Building new hutches, need measurment advice

[thelittleladybug]

First off for those who do not know. We have a rabbit rescue.

We are about to build new hutches. We have a very limited space to work with so the idea is to get enough hutches as possible but with enough room for temporary rabbits to enjoy.

I was thinking, 18" wide, 20" deep and 20" high. All of the hutches will have a second story for them to jump to.

I'm afraid this size is to small, but then again, we don't have the same rabbits for very long. What do you all think? :?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

That is pretty small. The minimum size that most breeders will use is 24X24 and the height is probably about 18".
There needs to be enough room for the rabbit to stretch out, stand up and hop around. Even with a level, they still need room to get up and down from it.

One suggestion would be to have stackable cages. My local humane society has cages that are 3 high. Each one has a level. I don't know the dimensions, but they might be around 3'X2' or a bit smaller than that. If they are outside, I am sure something could be constructed so they can stack. As long as outdoor hutches can be weather proofed and are in a safe area, then it can work.

You can get away with a smaller cage if the rabbits get plenty of run time. Im a rescue situation, run time is not always in long times.

Even if it is only temporary for a rabbit, they should still feel comfortable and be able to move around.

It might be a good idea to have some cages for large breeds. As they are bigger, they do need bigger cages. If storage is an issue, some x-pens could be set up. Again if they are outside, they need to be protected from the elements and predators. Something could be built that is good for outside but is easy to store when not needed.

 

[Luluznewz]

Yeah that a really good point about the larger breeds. I have a really hard time seeing even a medium sized rabbit tolerating that cage even for a very short amount of time. Frankly, they might just not even really fit.

I recommend actually getting some tape and measuring off that size. Its going to look really really small. Is there anyway you could add an extra foot and stack the cages?

 

[thelittleladybug]

Thanks guys. I have decided that the comfort of the rabbits are more important then trying having room for more rabbits. All the cages have been sized 2ft long and 20"W. This is the normal size of a hutch...i'm hoping they will enjoy this once the hutches are finished!