Termite Proof Housing Ideas?

Does anyone have experience with termite-proof housing? The bunny home we have had for the past few months is made of wood and sadly we have noticed evidence of termites. We are planning on building a new bunny home now and were trying to determine which material would be best (and still look nice in our yard!)

Thank you!

I think this is the first termite question we've had!

I don't know if you could raise the structure and then protect the legs? For example if you had a raised hutch, you could wrap the legs in duct tape - sticky side out and that stops bugs crawling up.

How do they feel about composite wood (wood mixed with plastic) like they use for decking boards - that might be worth investigating.

Do you have a picture of the current home - is it a house/hutch type or the run that's being effected?

Thank you for the quick reply! This is what I am currently using....
http://www.amazon.com/Frugah-Deluxe-Wooden-Rabbit-Chicken/dp/B00DE6KQUG/?tag=leosm1-20

We live in Southern California where there are a ton of termites so we want to try to avoid using wood if possible.
We did think of the decking idea as well (great idea!) but my husband said that it might be difficult to build an actual structure with.

We have been toying with the idea of using a plastic shed and attaching a run made out of vinyl posts and the proper metal mesh material. Not sure if that will work....

We have a lot of termites here in Florida too, we used to see a huge swarm of flying termites come out of our woods every summer! home owners here have to have these green plastic disc things put in the ground around the house to keep the termites from eating the house. like these here http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef639.asp i don't know if that would be feasible though.

alternatively you could have a chain link dog kennel attached to a metal or plastic shed. I imagine you'll need to put the shed in the shade and have plenty of ventilation to keep it from heating up inside. this is what i want to do when i have outdoor rabbits again. I guess maybe wooden dog kennels look better in a yard but I love my chain link one (I have one for my ducks) much more than wooden ones. I like to avoid wood when possible as it weathers, isn't easy to clean, and attracts fire ants, carpenter ants etc.

Termites can fly... yikes!

For the run, how about an aluminium greenhouse frame, and then mesh over that - you can usually buy just the frame quite cheaply (either new or second hand) and covered in mesh that would give you a lovely walk in run. Here is an example - http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/greenhouse-rabbit-run.asp use weld mesh rather than chicken wire and it will help make it more rigid.

What's the weather like? For the enclosed area- maybe you could build a little hut from bricks, you can buy readimix cement and wouldn't need to be too skilled. Just the four sides (leaving an entrance gap in one). Then for the roof, use a wood board but cover it completely in roofing felt (both sides) to protect it.

I don't know whether a metal or plastic shed might get too hot?

Wow you guys are awesome with the great ideas!
Tasmin, We live in Southern California. In the wintertime, the temps do not go below 40 degrees F at night - in the summer, our warmest days are in the low 90's but that is only for a few days out of the summer. I will pass your ideas on to my bunny house building husband. I truly appreciate all of your help.