Help Needed Please With Shed/Aviary Conversion in Thailand

Hello,

I'm in need of advice please on how best to put an old chicken coop into use for rabbits.

As we live in Thailand, the weather is mostly hot and humid and so I don't think a fully covered in accommodation will be necessary or desired.

We have already spent quite a bit of money on 'doing up' this run down shed and so my DH is reluctant to spend too much more. I'm hoping others here might have some good DIY ideas they can throw my way which would finish off this amazing opportunity to house my three bunnies in a more healthy way.

Currently they are stuck in cages.....can't wait to get them out of there! They are not neutered or bonded, so having them running together is not an option. They are a daddy rabbit (Lollipop), and his two offspring (Bramble - female, and Willow - male).

I've attached some photos to help inspire possibilities. Your help is sorely needed.

Thanks so much.

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This following photo shows the inside wall. There is existing concrete flooring.

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This last photo shows the existing concrete flooring and the concrete blocks. We have put the fiber planks on ourselves....but as you can see, I think that needs tweaking some yet. Thoughts?

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Oh, and for some extra information, the structure measures 20 feet long x 6 feet wide x 6 feet high.

That's a really good size run. Is there any way the bunnies can be neutered? Then they can be bonded and you can leave the run as one big aviary - more room for them and easier for you to clean out.

If you have to split it into 3 sections, you will need to be able to access each area separately. Dividers would need to be at least 4' high so they can't jump over (including from any platforms) - ideally to the roof to be certain they can't get over. I would put up a substantial shelf 2-3' above the ground. Then you can put bed area in and there is additional floor area. Either a ramp or something to use as a half way step would give them access.

Have a look at the ideas in the 'sticky' in Housing (Outdoor Housing Tips and Examples)
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?311878-Outdoor-Housing-Tips-amp-Examples

Thanks for taking a look at my post. I am actually wanting to get the 3 buns neutered, so that would obviously be a better idea. Guess I should do that first. How long after they've been neutered can I put them together.....and how would I go about bonding them first please? I really don't want to leave them in cages for very much longer.

I think I'm kinda in a rut over this rabbit housing! I'm just stuck to know where to start.

It looks great! Even if you do have to split it into three that will still give them a good size space each. As it's a lovely tall secure aviary, I'd just do the splits as 4' tall barriers, rather than full height - that will save money. Most important thing to think about will be how you'll access them so you might want to walk into a little lobby with 3 'gates' to the pens. Or if the door is one end, split it into three across the width and then have a gate between each - if so I'd suggest having a half gate so you step over the lower part - that will help stop them sneaking into the next pen.

I agree, if cold temperatures aren't an issue you don't need a big sheltered area. They will need something to hide in though - just wooden boxes or upturned crates etc. I'd be tempted to fill it part with soil - just a couple of inches so it's only up to the concrete blocks not the wooden boards - that will let them dig (the concrete floor will stop them digging out) which they'll enjoy and you could add in some tunnels with soil mounded over. A box or two for hiding and they'd have a lovely fun area to explore.

Oh wow! I LOVE your ideas. I'm suddenly feeling quite motivated to make something happen. I should mention we have scorpions and snakes here, but hopefully we have closed the gaps enough to prevent any from entering.

One thing I am worried about though.....pooping. My rabbits are NOT litter trained. They are all 3-5 years old now so not sure how litter training would go for them. As they are currently in cages with litter trays underneath, while cleaning up poops is not fun for anyone and is a biggish job, I can only imagine how difficult it might be to clean up the floor of that entire aviary! Is there an easy way to take care of poops in a aviary? Low maintenance would be fantastic! We have lots of other animals and so I am attempting to manage things more cleverly.

Thanks

Edited to add: I've been reading up about bonding rabbits. Assuming I get them all neutered/spayed, can I still put them in separate runs in the aviary while they're getting used to each other, and then at some point, possibly pull down the separation walls? Where I'm going with this question is - don't I have to bond them on neutral territory? If they have already been living in the aviary but separately, then this won't be neutral territory any longer?

Yikes, I'm glad we don't have to deal with those here!

You'll probably find when they first go in they'll scatter poop everywhere to mark the new space, but once they settle in they'll pick a corner to use and you can then put a litter tray there and that makes cleaning much easier. Litter 'training' is mainly just putting a tray wherever they happen to decide to poop

If you look on pinterest or google images for rabbit enclosures that should give you some more good ideas for what you can do with so much space. It's like creating a mini world which can be lots of fun! Logs are another one that you can often get for free but are good for climbing/jump on/over.

Neutral territory is important but you could either do it somewhere else or clean out one of the divided sections and scrub it down, and remove the toys etc. and that would probably be neutral as it would look/smell different Then once you know they got along pull down the walls and rearrange everything.

Ok, thanks Tamsin As I improve things/renovate, I'll be sure to update with photos here.