Rabbits were first kept in hutches by the Victorians, when they were kept for meat. Although we still sue hutches today, we shouldn’t be working to Victorian standards still! A hutch should be a shelter, and never the sole or main accommodation for the rabbits, who should have access to large secure exercise area every day. Rabbits who are kept in hutches develop painful spinal deformities and brittle bones which makes them difficult to handle. Make sure you look after your rabbits properly and do not keep them confined to a hutch.
So, you will need to get a large secure hutch and run, the bigger the better!
A hutch should allow the rabbits to take 3 hops, and for an average rabbit, this will be 6 feet in length. Make sure that the hutch allows the rabbits to stretch up fully on their back legs , so it will need to be atleast 60 cms high (to avoid spinal deformities) and is also nice and deep so that the rabbits are not forced to sit right at the front of the hutch in very hot, or wet weather.
The exercise run is equally as important as the hutch, and if you make sure it is safe, you can attach it to the hutch all of the time so that they can exercise or shelter when they want. If you weather proof the run with a tarpaulin, they can make the most of it all year round.
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