Wood or wire pens

[kilgo]

Hi, im new to rising rabbits,and want to know what would be better to house them in, wood or wire.Thanks for all the feed back

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hi Kilgo!

:welcomewagon:

Wire is much more sanitary than wood.

Rabbits will pee and poop on the wood and will also chew it if they can reach it.

If you can hang the cages so the droppings fall to the ground it is the easiest method of all for raising rabbits.

You can view some of our member's setups here:

gallery/album.php?album_id=8

 

[kilgo]

thanks for the info,and the pictures every bit helps

 

[AmysMacdog]

:welcome: Kilgo!

 

[trinityoaks]

Wire is much more sanitary than wood.

Rabbits will pee and poop on the wood and will also chew it if they can reach it.

If you can hang the cages so the droppings fall to the ground it is the easiest method of all for raising rabbits.

:goodpost: If you get cages with the proper kind of wire, it's not at all hard on the rabbits' feet, although you might prefer to use resting boards in the cages with larger breeds of rabbits. (Mine just chew on them and fling them around as toys rather than actually resting on them.) Also, wire cages are FAR easier to keep clean than any other flooring type.

 

[Ivory]

Wood is more work, but I prefer it.

 

[amandainohio24]

I prefer the wood but all of my rabbits are litter trained so we don't get any issues on that side of things. As for chewing, only our male tries to chew on his cage.

 

[3mina]

I use wire, I prefer the ease of cleaning and sanitizing.

 

[jessie15273]

I have mostly wood. I say wire is better

 

[mystang89]

I have mostly wood. I say wire is better

:yeahthat:

 

[Marinea]

I have both. I have a wood hutch housing my lionhead and a wire cage housing my Dutch. Based on my experiences, the wood hutch will be transitioned into quarantine housing only.

The wire cage has soo much going for it- easier to clean, easier to keep an eye on the buns, better air circulation, the buns don't chew the wire.

Good luck with whatever you choose Kilgo, and welcome to RT!

 

[Disney]

Wood, looks more natural and i think it's more friendly for them.
Wired cages are mostly exposed from every side, there is no privacy or a dark place for them, unless you hang buckets but that doesn't count as a closed off part where they sleep and build nests.
They give a "labaratory" feel to me. And on top of that, we live in terraced houses with small backyards, the neighbours can view it from their window.
I guess it can be done when you have a farm house with lots of space, but there is no room for a wired setup in our type of yards, in cities.

But then again, they aren't available here in the netherlands.
Everyone keeps their rabbits in wooden hutches or plastic cages and often attach it to a pen for them to run around.
And nobody complains about it, so i think it's good this way.

This is ony of my hutches for example, the wood is firm, strong and doesn't really come off when they chew it unless they really want to.

 

[Demamma]

Disney is there a slide out tray for cleaning? How do you clean a wood hutch and how often? Did you build that it is very nice. I am making cages out of recycled materials and want to build some hutches but I am out of money to buy floor wire.

 

[Disney]

There is no slide, they are not favorable if you ask me. They can hurt themselves to it, its slippery and the metal tray stays cold, especially during winter. Taking it out also takes a lot of work, so i dont see any benefit from it.
Most of the hutches here dont have a tray in them.

I prefer to clean the toilet corners, if they manage to keep the rest of the hutch clean, maybe once between 1/2 weeks. So you dont have to clean the whole hutch that much. I do when i feel it's dirty and the scattered poops start to pile up.

I wish i could help you but i dont have any understanding how to build these things.
The only advice i can give is, dont use chewable wood that comes off easily, which many of the fancy hutches are build of. I have one which is a month old but it's already ready to throw away.
Use impregnated wood (treated?) instead.

I didnt build it, a father and son nearby do and they make these type of hutches with different models and for many type of animals, even avaries for birds.

 

[Demamma]

Do you have pictures of your other hitches? This one is great. I am thinking of wood hitches for some our pets and a pair of polish we have. Less noticeable by neighbors also

 

[Disney]

Most of my hutches, except for the flat, are in a bad state, i bought them 2nd hand.

These hutches are from the same guy who made my flat, so if im looking for a new hutch, i will order one of these.

 

[Demamma]

Thanks for sharing the pictures Disney. Gives me ideas for when I build my hutch