Rabbit Hutches – How To Plan Best Home for Your Bunnies?

 

Rabbit hutches are a great way to cage your rabbit outdoors where they feel the best. Because they will be outdoors, it is important that their hutches can protect them from the outdoors. Weather and predators are the two worst enemies of outdoor rabbits. Just like rabbit cages, hutches need to provide plenty of space for movement and accessories such as food bowls and litter boxes. There are a number of rabbit hutches available for purchase through your local pet store, but many people decide to build their own. These hutches are usually made of chicken wire and a few two by fours. This is fine but the hutch needs to be high enough and strong enough to avoid predators. A roof should also be provided to keep rain off your bunny, they hate being wet.

Because rabbit litter training is fairly easy, a litter box should be placed in the cage. A common mistake made by those caring for rabbits is to leave the mesh floor exposed so droppings and other waste just falls to the ground. The mesh floor can damage your rabbit’s feet over time. Their feet can then become infected or be permanently damaged. When rabbits are in pain they tend to stop eating and drinking, so a soft, flat, surface should be provided to avoid this. In cold climates proper bedding is essential for keeping your rabbit warm. Rabbit hutches should also be kept in the shade in hot climates. Either way, plenty of drinkable water needs to be available to your bunny at all times. Temperatures in the high 70s can cause symptoms of overheating such as drooling and runny noses. When the humidity is high this can be compounded, and temperatures above 85 degrees can be fatal to many pet bunny breeds. A frozen jug of water placed in the hutch can help your pet stay cool.

When designing your rabbit hutches it is best to keep in mind how your bunny would live in the wild. They spend much of their time in cool, dark, burrows and eat whenever they aren’t sleeping. It is vital that you recreate these conditions as best as possible to give your bunny the very best quality of life one can get living within rabbit hutches.