• 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.

Eglu hutch

BethanyRose

Young Bun
Hi does anyone have an Eglu hutch. I'd really like my buns to sleep in it when it gets colder, but they are currently obsessed with sleeping in their run. They currently sleep on sponge puzzle mats which they love, but because the Eglu hutch tray isn't flat, I can't put the mats in there. I tried once and it moved up and down on the ridge. They used it like a soft play centre 😄 They are absolutely not interested in straw. They don't want to sit on it, lay on it, nothing. So I've given up on straw. I kind of thought rabbits would burrow into straw or hay like guinea pigs do and sleep. But my two Nethies just love something flat. I'm just worried that not having anything surrounding their bodies (like we do with our duvet) will make them cold? I thought about blankets but I don't want to put wee covered stuff in my washing machine. My boy is 100% litter trained, my girl tends to spray/pee in the hutch when eating hay. I've tried putting the hay in the run but it makes a mess plus is more likely to get damp. So they hay is in the hutch now, but this in turn has turned the hutch into a litter tray. Hmmm what to do?
 
It will be too cold to sleep in a run all night during the winter. They need to be somewhere out of the wind and rain where they feel cosy. The ground also gets very damp in the winter which is not good for Bunnies to be on 24/7.
 
Stuff the ‘hutch’ part of the Eglu with tons of straw & hay, and just clean it out every other day if they’re using it as a tray (use puppy pads and megazorb or something similar underneath) and see if you can get a cheap tiny hutch for in the run, again stuff with hay and straw and then they have the choice to go somewhere dry and cosy if they want to. Mine all sleep out in their aviaries no matter what the weather. With the hutch I would put wood over the doors and make a little tunnel hole in the side so it’s super cosy :)
 
Thank you, currently their whole run is covered in taurpalin and I leave a gap at the opposite end far away from the hutch entrance for ventilation. The Eglu has ventilation holes, not sure if they are dtafty or not it's hard to tell. You said about the hay and straw, that is what I am doing but they don't seem to want to sleep where they poo. And if there's hay in the equation, they will poop. They're quite clean buns. They tend not to dig, chew etc accept their chew toys. So they like a nice non animal type place to sleep ha ha. I think this has come from them sleeping in the original owners bedroom! It's tricky, they're out there now, fast asleep in the run on their playmat as usual. I have a cover on so it's not windy. Not sure I could fit another hutch in their current run. It would take up all the run space
 
Imo a decent sized minimum for sleeping quarters is 6 foot by 3 foot. Dont know anything about eglu products but have heard people on other threads comment that they are small and that they are made of plastic.

Plastic would not be suitable in summer (too hot) or winter (too cold).
 
They tend to use the whole run as their hutch. I just don't know how you would keep a wooden hutch clean as my doe sprays in the corner of the hutch. How do you get wee out of wood?? Also I'd be terrified that a hutch would tip over in strong winds. The Eglu with all its floors is incredibly sturdy
 
Wooden hutches are best painted inside and out to make them more weatherproof and easier to clean / dry. You can also use vinyl flooring and plastic trays on the floors. I've not had one blow over in the winds, but mine are against walls or fences and have short legs. Decent quality and size wooden hutches are also quite heavy. Some of the smaller and flimsier ones with tall legs and hinged lids may have issues in high winds if poorly positioned.

I agree that plastic is easier to clean, and better from an EC parasite point of view - the parasite is spread via urine. The problem with plastic is that it encourages moisture build up inside (ie sweating on the walls & floor) which can encourage damp and mould spores in the bedding, if it's not managed properly. It is also more chewable for some rabbits.

I use plastic cat dens in the runs and they do get yuckier than the wooden nest boxes. I use a layer of newspaper on the floor and stuff them with hay in the winter, for when the rabbits are out in the runs - they don't sleep in them at night, but they do provide good daytime shelter from the elements.
 
Back
Top