Chook Me! - Rabbit hutch!?

Rabbit hutch!?

Ok, i just bought a rabbit hutch cuz im planning on getting a bunny soon. But the hutch has a wire chicken coop at the bottom instead so if i put shavings at the bottom they will fall through and something has to go at the bottom or the rabbits feet will get hurt. What can i put at the bottom for this problem. Also im thinking of keeping it inside because i live in Arizona and it gets real hot. So the solution cant be messy. And how hot and cold of tempeture can rabbits stand? Thank you! Sites and good info are great!

Public Comments

bring the hutch back to the store and get your money back. Rabbits don't live well outdoors, the heat of the summer will kill them and the animals that come near like coons, hawks and possums will frightened them to death, litterally. Fly's lay eggs in open wounds or scratches and grow maggets under their skin, water evaporates and the bunny dehydrates, in the winter the water freezes. Get an indoor cage and spay and neuter, then they are 6 months. They you will be doing the best for your bunny. They can be litter trained just like a cat but need to be supervised at all times when running around in the house. They can eat wires and molding. Don't put it in a hutch, the wire bottom will hurt their feet they need a flat bottom cage which will then need to be cleaned.
Either return it and get a solid-bottomed cage or put a full plywood floor in the cage (you'll probably need to take it apart to do this). Rabbits become heat stressed in temps above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They do better with cold temperatures, but would need shelter from wind and rain. It's best all around to keep them indoors, just the presence of a predator outside their cage can cause a rabbit to have a heart attack and die.
Okay as for the wire floor as long as your bunny has a solid something to stand on (such as a board etc) the wire will not hurt its feet, however if you plan on keeping the rabbit inside (which is a good idea because rabbits generally can not tolerate temps over about 85 degrees without serious results) what you would need to look for is a drop pan of some sort. You may have to build a place for it to sit on under the cage OR you can put in something like linolem (sp) such as the kind that they sell at home improvement stores., if you choose to use linolem make sure you put about 3-4 inches around the sides and make sure there is no gap between the bottom of the floor and the sides otherwise you will have issue with urine dripping. As for temps rabbits are most comfortable between 65-75 degrees, and the more constant the temp the better they are. some sites to check out are http://www.rabbitweb.net/ http://www.islandgems.net/readingroom.html Good Luck
Ok, a couple tips for you: You can buy a mat at a pet store that you can put on the bottom of your rabbit's cage (or just get a sheet of pine plywood) and that will protect the bunnie's feet from sore hocks (sores from too much rubbing on the wire) With the temperatures in Arizona, (If you have it outside, or you air conditioning is kaput.) you will want to 1. Replenish bunnie's water daily. 2. Give bunny a frozen water bottle to cuddle with. (that is what we learend to do at fair, cause it gets really hot, so the frozen water bottle of water is welcome relief for the cooking-in-the-sun bunny) They can stand pretty cold temperatures, I've had mine outside in zero degree weather, but again you want to replenish their water supply because it gets frozen Now for having it inside, except for urine, the animals are very clean, the droppings are not messy ate all if they do happen to land on the carpet. The "pellets" don't leave any trace of dirt or anything. The urine on the other hand...well lets just say that if you have them inside you definitely want to train them to go potty inside of the hutch (you can do that! isn't that so cool?!) I haven't tried it, but my friend did it, and her bunny was sucessfully "potty trained." you basically would take it to its cage whenever its going to the bathroom, or looks like it might want to, and if it goes in automatically, give it a piece of carrot or fruit or something. Rabbits generally choose one corner or spot to pee in so if you keep him in his cage for a few days before letting him explore the house, he should feel most safe going back to his/her cage. If you are not letting him roam around in the house, I would suggest a runaround area in the yard, so he gets some exercise (Or you can buy it a bunny leash and harness.) and I think thats it! Good luck! ps: someone said something about predators giving bunnies heart attacks, I've had my bunnies for six years, and we've had coyotes close by, dogs and cats both chasing them to kill, and assorted natural predators (and on top of that, I think they are kind of fat.) and the are still living. My one rabbit is scared even of humans and when I hold her I can feel her heartbeat racing, but even she hasnt had a heart attack.
Well no wood. It may be good for him to chew but it will swell and splinter because of "waste". I say a plastic bottom is your best bet. Easy cleanup for the busy. If you have time on your hands, then put a pillow especially made for small animals on the plastic. You would have to wash often though. The maximum tempurature that a rabbit can stand is about 80. It is quite hot where I live so the local pet store fills bottles with water, freezes without the cap, recap after frozen, and put it in the bunnies cage so they dont overheat. Dont forget the essentials http://www.petplace.com/small-mammals/top-10-things-a-new-rabbit-owner-should-know/page1.aspx And a name http://www.altheim.com/bunny/ GL with your new bunny
Hutches are really only good for outside use. The wire at the bottom is for the rabbit to stand on and mess through. You can buy a relief mat for them to stand on if you want to, but most hutches also have a nesting area which has a solid surface for them to stand on. I bring my rabbits in during the summer because they really cannot tolerate temps above 85 degrees well. Cold temps however are no problem. For indoors, you can get a cage. Just make sure that is has some free time to run around and get some exercise. If you cannot bring them inside, the frozen water bottle idea mentioned earlier is a must also and try to find an area that they will be in the shade. Good luck with your soon to be new rabbit :)