Rabbit's DON'T belong in cages!!!

[steny03]

Rabbits are actually lagomorphs, not rodents though.

My only hesitation about a colony on the ground is the rampant breeding that would occur. I used to have a rescue rabbit that was from a similar set up.

I used to raise rabbits and always used large wire cages (old fox cages, so quite large) to house them. I had an enclosed dog run I would let them run in too. If I ever get rabbits again I would consider a setup that would allow them a portion of actual ground run connected to their hutch, but I'd keep the boys and girls separate.

 

[chicken farmer]

my rabbit's have a section.. well technically two.. they have a 10 x 11 one that they aren't allowed in right now becuase i'm growing grass in it.. (one more week!) and the second is kind of temperary, 5 x 6 in both, i don't have a wire bottom but i do have wire mesh buried about 3 ft under ground connected to the walls.. so basically they can dig all they want as long as it's not out of their safe enclosure. It's their instinct to dig.. so why not let them? During the night though, they do go to their own seperate cages/hutches

That's wondeful!! And yes they love to dig and great even if you have a pen for them to be in for the day...thanks!

 

[chicken farmer]

Rabbits are actually lagomorphs, not rodents though.

My only hesitation about a colony on the ground is the rampant breeding that would occur. I used to have a rescue rabbit that was from a similar set up.

I used to raise rabbits and always used large wire cages (old fox cages, so quite large) to house them. I had an enclosed dog run I would let them run in too. If I ever get rabbits again I would consider a setup that would allow them a portion of actual ground run connected to their hutch, but I'd keep the boys and girls separate.

Yea I know they breed like crazy and can get pregnant right after birth. So you would of course want to spay or neuter(which most people breed like me) or do just doe's because I don't think bucks can be together inless raised together from kits

 

[insanity]

Both my lop pairs live in colony runs. There hasn't been rampant breeding. My french lop doe has had one litter in six months and the mini lops haven't bred at all. Maybe I am just lucky but it seems they are on the same schedule as the cotton tails. I expect a second litter in late July.

 

[chicken farmer]

Both my lop pairs live in colony runs. There hasn't been rampant breeding. My french lop doe has had one litter in six months and the mini lops haven't bred at all. Maybe I am just lucky but it seems they are on the same schedule as the cotton tails. I expect a second litter in late July.

Well that's great and thank you for choosing colony rabbit raising!!!

 

[SavageDestiny]

Rabbits are actually lagomorphs, not rodents though.

My only hesitation about a colony on the ground is the rampant breeding that would occur. I used to have a rescue rabbit that was from a similar set up.

I used to raise rabbits and always used large wire cages (old fox cages, so quite large) to house them. I had an enclosed dog run I would let them run in too. If I ever get rabbits again I would consider a setup that would allow them a portion of actual ground run connected to their hutch, but I'd keep the boys and girls separate.

My friend raises meat rabbits in a colony. She just has a separate, slightly smaller area for the buck and the does live together.

 

[chicken farmer]

My friend raises meat rabbits in a colony. She just has a separate, slightly smaller area for the buck and the does live together.

I was thinking of making a small area in the pen I'm going to build for my buck(s)

 

[SternRose]

I might ask dad if he could make me that for my mini lop doe and Dutch buck.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

         The natural life of a rabbit is to dig,burrow,run,hop,eat grass,be together,feel the dirt underneath there paws,live in burrows underground and just be rabbits. Rabbits do NOT get any of that in a hutch/cage all they can do is sit there and hop a foot or so and that's all they get. Could you imagine there life and how boring,dull,and hell it must be? And there sitting on a wire floor that hurts there feet and like I said they must be bored out of there mind and not very happy. Imagine if you were in a all wire cage and how bad your hands and feet would hurt from your body weight on top of wire and you would only have enough room to hop a foot or so and turn around.You wouldn't have a nice place to cuddle up or be warm or feel safe and be happy and have a fulfilling life that you loved.

         Like I said if you think about you in that small wire cage your whole life with nothing to do except turn around and hop and eat and drink on wire you would wish to be dead. That is no life at all for a rabbit,I mean you wouldn't do it to a dog or cat and a rabbit is no different. Look at wild rabbits or any animal for that matter,they have up to miles of territory and have burrows and they know there's food here and water here and my burrow is over here and I like to sleep under this bush over here and these logs are good hiding spots and ALL the things they love and have in there habitat. Rather you raise them for meat/4-h/pets or whatever think about where your rabbit lives it's whole life and you expect it to live there when you are raising them and they didn't choose to be put in that little cage behind the garage. And a lot of rabbits I have seen just sit there,chew or mouth the wire a lot just out of boredom and frustration of being in there.

        Yes,I have 2 hutches in my backyard and I have a buck in one and a doe in another but soon I'm gonna get a spot in the yard about 30 by 30 foot section and dig down about 5 feet than put wire than fill it back up and put wire around that so they can dig down but not be able to get out. And I'll have them a box and food and water and they can run,be together,dig burrows,eat grass,get out of the wire hutch and be rabbits and live a happy/healthy/natural life. I live on a little homestead and have chickens,ducks,garden,compost pile and other things here in the country and might raise my rabbits for food sometime soon but whatever reason your raise them for think about where YOU make them live there whole entire lives at and how you could make it better and for them. And the only reason people raise them in cages is because of easy clean up since the urine and poop falls right through the wire,but that doesn't matter look at there sad live's.

        Thank you rabbit raisers for reading this and hope you guys understand where I'm coming from with this and how you could make your rabbits life's better. I know it isn't the easiest task but we could still do something for our rabbits. Here's a page that show's and gives you information on natural or colony rabbit raising and it is very helpful and is a great idea  http://raisingrabbitsessentials.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Raising-Rabbits-in-Colonies-fljaoy.pdf   Thanks for reading!!

What are you going to do about flying and climbing predators. My 2 rabbits have a hutch that is about 3' X 5' with toys, tunnels and houses. They seem happy. I do let them out in the yard to run around sometimes, but for safety, the live in the hutch. I have hay and tiles to keep them cool and so they are not always on wire.

 

[insanity]

My set-up is two 8x10 chain link panels for the top and bottom with stretched chain link walls. Basically a chain link box. I added a layer of dirt 12 inches deep for digging in (french lops don't really burrow). A dog house for shelter, tarps for shade, and smaller wire cages ready if needed.