New Project: Built Small Rabbit Colony Cage - Inspired by Kummer Homestead on YT

[Rabbits by Accident]

Hi All!

Been lurking for awhile - still in the rabbit biz, but feeling like one of the elites as I feed my captives. I hate having them in cages! I ran across this video from Kummer Homestead where he made small 4'x8' colony cages with 2 females & 1 male

I'm not going to put the buck in because I don't want to have too many kits since we don't butcher, I just sell the kits a couple times a year. I only have them for emergency food, hoping not to have to eat 'em.

So I priced out building the cages as Kummer did. We have coyotes & feral dogs, so securing the rabbits was costing out to be very expensive

​

I bought a very very nice dog kennel from Temu for $163 total with free shipping (because the ones on amazon you have to pay $70 s/h & I wasn't sure I was going to like it, so I wanted to be able to return it without losing $150 (2x s/h)

Since I make the back & one side from plywood, you actually get 2 kennels out of one. I do have to figure out how to make a door in the second one, but now that I know how it works, I'm braver & I'll figure it out.​

Anyway, the kennel is gorgeous, lined it with plastic panels to protect from the moisture & filled it with 18" of dirt (that I also had to BUY!)

So, it's 'relatively' less expensive, I think it will definitely keep the coyotes & ferals out, but not rats, so hoping my 14# girls can protect their kits. I'm pretty sure they can. We'll see.
I discovered some things that I am going to change in the next one. I took out the mound of dirt in the center so they no longer look like they're on a grave LOL The long side needs to be braced a bit as it is bulging, but it is VERY VERY well built & I don't think it's a problem except asthetically.

Oddly my old lady who hates EVERYONE & will NOT room with anyone, wants the kits GONE at 8 weeks had a daughter in the last litter that she adores. So she gets to have a roomie! I feel so much better about the situation now, I'm hoping it's going to work out well. I have to build 2 more & I don't think I'll put quite as much dirt in. I didn't bother to put wire on the bottom, but I might in the next one. Even a thin chicken wire would be enough to discourage digging out.

It was SO WORTH IT to see the youngster running & kicking up her heels! I don't feel like such a monster!

I'm making another for my second doe & one of her kits, and splitting a third into 2 4'x4' cages for the two bucks.

I want to add some furniture, but I don't want them pooping on it. They do have a big side entry nestbox in there now, and a LOT of hay, plus of course their hay racks, feeder & water.

Anyone else done anything similar? Any ideas to add?

 

[Phrick]

ohhhh I love this!! It looks great. I've got no experience with colony raising so no suggestions for you but I would like to thank you for posting this inspiration - I've been trying and trying to figure out how to do a colony with mine, in AZ it's so hard with heat to figure out. But I could probably do something like that inside a shed with no floor and make it work. Can you share the Temu link? I have never used them either haha but like you I'm very interested in not spending more than I have to and would at least check 'em out.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

ohhhh I love this!! It looks great. I've got no experience with colony raising so no suggestions for you but I would like to thank you for posting this inspiration - I've been trying and trying to figure out how to do a colony with mine, in AZ it's so hard with heat to figure out. But I could probably do something like that inside a shed with no floor and make it work. Can you share the Temu link? I have never used them either haha but like you I'm very interested in not spending more than I have to and would at least check 'em out.

I also have no experience with colonies, I just felt so bad for the rabbits that I am determined to figure out something. Did you watch the Kummer Homestead video I posted? You could do it with 2x4's & wire. When I priced it out it was not cheap, especially as I have to protect against coyotes & dogs that have been known to go through chain link. I don't know if he mentions it in that video, but he has started using deep litter method.

I'm close by you - in Texas. One of the reasons I wanted to do this is because it gets so hot in the summer & in the winter we have a terrible north wind that blows. I keep a mister on them all summer & I don't think it's really good for them to stay damp all day. I figured if I put them in dirt where they could dig they could keep themselves cooler, plus warmer in the winter. I'm hoping it's not too much trouble to clean. I'm planning on making a "litter box". I used to keep one with Gertie, the big gray/white rabbit because her poop is too big to go through the original cage I had her in and she would lay in it. Now I've figured out it was because it was damp & therefore cooler.

My original plan was to build raised beds & then put the cage over top of them. That way I could more easily take the cage off & move it under the trees for summer & have raised beds full of poop to plant in. That would still be the best idea, but since I (almost 70 y/o woman) am doing it all by myself, I just put it on the ground. I still plan to move it to the shady area in the summer, hopefully I'll be able to do that, but I'll probably end up having to dismantle the whole thing.

If you could do raised beds, they make a cage that is 4x8x4' high - which would work fine if you put it on top of a bed - and it's much cheaper.


Ok so here's what I've learned about Temu (please do it in this order & I will get credit for referring you
#1 - Use this link to go to Temu & make an account https://temu.to/k/u6c3n6y8ivq
#2 - go to RetailMeNot.com & make an account - then go to Temu from there & you can save 10-20% I saved 10% on one order 20% on the next - didn't see the right coupon or I could have gotten 20% on both I think - anyway almost $50

Unfortunately there were problems with the cage I ordered.
1-They have raised the price about $25 but it's still cheaper than others & very good quality
2-Shipping is SLOW
3-It comes in a very cheap cardboard box & parts fall out so it took a couple more weeks to get all the pieces. Their customer service is VERY good, but it still takes time for shipping.

I didn't use Amazon because I was afraid I might want to return it. If you know that you are going to use it, I'd recommend Amazon, as they are good at standing behind their stuff - here is one similar - but they are more expensive - https://amzn.to/4fh99hE

This is the one I got from Temu - https://www.temu.com/goods.html?_bg_fs=1&goods_id=601099583674152

So, I guess it depends on which is more important - frustration or money LOL If you replace the back & one side with plywood, you can get 2 cages from 1 kennel.

After you get it, it is in tons of pieces, all labeled and all just a little bit different. It's not too bad but you have to sort it out first. Also, I don't know how long the roof will last as it is fabric. Seems they do sell replacements but IDK

Plus, as the winter gets harder, I'm going to have to put wood or metal over the top to make sure they coyotes can't get in the top. Right now I have some of the unused panels over the top, but there's a lot of gaps

Hope this is helpful

 

[olhippityhop]

I'm feeling like a grumpy old man right now shouting from a soap box. I'm absolutely not trying to be mean and I should probably not say anything. Temu is evil and uses literal slave labor to produce their cheap products. I could never ethically order from them. If you're interested, google it - the US government has reports on it.

 

[ladysown]

just so you know... THIN CHICKEN WIRE does NOT stop rabbits from digging out AT ALL. (having had two determined girls dig out of a cage in less than an hour with an almost 6 foot tunnel.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

I would love to let my rabbits live in small colonies, but we live where rattle snakes roam. I have suspended cages for that reason.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I'm feeling like a grumpy old man right now shouting from a soap box. I'm absolutely not trying to be mean and I should probably not say anything. Temu is evil and uses literal slave labor to produce their cheap products. I could never ethically order from them. If you're interested, google it - the US government has reports on it.

That is quite possibly true - but the same brands are sold everywhere, so I'm assuming they're all made with slave labor. I'm pretty sure Amazon/Walmart/Tractor Supply/Target whatever ALL CARRY SLAVE-LABOR PRODUCTS. Unfortunately I cannot find an American provider for these cages. Chain link is not as good IMO since we had feral dogs break through a chain link fence. Life sucks & I can't fix everything & I need the cages so my slave rabbits will have a better life.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

just so you know... THIN CHICKEN WIRE does NOT stop rabbits from digging out AT ALL. (having had two determined girls dig out of a cage in less than an hour with an almost 6 foot tunnel.

Good to know. However, it's a done deal now & we shall see what happens. The ground here is like cement & I don't think they would dig through it. The dirt I put in is 18" deep & very diggable. I'm hoping that will be enough for them. I guess I'll find out LOL I am going to put wire under the next one which is partially completed (unless I forget like the first one LOL)

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I would love to let my rabbits live in small colonies, but we live where rattle snakes roam. I have suspended cages for that reason.

We have snakes and rats too. I previously had them in 3'x3'x4' 'nursery cages' completely covered with 1/2" hardware cloth. I'm not sure what I'm going to do - I do have some 1/2"x1" wire that I can wrap around the cage while the kits are young.

I really agonized over all of these decisions. Maybe if I put the buck in with them he would protect it better, but Gertie, my matriarch really doesn't like bucks in her area.

I know this because I brought her into our 'tiny house' (aka travel trailer we live in) and she was fine until I also brought in my buck. I put him in a big cardboard box because I knew she was territorial. She went over & looked over the top of the box, "psst! Hershey! come say hi!" and sweet old Hershey sat up & looked at her and she about ripped his head off LOL ... then she peed all over my house LOL so I'm not sure adding a buck is even an option.

I just hate having them in cages where the weather is over 100 & they're hot & miserable. (or damp & possibly growing algae LOL)

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

just so you know... THIN CHICKEN WIRE does NOT stop rabbits from digging out AT ALL. (having had two determined girls dig out of a cage in less than an hour with an almost 6 foot tunnel.

You have much more energetic rabbits than I do I think. But mine haven't stayed overnight yet, so maybe I'm just naive LOL

Were the rabbits right on top of the chicken wire? Was there dirt over the chicken wire or was it just laying on the ground?

The cage I have has 18"-24" of dirt before they even get to the ground.

They take turns getting to stay outside all day in a very rickety chicken wire fence that they have never gotten out of - except for one little kit who climbed it

 

[maisaksson]

@Rabbits by Accident:

VERY interesting! I have been planning a raised bed and I could maybe put the colony on top of it as you first thought. The raised bed has sticks and branches on the bottom to deter the moles (which are a big problem here) and at the moment has grow bags on top of that. My plan is to surround the bed with 2x4 fence lined with - burlap? landscape fabric? plastic mesh sacks? corrugated metal? and fill with dirt. My soil mixes in the grow bags have been so so in terms of plant roots being happy but it's an ongoing project. I'm a quarter of the way there and I'm INSPIRED! Thank you so much!

 

[maisaksson]

On digging: I've put my grow outs in our upper garden which is fallow for this year. It has a 6' tall 2x4 fence with rabbit wire or chicken wire around the bottom 30", and two pass-through traps to catch the curious racoon/woodchuck/armadillo/possum. Gave them extra shade and shelter under a black walnut tree that gives morning shade. It has been so dry the last two months that it's like a barren dust bowl up there, so I bring them hay, but at first there was lots of greenery for them to munch on.

The first group started out with 13 does. Happy as they seemed, to have lots of space to run and dig and play out their social needs, live plants to eat, etc., they dug out three times; rabbits everywhere! The first time was pretty easy getting them back; several of them returned to the upper garden by going through the traps and getting caught, a few just let me catch them after about two days of "freedom". They came back covered with ticks, two of them got botfly larvae under their skin, two of them got sick and had trouble breathing. The next two times it was more difficult to catch them. They seemed to not associate their itching and discomforts with the breakout. This time one of them got sick and died in the garden after I caught her. We have free-ranging poultry and I suspect the breathing difficulty has something to do with pathogens from the birds, or pathogens that the birds dig up and spread around. So down to 7 does, two of which have been imprisoned in their own roomy off-the-ground cage with all the amenities I give them, and five are in a 3' x6' cage with a hide-y box and shade from a pop-up canopy.

The second group of 8 bucks, all destined for the freezer, are presently in the upper garden/dust bowl. Again, happy as bucks can be with space to run around, dig, and race away from hierarchical challenges. So different from a group of does. They too, will dig. They dig dugouts to lay in, or just to dig. They do dig around the perimeter fence but at this point it doesn't seem that they want out so much as to just dig.

 

[maisaksson]

Last year I put the cull bucks in a run in the garden. There were only four, and I put a senior buck in there to be 'run daddy', thinking that he would keep them from getting nasty with each other, as had happened in a previous run that I did. However this time the older buck was harassed by the young ones and he staked out a territory under a fig tree and kept himself mostly hidden. When the young ones were culled, he came out and seemed quite happy. So happy in fact that he dug out into the main garden, sampled some plants but mostly just dug holes and ran around. Each time he did that I caught him, shored up his escape hole, and returned him to his run. Then he dug out into the yard beyond the garden. He returned on his own, and it seemed after a while that it was time to accommodate him in the main rabbitry so he got his own cage, off the ground, a regular though limited life, and he seems quite happy and more relatable since returning from his adventure.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

On digging: I've put my grow outs in our upper garden which is fallow for this year. It has a 6' tall 2x4 fence with rabbit wire or chicken wire around the bottom 30", and two pass-through traps to catch the curious racoon/woodchuck/armadillo/possum. Gave them extra shade and shelter under a black walnut tree that gives morning shade. It has been so dry the last two months that it's like a barren dust bowl up there, so I bring them hay, but at first there was lots of greenery for them to munch on.

The first group started out with 13 does. Happy as they seemed, to have lots of space to run and dig and play out their social needs, live plants to eat, etc., they dug out three times; rabbits everywhere! The first time was pretty easy getting them back; several of them returned to the upper garden by going through the traps and getting caught, a few just let me catch them after about two days of "freedom". They came back covered with ticks, two of them got botfly larvae under their skin, two of them got sick and had trouble breathing. The next two times it was more difficult to catch them. They seemed to not associate their itching and discomforts with the breakout. This time one of them got sick and died in the garden after I caught her. We have free-ranging poultry and I suspect the breathing difficulty has something to do with pathogens from the birds, or pathogens that the birds dig up and spread around. So down to 7 does, two of which have been imprisoned in their own roomy off-the-ground cage with all the amenities I give them, and five are in a 3' x6' cage with a hide-y box and shade from a pop-up canopy.

The second group of 8 bucks, all destined for the freezer, are presently in the upper garden/dust bowl. Again, happy as bucks can be with space to run around, dig, and race away from hierarchical challenges. So different from a group of does. They too, will dig. They dig dugouts to lay in, or just to dig. They do dig around the perimeter fence but at this point it doesn't seem that they want out so much as to just dig.

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re: digging

A trick I used that I learned from an old rabbitry book is to lay the fence on the ground about a foot and then curve it up into the fence. So it's kind of a J with the fence on the ground inside. This is because they dig at the corner where the fence meets the ground. Since the fence goes into their yard, they are actually digging the fence. That's how I did their play yard & it's worked great! I have kept does & bucks (separately) all day long & nobody's ever dug out. But then I'm not sure they tried either. So you could probably lay fencing in an L shape along the bottom of the fence & accomplish the same thing. I'm only using chicken wire & it's worked fine.

Maybe I just have lazy rabbits LOL .. .also it's really hot here, so mostly they sleep until just a few hours in the evening.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Yeah, my working buck broke through into one of his son's cages & the son castrated him (or tried to - not sure but he was sure bloody & swollen & very sad for about a week) I think the young bucks are more of a problem than the older ones. But I don't put any bucks together after about 8 weeks.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

@Rabbits by Accident:

VERY interesting! I have been planning a raised bed and I could maybe put the colony on top of it as you first thought. The raised bed has sticks and branches on the bottom to deter the moles (which are a big problem here) and at the moment has grow bags on top of that. My plan is to surround the bed with 2x4 fence lined with - burlap? landscape fabric? plastic mesh sacks? corrugated metal? and fill with dirt. My soil mixes in the grow bags have been so so in terms of plant roots being happy but it's an ongoing project. I'm a quarter of the way there and I'm INSPIRED! Thank you so much!

Kummer Homestead said they don't dig much below 18" - or at least he said that in one of his vids. I have no idea, but I don't think they dig very deep. I would think that if you have a raised bed with boards around it to hold the dirt, that would be enough. We have raised beds in the garden that are just made from cheap cedar fence boards with a stake at each corner & one in the long middle side. But I wouldn't trust that with rabbits. If the bed is going to be made solid from 2x4's that's more than plenty IMO. You shouldn't have to line it with anything. I put plastic on mine because I didn't spring for treated wood so I'm trying to keep it from rotting with the dirt against it. If you're not using treated 2x4's you could line it with plastic. Lowes/HoDe sell a really good thickish plastic sheet that is 4x8 for about $25 - that's what I've used to keep the dirt from falling out the wire sides & to protect the wood. It's very handy for many things.

I think the sticks on the bottom will deter rabbits from digging out the bottom too. I guess it depends on how industrious your rabbits are.

I'm glad you posted because I am in the midst of building the second cage & I forgot about the wire on the bottom again LOL thanks for the nudge.

Share pics of what you do! I always like new ideas!

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

@Rabbits by Accident:

VERY interesting! I have been planning a raised bed and I could maybe put the colony on top of it as you first thought. The raised bed has sticks and branches on the bottom to deter the moles (which are a big problem here) and at the moment has grow bags on top of that. My plan is to surround the bed with 2x4 fence lined with - burlap? landscape fabric? plastic mesh sacks? corrugated metal? and fill with dirt. My soil mixes in the grow bags have been so so in terms of plant roots being happy but it's an ongoing project. I'm a quarter of the way there and I'm INSPIRED! Thank you so much!

Oh - about the wood - we used cedar because we eat organic & didn't want chemicals from treated wood around the garden. They do make nice thick cedar boards that don't rot, but they're a lot more $ than what cheapo me bought. Even the cheap ones have held up really well, but the dirt is only about a foot deep.

 

[ladysown]

Good to know. However, it's a done deal now & we shall see what happens. The ground here is like cement & I don't think they would dig through it. The dirt I put in is 18" deep & very diggable. I'm hoping that will be enough for them. I guess I'll find out LOL I am going to put wire under the next one which is partially completed (unless I forget like the first one LOL)

They were right on it. but having dirt on top it will help. How will you keep the wire from rusting out over time?

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

They were right on it. but having dirt on top it will help. How will you keep the wire from rusting out over time?

Well, ding dang it! I wrote a long response to you this morning, but apparently it didn't post correctly, because it's not here. I know it wasn't operator error, couldn't be! LOL Must be Russian hackers!!

Yes, the wire would most likely rust over time, but the ground is pretty dry here. Until it rains ... well, it doesn't matter because I'm not going to bother putting it under the dirt because the wire fencing I was going to use is in a big tangled pile & I'm old & lazy. If I was willing to buy new fencing, I might have done it.

I am going to put a paving block or similar in each corner under the dirt. Seems they like to dig in corners the most. The young rabbit in the new cage has dug down in one corner almost to the ground. She likes to sleep there. I'm going to watch & see if she keeps digging. If so, I guess I'll throw some bricks in there or crawl in and dig it out big enough to put a bigger brick or paver in the hole. Or just fill it in LOL

These kinds of questions/considerations tend to get me stuck & unable to make a decision. It helps that my husband & sister are both "just DO IT" people so eventually I do.

There was a line in a book that stuck with me. I don't think it's necessarily accurate, but it's motivating

"There are no wrong decisions. Only choices and what you learn from the choice you make"

My life has a LOT of learning opportunities. I think this is going to be one of them

 

[ladysown]

you can help them make better digging decisions by putting something stable in an area you want them to dig in. They like to dig next to structures.