Wooden or wire rabbit hutch floor?

[Fiasco]

Hi! I'm building a rabbit hutch and I'm not sure what kind of floor to use. Would it be better to give them a wooden floor throughout (with hay in the nesting area and wood shavings in the run area), or a wire floor in the run with a tray filled with shavings under it? I've read people saying different things about this. What do you think? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

I am assuming the ones advocating a wooden floor have rabbits as pets only and/or are warning you about sore hocks. Wire .5" x 1" galvanized after weld is durable, allows rabbit waste to pass down through, and does not cause sore hocks in a vast majority of rabbits.

I have a doe that came to me with sore hocks and she healed on wires. That said, it is advisable to have a resting place off the wires. We have warming pads for winter that we leave in all the time, easy to clean and they do not chew them up, but large floor tiles can also be used and they are cooling in the summer.

I would NEVER raise a rabbit on a wooden floor. For one, you will end up cleaning it THOROUGHLY every day. It will get urine soaked, which is quite unsanitary and possibly will cause mold, besides the fact that your rabbit will be constantly urine stained also. Even if you use a litter box, you still have to clean the floor daily. While rabbits will urinate in one specific spot, they are not as specific when they poop. They poop when they are eating and when they hop around. You will have to clean the floor every day.

PROPER wiring is the better choice for sanitation and the condition of the hocks.

 

[Fiasco]

Haha, I guess you saw both of my posts! (here and on BYH)
I wasn't sure if one would get any replies, so I went for both...but I guess there was no need!

Thanks again!

 

[mike1970]

lol I would say the opposite but yes my rabbits are pets and they are on a rubber floor not that hard to clean

 

[balloonflower]

Ditto on wire being better. Also, when you install it put the side where the .5" side up--creates a better surface.

 

[Fiasco]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

I will take all of your advice into consideration when I build my hutch. There's certainly a lot to think through!

 

[KathryninQuebec]

Fiasco, Howdy Neighbor! We just started with meat rabbits a couple of months ago. I found an invaluable book called The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver by Karen Patry. I got it on Amazon for about $20.00 . It covers everything you could imagine in detail for pets and meat rabbits. It's my Rabbit bible right now.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mine are 1/2 wood, 1/2 wire. My rabbits can choose where to sit.

 

[Fiasco]

Thanks so much for the suggestions!