

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They're from Ladyland farm in Horley which is a nice farm I went to for work experience and I had such a good time! The rabbits there are usually £30 each but she is gifting them to me for the work I did. The farm is actually in very good condition and it is a schooling farm - classes from schools come there to learn about the animals and its ever so clean - all the animals are cleaned out once in the morning and once in the evening after the kids have left to make sure that its safe for them, so I don't know why the bunnies were housed like this especially as they had 6 'show' hutches where the kids sit down and have the rabbit lesson and they also had four hutches the other side (one of which the 7 babies slept in to keep the 'show' hutch clean) so I'm at a loss as to why this is...

They're definitely regular breeders and actually there was a litter of 3 while I was there (in the outdoor pens) and as they sell the rabbits and have the option to let the parents of the kids who come buy a rabbit if they want - I remember when I was around 3 going there for a party with my school friends and putting my hand up to buy a rabbit before my mum said I couldn't haha

Lady Logamorph said:

sounds like you have a few option here. You could either have the hutch in the shed permanently open and section off part of the shed for the buns so your mum still has space. Then you could put a catflap on the side of the shed and the run outside the shed so they can go in and out. (I think this will give them the most space) or you could attach the hutch to the run either by a runaround tube, catflap or attach it straight to the hutch.

Don't worry about having a 4ft hutch for now you can increase the space over time and it sounds as though these bunnies are in a very small space so I'm sure they will be happy with getting more space. maybe you can save up and invest in a bigger hutch later on.

What sex bunnies are you getting?

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I'm not sure what sex they are, when I decided to get them she told me that we wouldn't be able to tell for sure until they were 14 weeks old, I'm hoping for two girls as ive already picked out names, all I know is that they are siblings and in the excitement of finally getting rabbits after years of wanting them, I stupidly forgot to ask her the breed so that was oh so clever of me...

I know I definitely can't have any sort of anything outside (even the run unless its just for an hour and I sit right next to them) because we have a crazy amount of foxes around here which is why ive never been allowed to have them before... So I think i'll try to save up like you said, and thank you, I feel a little better knowing that they will at least have a lot more space than they do now