Rabbit Hutch with Burrowing
#1
04-09-15, 09:12 AM
Rabbit Hutch with Burrowing
Hello,
My mother currently has five rabbits (not sure of the specific breed or anything) which live in her basement. We're looking into the possibility of building them a hutch, as for right now they're just confined by small fences which take up a lot of horizontal space. The space is relatively flexible, but the goal would be to create a reasonably large and multilevel hutch for them to live in.
Any help with this project would be appreciated, but more specifically I'm wondering about the possibility of giving them a bottom area filled with dirt for them to burrow in (basically, to build a box of dirt and then place the hutch on top of it so they have a dirt floor).
Is this a feasible idea? Would there be issues with cleaning their waste (and if so, how often would the soil need to be changed?)? Would it be worth the effort?
All-in-all, just wondering if you guys think this is a worthwhile idea or if we should just stick to a more standard hutch.
My mother currently has five rabbits (not sure of the specific breed or anything) which live in her basement. We're looking into the possibility of building them a hutch, as for right now they're just confined by small fences which take up a lot of horizontal space. The space is relatively flexible, but the goal would be to create a reasonably large and multilevel hutch for them to live in.
Any help with this project would be appreciated, but more specifically I'm wondering about the possibility of giving them a bottom area filled with dirt for them to burrow in (basically, to build a box of dirt and then place the hutch on top of it so they have a dirt floor).
Is this a feasible idea? Would there be issues with cleaning their waste (and if so, how often would the soil need to be changed?)? Would it be worth the effort?
All-in-all, just wondering if you guys think this is a worthwhile idea or if we should just stick to a more standard hutch.
#3
04-09-15, 04:23 PM
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
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In my opinion keeping rabbits in a basement is cruel. They need fresh air and sunlight for optimal health. Best to also let them out to hop around in the yard to get some exercise. When I had a rabbit I would let him out for hours on end and he would often jump back into his house all on his own.
#4
04-10-15, 08:13 AM
Forum Topic Moderator
REGruber,
The idea of building a "multi-level" hutch is an interesting approach. When I was a kid we had rabbits in a regular hutch but built ON the ground so that they could burrow, but found that they ended up having their litters in the burrows and then we couldn't get to them properly for health checks etc.
I guess it really depends upon your circumstances, and the reasons for having the rabbits (which I didn't see you mention). I do agree with Furd in the fact that unless they are housebroken and kept indoors as pets, with the proper supplements and such, they definitely shouldn't be in a basement.
Googling for Rabbit Hutches is a good idea and place to start...Do keep us posted.
The idea of building a "multi-level" hutch is an interesting approach. When I was a kid we had rabbits in a regular hutch but built ON the ground so that they could burrow, but found that they ended up having their litters in the burrows and then we couldn't get to them properly for health checks etc.
I guess it really depends upon your circumstances, and the reasons for having the rabbits (which I didn't see you mention). I do agree with Furd in the fact that unless they are housebroken and kept indoors as pets, with the proper supplements and such, they definitely shouldn't be in a basement.
Googling for Rabbit Hutches is a good idea and place to start...Do keep us posted.
