Monster Hutch

As you know, I've been brainstorming as well as pestering the cr@p out of all of you and I've come up with a Monster Hutch that should suit the needs of two bunnies, if not more....(my wife, thinks I'm claiming the bunnies for myself, instead of them being the kid's bunnies. lol) I will post drawings, when I get a chance to draw them up but here is the measurements just to give ya an idea......
Plywood here mostly comes in 4ft x 8ft sheets. So I figured in utilizing the majority of the board instead of wasting it.
My Hutch is going to be 6 ft long x 3 ft wide x 30 inchs high. It will stand on a 30 inch frame that will double as an under Run.
This will keep me from having to build a stand alone run for the time being.

The flooring is going to be plywood as well with 12x12 vinyl tiles on top of that (got this from here )
Im going to put as damper style vent near the roof line for summer venting, but be able to close it in the winter to keep the heat in. (still trying to figure out the best way to insulate the nest area)

There will be a solid wall for 3 ft of the length to give shelter in bad weather, but I'm going to put a 4 inch vent the whole length of this area just under the roof line. (probably out of screen), the remainder of the hutch will be wire on the sides.

The nest area will be 16 inch long x 36 inch wide.

Later down the road I will add an extra run to the inventory, but figured it would be most cost effective to utilize the hutch itself for the run since it is wider than what I've been seeing.

Ok, so there ya have it, is it too much, not enough, should I shorten the nest?? At the most this will only house two bunnies.

Joe.

Also quick ?? is 1/4 inch plywood thick enough or should I go with 1/2 inch ??

Hi jo,

Sounds a wonderful size! The bun would love it.

I coundnt make out if three of the sides would be covered, or just the back? Ideally three of the sides should be covered so that maximum protection is offered.

It sounds just perfect though - I bet they will LOVE it!

As for the materials - im rubbish at that sort of thing but hopefully someone will be along soon that can help.

Also - you're not pestering us.....its what we are here for - and we love it!

Sounds awesome, I'd be really grateful if you could take some pics as your making it if you don't mind. We use a lot of pics for this kind of thing for our community e-zine 'Hopping Mad!' (www.hoppingmad.org) , we like sharing good information, and you're not pestering us at all!

I'd go with at least 1/2 inch, or thicker (pref 1") if you can afford it - not only will it offer more insulative protection against those extreme temps, but the buns will chew the hutch, and you may be eplacing bits of it quite soon, esp if they are young

I agree, we like giving advice.

As Katie said, 3 of the sides should be solid so that you can get the best shelter from the elements. You don't want the buns getting wet but more importantly you don't want the bedding to get wet. And if one side is wire then you won't need vents. As for insulation - if you put a deep shelf in the bedding area it gives you the opportunity to put in layers of hay in the cold weather which will help the buns.

Katieb wrote:
I coundnt make out if three of the sides would be covered, or just the back? Ideally three of the sides should be covered so that maximum protection is offered.

I'm going to actually have it covered on all four sides for the first 3ft. of the cage going from the nest over. the remainder would be wire on two sides.

It will have a wall at the 16 inch mark with an entrance and then another wall at the 3ft. mark with an entrance on the opposite side of the nest.

I scanned my drawings of it last night but it wouldnt let me upload them, from my computer will have to make a photobucket account and utilize that i think.

Jay, I will definitely take pic's as I build it as well and add them as I go.

They are lucky little bunnies, it sounds absolutely fantastic.

Hugs

JO xx

I'm also going to attempt to utilize heavy duty handles as a means of being able to move the hutch to different locations in the yard, so they are always in grass and not on just dirt. Not sure how easy of a feat that will be though.

My Hubby made a hutch for one of our bunnies just recently, this is the thread about it

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/t13374-jess-has-moved-in-to-her-new-hutch-in-the-garage?highlight=mike+is+building+jess

Tuckerbunnies wrote:My Hubby made a hutch for one of our bunnies just recently, this is the thread about it

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/t13374-jess-has-moved-in-to-her-new-hutch-in-the-garage?highlight=mike+is+building+jess

This is what I mean by three sides covered. Its because when it is really cold and windy the bun may want to sit outside in the daylight but will need to be sheilded from the wind. The run underneath could be completely open without sides so that they have the choice??

It really does sound fab though!

I see what your talking about. But that raises another question....lol.
should I extend the nest area a little more say 20 inch's, instead of the original 16???
since it will house two bunnies. Or just leave it as it is???

Also, is it safe for the bunnies if I put a finish on the interior wood or should I only finish the exterior.

I would just finish the outside, they will nibble the inside so the wood should be left untreated.

I think the original 16 should be fine. It will keep them snug cuddled up together.

OH Man!!! did I just find the Ultimate out door Hutch. Well its almost the ultimate Hutch, it will be when I get done with my redesign. Will post pics as soon as I draw it up.

Until then here is a preview of the general plan. Dimensions will be changing

Ok, your gonna have to do a little work to see it, i can post links yet.

rabbitcagesource.com/rabbit-hutches/rabbit-hutches/trixienaturarabbithutchwithpitchedroof.cfm

MM, it looks great, but...
(and sorry for wetting your fire) if you look carefully, the actual space that the bun has to hop around is restricted by the ladder. The entire thing is 76 cm long, which is 29 inches - 2.5 feet, of which I reckon 1 foot is taken up by the ladder. This also restricts the space the bun has to periscope (stretch up) in. I suspect the bun is very small to make the hutch look big.
The box at the top is a good idea, but unnecessary, TBH, and there's no gurantee that therabbit will use the ladder - so the box may be redundant.

Hutches that look like houses are for people, not rabbits! If you are intent on this design, then it will need to be 3 times bigger

I'd recommend you take a look at this company, who only make large hutches, that are approved by the Rabbit Welfare assoc.
http://www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com/?gclid=CKG524X75asCFQJO4QodowquJQ

I have a drawing of what I'm thinking drawn up, but I cant get it to work on here.

I'm only brainstorming at this point. And 3/4 plywood is ridiculous $60.00 for one 4ftx 8ft sheet. I'm only going to be able to go 1/2 at the most.
My thinking was to make it 6 ft long. (space isnt really a problem in my yard)
Making the box bigger than shown obviously for two rabbits.
I also had the idea of adding a lounge below that storage area that would be about 2-3 ft long and would be wood on three sides and wire on the front.

The width of the hutch would be 36 in at a minimum to allow for the loss of space from the ladder/ramp.

I still have my other basic box idea too, still doing the brainstorming phase.

make it a jpeg, set up a photobucket account and link it from there

With accommodation, you have to think rabbit first! Fancy designs are all very well, but what the bun actually needs is simple - a lot of space and a sheltered area, with something to jump up on, toys and food/water.

Mabe you could double ply the sheltered box only, as this will give them added insulation, and you can just use off cuts.

One of the reason's the tradition rabbit hutch is still so popular is because it is really practical. It is not difficult to get at to clean or remove the buns and it is good in terms of space for the buns and provides a good amount of shelter. The design is really hard to beat and many people who have bought or made fancy hutches and up going back to the basic design.

Try this....... photobucket.com/albums/bb371/wfd7137/

What you need to do Joe is click on the IMG code and paste in into the text box like so...



The second of the 2 plans as I've copied them in is better because it does not rely on the run area for space for the buns. You need 6 ft of indoor space + 6ft of grass space ideally. This means that in the winter when the ground is cold and damp the buns can move around without having to chill their bones.

This is the hutch that recently won the rabbit welfare association best award here in the UK.

http://www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com/new-6-x-2_pet-rabbit-ferret-hutch-run-large-bunny-cage-gdhg64.html

You can turn the hutch around the other way for ease of access to the buns and the bottom run piece is timber frame and wire so not as expensive as ply.

I like that

when your done can you come to mine and do me one xx

4390evans wrote:when your done can you come to mine and do me one xx

You pay for my air fare and I'll come do one for ya. It doesnt even have to be first class either.