Rabbit Hutch plans

[Matt A NC]

I am building an outside rabbit hutch for my neighbor's little girls. They will be getting Easter rabbits and want them safe, secure, and happy. I am only charging their parents for exactly what I spend on material.

I am planning a hutch that is a total of 4' long and 2' deep and 2' high. That will be sitting on 2' legs, so the whole thing will be 4' tall.

The back will be solid and the left side will be boxed for the first 18" for nesting/hiding place. This section will have a door for easy access and cleaning. The rest of the front and far end will be heavy gauge cage wire with 1"x2" holes. I will put in a door or 2 for access.

Is the boxed part too large for a couple small/medium sized rabbits? I could cut the plans back to 12". That would make the boxed part 1'x2'.

The bottom of the open part I am trying to decide between a solid bottom or cage wire with 1/2"x1" holes for the bottom.

The entire hutch will be covered with a lightly sloping roof for drain off.

I am using untreated wood for the hutch, but the legs will be cut from a treated 4"x4". The girls said they would like to paint it themselves. Is it safe if they paint the inside of the back wall?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Matt A NC]

Another question that should have been my first:

What the size requirements for a couple medium sized rabbits?

Matt

 

[Wyo Chick]

We built a rabbit hutch about 4 years ago. It sounds a lot like the one you are building. The nesting side may be a little big. If its smaller they may stay warmer. We made the floor in the nesting
area solid, but I wish we would have put wire on the entire floor. It's hard to clean the wood. I do layer the entire hutch with straw and our rabbit likes that. If the girls have room they may think about putting a small dog kennel around the rabbit hutch. We had an extra dog kennel and I placed it around the hutch. It has kept the rabbit safe and he is able to climb down his steps to play. We put him up at night. The kennel is only 4' high and 4'x4', but enough for the rabbit to get exercise.

 

[Chauntecleer's Keeper]

Use the wire for the floor, and put a board underneath which slopes the the back. The poop will fall through, and will be easy to clean up and put in the compost pile. If there are any outside corners on the inside of the hutch the rabbits will chew on them. You can put galvanized corner bead on the corner to protect it. It can be found in the drywall section of any home improvement store, and it is cheap. It would be nice to make a small yard for the rabbits to play in (under observation).

 

[helmstead]

Minimum space requirements for rabbits are .75' per pound of adult rabbit...

DH just built ours a few weeks ago. The kids are loving their three bunnies

 

[tay26]

I also agree to use all wire for the bottom of the hutch as anything else will cause a buildup of waste and wont let it fall through to be cleaned up.
I would suggest thinking about just making a box for the nesting area instead of sectioning off a portion directly to the cage. It should be easier because it will be able to move to any area of the cage and you wont have to make a door to clean the area out. We just made rectangular boxes out of wood that have removable tops for the lids to get the rabbits out and easy cleaning. It should have an opening/ hole on one side for them to get in and out.
Good Luck!