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Hutch advice needed- is a 5FT double as good as/better than a 6FT single? & other Q's

L

lshimmin

New Kit
Hutch advice needed- is a 5FT double as good as/better than a 6FT single? & other Q's

I am new to the rabbit world and have a few questions. All advice much appreciated.

Q1- Re the minimum space of 6FT by 2FT -is a double 5FT even better? I would prefer a 2 story hutch.

Q2- I am really torn between (1) a double enclosed hutch or (2) one with an open run under/coming out of the side

E.G 1 - http://www.therabbithutchcompany.co...the-coach-house-6ft-rabbit-hutch/category/16/
OR
2- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LARGE-12F...t=UK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry&hash=item3a8f672abd (note these are not my final choice just an idea)

I feel (in my human brain) an open run would feel like my two new babies will feel more 'outside' but do rabbits really notice the difference between wire and hutch as long as they have the space? On the other hand the double hutch would provide more space in the winter months when its cold.

Q3- Is it better to have a hutch with an open bottom on grass (for grazing) or is it better to have a 'sealed' bottom to prevent borrowing from both rabbit and predators?

Finally, after hours of searching, can anyone recommend a hutch that has both the minimum 6FT hutch area and a suitable attached run that either comes out of the side OR under (I can't have a run sticking out the front as my garden is long and narrow). It seems all the runs I have seen are under the hutch and provide very little head height etc. Or the run is 6FT but the hutch is tiny. My budget is £200 (is this realistic?)

Thanks for your advice. I bring home my babies in 2 weeks and really want to spoil them :D
 
:wave: Hello and welcome to the forum, and well done on doing some research into good housing before you buy it and get your little ones home :D

Personally I would suggest you get a large double hutch which is fully enclosed, more like your first picture than your second. If you can, I would suggest getting a 6ft double rather than a 5ft, as it does make a lot of difference to the available space. The challenge with a 5ft double is that there is a large hole cut out for the ramp and then the space that the ramp takes up, which means that the useable floor space is actually minimised, much more so than for a larger single-tier hutch where all the floor space is available. So a 6ft double gains back some of that space as it has an extra 4ft in total, but a 6ft single with an attached run would be great too, especially if you're on a budget. Be careful to check for height and depth as well as length, though, some hutches (like the one in the first link) might be 6ft long but aren't 2ft tall, which is what is needed for an average bunny.

The second type you've linked to is not suitable in my opinion, as the 'indoor' space is extremely small - much smaller than it looks in the photo - which means that by the time you've got a toilet corner and a food corner, there isn't any room to rest and relax out of the wind and rain, which is what bunnies like to spend a lot of time doing especially in winter! The outdoor area gives the illusion of a 'run' but it's actually not big enough to form a 'run' really, it just means that more of the normal living space is open to the elements and to getting cold and damp in winter. The lack of a floor can be a real problem in midwinter as the ground will freeze and get very damp, which doesn't happen to the inside of a hutch.

If you have a narrow area, I would suggest buying a single or double enclosed hutch, and a separate run which you can attach to the side of the hutch rather than the end so it fits in the space you have - you don't have to buy it as a single unit but can create it easily from various bits and pieces. You can do this by cutting a hole into the side of the hutch and attaching the run either by something like a cat flap or by using a 'runaround' type tunnel. I had a hutch made a few years back when I had a space which was 4ft wide down an alley, and I asked them to make a hinged door on the side, so that I could open it out into a separate run but close it off securely if I needed to. The advantage of doing this is that you can save up and extend a run as finances allow, as it is easy to add bits to runs in various ways.

It can actually work out cheaper to find a local carpenter to make one for you so it might be worth asking around. That way you can have it made specifically to fit the space you have available :D Good luck x
 
The other alternative is a shed with attached run. I'm not sure how much sheds are now, but a 6x4 ft shed is probably about the same price as a hutch, and levels can be added.
 
One option for long and narrow spaces is to go for a full height walk in run. That way you can go the full width of the garden and either have it at the end of the garden or have two doors and walk through it. If your in a terrace, for example, that can work really well if you use the house wall for one side and walk out of the back door into it. Then you can have the hutch inside open into the run.
 
Double hutch

Hello
I produce a 6ft x2ft x2ft double with a ramp, Take a look;)
Or just as a double

The extra bolts in the top image was a customer request.
 
Last edited:
Santa's post is excellent, so I'm just gonna build on that :D The first hutch unfortunately is only about 1ft high on each level and the minimum is 2ft for average bunnies, so unfortunately that's too small as the bunnies won't be able to periscope properly. The second hutch has an extremely small inside area and also doesn't offer much run space.

Happy hutch do a 6 x 2 x 2 hutch with a 6 x 4 run underneath - not sure if 4ft is too wide for your garden? http://www.happyhutch.co.uk/rabbit-hutches-runs/sykes-rabbit-hutch-run-combo-detail

Personally what I'd go for is a hutch (double or single, 6ft) and then a run attached to the short side so you can have it in a long line basically!

Alternatively a 6 x 2 x 2 hutch is £90 http://www.happyhutch.co.uk/single-storey-rabbit-hutches/flat-roof-rabbit-hutches-detail and a they also do 7 x 3 runs http://www.happyhutch.co.uk/our-rabbit-runs/rabbit-runs-all-wire-detail. I'm sure they would do a longer run if you ask. A 6 x 2 hutch with an 8 x 4 run gives 44 square foot. If you got a double tier hutch with a size of 6 x 2 x 2 per level, as well as the 7 x 3 run that'd give 45 square foot so would meet the requirements of the RWAF and RSPCA recommendations. Alternatively, you could ask to get an extension of the run to 11ft x 3ft along with the 6ft hutch and that'd give 45 square foot. There aren't any double tier 6 ft hutches on there atm but I know they've done them in the past so they should be willing to make one for you.

You can attach the two with a cat flap, or I also recommend runaround products: http://www.runaround.co.uk/products/connection-kit-4 or http://www.runaround.co.uk/collections/connections/products/bridge-link would work well!
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I am defo going to look for a double I think. That way I can really insulate the top hutch and leave the bottom one a little more 'open'
Hutch man where are you located? I am in Kent.
How much is the double with the ramp? I am guessing you would also make a long run? Thanks

I am going to check out the links today and see what I can find. Thanks everyone. I will let you know where I go with it :D
 
The Hutch Man said:
Sure no problem give me 5 mins and I will add an image for you
Click to expand...


Do you mean something like this?
This is only a 5ft version but a 6ft is no problem also as you can see when you have no use for the run you can just fold it away.
This had a 2ft high x 6ft x 5ft run and two open hutches.
Feel free to pm me with any questions you may have.
 
lshimmin said:
Just a thought but how about something like this ....


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOG-RUN-C...tchen_Steamers_Cookers_PP&hash=item4182f4fe68

Its not 6FT by 2Ft but its 3Ft by 4FT and the run could have shelves added?
Click to expand...

Something like that would work really well! I'd personally want to go a bit bigger though, as that one is 32 square foot. If you go for 11ft long instead of 8ft it'll be 44 square foot, which is the same square footage as a 6 x 2 + 8 x 4 run so that'd be excellent. Even 10ft rather than 8ft would be great. In my opinion it's best to go big to begin with rather than end up having to attach extra bits on later etc!
 
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