Look at the rabbit hutch my hubby built

[luvmyturkens]

. I was so proud of him when he finished these in less than 2 weeks. We're still deciding if we're going to paint some of the exterior and we may have to make their sleeping area a little bigger. My son has Flemish Giants that he got for 4H to show at the fair. I couldn't resist adding pics of the residents of these "bunny condos", Bam Bam and Pebbles

a close up view

view from the back. we wanted a door to make it easier to clean out their sleeping quarters

Pebbles about 11 weeks old

BamBam about 15 weeks old

 

[Hoosiermomma]

Great looking hutch!!!!!! Is that a pull out tray underneath?

 

[ducks4you]

IT's beautiful! (So is your bunny

Boy, this style hutch has sooo many uses! I keep "Fanny", my adult RIR (2 yrs. old) one that's 3 x 4 ft and 3 ft deep. Sombody made the floor with 1/4 hardware cloth, so it can be a nursury for a crop of chicks in the future.

 

[luvmyturkens]

Unfortunately that isn't a pull out tray. That is one thing he said he wished he would have done different. So far, they seem to be doing their business in one corner so that makes for easy cleanup. I actually thought about getting a couple of those corner litter boxes at the pet store to see if they would use them. I had suggested to him that we put some ceramic tile or or linoleum on the floor to make it a little easier to scrub but he gave me one of those looks

He put the supports on the bottom so that he could eventually put another level down there to keep more bunnies in.

These are 4ftX4ft. We were told that the minimum space requirements for Flemish was 2X3. We thought we'd give them a little more space and my son would like to breed them so it will give us lots of room for the babies

 

[ducks4you]

You don't need it. MY bunnies (when I was 12-15) had an open air bottom cage, too. Just buy some mistint paint and paint the heck out of it--3 coats!! Then, dip the legs in the paint for a 4th coat. You might put some something below to keep it from getting mucky during the winter. Otherwise it's easy to clean with a rake.

 

[ducks4you]

I KNOW that you've already got your bunny in the cage. Find a warm dry day, and give him a "vacation" -- bunnies aren't real bright, so he'll REALLY enjoy it!!!
Start in the morning and your paint job should be finished by mid-afternoon. Bunny can go back in the evening, and you won't have to look at wood rot next year. (Rabbit urine is HARD on wood!!!)

Again, congrats on the hard work.

 

[ducks4you]

ALmost forgot--you CAN litter-train your rabbit. I know someone in a townhouse (in Philadelphia) that had his rabbit trained to one.

 

[luvmyturkens]

Thanks for all the suggestions

The legs and the supports ( i think they're 2X4's) are treated wood. They're not exposed to the inside of the pen at all so the bunnies can't get to them. We have the hardware cloth attached to the inside of the frame.

The floor isn't open, it's solid because of the fact that they are a large breed of rabbit and its not good for them to be on wire. The roof is shingled so we are hoping that it will protect the untreated wood from the rain, although I know that the dampness will eventually cause problems. It's hard to see in the picture, but there is an overhang on all sides.

I have wood shavings in the pens and I piled it higher in the corners that they are urinating in so that I can protect the wood more. I thought about painting it but I wasn't sure what paint would be safe to use for the bunnies since I know they will chew. They have lots of chew toys to keep them busy though. We make sure to clean out the wet shavings at least every other day.

We figured we'd learn from our mistakes. I'm sure we'll be building more of these as our youngest son gets closer to 4H age.

 

[bwebb7]

Do bunnies need to have shavings?

 

[Hoosiermomma]

We use shavings for our rabbits ( a mix of pine and cedar) it keeps the odor down as well the flies at bay. Of course we have a pull out tray under our cages so the rabbits aren't sitting in it.

luvmyturkens....where do you live? If you have cold winters you will want to put the hutch somewhere where they are free of drafts and you will want to put something around 3 of the sides.
You can litter train your buns as ours have been. Just get one of those corner pans or even a small cat litter pan. I put some of those recycled newspaper pellets in there an it absorbs the urine and keeps the odor down.