Chicken house turned rabbit's home?

Hi I am new to the Forum and have got a single (unfortunately) non neutered male dwarf lop called Teddy who currently lives in at the moment in a traditional hutch with a temporary run until we have sorted out his new living quarters then soon after get him neutered, and if all goes to plan, find him a spayed female buddy. (We are thinking of getting one from our local RSPCA, is that a good idea??) So I am really looking to improve this little guys life after first having a nagging feeling that the hutch was too small and the reading about accommodation on various websites. At first we had not much of an idea and followed the pet shops instructions as to which hutch and run to buy and and he was the only rabbit left so yeah... I was rather ignorant back then, my only excuse is that I was an 11 year old at the time. I can't undo the past but at least now, after having him for 2 years (I am 13 now, and turn 14 this Saturday) I am going to try to make things better.

Now, the point of this thread is that we used to have chickens and we have their old house left over that my Dad made for them. It is reasonably big and measures L = 45 inches W = 60 inches (including nesting boxes attached to sides, 45 inches without) H = 52 inches. So I was wondering if this would make a good house for Teddy (plus his new friend)? We may add another level if possiable? I can't post any pics now as right now it's in bits and we need to put it up (but it shouldn't take too long to put up, probably a days job when the weather is right). Anyway, I'd like to see what you think about the cage (obviously it has been fully cleaned and bleached after having chickens in) and if you think it's suitable for 2 small to medium rabbits?

Thanks, all opinions will be appreciated, although don't be too hard on me for my ignorance

The recommended hutch size for 2 small to medium rabbits is a 6ftx2ft6inx2ft plus a run of at least the same size. The floor space should be without any trapdoors or ramps leading down. They should be able to move around freely and exibit all natural behaviours such as binkies and sitting up on their back legs. But the general advice is go for the biggest you can afford.

Hello

We all have to start someone and theres no better place than here for information

Hi There,

A big welcome to you and Teddy to HH.

Please dont worry about not knowing this stuff - we all have to start somewhere, and the fact that you are here asking how you can make his life better is absolutely fantastic.

Quite often pet shops dont give the right information - but you have deffo come to the right place to get some good advice.

Firstly - getting him a female friend is a great idea once he has been neutered - he will be very very happy bless him. Getting a friend from a rescue centre or from RSPCA is also a brilliant idea. There are so many buns that need homes and you will be doing a wonderful thing.

Now then - the normal recommended hutch size is 6fr x 6ft x 2ft - as a bun should be able to do 4 big hops from one side of the hutch before reaching the other side. There should also be a large run attached that is tall enough for them to stretch upwards. If you have anything smaller than this then a lot of rescues may not let you take a bun.

Your accomodation sounds like it would be 4ft square plus the nesting boxes. while this is a good size, it may not meet rescue standards. Does it have a permanent run attached? Or is this the size including the run?

If this space is bigger than he has at the moment then I would move him in - the more space the better, and then perhaps look for something bigger as soon as you are able to?

You may find that getting into a chicken house is a little trickier to keep clean too.

Please do ask us anything you need to know - we will all help if we can, and please dont worry we are here to help. x x x x

Hi



If your dad was able to build the chicken house, could he not build a 6ft hutch all on one level for you? I feel that would be better, also would the chicken house not smell a bit chicken pooey, even if scrubbed? Chickens do a lot of runny poo!



I'd build my own, you could build a run onto it, or use avery panels so it was fully enclosed, then you could sit in there with them for nose rubs and cuddles.

Thanks for the replies
The dimensions are just for the hutch, and I have a run at the moment that was described as 'large' by the manufacturers but I'd describe it as small so I am looking into perhaps getting this run here:

http://ukpetsonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=600

OR making our own from weld mesh, I think this is the best option as you can get a bigger run for your money that way.

Thanks again for the replies!

ETA: I am not sure as our situations have changed a lot since he built the chicken hutch, he no longer lives with us and doesn't have all the equipment or facilities we had at our old house so although making a run will be simple enough a brand new hutch I don't think will be a possibility, although extending the current ex chicken one may be a good idea as I think it will be simpler so I will look into that in the morning (and ask if it is a possibility of him helping me build a whole new one (although I don't think he'll say yes) thanks.

That looks like a nice run for him. I think he would like that! remember to pop some sort of little shelter in there if you are not attaching it to the hutch so that he has somewhere to hide.