Hutches

Question
Hi,
I'm not sure if this is one of your specialised subjects, but I'm going to give it a shot.
My two guinea pigs died recently (fox attack) and I was thinking of getting either more guinea pigs or a rabbit. I was wondering if you know the size of hutch suitable for a rabbit?
The length of the hutch is 100cm, width 52cm and depth 60cm. Is this big enough for any kind of rabbit, and if so, what would you recommend?
Thanks,
Lara

P.S. I, of course, have a run anyway, which I used for the guinea pigs. The reason the fox got them was I left them in there overnight.

Answer
Dear Lara,

A rabbit needs far more running room than guinea pigs so, so the run should be at least 20' x 10' to allow for lots of space for racing and dancing.  Our rabbits are never caged except the fosters, but I would never put a rabbit of *any* size in a pen smaller than 36" x 36".  It needs to be spacious enough for the bunny to stretch out and stand up without bumping anything.  And of course the bunny will need at least 4-6 hours of free running time per day, preferably in the  morning and evening, when rabbits are most active.

Contrary to what pet store and breeders might tell you, rabbits are not low maintenance pets.  They actually require more work and more careful planning than a dog or cat, if you do it right (which I'm sure you want to do!).

For all the best information about what to expect from living with a rabbit, please visit:

www.rabbit.org/

and do a bit of research before you decide on a rabbit.

If you do get a bunny, be sure any outdoor runs are secured with concrete footers at least 24" into the soil so no one can dig in or out, and that the top is completely covered and secured.  Foxes and many other predators have absolutely no trouble jumping a six foot fence.

And no bunny should ever be left outdoors unsupervised.  A predator can strike within seconds, before you even know it's there.

Hope that helps!  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana