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Rabbits, are a popular children’s pet in the UK, they are traditionally farm animals, but domesticated rabbits are clean, intelligent and affectionate animals that make great pets. It’s important for your rabbit to have space and to feel safe so they are generally housed in a large cage, or hutch.
In this article, we will further discuss housing and caring for your rabbit. We will have a look at the various living quarters and take an in-depth look at this product, as well as learning more about why rabbits make great pets.
Contents
- 1 First things first
- 2 The best rabbit hutches on the UK market
- 3 Shopping Guide: Everything you need to know about rabbit hutches
- 3.1 Should my rabbit leave its hutch?
- 3.2 What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a rabbit as a pet?
- 3.3 How do I keep my rabbit hutch clean?
- 3.4 How can I disinfect my rabbit hutch?
- 3.5 How big should a rabbit hutch be?
- 3.6 Where should I put my rabbit hutch?
- 3.7 Can I keep a rabbit hutch in my bedroom?
- 3.8 What should I feed my pet rabbit?
- 3.9 Is a rabbit hutch suitable for a hare?
- 3.10 What kind of floor should my rabbit hutch have?
- 3.11 Can I put a pregnant rabbit in the same hutch as a male rabbit?
- 4 Shopping Criteria
- 5 Summary
First things first
- A rabbit hutch should have different areas for sleeping and playing so that your pet is more comfortable.
- Even if you have a rabbit hutch in your home, you should let your pet run around the house or the garden for a few hours each day.
- There are a wide variety of rabbit hutches available, in various materials and sizes.
The best rabbit hutches on the UK market
In this section, you’ll find what we have found to be the five most popular rabbit hutches currently on the market, along with a detailed summary of the characteristics of each rabbit hutch. This will hopefully help you in making the best decision about which hutch to buy for your rabbit.
- FeelGoodUK Rabbit Hutch and Cover with Rain Cover
- Pets Imperial® Wentworth
- FeelGoodUK Rabbit Hutch
- FeelGoodUK BUNNY ARK
- Confidence Pet 3ft Rabbit Hutch
FeelGoodUK Rabbit Hutch and Cover with Rain Cover
This is a top choice on Amazon. This large double rabbit hutch offers very spacious living conditions that is vital to the health and well being of your very precious pets. It can be used indoor or outdoors and has 4 access doors, the top floor can be shut off at night.
The curved edge felt roof ensures water runs off the hutch keeping your pet dry and the secure wire mesh and latches help keep your pet safe from predators. It’s a great looking product and highly practical. The hutch arrives flat packed with all instructions and consumer reviews say it is easily put together.
Pets Imperial® Wentworth
This is a large multi purpose hutch that can be used fr other animals such as chickens, rabbit, ferrets, guinea pigs and birds. It has an integrated run and is totally fox proof meaning you can rest assured that your pets are safe and secure.
The hutch/coop is made form animal friendly treated timber with a roof access. It arrives flat packed and when erected has the following dimensions 203cm x 75cm x 103cm (including the nest box). Again reviews say it is easy to assemble with one review saying ‘there is loads of space for the bunnies to run around in and then a lovely cosy nest area for them to keep snug! Excellent value for money too.
FeelGoodUK Rabbit Hutch
Another hutch from FeelGoodUK, this hutch and run is really nice looking. It is also offers spacious living conditions, keeping your pets happy and healthy. It is manufactured using fir wood, this combination produces a great looking and highly practical hutch and run for your pet.
The hutch and run arrive flat packed but is easy to assemble resulting in a hutch and run of the following dimensions: overall width 150cm, overall depth 66cm and overall height 100cm. The same company also offers an extension run giving your beloved pets even more freedom.
FeelGoodUK BUNNY ARK
This stunning Bunny Ark Hutch & Run is fantastic looking. Another pet house from FeelGoodUK with consumers rating the hutches higher than most others available on Amazon. This hutch double height, has 2 access doors and is manufactured using wood and plastic, this combination produces a great looking, highly practical hutch and run for your pet.
The lower run area has a secure locking door to allow your pet to roam out of the hutch if needed and it is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. The overall dimensions when assembled are: Width 150cm, Depth 66cm, Height 100cm
Confidence Pet 3ft Rabbit Hutch
This is a 2 story great looking hutch which provides a safe and durable home for your pet. Upstairs is a resting/sleeping area providing your bunny with some privacy to feel safe a secure. Downstairs which is accessed via a ramp offers an integral run. There are top and bottom access doors making it easy to allow your bunny out or to clean the hutch.
The hutch is fox proof and comes flat packed which when fully assembled has the following overall dimensions:92 x 45 x 85cm. Its a well made hutch whichgives your cute bunny a place it can officially call home!
Shopping Guide: Everything you need to know about rabbit hutches
With rabbits being such a popular pet to own, it’s important to protect them and keep them safe from predators. Continue reading to learn more about what makes a good rabbit hutch as well as understanding more about these loveable pets through our commonly asked questions.
Rabbits are sweet and loving animals who, thanks to their character, have become popular companion animals. (Source: belchonock: 97323585/ 123rf.com)
Should my rabbit leave its hutch?
Some rabbits are quieter and may not want to go out of their hutch everyday but they should always have the opportunity. On the other hand, you may have a very adventurous rabbit who wants to get out and explore, if this is the case, you should try and make his/her time outside as stimulating as possible.
Remember that it is important that your pets spend time in the fresh air. (Source: Glushchenko: 83045343/ 123rf.com)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a rabbit as a pet?
How do I keep my rabbit hutch clean?
You can train your rabbit to use a litter tray by placing a few droppings into the tray until your rabbit learns that this is the place to do its business. This makes cleaning the tray very easy and gives your rabbit a hygienic environment to live. The tray and surrounding area should be cleaned pretty much everyday and the cleaned thoroughly once a week.
Rabbits need a fair bit of space in order to run around as much as they’d like.
(Source: Melnychuk: 41557977/ 123rf.com)
How can I disinfect my rabbit hutch?
It’s important that you completely submerge the drinking bottle in boiling water, as well as all other objects which your rabbit uses. You should also remove all stains from the tray, which can be done with vinegar, in order to eliminate odours.
How big should a rabbit hutch be?
As we briefly mentioned earlier in this article, it is advisable for your rabbit hutch to have different areas for eating, playing and resting. The areas do not need to be separated with walls, but should have distinct elements to differentiate them. To ensure the comfort of your rabbit in its home, fresh bedding should be plentiful and well padded in the sleeping area. Straw, hay, wood shavings or shredded paper are all good options.
Rabbit hutches are ideal for keeping your pet safe.
(Source: Petrunina: 80958236/ 123rf.com)
Where should I put my rabbit hutch?
This is because rabbits like human contact, and will become bored and even depressed if they are left in an isolated area. At the same time, you should avoid placing it somewhere where there is a lot of traffic, or you may keep tripping over it.
Can I keep a rabbit hutch in my bedroom?
Rabbits are often very active between midnight and 2am. They also generally like to play in the hour before dawn, from around 5 to 6 in the morning.
What should I feed my pet rabbit?
Another important part of your rabbit’s diet is hay, and it should be given in unlimited quantities. The long hay fibres are essential to keep its intestine healthy as well as stopping hairballs from forming in the stomach. Finally, make sure that your rabbit doesn’t start eating vegetables until it is at least 3 months old.
The lower part of the hutch is very important, as it is where your rabbit will spend the majority of their time. (Source: Evgenii-Vershinin: 106091969/ 123rf.com)
Is a rabbit hutch suitable for a hare?
In a nutshell, while a rabbit makes an excellent pet, a hare would be very unhappy inside the house and even more so inside a cage.
In fact, most species of hare are not even suitable as farm animals. While rabbits are happy to be around people, hares will always be cautious and reluctant to get close to humans.
What kind of floor should my rabbit hutch have?
It is also common to use woodchips to cover the floor, as they are great for absorbing urine odours while being comfortable for your rabbit. In your pet’s sleeping area you can place something soft like newspaper or a soft, fluffy blanket.
Rabbits are very loving with people and are not dangerous for children. (Source: levranii: 17640180/ 123rf.com)
Can I put a pregnant rabbit in the same hutch as a male rabbit?
Giving birth is arduous and can even be harmful to a rabbit’s health, so it’s not advisable to let them give birth more than twice a year. Vets tell us that rabbits are ok to breed between the ages of eight months and four years. It’s also advisable to wait for the rabbits to be in season.
Shopping Criteria
Size
If you get your pet rabbit as a baby, do your research about the breed so you know how big it will be fully grown. Rabbits need to have adequate space to stretch and move around so you want to ensure they have adequate space. It is best to buy the biggest hutch as possible depending of course on the space you have available.
Even if your pet is let out of his hutch for a few hours a day, it also needs space to move around in its little house. It needs to be able to run around and play in order to be happy. The RSPCA recommends that a rabbit hutch should be at least 50cm high.
Materials
If you are concerned about keeping your rabbit hutch clean, skip ones which are entirely made of wood, as this material will absorb and retain urine and makes it very difficult to get the smell out. Plastic and metal materials are easiest to keep clean. On the other hand, wood is comfortable for the sleeping areas and also helps to keep the hutch warm.
If you are planning to keep your pet’s home outside, it must be waterproof, especially the roof. You’ll also need to make sure that the materials and paint are not toxic, especially considering rabbits like to gnaw at parts of their hutch.
Design
As already mentioned, a rabbit hutch should have different spaces to suit your pet’s different activities. You can buy a hutch which already has separate areas, or alternatively, you can buy a more simple cage and make partitions to divide it up. Here are the most common designs for rabbit hutches:
- Wire cage:This design gives you many possibilities to come up with your own design and create the perfect space for your rabbit, using different wire cages and connectors. You can also buy cages which are pre-assembled, and join more than one cage together.
- Stable style:This is usually the most spacious and deluxe style of rabbit hutch. They are divided into separate areas and usually some open areas for the rabbit to play in, and other sheltered zones for sleeping. Many models have multiple levels, connected by steps or a ramp.
- Simple style:Many rabbit hutches are a simple wide rectangle with an opening on the top or the side. These are most often made of plastic and metal and can be divided up by placing partitions inside.
Accessories
A good rabbit hutch should have various accessories to make it pleasant and comfortable for your pet. It must have different areas for your pet to eat, play and sleep. It should also have the elements your rabbit needs on a daily basis. The key ones are:
- Water bottle. Rather than a bowl for water, you should give your pet rabbit a drinking bottle which keeps the water fresh and clean. An open bowl risks pieces of hay or even droppings falling into it. The bottle should be fixes surely to the bars or side of the hutch.
- Hay rack. Rabbits always need plenty of hay on hand. It is a critical part of their diet and you can buy hay racks to neatly put the hay all in the same spot.
- Feed bowl. This is where you can put the food pellets or vegetables you will be giving to your rabbit daily.
- Litter tray. This hygienic tray is designed for your rabbit to do your business so that it can be easily cleaned up.
- Toys. To keep your rabbit happy in its hutch be sure to give it toy to chew him, as well as provide ramps or stairs for exercise.
- Brush. You need to brush your rabbit from time to time to remove dead hair.
- Blanket. The perfect way to create a comfy spot for your pet to sleep is by putting down a fluffy blanket.
- Hut or box. Your pet will appreciate a quiet and safe place to rest, so having a little hut or enclosed box as part of your rabbit hutch is ideal.
Base
The bottom of your rabbit hutch is very important as it is where your pet sits for most of the day. As we’ve already covered, these animals’ hind legs are very sensitive. Often, the hutch’s own floor will be perfectly adequate, but in other cases, you’ll need to put something down to ensure your pet’s comfort.
A hutch with a metal or smooth plastic base will be easiest to clean, but less comfortable for your pet. This is where newspaper or woodchips come in handy. These materials will absorb urine and will need to be regularly changed for hygienic purposes, but are also much better for your pet.
Summary
Rabbits are sweet and affectionate animals that because of this have become very popular pets. A rabbit hutch is essential for anyone wanting to have a rabbit as a pet. It’s therefore important to make a well-informed choice when buying one.
Before deciding on a rabbit hutch, consider the size of your pet, its needs, and where in your house, garden or patio you are planning to put it. These are the three main concerns which will help you make the right choice. Once you buy one, fill it with the little accessories which will give your pet a happy life.
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(Source of the featured image: Hamdi Zainal: 100291176/ 123rf.com)
