A rabbit hutch provides a safe environment for pet rabbits. Mentioned in this story are useful tips on selecting a hutch for rabbits.
Rabbit hutch is an enclosure that provides a house for your pet rabbits. It is used to keep other small pet animals too, like guinea pigs. Indoor or outdoor cages come in different designs and have their own set of pros and cons.
Hence, while buying or building a hutch you need to see that it is comfortable for your pet rabbit, and easy for you to maintain.
Shopping Tips
First of all, let us look from the rabbits health point of view, how a hutch should be. A rabbit weighing minimum a pound needs a square foot area inside the enclosure. Hence, decide the space available properly.
Decide how many rabbits you are going to keep, then construct or buy a hutch accordingly. If you have baby or young rabbits, then the enclosure should be big enough to give the rabbits some more room to grow.
Rabbits are nervous by nature and prefer to have a safe space like a nesting box where they can retreat if they feel threatened. They can also use the nesting box to sleep. This will reduce the emotional strain and having a properly constructed hiding place can eliminate any health issues of pet rabbits related by stress.
Also, having a hutch which is elevated from the ground is a good idea, as it will help to keep the predators away by preventing them from reaching to your pet rabbits. This will also help to keep the hutch warmer or at a more stable temperature.
Rabbits do not like radical changes in temperature and need a comfy space which remains warm most of the time. However, they also need enough ventilation to be healthy.
These were some of the points you need to keep in mind to maintain good health of your pet rabbits. Now, let us look from the owners point of view. Having a simple net hutch with a roof is simplest to maintain and clean and very portable. However it's not ideal for rabbit health.
Having a cage which is open from the top gives easy access to the pets, but it doesn't provide shade to the pets. However, you can use metal net with or without shade as temporary hutches.
Some of the hutches have wire flooring which covers the bottom, this allows the urine and feces to fall through. While some of these enclosures include a litter box. Wire flooring tends to be harmful for the feet of the little fury pets, and so litter boxes are more advisable.
Also, litter boxes are easier to clean. Hence, a basic ideal hutch should be a mix of wire siding for ventilation and wooden or plastic siding to keep them warm.
However, the perfect hutch for rabbit whether it comes to buying or making your own is the one which has a nesting box sort of room attached to another room which has a wire mesh for siding. As the nesting box will give a hiding or comfortable sleeping space for the rabbits and the wire mesh can be used by the rabbits when they feel like coming out for air or to play around.
You can find many plans that will help you to build a hutch. However, if you wish to buy one, you can look online. Small temporary wire mesh enclosures with shade are available under 70 dollars. Trixie Octagonal Outdoor Rabbit Enclosure with Net and Sunshade (8 Panels 80 x 75 cm) is a good product you can consider.
However, if you want a wooden nice comfy hutch for your pet rabbits, then Deluxe Rabbitat Hutch from Ware Mfg and Rabbit Hutch and Run by Petplanet: Medium Apex are two good products you can consider.