I built a wooden hutch, 6ft by 3ft for two rabbits. The 3x3 space really isn't big enough for my Silver Foxes.
I like them to have space to move and build muscle, not just sit idle in a square box their whole life. Rabbits do come from the wild with wide open space. Even my two Guinea Pigs have a good amount of space in the house, about 2ft by 7ft. They would have more if the house was larger and could accommodate them.
The hutch has full front doors. I put up the tsc cage last night, that tiny door will be a nightmare, not the size of the cage.
I found a lady w/2x2ft or so cages for $15. I'm going to get a 5 row set, maybe a second, she's 3hrs from me! I may open a wall to make them larger cages.
The tsc cage I will be adding 2 lines under the floor for extra support.
Hopefully I won't need to keep the breeding adults in cages next year except to winter them over. Hope to have the tractors done for them by mid spring.<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:08 am __________<br /><br />
MamaSheepdog":irupjk5q said:
What are you going to breed? Wallabies? Just kidding- lol!
When I was researching cage sizes there was so much conflicting info that I got really confused... I think the guidelines are written more for the pet market. Anyway, I spoke to a few different breeders before ordering my cages, and their recommendations saved me a lot of money and space.
My bucks are housed in 24"x24" holes (they said 24"x18" was good), and my does are in 24"x30". I raise standard Rex, and they seem to have plenty of room even when raising kits. I have a couple of pieces of 8"x8" beams that I use as step-stools so I can reach the corners of the doe's cages since they are on the top tier. I think a 36" cage would be a nightmare when you are stretching to catch an unwilling rabbit.
I hang 5 gallon plant pots in my cages as an alternative to resting boards- they can still access the floor space underneath the buckets, and I think they enjoy the snug feeling and probably retain warmth better in the winter. This is a picture of a junior doe napping in her bucket:
Is that an EGG under the rabbit??
The plastic pots wouldn't hold up here, they get brittle, crack, buns will chew them and their fat butts jumping in would crack them even faster...
How are they hung? Could use those large kitty litter bins for mine...would need to make a hole in the back bottom for pee/poo to roll out.