Miss M asked me to post info on how we did our housing set up so here are some pics and I will do my best to explain without getting too long winded. I am not good at this kind of thing so if anyone has questions just ask. Also we had no clue when we did this that others might want to know how to, so we didn't really take step by step pics.
Basically we wanted our rabbits to be able to get underground for climate control and to make the does feel more secure when kindling and raising their babies. But in Texas you have to worry about snakes and fire ants so running pipes down in the ground into clay pots was not an option. We chose to do it all above ground but still use dirt as insulation. Here is what you need:
Raised flower bed type structures - we made ours with landscape timbers cuz we had lots of them. But you could frame one out with whatever you have laying around or you could probably just mound dirt up without containing it. Get your cages and caves all leveled and where you want them and put in supports for the lid before covering it all up with dirt.
Caves - Inside the structure there are boxes (old ice chests you forgot to throw out or sturdy rubbermade type boxes). Make sure it is big enough for a doe and kits to be comfortable. When does aren't raising babies we keep shavings in the bottom and it makes clean out easier. When babies are coming we just let mom pull hair and make a nest. Occasionally you can hose it out good and shop vac it dry.
Tunnel between wire cage and cave - Cut a hole in one end of cave and push in a piece of 6 inch pvc or similar pipe - folks with large breeds may need bigger pipe which is hard to find. We considered making "pipes" by bending some cage wire into a tube and then wrapping some kind of fabric around it to keep dirt from getting in. But then we ended up with smaller mutt rabbits who fit nicely in the 6 inch pvc. You will need to arrange your cages and caves so that there is a slight downward slant from cave down to cage. Keeps rain that might blow into pipe from running into cave. Also make sure the end that is in the cave is a few inches off the cave floor. This makes sure babies don't follow momma outside before they are big enough to handle the great outdoors. If they are big enough to jump up a few inches to get in the pipe then they probably can handle cage life. Learned this one the hard way. We have two coolers that can only house bucks because the pipe sits about one inch off the cooler floor.
Cage - we use standard wire cages propped up on cinder blocks because we had a bunch of those. It is high enough that we can shop vac or rake droppings out from under them. You will need to get the cages and caves positioned right and then cut away only enough wire to stick the pipe through into the cage. If you do it right, the wire fits tight against the pipe and you won't need to fill in holes or tie edges down. We rested the pipe up against the wire and drew around it with a sharpie on the wire so we knew exactly where to cut. As my husband pushed the pipe in I gently tapped on wire with a hammer to let it bend around pipe. Tight enough that you have to force it a little to get it through but not buckling the back of the cage.
Roof - We framed a roof for the cave structure. It keeps the rain out of the dirt pile, keeps the sun from beating down on cave lids, and if you position a 2x4 properly across the middle, it holds those lids securely closed when the roof is down. The roof hinges up on carriage bolts. And a second set of carriage bolts are used to lock it shut or lock it in the open position while cleaning caves or checking bunnies. Drill holes where needed and you can pull the bolts and move them to wherever you want the lid propped.
Water - we did a large bucket (cat litter buckets are square and easier to plumb than 5 gal rounds). Plumbed some pvc pipe at a slight downward slant with a cap at the end so it just gravity flows. Used very small calf water nipples (3/8 inch from Tractor Supply). You can insulate the bucket or you can drop an ice bottle in it on hot days so their water is nice and cool. It's not pretty but it is way better than filling up a dozen little water bottles. Just fill the bucket and go. Our first build we had cages with doors on the front so we left space between the back of the cage and the raised bed structure so we could run our water pipes down the back of the cages. If you do this make sure to leave enough room that you can walk between the cages and structure to work on water lines if needed. On the second build we made our own cages and put the lids on top so we could put cage right up next to raised bed and run the water down the front. This saves space and allows most of the tunnels to be burried as well.
Finished product allows rabbits to be outside in a cage or in their little cave out of the weather. Caves stay fairly decent temp most the time. If you get really hot weather you might put a small ice bottle in a cave. Since it is so insulated, it should not take much to keep it cool. Someone asked about ventilation on another thread where we were talking about this. So far the 6 inch pipes seems to allow plenty of air. I guess if you wanted to add more you could punch some holes in your cooler lids and cover those with wire or make little pvc vents. Wouldn't do that unless you are putting a roof over it though to keep rain out. I am sure y'all will see some things that could have been done better or think of other materials that might work and be cheap. Maybe something you have on your set up would integrate well here. Feel free to comment.
Basically we wanted our rabbits to be able to get underground for climate control and to make the does feel more secure when kindling and raising their babies. But in Texas you have to worry about snakes and fire ants so running pipes down in the ground into clay pots was not an option. We chose to do it all above ground but still use dirt as insulation. Here is what you need:
Raised flower bed type structures - we made ours with landscape timbers cuz we had lots of them. But you could frame one out with whatever you have laying around or you could probably just mound dirt up without containing it. Get your cages and caves all leveled and where you want them and put in supports for the lid before covering it all up with dirt.
Caves - Inside the structure there are boxes (old ice chests you forgot to throw out or sturdy rubbermade type boxes). Make sure it is big enough for a doe and kits to be comfortable. When does aren't raising babies we keep shavings in the bottom and it makes clean out easier. When babies are coming we just let mom pull hair and make a nest. Occasionally you can hose it out good and shop vac it dry.
Tunnel between wire cage and cave - Cut a hole in one end of cave and push in a piece of 6 inch pvc or similar pipe - folks with large breeds may need bigger pipe which is hard to find. We considered making "pipes" by bending some cage wire into a tube and then wrapping some kind of fabric around it to keep dirt from getting in. But then we ended up with smaller mutt rabbits who fit nicely in the 6 inch pvc. You will need to arrange your cages and caves so that there is a slight downward slant from cave down to cage. Keeps rain that might blow into pipe from running into cave. Also make sure the end that is in the cave is a few inches off the cave floor. This makes sure babies don't follow momma outside before they are big enough to handle the great outdoors. If they are big enough to jump up a few inches to get in the pipe then they probably can handle cage life. Learned this one the hard way. We have two coolers that can only house bucks because the pipe sits about one inch off the cooler floor.
Cage - we use standard wire cages propped up on cinder blocks because we had a bunch of those. It is high enough that we can shop vac or rake droppings out from under them. You will need to get the cages and caves positioned right and then cut away only enough wire to stick the pipe through into the cage. If you do it right, the wire fits tight against the pipe and you won't need to fill in holes or tie edges down. We rested the pipe up against the wire and drew around it with a sharpie on the wire so we knew exactly where to cut. As my husband pushed the pipe in I gently tapped on wire with a hammer to let it bend around pipe. Tight enough that you have to force it a little to get it through but not buckling the back of the cage.
Roof - We framed a roof for the cave structure. It keeps the rain out of the dirt pile, keeps the sun from beating down on cave lids, and if you position a 2x4 properly across the middle, it holds those lids securely closed when the roof is down. The roof hinges up on carriage bolts. And a second set of carriage bolts are used to lock it shut or lock it in the open position while cleaning caves or checking bunnies. Drill holes where needed and you can pull the bolts and move them to wherever you want the lid propped.
Water - we did a large bucket (cat litter buckets are square and easier to plumb than 5 gal rounds). Plumbed some pvc pipe at a slight downward slant with a cap at the end so it just gravity flows. Used very small calf water nipples (3/8 inch from Tractor Supply). You can insulate the bucket or you can drop an ice bottle in it on hot days so their water is nice and cool. It's not pretty but it is way better than filling up a dozen little water bottles. Just fill the bucket and go. Our first build we had cages with doors on the front so we left space between the back of the cage and the raised bed structure so we could run our water pipes down the back of the cages. If you do this make sure to leave enough room that you can walk between the cages and structure to work on water lines if needed. On the second build we made our own cages and put the lids on top so we could put cage right up next to raised bed and run the water down the front. This saves space and allows most of the tunnels to be burried as well.
Finished product allows rabbits to be outside in a cage or in their little cave out of the weather. Caves stay fairly decent temp most the time. If you get really hot weather you might put a small ice bottle in a cave. Since it is so insulated, it should not take much to keep it cool. Someone asked about ventilation on another thread where we were talking about this. So far the 6 inch pipes seems to allow plenty of air. I guess if you wanted to add more you could punch some holes in your cooler lids and cover those with wire or make little pvc vents. Wouldn't do that unless you are putting a roof over it though to keep rain out. I am sure y'all will see some things that could have been done better or think of other materials that might work and be cheap. Maybe something you have on your set up would integrate well here. Feel free to comment.
