How do you house your rabbits ?

[poultrykeeper08]

How do you house your out side rabbits ??



I have about 20 or so ... Rabbits . I keep some in hutches and others I keep in a rabbit coop . ( they have a huge pen attached to my barn and have a covered run . They made burrows into the ground, witch makes catching them pretty hard some times .

Does any one know if it's healthy for rabbits to br on the ground ??

 

[redhen]

That sounds like a cool set-up!

 

[Akane]

Currently I have a 3x6' cage made of plywood base coated in nontoxic polyurethane so it cleans like plastic surrounded in wire shelving. I made it for guinea pigs. It's divided for the 2 does I have in breeding condition. Then I have two 2x4' wire bottom cages made with shelving panels and hardware cloth over two 2x2' pans each (biggest size I can find locally) that hold my bucks. One commercially made 2x2' cage and an extra 18"x24" cage set aside for emergencies and transport.

I have 2 ideas in planning. I sold my chickens and am only going to have quail or guineas fenced off in the large building I was using for a coop. I want to set up a colony or 2 in the remaining space and the 8x8' former bantam coop. The larger building stays warmer in winter and it's possible but difficult to get electricity to. The smaller building is shaded all day with screen doors for either end so it stays cooler in summer but I can't get electricity to it. I may just end up putting the does loose and the bucks in large cages in the big building over winter and the small building over summer. They are both wood floored but the larger building is actual oak planks.

I would make a pen outdoors for my rabbits but the daytime predators are the reason I gave up on chickens. I probably will not be able to keep anything out of a building until I have the ability to build insanely sturdy pens.

 

[3chimama]

My rabbit is in a hutch and during the day he has a wired "playpen" for exercise. He loves it and I think enjoys the change of scenery...

 

[Bunnylady]

As you have noticed, rabbits on the ground will dig, they will even dig out. Several kinds of predators can also dig in, which is very unhealthy for the rabbits! There are certain diseases and parasites that a rabbit can pick up on the ground, which it isn't exposed to in a cage. So whether it is heathy depends on how clean the area is, and what other animals live in the area. Of course, a cage can be a pretty nasty place too, but that is the fault of the owner!