Finding the Correct Housing for Your Bunny
By Debra Olon-West

When looking for the best ‘abode’ for your rabbit, you may wish to consider the following:
· Amount of Space 
· Furnishings · Cleanliness is…
· Indoor or Outdoor? (Location) · Precautions to take for a ‘free range’ rabbit.

Amount of Space

Most caretakers house their rabbit in a hutch or cage of some sort.  The House Rabbit Society recommends that one provide one square foot per pound of rabbit.  I have heard the comment ‘that takes up too much space’ and have seen rabbits penned in cages barely large enough for the poor animal to turn around.

A hutch that is too small will shorten a rabbit’s lifespan.  Not to mention making his attitude worse than it would be if he were in a larger hutch.  She would be crowded with her own waste, more likely to get sore hocks, as well as becoming overweight from lack of exercise.

When I first started keeping rabbits, I didn’t know this information and had a couple of ‘biters’ in my group of bunnies in too small cages.  Midnight was one of these.  He is now a six and a half pound bunny and when placed in his 6 square foot hutch, his attitude improved greatly.  He no longer bites and even greets us when approaching his hutch.  Mario is another example of improved disposition when transferred to a larger ‘home’.  He never bit, but seemed happier and gave ‘bunny kisses’ to his caretakers.  What a sweet fellow!  He has been adopted and is now in a very nice home.

You can be creative when selecting your pet’s housing.  I started with renovated dog cages found at second-hand stores and yard sales.  We placed ½” by ½” wire mesh on the bottom of these as well as a wooden frame lined with a garbage bag to serve as a tray of sorts for waste.  It may not appear that attractive, but it works.

There is also the option of building your own hutch, which we have done and are offering to the public as one of our products.  Personally, I prefer wood in the design, since it looks better and there is more versatility in what can be done with it, such as adding a hutch top door in addition to a front one.  There is a need to remember, however, to use untreated wood, as bunnies like to chew.  This activity is time consuming, but will cut the cost of a hutch quite a bit.

A note concerning waste disposal:  trays are handy for this purpose, as they can be easily slid out and cleaned.  For outdoor hutches, tubs can be placed beneath the hutch and emptied in a garden or compost area, as the droppings make excellent fertilizer.

Furnishings

You will need to have the following items in the hutch:
· Crock or water bottle · Litter box (optional)
· Food dish or feeder · Toys (optional, but recommended)
· Hay or a pad · Nest Box for expectant mothers

I prefer to use a water bottle to a crock.  A crock can be turned over, stepped in, or splashed, whereas a bottle takes up less space in the hutch, is less messy, and can be used in an automatic water system in a rabbitry.  I would rather use a feeder, as compared to a food dish as well.  My rabbits are creative in how they can waste food by magically tipping over food dishes, digging and scattering feed, or even using a dish as a litter box (a little confusion there on the rabbit’s part!).  Unless a feeder is used (less messy and less likelihood to find waste in), one should take into account how much extra space is used and adjust the size of the hutch accordingly.

Litter box training is necessary with our rabbits, but is optional to you.  We have the box in the hutch with the bunny while she is also in there, but will place it where the rabbit knows where it is.  Size adjustment is also an option, since the litter box also takes up a lot of space.

Toys are nice to have in the hutch to keep the rabbit happy, especially a chew stick.  If you are concerned about how much space the toys take, simply place the bunny’s favorite ones with him in the hutch, and keep the rest in a crate outside of the hutch for playtime.

Timothy Hay is essential for the rabbit’s diet, as it is an important part of the digestive process.  Putting extra hay in the hutch provides bedding (some of our rabbits will actually make a ‘nest’ of it in the hutch), as well as a midnight snack that doesn’t add weight to the rabbit.  Bunnies like to chew on it (good for wearing down the teeth) and play with it.  I have seen some of our bunnies take a mouthful of hay and making noise with it by running it across the bars of their cage.

A pad or cushioning of some sort can be placed in the hutch to add comfort and to avoid sore hocks.  I have seen cardboard used, but it can be chewed up in no time.  I have also observed that a piece of plywood can be placed, removed, and easily cleaned.  If you use wood products, please make certain that they are untreated.

For breeders or those who have a ‘whoops’:  you will need a nest box to place in the cage at about the 28th day of the doe’s pregnancy.  You have the option of wood or metal, but I prefer the wood since it is more versatile (slide out bottom and the mother and kits like to chew on the sides).  I have a tendency to prefer larger boxes than is advised in some books since I keep in mind that the mother has to get in there with the babies to nurse them.  It is also less likely that she will step on the kits to nurse or if she is alarmed for any reason.  We provide a nest box for small-medium sized rabbits that offer these options.  Another thing you may wish to keep in mind is that you might need additional space to provide for the mother, nest box, and the kits (there can be 14 of them in a single litter) when they are older than two weeks and are coming out of the nest box.

Indoor or outdoor (Location)?

Where you house your bunny is your choice, but there are several considerations to keep in mind.  Are you in a climate that is not healthy for your rabbit (too hot or cold)?  Are you breeding rabbits and need to house them out of doors?  Do your neighbors have animals that are potentially harmful to your bunny?

Climate is important since a rabbit is sensitive to extremes in heat or cold.  If you live in an area that averages 50-69 degrees Fahrenheit, your rabbit should be comfortable in an outdoor hutch.  If it is warmer than this, you may wish to locate your hutch in the shade and make certain that it is well ventilated.  If it is cooler than the above, place the hutch in the sun, make sure that three sides of the hutch are wood, and that the roof is secure.  Plastic sheeting around the solid walls is helpful for insulation, as is extra hay in the hutch.  If the climate is too extreme for the rabbit, you might wish to keep the bunny indoors.

If you are raising rabbits, you may wish to consider having a shelter such as a barn, shed, or large garage, depending on the number of rabbits you have.  Fans during the summer and heaters during the winter are helpful to maintain their health.

Strange dogs or cats can be harmful to your rabbit if he is in an outdoor hutch.  Dogs have been known to try to get into the hutches, especially after new litters.  You might want to keep in mind that dogs and cats are instinctive hunters and that rabbits are prey to them.

Cleanliness is…

Essential to maintaining your rabbit’s health.  Some common sense needs to be used here.  Usually, a hutch should be cleaned a minimum of once a week.  If it doesn’t smell very good, you would need to do so more often.  There are different agents that can be used to clean the hutches:
  *Bleach- this needs to be diluted with water and the rabbit removed from the hutch before cleaning.  Make certain that it is dry before returning the bunny to its hutch.
  *White Vinegar is also recommended.
  *Hot Water-this needs to be very hot and the hutch dried before being finished.

Tips to help contain odor:
1) Use a litter box and clean it often.
2) Put baking soda under shavings in a hutch and in the bottom of the litter box.
3) If you have a tray under the hutch, you can fill it partially with shavings.

Any toys or other furnishings in the hutch should also be cleaned as needed.  Old food, hay, and water should be disposed of and their containers cleaned as well.

Precautions to take for a ‘free range’ rabbit

What I am referring to is a rabbit that is allowed to roam around your house.  He would be allowed out of his hutch for an undetermined amount of time and would be treated like he was one of your other pets.

Other than your standard bunny proofing, remember that your rabbit has the mentality of a two-year-old toddler.  As soon as your back is turned, he is into something.  Therefore, the bunny should never be allowed to be out of his hutch or special enclosed space by himself or even with other pets, even for a moment.  Any number of accidents could happen when you are not in your home or asleep.  The dog or other pet may play with the rabbit too rough and the rabbit ends up getting hurt. 

Even well trained rabbits have a tendency to chew; they love wires or go into otherwise forbidden areas.  A way to curb this is to shut the doors, set up barricades or baby gates to block off these areas.  As with bunny proofing, you might want to put forbidden objects out of his reach.

There is also a need to supervise the bunny even when you are home.  There are too many hazards in a home to trust that a rabbit can look after himself.  You need to have a good, trusting relationship with your bunny to find out what the limits are to his behavior; eventually, you’ll get to a point when you won’t have to supervise him as closely.

We hope that you have found some useful information in this article.  Remember that a hutch is literally your rabbit’s private space and home.  To keep your rabbit healthy and happy, ideally you’ll make a nice one for him. 

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For Educational Purposes

Written by Debra Olon-West

Gander Gab 2007

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