# Bunny hutch and/or outdoor hutch for at least one Flemish Giant



## HipsidyNLydia (Jul 24, 2010)

We lost our New Zealand today, she was a very sick little bunny, so the number of buns is uncertain. We will probably be getting a second one at some point soon, if we can find a good one to pair with Lydia. We are not certain of her breed, but it pretty much appears that of the breeds they had available, she is likely a Flemish Giant. Big girl, so very mellow, and fast outgrowing the space we have for her. 

We want to allow her to get outside some. Give her much more room so she can do all the things a bunny likes to do. 

Okay, so I need ideas.

What things should I utilize in a hutch for a chunky girl bunny? How should I structure the bottom of a cage so it will both be easy to clean AND not be uncomfortable for her?

How big should it be? This is just more of a night-time hutch. She also needs an outdoor area to run around, as we are renting a house and the nutball that designed it put carpet in every room but the kitchen, bathrooms, and entryway. She is not litterbox trained, as we ran into difficulties with that (flinging nastiness on the wall, gross feet on the rabbits even with litterbox cleaning every day, etc...). We are leaning toward keeping her outdoors except for in the winter. 

So, to summarize my wandering thoughts, I need to have an outdoor hutch and bunny run for a Flemish Giant and maybe another rabbit, but do not know where to begin in terms of size or flooring materials. 

Any suggestions would be helpful.


----------



## kirbyultra (Jul 25, 2010)

I don't have much experience at all with outdoor setup, but to maybe help others who might be able to comment on this better, how old is Lydia? If she's a flemish giant and still pretty young we'll have an idea of how big she might become.

Now, do you already have this "night time hutch" or are you still in the process of planning to build one?


----------



## tamsin (Jul 25, 2010)

Is she neutered? spraying the wall with urine tends to be a result of hormones so is stopped after spaying. If you litter training wasn't a success you may just need to adjust the tray. You'll need something quite large and high sided with a giant, something like a plastic dog bed (without holes in the bottom). A couple of inches of something absorbent like paper based cat litter and then a layer of hay on tops, means the deposits should be absorbed better and tracked away from paws.

Lino is easiest to clean, you can roll out a large sheet to protect a room indoor or line outside accommodation with it. 

For a rabbit that size you may find a small shed works better than a hutch - bonus is you can sit in it too without getting wet. Alternatively a walk in run, in the style of dog kennels is quite a nice set up.

Tamsin


----------

