• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

First time rabbit owner, hutch help please?

Willow218

New Kit
Hi, we're due to get two Netherland Dwarf bunnies at the end of September. I'm spending hours looking at hutches as I want them to have the best I can afford.

I don't have a big garden but can have something 6-10ft with a run. I'm now leaning towards a chicken coop having looked into them on this forum. So I've been on Hen Houses UK and found these and wanted to know if they are suitable please http://www.henhouseworld.co.uk/ch101.htmi can have either sizes, or bigger.

I have a few questions to:

Are they a reputable company.
Does the coop go on grass or pavers.
How do I dig proof if they go on grass.
Do I lock them in the sleeping part at night or let them have the whole thing.

Can anyone suggest a coop if these aren't suitable please.

Thanks
 
Chicken coops are not suitable for rabbits - for various reasons. You would do much better with either a shed / wendy house and attached run or aviary, dog kennel & adjoining run, or a hutch on top of a run. You need to meet the minimum space requirements for rabbits, and think about how easy it is for you to do routine cleaning, etc. Something that you can stand up in makes it a lot easier for you, and you can spend time there with the rabbits.

Mesh on the hutch and run shoud be weldmesh, not chickenwire as this is easily chewed through.

Hopefully someone will have some recommendations or links to companies who supply them. Aviary panels can be purchased online and make a good run of whatever size you need. A hutch or shed can be placed inside the aviary, or linked with a tunnel or cat flap.

The RWAF website also gives details of minimun requirements for housing for rabbits.

As for the base, mesh can go under the whole grassed are to prevent rabbits digging out and predators digging in. Lift the turf, place mesh down, replace turf.
Paving stones or poured concrete bases give additional security and are easier to clean & disinfect.
 
I agree with Shimmer! I personally like my Rabbits off the ground overnight as it can be cold and damp, so they need somewhere dry and out of the wind and rain. Rabbits, especially before they are neutered, will dig so most folk have their runs on slabs. A 5 x 4 playhouse would be ideal for 2 Netherland Dwarfs with an aviary connected via a catflap. Safety is paramount for Rabbits as there are a lot of predators around so an aviary would need a roof of corrugated plastic or similar to keep some of the rain out. A hutch would need a cover so by the time you have paid for hutch and cover you may as well buy a playhouse which will last for many more years than a hutch. It should last for the Rabbits' lifetime as I have one which is 9 years old and still got life in it.
 
Back
Top