Horror at human hutch sizes please read!!

hiya all,

As a bunnie rescuer and very into welfare I thought while sat here this afternoon I would work out what it would be like to live in a rabbit hutch and was so alarmed at what I found I shall be throwing away all my 4ft hutches and replacing them with 8ft hutches.


I measured the dimensions of an bog standard adult female dwarf lop bunnie and rounded them off the the nearest inch.

Flo is

14" long (in a sitting position from nose to bum)
7" high (from floor to highest point)
7" wide (from her widest part)

The hutch I used for comaprsion is:
48" long
15" wide
15" high

I then measured myself (I am only little) 24 year old female:
6" wide
15" long
60" high

So if I have work this out correctly which in a way I hope I haven't

By dividing the lenght of the hutch by the lenght of the bunnie and the same for the other measurements and then multiplying those answers with my maesurements I would be living in a hucth:


19.2" long
32.1" wide
10.7 foot high.

I have worked this out on the basis that we stand on two legs and rabbit don't so my width which was measured from my side (if that makes sence) is equal to the rabbits lenght. My Lenght is equal to the rabbits width and highs are equal.

I also workout the same for a run:
70"long
36"wide
19"high

My run would be:

30" long
77.1" wide
10.85 feet high


I cannot believe that and really hope one of you will point out that I am c**p at maths and have done it all wrong. I know it is not quite right as there are other factors involoved but it is shocking.

The plan was I was going to work that out and then build the equilivant hutch and take it to events to show people just how crule to rabbits we are but I never guessed it would be that small!!!

What makes me cross is that you go to lots of pet shops and on line sites, the majority of them sell hutches which are alledged to be 'large rabbit' hutches which are 4 foot wide and 14-16 inches deep and are less than 16 inches high. As a rescue we use this size hutch for a pair of guinea pigs and nothing else. Unfotuntely this gives the impression to people that these sizes are accpetable. The amount of rabbits we get come into us in 3 foot or 3.5 foot hutches is amazing. For three piggies we use at least a 6 foot hutch which may have been made up from a 4 foot and a 3 foot hutch joined together, so we don't waste these small 'rabbit hutches' anymore

Most of the hutches that are sold as rabbit hutches are really not suitable for a rabbit. As a rescue about 18 months ago we invested in hutches for all our rabbits which are 122cm high (48 inches), 60cm deep (24 inches) by 110cm tall (43 inches) these are double storey hutches. These are ideal for most rabbits but they are NOT suitable for the larger breeds. The extra 10 inches in depth and few inches in height make so much difference for the comfort of our rabbits. I certainly would not recomend going any smaller in size than this.

Certainly most rescues would support you on any ideas you ahve to enhance peoples knowledge about bunnies being provided with larger accomodation.

Janice

I have been doing a survey on my website regarding accomodation etc and it is shocking the size of some of the hutches people keep their poor bunnies in. Here at the rescue I have some 4ft 2 storey, some 6ft, some 8ft and 1 bigger enclosure. I only have 1 single storey 4ft which I use in an emergency but wouldnt keep a bunny in there for long. It makes me so upset to think many people still keep their bunnies in the tiny little pet shop hutches

I agree with what Janice said, the most alarming thing to me is that pet shops sell these little tiny hutches/cages and tell you its fine for two adult medium sized bunnies. If people know nothing about bunnies then how are they to know any different, you believe the pet shop as you think they're the experts! grrrrrrrr! :twisted: