Cage height question

[brittanyf]

We are gathering materials and planning our cages for meat rabbits. I plan on the actual cages being 24 inches high. My husband will build a frame they will attach to. As we were discussing, my husband was showing me his plan which would put the cage bottom 4 foot off the ground and the top 6 foot. I'm only 5'2" ( I also would like my kids to help). What is a good height level for protection. We have large dogs I will train to leave them alone. We also have a 6 foot fence around our backyard I hope helps against predators (we don't see any now.)

I'm also a little stumped on where to get the material for a roof and what to use if you could give suggestions.

Thank you so much. You are an awesome group of people.

 

[brittanyf]

I forgot to add I am considering 3 feet off the ground to the total height of 5 feet. I am thinking of predators, but also convenience. I'm thinking it it's higher I might have trouble getting kits in and out safely.

 

[Mckatie]

We are gathering materials and planning our cages for meat rabbits. I plan on the actual cages being 24 inches high. My husband will build a frame they will attach to. As we were discussing, my husband was showing me his plan which would put the cage bottom 4 foot off the ground and the top 6 foot. I'm only 5'2" ( I also would like my kids to help). What is a good height level for protection. We have large dogs I will train to leave them alone. We also have a 6 foot fence around our backyard I hope helps against predators (we don't see any now.)

I'm also a little stumped on where to get the material for a roof and what to use if you could give suggestions.

Thank you so much. You are an awesome group of people.

Hi, roofing material : plywood with roofing material (shingles etc), plywood with a polyurethane water sealer, the "plastic" wavy roofing material, a sheet of tin roofing material... so Home depot, Lowes, or any local store that carries rebuilding supplies, the material section of craigslist, the rebuild it stores where they sell surplus housing materials..

Height... minimum 1' which I personally think is too low for easy cleaning and predators. I find 4' too high myself. So I'm going to choose between 2' and 3'in my new set up. 3' is about as high as a door handle. Measure from the ground to where you think you would like the bottom - your waist? How tall are your children? Economically 2'works simply because you can buy 8 x 4 and divide evenly.

 

[tambayo]

Bottom of the cage same height as your kitchen counter or top of your hips about. Kitchencounter height is for easy work height when standing and that applies to the cages also. Might need a little higher so try it out before you fix things permanently. Top of the cage is not where you need to be twice daily. Roof with some overhang is nice (long enough that drips don't run down your back) and the largest person caring for them can easily fit. Either make that roof a fair bit higher than the top of the cage or flush. A little space makes good rat nesting sites.

 

[brittanyf]

Bottom of the cage same height as your kitchen counter or top of your hips about. Kitchencounter height is for easy work height when standing and that applies to the cages also. Might need a little higher so try it out before you fix things permanently. Top of the cage is not where you need to be twice daily. Roof with some overhang is nice (long enough that drips don't run down your back) and the largest person caring for them can easily fit. Either make that roof a fair bit higher than the top of the cage or flush. A little space makes good rat nesting sites.

Thank you. That sounds good. I didn't know about the roof and rats issue. I think I'll do it a foot, maybe a couple inches more so my husband can get under. Thanks so much.

 

[brittanyf]

Hi, roofing material : plywood with roofing material (shingles etc), plywood with a polyurethane water sealer, the "plastic" wavy roofing material, a sheet of tin roofing material... so Home depot, Lowes, or any local store that carries rebuilding supplies, the material section of craigslist, the rebuild it stores where they sell surplus housing materials..

Height... minimum 1' which I personally think is too low for easy cleaning and predators. I find 4' too high myself. So I'm going to choose between 2' and 3'in my new set up. 3' is about as high as a door handle. Measure from the ground to where you think you would like the bottom - your waist? How tall are your children? Economically 2'works simply because you can buy 8 x 4 and divide evenly.

Thank you. I got a little overwhelmed looking at the roofing materials. But we have plenty of time. I juat downloaded the Craigslist app.

 

[olhippityhop]

Make sure you can reach all the way into the cage. You need to be able to reach all the way into the back of the cage to clean it and to grab buns. One of my does got poop stuck in the back corner, that rapidly built up and then her kits wanted to sit in it. It was a stretch to reach back there and clean it.

I have metal roofing panels on my my chicken coop roof that work good, they basically last forever. You can get them at any of the big box stores like lowes.

 

[brittanyf]

Make sure you can reach all the way into the cage. You need to be able to reach all the way into the back of the cage to clean it and to grab buns. One of my does got poop stuck in the back corner, that rapidly built up and then her kits wanted to sit in it. It was a stretch to reach back there and clean it.

I have metal roofing panels on my my chicken coop roof that work good, they basically last forever. You can get them at any of the big box stores like lowes.

Yeah. I think 3 ft off the ground will be best for that. Plus I don't want to get peed on in the face by a male. I'll take your advice and before they are placedI will reach in and make sure I can reach all of it.

 

[eco2pia]

My floors are at armpit height, or maybe just below, and I find that perfect for me. You want to hold a cat or a pillow like a rabbit and imagine what shelf is comfortable to set it on. Kitchen counter height is usually ok, lower feels awkward, and requires bending, until you are in a full squat, then for me it is ok again, but that puts them right on the ground almost, so impossible to clean under without a tray. Higher than armpit also feels awkward if the rabbit is large. In my case I wanted max height under the cages to make cleaning access easy.

 

[MsTemeraire]

Thank you. That sounds good. I didn't know about the roof and rats issue. I think I'll do it a foot, maybe a couple inches more so my husband can get under. Thanks so much.

Yes be careful with the wavy roof stuff. The gaps between waves could allow rats to gain access unless you plan carefully and add a layer of wire below.

 

[Preitler]

My hutch floors are at hip height - a few cm higher than the wheelbarrow which makes cleaning them out way easier. I feed mostly forage and hay, and that can pile up. The hutches are rather high, with hidy houses and a second level kits can't reach for a few weeks, a place for the does to get away from them. They are also high enough that I don't bang my head when doing stuff inside.

The roof is plywood on the inside, then a layer of insulation to keep the heat out, covered with corrugated sheet metal, so that's not a way rats caould get in. The wood slat floor is the bigger issue in that regard.

 

[brittanyf]

My hutch floors are at hip height - a few cm higher than the wheelbarrow which makes cleaning them out way easier. I feed mostly forage and hay, and that can pile up. The hutches are rather high, with hidy houses and a second level kits can't reach for a few weeks, a place for the does to get away from them. They are also high enough that I don't bang my head when doing stuff inside.

The roof is plywood on the inside, then a layer of insulation to keep the heat out, covered with corrugated sheet metal, so that's not a way rats caould get in. The wood slat floor is the bigger issue in that regard.

I like those! About what height are the cages?

 

[hotzcatz]

The hutches here are double high and they start about 18" off the ground.

The lower level is about 24" tall and the upper level is about 30" high. Rabbits seem to enjoy more headroom if they can get it. I'll probably not build double high hutches again, though, because of the cleaning requirements of the area between the layers.



They are made of modular floor plates and door sections. Those are 2x2 lumber made into the same size frames and 1/2" x 1" galvanized wire stapled to them. They're interchangeable so if one is damaged, it can be replaced with another one while it's being repaired. There's dividers which can be used or taken out depending on how large each space should be. The door sections are held in with those turn-able wood levers. They're also interchangeable in case one is damaged. The doors are held shut by a big nail that goes through a hole in the bottom of the door frame into a hole in the door section frame. Much less expensive than buying hasps or some other locking system. There's an automatic water system across the back so no need for water bottles on the doors.

Next hutch will only be one layer, I think, although I'll still use the modular system.