Building A Bunny Hutch

Duncan has been sitting on the porch in a 30x30 cage which is all well and fine except his droppings have been getting scattered all over the place even with a pan beneath him. He was also really close to the ground and we have a large feral cat community here. There's possums and raccoons too.

Before we got him we wanted to have a hutch in the very well shaded back yard. He's an angora, remember, so we have to be really careful with his cooling in the summer. We had drawn up plans for lots of impressive wooden/metal hutches based on the models that run in the $200-400 range. Well, those didn't work out so much. They've got a lot of exposed wood which can be pee'd on or chewed. We came up with a design that integrated the 2 30x30 metal frames, would be easy to clean and didn't cost anywhere near $200 to build.

First off you have to get yourself ready. Tools and safety are important, as is being warm while you work. Get an outfit similar to this but beware, it attracts a certain kind of octopus...

Here is the frame for the 2 cages. The roof is slanted and will be covered with corrugated aluminum roofing we had left over from the building of the shed that this is now attached to.

Here's Rob and his foreman Alex. Keep warm me boy!

It's important to have the proper tools for working. Like a screw holder.

Or a ladder.

Here's a photo just cause he's a handsome guy so engrossed in his project he didn't know I was taking photos.

The back and sides are on the hutch. More aluminum lines the inside walls and metal sheathing (I think that's the right term) covers the wood frame. Like a huge urine guard.

The bottom is open so the droppings can easily be harvested. (Yes, I just did say we're harvesting bunny poop). They're about chest high here too which will make it better protection from predators. Bunnies can get scared if they can't get away. They can have heart attacks.

Most of the wood is treated but we gave it a once over with Killz and added a top part to the front roof so cats and whatnots can't hop on top of the cages. It's important to have your "helpers" keep busy with various other projects.

Here's the completed hutch sans Duncan.

I picked up a toddler play yard at Target for 75% off. It was normally $129 and I scored it for $35. I'll use this to house the buns when I have to clean the cages and when I want to let them get some exercise. Duncan can fit through the bars so he has to be supervised in it.

We used a blow torch to clean off the matted urine dried hair that accumulated on the bottom of the cage.

Rob took over this project...I think he just wanted to play with fire.

 

And finally, here's Dunk settled in his cage.

What a weekend project this was. Happy Valentine's Day to me! and Duncan :)