I need Rabbitry cage ideas

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I buy the ones from the farm store, the bigger ones, I think they are 30x36, but I'm not sure. We build our own stands out of 2x4's and put totes underneath to catch the poop. A board covers about 1/3 to get them off the wire. I also have 4 homemade hutches. All rabbits are allowed out of their cages daily or every other day to run in a fenced area.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

You will find that opinions on raising rabbits will vary a lot as to what is ideal. So I will tell you what I do, and some more general info, and you can go from there.

My cages range in size from 3'x2' for small (-6lb) bucks to 4'x4' for an adult NZW(10-12lbs) with a litter. All my cages are at LEAST 2' tall, sometimes 3'. This is big enough to hold a cardboard box shelter, a hanging toy, a bottle, a food bowl, and give the rabbit enough space to lay fully extended in at least two spots and stand up fully stretched out on their toes upright.
Every single cage has a solid floor and a few inches of hay for bedding. We add more hay every couple days and change out the entire cage as-needed (usually every couple weeks, less for some of the very clean boys, more for does with litters). The floors are very slightly slanted and on some cages have wire corners, so that any large amounts of liquid can run out relatively easily. The rabbits prefer to pee and poop on these wire surfaces too.
The cages in the garage have wire only walls. The outside cages have two solid wood walls, one wire wall, and one that is half wire and half wood. This gives the rabbits good shelter from our blowing storms but enough airflow to help keep them cool. Our hutch is also in deep shade so they don't overheat in the summer.
The ONLY wire small enough to be safe is hardware cloth. Rabbits will bite through chicken wire and break welds on 2"x4" wire and climb out. You wanna look at 1"x1/2" or 1/2"x1/2" gaps. The heavier the gauge the sturdier it will be. 1"x2" can be OK but baby kits may slip through the wire.

Wire cages with wire floors are the standard. Many of these stack or hang from ceilings. Sometimes wire floors cause sore hocks or rarely let feet slip through and become damaged, especially by predators (rats, dogs etc.). Many people put in mats to prevent this. Wire floor cages are very clean and sanitary. They are also economical because they don't need bedding. Rabbits tend to express more boredom/stress in wire cages. Wire bottom cages mean that kits outside the box die more quickly. Wire bottom cages leaves rabbit more exposed to cold and blowing wind (bad in cold, good in heat).

Solid floor cages are more stimulating. They need bedding which costs money. That bedding can be edible and gives the rabbits more to do. Rabbits like to dig and the bedding gives them something to dig in, wears teeth naturally, gives extra fiber. and can be a good addition to (or primary ingredient of) their diet. Rabbits are more active and happier in bedded/solid floor cages. These cages can be dirtier, and need more maintenance. Certain woods will degrade very quickly, and woods like OSB will degrade in 1-2 years. Rabbits can dig through OSB. Treated woods can be dangerous for rabbits to eat. A cage with bedding gives kits born outside the nest box a higher chance of survival. The solid floor with bedding will usually be warmer in the summer and winter, much like wire floors are colder in winter and summer. Solid floor cages are terrible for showing unless you are doing indoor-pet level care for the rabbits because hutch stains (even just grass hay stains) on the bottom of the feet/rabbit is a general fault. But a rabbit that isn't actively being shown or has dark feet may be fine.
(http://showing_info.tripod.com/faultsdqs.html)

Most industry-standard cages are 30"x30"x18"H. That size holds a NZW with enough space for them to turn around fully, and lay down stretched out, maybe hop a few times, but nothing else.
A larger cage (like my 4'x4') allows for a greater range of natural behaviors, but an animal on a wire bottom is less likely to take advantage of that space anyhow. A 4'x4' cage is JUST about big enough for a bigger rabbit to run in a circle at full stride if there's nothing in the way. A bigger cage is harder to maintain. We cannot reach the back-most corners effectively.

In the future, we want to build our future cages 5'x3' with two openings and the option to divide the cages for separating litters by gender into 3'x2.5' (30"x36") cages.

Consider adding cones on the legs for any hutches/outside cage structures to keep rats from climbing in.