Step 1: Building a Hutch.

Step 1: Building a Hutch.

I use an outdoor hutch for my rabbits. They sit five feet off the ground in metal cages.

The sides are made of 1x2 wire and the floors 1/2x1.

In my First year I used 1/2x1/2 wire because I didn't have enough money to buy the right sizes.

I paid for that. The floors got disgusting and caked with feces and hair. They rusted quicker and began to corrode and bow.

Rabbits need steady flooring to keep their feet healthy. Not having a break from the floors or being able to distribute their weight properly seems to be what causes Sore Hocks.

Cleanliness is really important for success in a project like this. Diseased animals are not good breeders.

Because I hadn't chose the right wire I ended up ripping out the wire and chewed up wood right before a snow storm and installing cages that I had bought at a feed store into the wooden frame. The cages cost me 30$ each and I had to assemble them.

The J-clips are the sort of thing one should do alone over a couple of days.

As it was I had procrastinated and had to ask for help from my partner so that we could get it done before nightfall. There was a a lot of bickering.

We didn't finish everything until after it had started snowing.

The cages I bought were 24''x30''. The frame I built was unfortunately 71'' long so I had to cut down one of the cages. The 24x30 cages are for small to medium breeds.

You will need to make each enclosure the right size for your breed. My frame is 71''x30.5''. Raised on 4 4x4's that are 6 feet tall.

The frame is slightly longer than the cages so that 2 support 2x4's can be screwed in 1/4 of an inch down.

This gives extra support but also stops the cages moving around when the rabbits run around.

Sturdy cages that are hard to get out of are the basics of this.

I had so many escape artists my first year my neighbor named one of the rabbits Houdini (pictured).

source: instructables.com