# Outdoor rabbit hutch SKETCH



## ReflectionOfImperfection (Jul 9, 2011)

I'm wanting to build another hutch which will house 3 rabbits. I want the individual housings to be side by side & divided. I'm just looking for a simple hutch that i can build, not no fancy hotel.  

Any idea's/information will help .:innocent


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## hillrise (Jul 13, 2011)

I don't have a sketch immediately handy, but maybe I can offer some information (and do a sketch in paint later if it sounds like something useable for you).

The first question I have to ask is how big are the rabbits that will be going in the cages? Will they be by themselves, or possibly have litters down the road? Will they be taken out regularly to exercise, or just live in the hutch most of the time?

The easiest method is to build a frame that holds premade wire cages, with a support cross beam running under the front and back of those cages, with a plywood back, sides and angled roof. That way, you can pull the cages out for easy cleaning.

I recommend figuring out what height is comfortable for you to manage the rabbits at (usually about hip height) without getting too expensive on lumber for legs. 2x8s make good hutch legs.

If you want to build the cages into the hutch (make the whole thing one unit), the cages themselves only have to be 16-24" tall (again it depends on how accessible you want the cages to be, and how much room you want to give the rabbits to stand on their back legs to look around).

I recommend making the cages only 24-30" deep, and then however wide you like (24" wide would be adequate for a mini rex, but you'd probably want 36" for a standard rex, especially if you plan to breed her, and then 48" might be better). For door placement, some people say to put them right next to the divider so that the divider acts as one of the framing bars (I use 2x2 as the divider frame, with wire attached to both sides of it, creating a double wire divider with about 2" of airspace between cages). If the individual cages are too wide for that kind of set up to give you access to the whole cage, put the door to the middle of the cage, leaving enough space for the feeder and water bottle(s) on one side.

Cover the floors of the cages with 16 gauge 1"x1/2" galvanized wire mesh, and use 14 gauge 1"x2" mesh for the front and dividers. Also keep in mind that any exposed wood, especially corners, will get chewed on, so you might consider covering it with hardware cloth or extra mesh (the floor mesh is more likely to do what you want it to, if you're bending it over corners).

Also, if the whole unit is longer than about 6 feet, you'll probably want to add a 3rd pair of legs in the middle.

If you're not going to just let their poops fall to the ground under the hutch, you'll need to set up supports for trays or a waste directing system (an angled board with buckets that have small holes drilled in them to drain away liquid waste under it works great).

I'm happy to provide better details or drawings of any ideas that sound like they might be useful.


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## ReflectionOfImperfection (Jul 14, 2011)

Thank you so much! 
You've been such a big help.
I'm glad to find that i bought that right wire mesh!
I was thinking of using 2x4 for legs but 2x8 sounds even better! 
I wanted to make 3 individual housings, but then my two Standard Rex wants to stay together. My poor mini rex always gets picked on by those two, so she will be staying on her own.


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## hillrise (Jul 15, 2011)

I put a sketch up on Google Documents.
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1yJe2xuE6IqZKKimYDXEwrv6t4sliiw9aZtovWhdW3E8/edit?hl=en_US

If that doesn't work for you, let me know.

On that design, I would recommend making the bottom part of the cage tall enough to make accessing the top part of the cage easy (at least 2 feet tall, if not 3), but keep in mind the slope of the ramp the rabbit will have to go down if it's limited lengthwise. Although, if you hinge the roof, the whole thing needs to be short enough for you to access it that way. For the top part of the cage, the back end can be as short as 14", although I'd recommend 16" since you have standard rex.

I usually put the feeders and water bottles on the front of the cage (not the side like shown for the smaller cage). I drew it that way because I got the proportions wrong. If the whole front of the cage isn't a door, you can put the feeder on the front.

I would recommend making the whole thing about 24"-28" deep (any deeper and it takes pretty long arms to reach everywhere). The mini rex cage would probably be 24" wide, although since part of the floor is missing for access to the lower level, I would do at least 30" wide. The one for the two larger rex should probably be 48"-60" wide, although you could justify 36"-42" if they have access to the lower level most of the time.

Also, I recommend using chicken wire for the floor of the bottom level since it will be resting on the ground anyway. That prevents them from digging, has larger holes for grass to pop up through, and is generally cheaper than galvanized mesh.

Good luck! Looks like they're going to have a very nice hutch once you get done.


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## ReflectionOfImperfection (Jul 15, 2011)

OMG! 
That's perfect. Thank you so much!
i'm looking at the first drawing, & i'm wondering Where does the door hinge go for the Standard Rex side?


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## hillrise (Jul 15, 2011)

The hinge for that door would connect to the outside support.


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## ReflectionOfImperfection (Jul 15, 2011)

Where's the outside support? cause it looks like the wire mesh just connects to the door, so thats why i got confused about the door hinge. I'm talking about the door on the right, cause i can see where the hinges are for the door on the left.


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## hillrise (Jul 16, 2011)

The mini rex cage would be the one on the left in that drawing...I kinda messed up and the whole front of the left side is drawn as a door.

I think I missed the hinge support that would go to the right door. It would be on the righthand side of the door. (You can see how the doors swing in the bottom diagram).


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## ReflectionOfImperfection (Jul 18, 2011)

Thankyou so much!
I changed up the design a bit. I just made the doors one whole door so that way it's an easier access to the rabbits. 
I'm going to work on the cage soon, so i'll be posting pictures up soon.


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