Rabbit Shelter:
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- Cages with trays can be used but must be cleaned often.
- Hanging cages will allow the waste to drop through and is easy to remove.
- Cedar chips for bedding can cause respiratory problems.
- Aspen, corn cob husk and pine pellet bedding is recommended.
- With rabbits outside, keep them cool in the summer & warm in the winter.
- In the winter have a nest box with hay for cold nights.
- In the summer a misting system can help with the heat.
- Also automatic watering systems can be applied to your Rabbitry.
- Proper ventilation is very important to keeping all your rabbits healthy.
- Using a wood hutch tends to breed bacteria, wire is cleaner.
- Making a rabbit tractor aka rabbit run in the yard is a must, we feel. It is so they can eat fresh grass and run around. This is good for the rabbits, feed bill and it fertilizes your yard at the same time! Just make sure it is secure enough against predators and maybe put them in a safer cage at night. Just type in Rabbit Tractor on Youtube and you will get a lot of ideas.
- Check out books for design ideas and join chat groups, there are a lot of ideas on rabbit shelters. Find one that best suits your needs. Having a proper setup is key to a happy Rabbitry.
Rabbit Cage Sizes:
The cage wire that works for most rabbit breeds, starts with the the top and sides made out of (1"x 2") 16 gage wire. And for the bottoms use (1/2"x 1") 14 gage wire.
The bare minimum space for the rabbit is shown in the charts below. Of course if you can get larger cages it would probably be better for you and the rabbits. Just make sure not to make them so deep that you cant get to the rabbit when you need to pull them out of the cage.
Take your (length X width = total Sq. Inches)
Rabbit Size in LBS / Space Requirement in Sq. inches.
3-5 lbs / 180 sq. in
6-8 lbs / 360 sq. in
9-11 lbs / 540 sq. in
12 or more lbs / 720 sq. in
Now for the Nursing Does you will need a larger space
Rabbit Size in LBS / Space Requirement in Sq. inches
3-5 lbs / 576 sq. in
6-8 lbs / 720 sq.in
9-11 lbs / 864 sq. in
12 or more lbs / 1080 sq. in
We personally like the 36" wide 30" deep 18" tall with 14 gauge wire bottom making it a 1080 sq inch cage. Al tho It may be to deep for some. If you have shorter arms you may go with more of a 48" x 24" making it a 1152 sq inch cage. The bigger size is better we feel. Our first cages were 30"x24" and we did not think they were big enough for our 12 lb New Zealands. We are now very happy with the 36"x30"s. If your cages do not come with a support bar or heavy 14 gauge wire. You could use small square tubing as a support bar, to make sure the cage doesn't sag.