Run recommendations/DIY tips/question

My partner and I will be taking in a rabbit in the next couple of weeks (she must have a home by then) so I have some questions about runs.

We've already spent a lot of money on preparing so I need to try and save money on the run, but of course I want to make sure it's safe and suitable too. We've ordered a 6'x4' play house and a hutch to go inside. The hutch will be open so she can use the whole play house, go inside the hutch, under it or on top of it. I'm also going to try to add a kind of mezzanine so she can see out the windows.

I could make a run, but for something 8' x 4' I'm looking at £50 for wood and maybe 60-80 for mesh, then more for the parts to hold it together and a cover, etc. So potentially £150+ total. The DIY route doesn't actually seem that economical if you have to buy all the materials new.

I can see lots of runs online but they all seem to be not big enough, not high enough, not sturdy enough or not safe enough. Or £400 in the case of the Runaround one.

Because of the amount we've spent already my budget for the rest of the month is pretty limited. So I'm looking for advice:

We could give her a week to settle in before getting a run, after which my budget will be more flexible.

Or I could go the DIY route, in which case does anyone have any tips to do it for less money without compromising safety?

Or can anyone recommend a run I can buy that's budget friendly?

Thanks very much.

I made my own runs using run panels I bought on eBay I made a 6ft x 6ft run and cost me £94 including delivery, the service is great and I’ve just ordered 4 more run panels and they made them a custom size for me so that I can extend the run I have now.

You could buy aviary panels and just add extra strong mesh on the other side so its double meshed which would be cheaper and easier than DIY.

Or for the time being buy a 2nd hand run and add/change it as time goes on and as finances allow.

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100% agree on the DIY route not actually being that economical. I was lucky: my Dad offered to build one and it's not that sturdy but it doesn't need to be for our situation. The panels do seem to be the best route, either aviary or other. I would defiitely go this route were I doing this again: sometime syou can get them secondhand on Freecycle, Gumtree, FB marketplace etc., although I'm tempted to ask the people at the maintenance shed down the road if I can have the ones out of their skip...! They're part of Western Power and they use them to temporary cover substation parts etc.

On the playhouse mezzanine front, DO IT! Ours is only 4x4 so we've just got a (big) windowsill and they spend loads of time up there, either there or in front of the tube just below it (covered by a door in the first photo)





My DIY skills are RUBBISH and I managed it really easily. I'm good at putting things together well, just not necessarily straight: I can't even cut a 2" peice of wood straight XD

There are quite a few aviary panel suppliers on ebay. 16 gauge wire with 1" square mesh is sold as foxproof (19 gauge isn't). You should be able to get something suitable within your budget, and maybe add to it later when funds allow. If the panels are joined with bolts or screws, it will be easier to dismantle and change round. Don't forget to put something on the roof (mesh and / or corrugated - I use coroline type panels from Wickes) and to make the floor dig-proof (solid base, or mesh under grass).

In my experience, DIY mesh panels don't work out any cheaper. You don't need much in the way of carpentry skills to make something that will do the job, but mesh isn't nice stuff to deal with when you have to cut it. Doors need a bit more skill to get right.