How to Build a Hutch For Your Rabbit

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     Got rabbits at home? Are you having problems on how to keep them safe from predators, especially when you are not around? If yes, consider building a hutch for your rabbit.

As pet owner, it is your responsibility to care for your rabbit and to provide the best care they can have. To keep them safe, your rabbit needs a cage or hutch where they can live in. These are suitable habitats for them because of the comfort, convenience and safety they provide. It is not that important to create a grandiose or large hutch for them. They only need an adequate space for them to feel secure and safe.

Previously, rabbits were constrained to cages to keep them safe from extreme climate and predators, but when they began to understand their behavior, they realized the cages were not enough for them. They believed that cages were not good for their health due to the limited space it has.

Before building one, you need to consider several factors like:
1. Latching door
2. Good ventilation
3. Types of materials used: Do you like to have a wooden hutch? Do you want to have a mixture of wire mesh and wooden hutch?
4. It should be large enough for what purpose it is intended.
5. It must be comfortable for them to live in. It must be spacious enough to allow them to move around, hop in and play.
6. It must be escape-proof.
7. It must be clean and sanitary.
8. It should adequately be covered to protect them from different weather conditions, like snow, rain, heat and storm.
9. It should have adequate space for its litter box, feed bowl and water container. It should have a separate where they can sleep.

Now that you know the basics of a hutch, you are now ready to build one for your pet. Gather all the materials needed before you construct it from scratch.

Materials needed:
1. Wire rabbit cage
2. Wire
3. Wire cutter
4. Metal ties
5. Nails
6. Hammer
7. Plywood
8. Galvanized iron
9. 2 x 4 wood
10. Rubber gloves
11. Saw

Instructions:
1. Buy all the materials needed from your local pet store or construction store.

2. Sketch the design of the hutch you want to have.

3. Choose a regular wire cage for your hutch. To avoid the hassle of cutting the wire, you can fashion the wire frame according to your needs.

4. If you have a ready-built cage, you can used as a base for your hutch.

5. Make a square footage of plywood and nail 4 legs to it. Wrap the wire in a straight line in all the four legs and leave about one inch of space between each line. Tie it snugly and cut the loose ends with the wire cutters.

6. Build a support frame around the wire cage using the 2 x 4 to make it stronger and sturdier.

7. Build hutch legs by using another four 2 x 4. Theese hutch's legs should have a length of 3 feet to make it easier for you to clean and to maintain the hutch.

8. Before you put a roof, choose a spot where you intent to situate it and hammer their legs into the ground.

9. Finish the hutch by placing the roof. You can either have loose or hinged roof for the hutch. However, it would be wiser for you to build the roof on the slope to prevent the accumulation of precipitation on top.

10. After you finished the hutch, you can add accessories inside it, such as litter box, food bowl, water bowl and many more.