Advice on size of hutch please :)

Hello,

Sorry I need some advice. I am moving next month and the run I have at the moment it too big for the new garden and falling apart and the hutch was rubbish quality and needs replacing. The ones I can find are either too small or made of rubbish flimsy material. Unfortunately there are foxes near the new place and also buzzards. I need something not too expensive but well made and secure. I have found a guy on ebay that seems to make very good quality hutches and runs for a reasonable price however the hutches are on the small side. My rabbits will be in a well sheltered part of the garden and they have always had 24 access to a run and always will do. I know the guidelines for hutch sizes but unfortunately this guy can't make them bespoke at the moment. What he can do for me is a 4ftx2ft hutch with an attached 4ftx6ft run which they would always have access to. The plan is to very quickly rabbit proof the garden so that when there is someone in the garden they can also have access to it which is about 20ftx20ft. Do you think this hutch size is ok bearing in mind that they would have 24hour access to the run?

Sorry for waffling!

Cheers

Helen

Bear in mind that in poor weather they may not *want* to come out into the run, so they still need plenty of indoor space.

If you are able to spend a little more now, and spend it wisely, it will last you. If you buy a 4' hutch now you are likely to want to upgrade to either a 6' hutch or a shed in the future.

How many rabbits? What sort of budget are you on?

Does sounds a little small for two buns hun, but if they are very quickly going to have access to the whole garden then it wont be so bad.

Perhaps some of the others will have an idea of where you can get something a bit bigger for the same price.

Good luck with the search

Katie x

What about a wendyhouse? They are usually cheaper than a hutch, and often bigger too.

Thanks for your replies.
I have thought about a wendy house but then that means that they will be shut inside without access to a run and my rabbits love being outside even if its pouring with rain or snowing!
This hutch and run all together is £99 and I just can't find something of a decent size and same quality for anything like this price.
I have two buns and unfortunately with a wedding to pay for too I only have about £200 ish to spend but don't really want to spend all that if I don't have to.
Does anyone know what the PetsatHome ones are like? I know the door fastenings are rubbish but apart from that are they fairly sturdy?

cheers

helen

You could attach a run and a cat flap I know many people with such a set up.

Sorry I didn't explain myself very well. The space I have available can either fit a playhouse with no run or a hutch with run if that makes sense!
Ive found a kennel 4ftx3ft with attached run of 3ftx4ft so I think I'll have to go with this option for now and maybe expand it once time and money allows, I can always put a 2nd floor in it for them, no ramp so won't take up floor space. Ah the stress, why does everyone make rubbish flimsy hutches its very rare to find them of the right size and sturdiness! Maybe I've found a niche in the market, I'll go to the Dragons Den!
Thanks for all your help
Helen x

How much space have you got? I'm sure hudad could build something within your budget if you asked him nicely.

Whats your budget, what about a play hut, you can pick one up for about £100, then build a frame round it with mesh as a safe run. The inside of the hutch can have level added for extra floor space. You can get mesh cheaper from wilkies (maybe spelling it wrong) its a shop sells everything for the house cleaning stuff toys loads diff things, they have mesh and its about 2/3 rds price it is in thearden centres, frame from wood yard 2 x 2 extrernal wood is really reasonable priced. and wee bit of elbow grease to build it all up.

Helen,

If your English buzzards are anything like the ones we have in my part of the USA, you will have to have a very strong top and supports to your run. When they swoop and drop the velocity they hit is fierce. Their talons can rip through plain screening too. You might want to consider using two layers of wire mesh. One larger mesh(here we call it 'chicken wire') and the a finer one to keep out the flies and bugs.

~holly~

i think p@h are starting to do bigger cagers and i read on another forum,the people on the other forum have seen them in store and are impressed with them and say they look very sturdy,they go up to 6' they is a tulip cottage which really looks nice,its £120 cant remember the size of it

Sue_pawz wrote:What about a wendyhouse? They are usually cheaper than a hutch, and often bigger too.

I sometimes have to look up the definitions of some of the words
that y'all use on the UK side of the Big Pond. "Wendyhouse" was one
of them. The first definition that was thrown out at me was
"The Wendy House is a goth and alternative nightclub based in Leeds, England."
I got this vision in my head of Goth bunnies kind of like a bunny version
of the Japanese anime series "Nyanmpire" which is about a little kitten saved
by a vampire. OK, I know I'm weird. But I wish I could draw what I'm
seeing in my head. It's so cute

Ha ha ha

Holly that really made me chuckle!