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My hutch

CrispyClaret

Warren Scout
I thought I had best start a thread to show my home built hutch. Having looked at petshop, 2 floor hutches it seemed fairly clear that they include total floor area to give the impression that the bunnies have a decent area to move around in. So I searched the net and found plans for one that I liked and within my limited skills to build and adapted its size to better suit me.

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It is 8ft long, 3ft deep. The bottom has around 22" of headroom and the hutch upstairs is about 4" higher at the eaves, the roof obviously adds a lot more height upstairs on top of that.


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Wood framing is 2"x2" the ply for floors, walls and roof is 3/4" it weighs a ton.


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The wire is stapled to the inside of the frame, with a thin batten screwed over to stop the wire being pushed off from outside.
Floor in hutch has loosely fitted lino with battened edging, easy to clean and one day replace. Full width door at the bottom for me to crawl in to clean up...not fun as I hate small spaces.

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The bottom front face and the long door at the bottom have these screens loosely fitted. Keeps out wind and rain, gives privacy if needed as well. The rear and right side are close enough to the fence to allow airflow and keep out moggies. I have heard something pluck at the wires during the night before i made the screens..bunny cam is not good for my nerves

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Bunny cam with built in microphone and 6 blacklight leds, bunnies cant see the light but I can see them. A long lead goes through my bedroom window to my tv, you can get a wifi version. Bunnies do not sleep for long periods like our cat, was a surprise to see how active they are at night.

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The garden run in its current form. Windbreak come screen as next door have a large barking dog that does try to get through the fence. Big dog, big voice, arthritis so he cant jump over, poor thing. Roof is hinged for us to sit/stand with them, the cheap hutch thing serves as a stool for us to sit on...coffee sits nicely on the roof on a piece of wood. We have needs as well as rabbits. Half of roof is covered to give a dryish area if it rains.

So, thats it as it stands...however
I am going to extend the upper hutch floor to give them more space at night, I will move the ramp to face the other way and they will have access to it through the floor with a trap cover that i can slide easily from outside.
After that I will probably think of something else to make. Oh yes, castellated edge for their castle in the run is needed.
 
That is absolutely brilliant. You are so clever. I am so impressed. I'm rubbish at stuff like that but I have a husband who I ask to do it for me. My hutches have got insulation built into the back walls and reptile heat pads in the walls on thermostats to keep them warm in winter.
 
I thought it wasn't a shop one! You have put a lot of love annd thought into that. Of course, for me anyway, it's always "work in progress". It keeps me out of mischief!
 
The shop bought bit is the tiny thing in the run, Cath saw it and liked it and I really wasnt in the mood to build one.
As for me being clever, honestly this is my first attempt at building anything apart from Airfix kits and Ikea furniture.
I am hoping that 3/4" of ply will be enough insulation, I can always fill all the space with hay, paper and fluff.
To be fair, I have no idea if heating pads are good or bad. They do love my electric blanket when they pop into the bedroom for an evening grooming session/strictly come dancing. Mentally I am stuck between cute/pamper them, to fur coats works in the wild.
A quick thought to torture the brain. You see people dragging dogs around that are wearing little tartan coats, so why are they not wearing booties as well? Surely fur keeps you warm but the ground under their footpads must be freezing and rough. :roll:
 
That was part of the reasoning for extending their upper floor. I am not confident in leaving downstairs open at night, this way they get a bit more room to run at night.
 
That was part of the reasoning for extending their upper floor. I am not confident in leaving downstairs open at night, this way they get a bit more room to run at night.

As long as it is good and sturdy and standing on concrete, they should be fine allowed downstairs at night, and they would appreciate the extra freedom.
If it isn't on paving slabs, but just on grass, I wouldn't feel confident leaving them during the day, either, as rabbits are such diggers.
 
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Its on concrete and its barely moveable by myself and my much stronger brother in law.
Open fields behind our house, although a lot of chickens between us and the fields...rare poultry breeder as a neighbour. My sister lives opposite and again, fields to her rear. Next door neighbour says there are no foxes around here, obviously that explains the fox/s that have killed my sisters ducks in the past and the occasional roadkill fox.
Again its that inner nagging doubt between letting them have more area to roam and wrappng them up in cotton wool.
 
That's excellent, well done. I love that you are already contemplating what you might do next.

We have done something similar with a night vision camera that I got from Aldi. It's fixed to the roof of the run and we can put the cable through the lounge window, to hook up to the tv x
 
I just find them fascinating to watch. Its 23.20 I am in bed, my cat trying to decide whether to go out or have a night in and on tv are my babies, currently settled down. Their sleep pattern varies from snuggled together or facing each other through the partitions door. They totally ignore the sleeping box I made for them, probably I should write their names on it and then they know its for them.
I wonder what they think about? Just hope they are happy fur balls.
 
What a brilliant hutch and run you have made for them. Its great that you recognise their need for space at night. It is surprising how many people shut their rabbits in at night.
 
Spent all week cutting wood again, this time I have extended their top floor all the way to the far corner. Kept them in my bedroom last night, they appreciated the central heating. Main reason was so I could start early with my planking etc. Floor finshed, ramp moved, new door made.
They can now run to their hearts content on the top floor at night and both floorsduring the day, one day I will overcome my worries and leave downstairs access available 24/7.
Need to make a new partition door upstairs, if I need to seperate them through ilness or post-op it will make life easier and both will still have room to move around.
 
Need to stain/preserve the wood but the basics are finished. Ramp has been moved to the opposite side and it now slopes back into the middle of the basement rather than into the side wire, access via a hole in the floor with a sliding trap for nighttime. My original lino offcut had exactly enough left over to cover the floor.

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Their chew wood is a large slice of apple tree.

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They have changed their sleeping quarters, instead of in their food area they are now just behind the new door or to its left under a shelf behind the middle door. Typical that they are now hiding from bunny cam.
I need to get another door knob to match the rest.
 
Today i moved the bunny cam ��
Tonight I have brought them inside. Next door breeds chickens, lots of chickens, mainly rare breeds. This afternoon a fox was paying interest in them. Well for me, he can eat as many chickens as he/she wants but not my bunnies. Doubt it will have a happy ending which is a shame as I actually like foxes.
 
I love that you have built it...really inspiring..I am designing a new hutch set up too and the amount of times I have changed the designs to incorpoate this & that...i need a bunny cam!!!!! lol!
 
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