Outdoor Hutch Wire Floor?

[Thlayli]

Hey, I am planning on building a multiple rabbit hutch in my backyard so that I can breed the two holland lops that I have.

I have a large fenced off area for the rabbits to get excercise in. What I need to know it how big should each individual box be.

I am planning on doing a wire floor, andI know that I need a solid platform for the rabbit to stand on; so how big should the wire part and the solid part be?

What kind of bedding would be good (would the normal wood shavings from the pet store work or possibly flakes of hay?

Is it OK to have the separate boxes separated by wire or should there be something more solid between the bunnies?

It gets hot here in the summer (over 100 degrees on bad days) the hutch will be under the shade of a fig tree, it will be roofed, I will paint it white, and I am going to be putting frozen water bottles in daily; do you have any other tips for heat protection?

 

[tonyshuman]

I don't recommend putting a wire floor on a free-standing outdoor hutch. Racoons, dogs, foxes, etc can reach through the wire and bite the rabbits' toes. We had a member from India whose bunnies were getting their feet chewed off by rats this way! It's terrifying for the animal. Plus, the area under the hutch will really smell bad. It's easier to have a solid floor instead and use litterboxes for the bunnies. They will probably go in the boxes, which can be thrown out or composted, and you can put cheap odor-absorbing litter in the boxes, such as wood stove pellets. Hay is good for litter but doesn't do much to absorb odor. Most of the wood shavings aren't good for bunnies--non-kiln-dried pine and cedar contain toxic aromatic compounds that will hurt your bunnies. The wood stove pellets are made of kiln dried pine sawdust, so they are cheap and safe. If you have intact (able to breed) bunnies, they will need more than just one layer of wire between them. They can mate through wire. At the minimum, have two layers of wire spaced about an inch apart between them.

 

[Thlayli]

Foxes, raccoons, dogs, and rats are not a problem where I live. The only one that wouldn't be astounded to find in my backyard is a rat, and we have six very healthy cats who keep any rodents well away.

What I am worried about is the rabbit getting sore feet from the wire mesh.

And, about the odor under the hutch problem, I was planning on having removable pannels a few inches under the wire floor for waste to collect on. Periodically it would be emptied into the trash and sprayed clean.

 

[Karlie]

Trays like that under the hutch would be fine.
Rabbits are fine on wire floors. Many rabbits don't need anything to stand on but it is nice. I give each of my bunnies a 8"x12" wood pieces to sit on. That is all your bunnies need, unless they are giants. But since yours are hollands thats all they need.
I use hay for bedding, it keeps them plenty warm.

 

[Thlayli]

Ok, thanks for the info

 

[Baby Juliet]

I would suggest trayless and just shovel the poop. I find trays stink because it collects urine. If urine soaks into the soil any odor is gone in a few minutes. The only reason I have trays is stacked cage. Don't want waste to rain on the lower levels.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

I would always promote someone to have resting boards available for their buns to stand on
Thin sheets of plywood, plastic resting boards are available for relief.

It would be very nice to have at least one solid place to stand. I sure wouldn't want to stand on wire all day

(Otherwise, you are risking sore hocks, which can be a devil to treat .)