Outdoor Rabbit Cages
Getting a new rabbit can be a great and exciting edition to your family. Rabbits are perfectly happy living indoors or outdoors. They are, however, a little more comfortable when they are outside. This is because they deal with cold temperatures better than they do with warm temperatures. It is important if your pet rabbit is being kept outside to provide them with a safe, comfortable and stable outdoor rabbit hutch to live in. There are two distinctly different ways to approach building rabbit hutches.
First you want to make sure you have your plans drawn out to the closest detail. This will assure that you have all of your appropriate supplies for building your own rabbit hutch, so you are not caught in a spot right in the middle. Draw it out in any way you know how, making sure to write down all of your measurements carefully. When drawing out a rabbit hutch design, always take into account how big your rabbit is, or how big they will become before deciding how big the hutch should be. Your hutch designs don't have to be fancy. While you might think that your rabbit may like two or three different areas or compartments, this is not true. Rabbits are happy with one solitary area to live in. While in a rabbit cage, they are interested in eating and sleeping. Play time will occur when you take them out to socialize them.
Once you’ve built your hutch, to get important information about rabbit health and necessary rabbit supplies I recommend you seek further advice at How To Train & Care for Your Rabbit.
There are two options to consider when you decide to build your own rabbit cage:
- An All-Wooden Enclosure. This type of rabbit cages is the most common and popular. It is not, however, the best choice for a pet rabbit. We will cover why this is after discussing the way to design it and build both kinds of rabbit hutches.
It is best to use sturdy dependable plywood when building all-wooden rabbit hutches, not particle board. This cage will be home to your rabbit for a long time so it is important to use good supplies.
- This type of cage is generally designed with two different sections. One section will be completely enclosed, all except for a small opening for your rabbit to enter and exit into the larger portion of the cage. This section can have a wooden floor but it is recommended to have a wire bottom. This is because your rabbit will generally use any bedding as litter and they do not know any better than to go to the bathroom whether they are in their "bedroom" or not.
- An All-Wire Cage (Wooden Frame). This rabbit cage is the easier one to make. Go to any rabbit show, pet store, or farm supply store, and buy a regular indoor wire rabbit cage. Although meant for indoor use, they are perfectly suitable to be made into outdoor rabbit hutches as well. What you will do is take good quality 2 x 4's and build a frame around your wire rabbit cage, with legs at least 3 feet, and a strong safe plywood roof. It is best to put the roof on an angle sloping down towards the back in order for rain or snow to run off it. Shingling it or draping and stapling plastic to it is optional, but helpful in preserving the wood.
The larger section should be approximately twice the size of the enclosed area. This section will have a wire bottom and a door in the front. The door should be wire as well. This will allow your rabbit to have circulation throughout the pen. Circulation is vitally important for rabbit health. Make sure that your rabbit hutch has a sturdy roof, especially if you are in an area where there might be snowfall. Also make sure that the cage is set high enough off of the ground to allow for circulation, at least 3 feet. One last option is to put a solid door on the front of your "bedroom" area; this will make it easier to catch your rabbit if he is playing hard to get.
The option of dropping pans for your hutch is just that; it is an option. You can either build a wooden pan that could slide in and out of it, or simply allow the droppings to fall to the ground. Cleaning this up once a week is sufficient for sanitary issues, but you may consider doing it more often with a dropping pan, because it is closer to your rabbit's enclosure than the ground.
The second option is the better option for your pet rabbit. It is likely that with the wooden hutch, your rabbit will urinate in the corners of the cage. The wood will soak it up and the ammonia will gather. This isn't the best way to maintain your rabbit's health. It will take a long time for this to occur, so if you do choose the wooden rabbit cage, your rabbit will not be ill all the time; it is just something to consider.
Building rabbit cages does not have to be hard. With a good plan and knowledge of what you are hoping to accomplish, it will be a breeze!
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Comments
Wood is impossible to clean with conventional cleaners that are capable of removing dangerous virus and bacteria spores. It can make your rabbit sick. Wood also is easy to chew. Rabbits are heavy chewers... painted wood can kill a rabbit if they accidentally ingest it. The best cages are made entirely of wire. They can be mounted on cinder blocks and a roof area should be built over it. A wooden cage should be thrown in the dumpster and never used again if a rabbit died in it.
You can make a wire cage at home by cutting out wire. Best would be 1 inch by 1 inch 12 gauge galvanized wire. Hog rings can be used with a crimping tool to put the cut pieces together. Feed stores will carry the wire and the tools needed to make these cages. The tools needed are wire cutters, and the crimping tool. Wood should never be used where the rabbit can chew or defecate.
I saw on your site that you hope to own a rabbit someday. Well I hope you never own a rabbit. Any rabbit owner knows that rabbits are easily litter box trained, so to solve your "soiled bedding" problem, put a litter box (with proper bunny bedding/litter) in their favorite potty corner and voila....they have a designated bathroom area seperate from where they sleep. This hardly ever fails. The box can be easily cleaned, and the wood wont be soiled. A pan would be ok, but the wire "fall through" bottom is not good for bunny. A wire bottom is an AWFUL idea. This can put painful sores on the bottom of bunny's feet, and, if not treated properly, can become infected and lead to more trouble. And why would a rabbit be more comfortable outside? You say because they deal with cold better than heat....well what do you do in the summer when its 90 outside?? Even at 80, you can tell the rabbit is becoming uncomfortable. They need circulation, yes, a small marble slab is a good idea, as well as frozen water bottles in the summer. Even a fan, if you can accomodate that. And they should definately be in some shade. Rabbits are social and like to be indoors, with their owners, where they wont just be left outside and neglected. They are also animals of prey and can be literally scared to death by say, the neighboors dog jumping the fence and getting too close to their "nice", "safe" wire bottom hutch. And by the way, what the heck good is an "all wire cage" for a rabbit who is outside??? That is just STUPID. They will be exposed to all kinds of weather, animals, etc. And shingles or plastic is optional??? Think again. Without protection, that roof wont last long. The roof over your head has shingles right? If a rabbit is to be outside, an all wire cage is NEVER the better option. Its not an option at all.
Before you go posting awful advice like this for all the world to see and unfortunately maybe even adhere to, you should really find out what you're talking about. I only hope no rabbits have suffered from this disgraceful how-to, written by someone that I doubt even knows the "how to".
I agree with the above poster - rabbits do not have soft pads on their feet and their hocks can get really hurt in a wire floor hutch. Also rabbits dont like enclosed areas with only one entry or exit, they are prey in the wild and feel trapped by areas with only one entry, please advise readers to build any enclosed areas intended as a bedroom with 2 escapes. A room with no escape is a toilet, a bedroom needs 2 escapes.
I hate to be negative, but have to agree with previous posters - there are some glaring errors in this howto which need to be corrected. Rabbits do not deal well with either heat or cold, requiring a constant temperature of between 50 and 80 deg F for good health - it is near impossible to maintain appropriate temperatures outdoors, year round. Predators can also get into most hutches and even if they cannot, can scare to death rabbits left outside overnight or unattended during the day. As others have pointed out, wire bottomed cages can harm rabbits' feet; wooden or plastic floors are best. If you must use a wire floor, cover it with untreated timber or a thick layer of straw over some newspaper. Multiple rooms are also essential to give the rabbit separate sleeping, eating and toilet areas and to alleviate boredom.
As the OP said, building a rabbit cage does not have to be hard - but it does pay to do some research before launching into a design!
You don't want to build wooden floors unless you plan to replace them periodically. As the first poster stated, rabbits will chew on the wood. Also narrow wood boards are not as clean because they tend to not shed rabbit pellets as well as wire does. Newspaper with a thick layer of straw over the top defeats the purpose of a wire floor but you probably already knew that. Also I would worry about the color ink being ingested by the rabbit.
Having a rabbit indoors only works if you don't already have a cat or a dog and have no plans to get one.
All wire cages are not used outdoors without a shed, garage, or barn surrounding them. Typically the owners hang the cages high enough so that most dogs cannot reach them.
That said, the picture of the hutch is intriguing. I might just try that. Thank you.
Ahh thanks for the incredible criticism. I'm glad everyone here is an expert, which I do not claim to be, just a person who has owned hundreds of HEALTHY AND HAPPY rabbits, and shared what I have experienced. The point of an article is to cover all bases. This is what I've done without being repetitive. Thank you for your thoughts, but I feel the level of professionalism here and the level of rudeness is a little unnecessary.
I'm sorry. I wasn't criticizing you. I was talking to earlier posters.
I was looking for plans for an outside hutch due to the fact that I already have an indoor cat and dogs and I don't have the time to make plans myself. I suppose I could simply hang a wire cage from the roof of the shed but I wanted something better for them. And yes, I do know from personal experience that rabbits will do a pretty good job of chewing wood.
I am always looking for new ideas for my rabbits and I came across this.I think some of the previous posters are rather rude.I totally agree with Casey. I believe that you can have a rabbit in the house along with cats and dogs as long as they are not left unattended and well behaved. I personally keep my rabbits outside because we have a small house and there just isn't room, if we could afford a bigger house then I would keep my rabbits inside. I have had rabbits for 20 years, outside,in hutches made of both wire and wood. Wire cages with a wooden roof and some have a wooden house attached and for others I use a pet carrier or a hooded cat litter box full of hay for them to sleep in. The hutches are situated in a shaded area of the yard but there is also protection from the sun, wind, and rain in the way the roofs are made. In the summer I do use frozen bottles in the summer and in the winter I use hay for some of the more messier rabbits( changing as often as needed) and for the cleaner ones I use old towels. As for chewing....I offer them old "unpainted" wicker baskets, or toys to play with. I will never say that I am an expert with rabbits, hence the reason I found this site....I feel every one has an OPINION to SHARE, and should be open to other peoples opinions.
Wow!
Casey, this post is so wrong in so many ways and if people who obviously know a greater deal than you do about rabbit care bring this to your attention how about offering some sort of apology or at least admitting you could have done some additional research rather than throwing yourself a pity party “ I am so happy everyone else is an expert” … please grow up just a little.
We are after all discussing how to create a safe and happy home environment for a living/ feeling creature that is domesticated and therefore completely dependant on the care of it’s owner, you cannot possibly expect for people not to become upset with you.
I own a bunny that was rescued from a hutch much like the one you described and she had toes amputated and is quite skittish from the horrible experience she had.
The thing about the internet is that there is a lot of misinformation out there, but as a person engaging in “how to do’s” or offering advice I think it pretty imperative to be a responsible human being and learn your facts particularly when discussing the care of pets who are like family to many before talking out about it. Most any credible website regarding rabbit care list all of your “yes’s” as HUGE NO’S! Please use more caution in the future.
A few side notes****
My cat and my rabbits co-exist just fine, it took a little time but they are great together.
I have lived in one-bedroom apartments with my house-trained bunnies and you could not pay me to keep them outside!!!!!!!!! If you cant make space or time for your pets, do not have pets, (this was is for Lee Zingo)
Everyone of course is entitled to their own opinion, but there is a wrong way and a right way to do certain things and in this instance Casey is so far off base it is scary.
Did anyone mention all of the scary parasites that rabbits get from being outdoors? Your rabbit should rarely be outside, and never unattended.
Just a general helpful hint in relation to people who are cleaning up lots of rabbit poo, rabbits can be litter trained in a matter of weeks and are very particular about where they go. If you have mountains of rabbit poo, you probably need to clean up more often, the rabbit would probably not like to be in a dirty smelly hutch any more than we would.
In Australia rabbits are prone to getting mixamatosis from mosquito bites and the vaccination is illegal, it is a horrible painful way to die and any bite can pass it on so as well as trying to make an outside hutch as predator proof as possible (if you must keep bunny outside) you should also make sure there is some kind of insect screening (particularly in Australia) that will at least minimise the bunny's chance of contracting mixi.
Also a lot of people claim to have owned lots of happy and healthy rabbits, but then act surprised that the average rabbit should live for 8-12 years (not the short life spans of aforementioned 'happy and healthy' rabbits). Over the last few years humane rabbit and house rabbit societies have tried and succeded in spreading the word about the needs and best practices for having a happy and healthy companion rabbit, it would be useful if these findings could be incorporated into general rabbit knowledge so that they can all live happier and healthier lives than they used to.
any suggestions on how to build a hutch for happy and healthy meat rabbits? these rabbits will not be inside so any ideas on how to provide adequate air circulation, temperature and heat/predator protection in an outdoor environment are appreciated. also...i hear rabbits burrow and dig under fences. any ideas on how to build an outdoor pen (about 10x10ft) that gives them ample space to move but doesn't allow them to get out?
I had a pet rabbit that lived to be 14 years old, a Dutch giant. I am getting one with my younger daughter. It is a pet -- an animal. I loved my pet rabbit and kept it healthy and happy as best as one can judge. The rabbit liked living outdoors. It was protected from predators but Lord help the cat that found a way into his pen. The advice provided in this column may not be "expert" but it is fairly common sense. One has to judge how one wants to live with a pet but not project all of one's own foibles onto others who have successfully had pets. My cage was half wire and half wood on the bottom. The wire never hurt the rabbit's feet in 14 years. The rabbit has very firm pads on its back feet and the proper wire size should be chosen. A rabbit does not have to have two ways to escape, but it likes to be outdoors so if you are going to have it in the house all of the time, how does it dig in the grass, how does it chew sweet clover, or do the things a pet rabbit likes to do? It requires spending time with the pet, watching the pet, and learning the pets instincts. My rabbit came inside in the winter when the temperature dropped below 20 degrees, but went back outside when it warmed up. This kept the rabbit healthy. A closed house all of the time is not healthy for a rabbit. I realize people keep pet animals in human habitation all of the time and refer to the pet as a human child but that does a disservice to the animal. The outraged on this site are projecting whatever their own beliefs are on others as though they are the truths of raising a pet. There are lots of ways to care for a pet that are satisfactory for the pet and the owner. This column has scant but practical advice. I will probably build around a wire cage as suggested here and then build a protected run for the rabbit. My collie will be fine with the rabbit, but I will have to keep the "mutt" away from it when the rabbit is little or she will kill it. It is her instinct. Once she adjusts to the rabbit and it grows to a full rabbit and with a little training, she will leave it alone. She learned to not kill the baby chicks and the chickens and is quite good at herding the chickens at night. Let's give practical suggestions and not declare that there is only one way to care for a rabbit and it has to be your way. Does anyone have a favorite breed of rabbit? It would be nice to hear why you like that particular breed. I liked my dutch Giant because of temperment but that may be an exception and there may be better breeds for my daughter.
Don't furry animals adapt somewhat to their climate? As I understood it, the shortening daylight and crisper temperatures cause them to build a thicker coat of fur, and shed it as spring comes, so doesn't this mean an outdoor rabbit will develop some protection from the cold as long as its not stuck out there all the sudden?
Like "k stickn" above, I'd like to see more advice on wintering an outside hutch to provide adequate air circulation, temperature and heat/predator protection in an outdoor environment. In my climate where it usually doesn't dip below freezing, I've thrown loose carpets over 2 sides of the cage and put more straw in the cage (the back is up against our house with a roof, so only the front is exposed). Does that provide enough circulation? I hesitate keeping it in a shed/garage except in temporary climate extremes, because of the urine smell.
Also, the bottom of my metal cage has a stainless rack very similar to oven racks. I've never noticed problems with my bunnies' feet... Is that type OK?
If an oven-rack-type bottom is good (probably is since it's a professionally-used lab cage), an old oven rack from a junkyard/appliance place might work well for a DIY cage project... they're stainless and a pretty good size for a cage.
I have two rabbits, a cat and a dog.While my new pup is learning to behave with them, my last dog god rest her soul always helped me babysit them in my yard.I have two store bought bunny cages, and a outdoor hutch that is made of two by two framing, and wire sides except for their bedroom which all side wood. I have two doors one for enclosed area and one for opened area. while the floor in enclosed area is plexaglass and easy to remove for cleaning,their opened area has wire floor with a solid sheet of vinyl floor that can be lifted out for easy cleaning. all wood and wire is easily cleaned with power washer. since their hutch is 4ft by 3ft and 3ft off ground and under my patio they stay outside unless its over 85 since they hate their indoor cages for even the shortest time.we have all kindes of wild life that live in my yard and even a wild baby bunny would stop by for dropped food from them.i guess they don't mind them since the only time my bunns get upset and kick up a storm is when their in their indoor cage. with enough hay, and cloth on the front of cage they are happier outside than in. I do let them in to run around for some fun and bonding with me and my cat. i can't have them loose all day long unattended as only one wishes to be potty trained.
wow Ive read all of the comments with interest, whilst some peoples points are valid I think the harshness and the amount of people jumping on their high horses is amazing.
I live in New Zealand, and here its completely unheard of for people to have thier rabbits inside running around free. Ill be honest, its just not done, we have harsh winters where rabbits are bought in during snowy weather etc, but most people I know with pet rabbits have them in hutches outside. we have a lot less preditors here, if your property is well fenced the only preditors would be cats and possums. so why is those who think having them outside is cruel? I mean just because your rabbits are happy and thats the way you do it, doesnt mean its the only way... I think the the most important thing for an outside rabbit is for them not to be alone for long periods of time, thats the biggest sign of cruelty Ive seen is poor bunnies sitting on their own all day everyday forgotten down the back yard somewhere. but with 5 kids and a hutch outside our front door and a run in the back yard our bunnies sure get plenty of attention. so I think some people have been very quick to judge.
