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10x6ft rabbit shed planning ( NEW to rabbits !)

crazycatlady

crazycatlady

Young Bun
Hi all,

please apologize the massive amount of questions :shock:I have but we are 100% new to bunny “keeping” . We’ve got 5 cats and i know them inside out, but we came across 2 lovely bunnies (now named Lilly and Dottie) that needed rehoming 4 days ago and simply couldn’t leave them behind.
We are a bit animal crazy here ( 2 crazy vegans ;) ) and want to give them (and the inevitable additional bunnies...) an as decent as possible home.

So a day after picking them up ( 3 days ago) we order a 9ft8 x 6ft5 shed which will become their new home. With the weather being ghastly in Wales we didn’t want to just rely on just the run for “hopping space” and went for the biggest shed we could fit on what iused to be our patio ;) . The shed is quite high so we plan on utilizing its full height for multi level accommodation, and we think it might be a good idea too keep the floor free for toys and litter trays and put the “nesting/ sleeping boxes” further up to maximize the floor space for hopping about and playing ?


pictures of the (not terribly professional) tentative plans are attached ;)
the shed will be insulated and cladded


Questions:

flooring:
will a slip resistant Vinyl floor be ok or is it usually chewed trough ( saw many people use vinyl in their brilliant sheds)
the shed will be somewhat off the ground, should we use insulation under the vinyl ? if so what ?

i also found rubber horse stable mats on Ebay, Those are 3/4 of an inch thick, look super insulating, are soft and are 100% water tight but super heavy (as RUBBER not foam). does anyone have any experience with this stuff or is this a bit over the top ? (price wise its not that much more than vinyl)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GYM-STABL...essories_SM&hash=item5647b89bec#ht_3046wt_991

or a thinner version (walls) here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stable-Ho...ssories_SM&hash=item4cfd49cc25#ht_2559wt_1141
(suppose those are these are material as these (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTI-FATI...Airbeds_CA&hash=item1c1b4d0106#ht_2417wt_1165)

or this (a much thinner general purpose rubber sheet, water tight but not very warm, sort of like lino)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RUBBER-SH...UK_Flooring&hash=item19cc3dd711#ht_500wt_1156


ramps:
We would like for the ramps to take up as little space as possible to maximize the “shelf” space, so the shorter the better, is there a recommendation for the maximum angle of a ramp ? and will a 12 inch depth be ok? The shelves are 80 cm wide (approx 31.5 inches). the ramps are planned top be around 30-35 cm (12-13 inches) leaving ample(?) space to still use the full 3meters (9ft8 ) shelf length for play

Are the little cross bars some people use on top as treads useful or should we add a railing plank to the side or a plastic tunnel to keep them from falling off instead ?

PS; couldn’t figure out how to make a “hole” in the shelf for the ramp in the plan, there will be one in the real life version of course ;) )


shelves:
the shelf width in the plan is 80 cm across the back ( 3meter long) and the side one is 70 cm, is this deep enough to play ?

Should we add “doors” fitted with mesh wire across the front of all shelves to keep them from falling off or will a certain hight railing system do ? (shelves will be fitted with anti slip lino or above mentioned THIN rubber matts)


interior cladding:
shed will be insulated with polystyrene, should we clad with plywood (cozier) or can UPVC sheets be used (wipeable white sheets). I wouldn’t want UPVC walls in my house but than agin the bunnies might not mind and it would be easier to clean !


“hutches”
the bed boxes are 80cm deep and 56cm wide (approx. 24x32 inches and made to fit ikea kitchen doors I grabbed in the bargain corner today so they can easily be accessed from the front). Is this big enough or too big to keep them warm in winter ? ( we will add cat beds, bedding etc).
are two of those enough or should one be added on the floor?


window access:
we will put some sort of platform above the opening for the right hand side shelf the shelf running back to front) so there would be a viewing platform on window level (currently represented by the foot stool). Would you recommend to build a short shelf on window level across the front ( both sides or one ? ) would all bunnies hang out in front of windows a lot of the time (sunbathe ;) ) or will a viewing platform approx. 70 cm wide and lets say 50cm deep be enough ) (in the plan this currently is represented by a foot stool ;)
should we put more levels closer to the window ? or will the ones across the room from the windows be enough ?



bedding/ litter
we ordered Megazorb horse bedding for the litter trays and beds (along with the hay we feed). they poop EVERYWHERE ! not just in the litter trays, on their food tray, in their bed etc ( they also lay in the litter tray) so far they are good when it comes to peeing though, Would it be ok to only put bedding ( megazornb and/or hay) in the dedicated trays and hutches (as to not to encourage all over the place pooping even more) or should we scatter it across the floor for comfort too?


side notes:
the very top level left and right under the eves will be shelves for storage.


if you wouldn’t mind having a look and letting me know what you think needs changing from a bunny and bunny owners point of view I’d greatly appreciate it !!



thanks a ton in advance ! :D


rabbitshed.jpg

rabbitshed_plan.jpg
 
Wow! Very very well thought out! I'm waiting to hear some answers to this!! I have just moved my buns into a shed, with 24h access to their run via a plastic tunnel. I'm also waiting to hear what is best to cover the wooden floor with... I did have an old piece of lino, but don't think it was non slip as used to skid all the way to the other end of the shed, not safE! Mine have survived this winter in there with no insulation at all and are also warm behind the ears when I go in and check them. They don't seem bothered by the wind and rain either, I always think they'll be frightened in the wind and hide in their beds but they don't care!! All I have inside at the moment is their old hutch full of hay to snuggle in, a cardboard bos with two tunnels cut into it full of hay and their litter tray plus toys and blankets. I also hope to make it multi level and have ramps, I'll be waiting to see what other people say about the heights and safety rails or barriers... I tried to make ramps for mine int heir old shed and they really struggling with how slippery things were! They prefered just to jump up!

Sorry I can't be much help, but thanks for writing such a detailed plan and asking lots of questions that I can look at too :) Good luck with the build :)
 
Looks fab. I'm not very with it at the moment so I haven't read through properly. I would definitely edge the highest shelf, maybe even to the ceiling. Will come back and have another read when my brain is more awake!
 
Wow! :shock: I've only had one coffee, so I can't help with any of the questions :oops: but I think you've thought of everything! The picture looks great!

I would just use non slip lino (or similar) on the floor and keep the megazorb and hay in the litter trays. They may get the hang of using the litter trays when they don't want to mess up their fabulous new home!

Can't wait for pics when it's finished! xx
 
I think, to get a good idea of what works for other people, have a look at the housing threads on this forum :thumb:

Mine don't have as big a shed as that (mine have a playhouse) but we have one 2 x 3 shelf next to the window and my bun is always sat there either lounging or looking through the window, so I think having a lookout point is very important.

I have guards on both my shelves, probably more for my sanity than to stop them falling off :lol: they are under a ft high and just extra pieces of plywood that are screwed on to form a bannister. I had a ramp but I found it took up a lot of room so I changed it to a shelf that they can use to access both levels. I'll add a picture for clarity :)

4d21f774.jpg


You can see the step up shelf here - I have covered it with rubber mats for grip when jumping on/off it
7803deaa.jpg


I have vinyl on the floor, but it is slippy for them so I have bought carpet mats and layed them on the floor. In the summer I will take 2 of these out and probably get some rubber mats so it is cooler for them to lay on. I should think that as they have lots of cosy boxes and the walls insulated the third link of rubber roll would be fine for the floor and much easier to lay etc (I've had to move one of those thick stable mats before and it is an absolute nightmare and so heavy!) and if you had to cut them to size the thick mats would be difficult to work with.

Are you planning on attaching an outside run at all? Ideally all rabbits need a run attached to get some fresh air and a change of scenery (as well as their vit D!) We have a run attached via a catflap - it only took about half an hour for them to get used to going through the flap and it is good to keep draughts out.

As for the litter training - ours were a nightmare before they moved into their w/h and run, we just have a large tray (the base from a rabbit cage we were donated) which is filled with Megazorb and a layer of hay - I find that 100% of wee and 95% of poos go in there. We sweep out every week and there are maybe 10 - 20 poops in the run and at most 5 in the house (I don't know why they don't just use the toilet for those ones like they have the rest haha :roll:). The key to getting them to go in the tray was I think mainly due to the fact all their hayracks are positioned directly over the tray so they sit and munch their hay and go to the toilet at the same time.

As for the insulation - as you can see at the moment there is mesh on the walls - we weren't planning on insulating it as we have a cosy box and snugglesafes for them (and they sit out in the run all winter anyway :roll:) but Misty was a terrible chewer and started on the wendyhouse struts so we quickly had to protect it - and as we didn't have time to skim it with plywood we meshed it. I have got some plywood sheets to insulate it now but I think upvc would be much better. When I move out I'm planning to start luxury holiday boarding and from my market research most good places line the boarding houses with upvc as it is very easy to keep clean and disinfect between visitors. Not sure how much more expensive it would be for that size shed though.

Hope that's been of some help to you :D
 
If you would like to come and try out your ideas on my shed before going ahead with the real thing you are quite welcome. Looks amazing. Still trying to get my OH to do something interesting with mine.
 
thank you very much for all the positive feedback and for taking the time to give me advise! it is greatly appreciated as I'd rather get it right the first time
It will probably be sooooommeeee time until we can start on the inside (so far we still have to sort the base and built the shed itself so it will take a little while). I will keep you posted, no guarantees that it will end up looking 100% as planned in real life ;)
  1. I think I will build a guard for the mid level shelves and some mesh doors for the top.
  2. will probably run a smaller shelf along the window on the left too, to maximise the space "with a view".
  3. UPVC paneling: found those they are very thin but IF we are insulating with a polystyrene board behind there shouldn't be any wobbling ( I hope) http://www.cabp.co.uk/acatalog/pvc_sheets.html#a352 They cost a little more than Ply but not that much (although ply would be much sturdier)
  4. wondering weather to insulate at all now (or maybe not right away ...), had thought about the SnuggleSafe disks too, do they stay warm for as long as they claim ?
  5. flooring: good point about the stable mats being very hard to work with, will probably go for the light weight version.
  6. yes they WILL get a run, access either via a cat flap or a drainage pipe tunnel. The size will probably be 1.5 x 4 meters (we haven't got a massive garden and the cats still need some room too ;)
  7. in case anyone is picking up any major flaws please let me know !

    @molly35, are you sure you don't want me to do mine first and than yours when I know what I'm doing ;) ?
 
Your set up looks fab! I can't answer all questions but in my shed we put polystyrene sheets on the walls and then covered with plywood. Then we have non slip lino on the floor and this is attached under the plywood on the walls so there are no bits that the rabbits can get to, to pull or chew or rip! The lino is very easy to clean. They also have a couple of fleece blankets to sit on and a plastic dog basket that I fill with hay and then another plastic box thing that is quite deep that I also fill with hay, they use it as a litter tray. I also have a little house in there for them to hide in.

Good luck with yours, it looks brill!
 
Just wanted to say also, good idea to put a guard on the higher shelves. I have a shelf in my shed which isn't too high from the floor with access via a child's wooden chair, the shelf has no guard, and in the excitment of food time, they go bananas and are up and down the chair to the shelf, but the other night Casper fell off the shelf. He was fine but your shelves being that much higher, for safety and peace of mind I would put a guard on them.

X
 
Oh no, poor Casper :rabbit2:! I'm glad he's fine.

As for the guards, the top shelf will be 1,20 meter (3.9 foot) above the ground (the first level is 60 cm above ground), so we'll definitely install either a guard or a mesh panel.
I like that the guards feel less prison like (not sure if the rabbits care ;) ) so would prefer them, but can't help but think that they might make cleaning the shelves harder (ie you can't just brush stuff down the front). I have been contemplating to use a full shelf height mesh panel instead that can be hinged and flipped up/down, i've seen people use both options, any recommendations or advise regarding which would be easier / better? having said that it just hit me that i could build a hinged flip down guard too :thumb:
at thsi point i am leaning towards a flip down guard on the lower shelves and a flip down full mesh panel on the higher ones...


Also, the original design I posted above does not allow for the rabbits to jump from level to level and the only way to get up and down is via the ramps, would you recommend to add a 2nd shelf on the right hand side and to adjust the height of both of those shorter shelves so that they sit "between" the two long ones (height wise) instead ? this way they could hop up ( the step would be around 9.5 inches, is that too high ??)
Are there bunnies who do not mind the ramps ( they would have guards also and would only be half the width of the shelves and on the wall side of the shelf ) I would prefer the ramps to be honest but if the majority of rabbits don't like them i could do it as outlined below ( the red "glass" would be where the wooden guards would be)

Apologies for all of the questions, but we have had the rabbits for less than a week and are jumping into quite a big (and expensive) project right away, with absolutely no past experience (smaller sheds, runs or even rabbits themselves) of our own to draw from. Thanks again everyone !


PS: floor update. i have opted for the following 30mm/ 1.21" thick EVA foam horse stable mat . They are an ugly black but they seemed a good compromise as they are thick, insulating, hard to chew and don't cost much more than lino either.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EVA-MIX-P...ssories_SM&hash=item1e69dc507d#ht_1360wt_1398


shed_designs_small.jpg
 
thanks Kermit:thumb:
I had thought about that too (after seeing it in someone else's pictures ;)) but some people mentioned their rabbits being scared of the ramps in general. Would the tunnel help or is it not that common of a problem anyway (namely do most rabbits accept ramps ?) . If i went for the "hop on" solution would 9.5 inches be an ok height between the levels ? and would you know what the steepest angle for a ramp should be ? (I want to keep the ramps as short as possible to maximise the usable shelf space)

THANKS!
 
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