Simple Hutch Supplies?

[supgabs]

Hello all,
I am getting two American does next Sunday and am going to be building a hutch for both of them. Can someone give me an idea of what supplies/tools I'll need. The boyfriend will be helping but I am going on Monday to get the supplies. I would like build a basic wire hutches about 3 feet by 4 feet in size. If anyone has any hutch ideas (pictures/videos/blue prints) they would like to share, that would be helpful as well. Thank you!

 

[Miss M]

While you're waiting for other responses (I don't know how much longer I can stick around right now), you can take a look around in the Equipment, Housing, and Setups gallery:

gallery/album.php?album_id=8

You will want to make sure you can reach into all parts of the hutch, or else the rabbits will be able to avoid you when you need to get them out. Many of us have cages that are 24" deep for this reason, and have more than one door if they are over a certain width.

When you say "basic wire hutches", are you speaking of wood and wire hutches, or fully wire cages, set into a shelter?

 

[supgabs]

Sorry I should have been more clear.. I am talking about wood and wire hutches for now.
Thanks for the link!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Supgabs,

if you can construct all wire cages and build a shelter around them that will save your work load in the future. The rabbits will pee and poop mostly in the corners of the cage, where you will be using wood as a frame, and you cannot disinfect or clean it easily.

 

[Dood]

The wire on the floor should be stiff enough that is won't sag with weight and narrow enough so toes don't get stuck but poop can fall thru, 1/4 by 1/2 inch works well. The walls can have larger spaces but if you plan to have babies keep it to 1 by 1 inch and even then young kits can get their heads stuck between the wire.

Wood will suck up urine and stink and eventually rot out. I put a thin strip of tin over any wood to extend it's life but odour is still an issue.

Don't forget feed troughs that are in a rain and snow proof area of the cage or your rabbit pellets will get soggy and rot. Water can be given in nipple bottles in the warm months but will crack if they freeze and some rabbits gnaw holes in them where they touch the wire.

 

[Miss M]

1/4 by 1/2 inch works well

Do you mean 1" x 1/2"? This is normal floor wire, in 16 gauge or 14 gauge. I had 16 gauge, and they sagged, though some others don't have an issue with it. I switched to 14 gauge, and added floor spreaders, but they don't even need the extra support.

Make sure to put the wire with the 1/2" side up.

The walls can have larger spaces but if you plan to have babies keep it to 1 by 1 inch and even then young kits can get their heads stuck between the wire.

So true! When I replaced my floors, I disinfected the old ones, and cut them up into 4" strips and clipped them around the bottoms of the doe cages as baby-saver wire! I was having babies fall out of the cages like raindrops before that!

 

[Dood]

Oops! Yes I mean 1/2 by 1inch for the floor. I am Canadian and better with metric, I messed up my conversion to inches somehow.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I am getting two American does next Sunday and am going to be building a hutch for both of them.

I would like build a basic wire hutches about 3 feet by 4 feet in size.

I am not sure of your intention- are you planning on one cage or two? Most adult does are very territorial and will likely fight in a shared hutch. I would recommend two cages.

If you do go with those dimensions, make the doors large enough to get your torso into the cage. You will sometimes have rabbits that don't want to be caught. My doe cages (for standard Rex) are 18" high and 30" deep by 24" wide, and I sometimes have to wedge my upper body into the cage to reach them.

I recently bought a pair of Beverens which are about the same size as Americans, although they can be about a pound smaller. They are in cages measuring 2' x 3', and 18" high. The buck likes to stand up, but the cage is too short. I would recommend making your cages at least 24" tall.

I had 16 gauge, and they sagged, though some others don't have an issue with it.

I have BASS cages, with their standard 16g floors, and sagging has not been an issue for me. I use J clips every couple of inches as opposed to the normal 4" spacing though. My cages are only 24" x 30", so I am not sure if larger spans would bow more. In my (recently) empty cages the floor wire actually still crowns up, and these are doe cages that have been used for over a year and had the stress of litters in them.

Congratulations on getting rabbits, by the way! Make sure to share pictures with us when you get them home!

:bunnyhop: :bunnyhop:

 

[Miss M]

Oops! Yes I mean 1/2 by 1inch for the floor. I am Canadian and better with metric, I messed up my conversion to inches somehow.

:lol: That's okay... I was trying to figure out how bunny berries were going to fit through 1/4"x1/2" wire! :lol:<br /><br />__________ Sun Dec 30, 2012 10:20 am __________<br /><br />

I have BASS cages, with their standard 16g floors, and sagging has not been an issue for me. I use J clips every couple of inches as opposed to the normal 4" spacing though.

I had the Bass 16g floors, too. The instructions said 6", and we did it at 5". They sagged horribly, even under my 5lb rabbits. Maybe your 2" spacing is the secret.

I like my Klubertanz 14g floors, though.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I was trying to figure out how bunny berries were going to fit through 1/4"x1/2" wire!

That might work for "micro bunnies"!

Maybe your 2" spacing is the secret.

I think it probably is. It doesn't allow for much movement.

But my hands were NOT happy, since I had the cheapo J clip pliers at the time. :x

 

[AnnClaire]

I have got to get some photos, but it has simply been too fricking cold

I made new frames for my cages using 2"x6" to construct the support frame, 2"x4" side supports and topped the 2"x6" with pieces of cattle panel that I cut down to fit and used steeples to fix them. The width of the frame is 36" from the outside of the 2"x6" and my new cages are 24"x30"x24" ... right now, I have 2 cages with the door on the long side, but can fit 3 cages with the door on the short side if I need to expand.

I still need to put the back wall and roofs on, so I have 2 tarps and several tyvek feed bags as temporary weather protection.

These suckers are sturdy enough for the Silver Foxes with 3/4" plywood nest boxes and there is NO bounce