hutches vs dog crate

at the moment i have Gabriel in a 48inch dog crate which is great, real nice and big for him as he is still a rather small bunny. i did ask OH's dad to build a shelf for it quite a few months ago but still no joy :? (ooh which reminds me, if anyone has any tips for me for making a shelf id appreciate it-im a complete DIY dummy so it would have to be very simple!)

im hoping that over the next couple of months Gabriel will have a girlfriend which again the crate will be fine with. however, i am also considering getting a pair of already bonded bunnies(to be kept seperately of course!) and my initial thought was to get another crate as they too would be indoor bunnies.

then i got to thinking about those hutchs that have 3 floors in them? i was wondering if they would be ok for indoor accomodation? or would it be better to stick to getting another crate so that there is more floor space for them so to speak? does anyone else use hutches inside their house?

i have seen the ones on SHAK that look as though they would be easier to clean then the traditional wooden types, but they are also rather expensive :shock:

what are your thoughts?

I have niamh and Splodge in a think its 5' ferplast indoor rabbit cage. Treacle and fudge live outdoors in a 6'x4' shed with attatched run.

I would go with the dog crate, they are really strong and built to last. Most of the 3 floors type cages are too narrow and very expensive. There is a dog crate shelf DIY in the rabbit care reference section if u want to have a look at that one.

toffeepudding said:

I would go with the dog crate, they are really strong and built to last. Most of the 3 floors type cages are too narrow and very expensive. There is a dog crate shelf DIY in the rabbit care reference section if u want to have a look at that one.

Click to expand...

thats the shelf i asked OH's dad to do because it looks way too complicated for me to do :lol: i do love Gabriels crate but just thought it might be more "fun" for a bunny to have different floors to go up and down.

i did have another thought about the wooden hutch though-how on earth would i dry it after cleaing it? :shock: i remember years ago when we kept my first ever bunny outside in a hutch it was very easy to clean but a pain in the behind to dry-sometimes we would wait a good couple of hours for the damn thing to dry fully and that was outside! (not that Minky minded of course :wink: )

I think, (I could be wrong) that rabbits would prefer more floor space as opposed to lots of levels.

I have put in shelves by just putting long pieces of wood in across the whole cage and then resting pieces of plywood or conti-board on these cross bars. The weight of the shelves stops the braces from sliding out.
I bought the conti-board at B&Q and they cut it to size for me. In one I put a smaller shelf in to act as a step between the two levels rather than try to make a ramp, but for the other I made a ramp, it wasn't too hard, I just glued short lenths of dowel onto a board. I think the step up idea might be the better option though.

As im not a house bunnt person i would have to say hutch, i do think its heather for a rabbit outside. val

Ryo_the_rat said:

toffeepudding said:

I would go with the dog crate, they are really strong and built to last. Most of the 3 floors type cages are too narrow and very expensive. There is a dog crate shelf DIY in the rabbit care reference section if u want to have a look at that one.

Click to expand...

thats the shelf i asked OH's dad to do because it looks way too complicated for me to do :lol: i do love Gabriels crate but just thought it might be more "fun" for a bunny to have different floors to go up and down.

Click to expand...

hi, thats my shelf in the care reference section, it isn't as complicated as it looks, neither myself or my other half have ever done any DIY before, and we managed to design it and build it. Charlie and Lavender love it SO much, its totally worth the effort. They rarely st downstairs, they're always on their shelf. Have a go and if you get stuck let me know, I'll OM you my phone number, then Steve and I will help where we can. My two seem so much happier since we gave then their new bunny home, it made it more than worth the effort. Have a go.

Daisy and Blaise (the lops) are currently in a cage built out of those new ideas cubes. If you haven't head of them...check out www.cavycages.com

My little Nethy Oliver is in a plastic bottom, wire top cage. Its only temporary though, we had a little problem with the housing :roll:

And in the summer, I have a large wooden, traditional hutch that they love!!!

xxxxxxx

Even though millie and bramble are in cages (large ones :lol: ) i would much prefer them to be in a crate which i might buy them as a bonding pressie

I think a dog crate with extra shelves would be the best option, in terms of size and cost. Are the SHAK ones the ones like lego that are bright colours?

thankyou for all the replies.

yes the SHAK ones are the ones that look like lego :lol:

looks like it might be another dog crate il be getting then. if of course i get the pair of bonded bunnies! :wink:

Harry has a one of those Tommy 120 cages.