What to Consider When Building a Rabbit Hutch

A rabbit hutch should be at least five times the size of the rabbit it houses. Your rabbit needs to be able to stretch out and stand up on his back legs without bumping the top of the cage. Since rabbits’ feet don’t have pads like dogs’ and cats’ feet, if your rabbit hutch will have a wire floor, add cardboard or other material on it. A cardboard box in the cage will allow a rabbit a hiding place and a place to nap.

Rabbits do need to be allowed out of their hutches for several hours each day. They are usually most active around dawn and dusk. Make sure that your rabbit has a safe place to explore. Rabbits like to chew, and so electrical cords and other dangerous objects must be kept out of their reach.

A rabbit hutch for outdoors needs to have durable plywood sides with a sturdy roof, and it needs to be elevated three feet off the ground.

The easiest way to “make” a rabbit hutch for indoors is to visit a farm supply store, buy a wire rabbit cage and customize it with straw, perhaps a bit of carpeting, and a cardboard privacy box for napping. For outdoor use, you can build a frame around it with 2 x 4s and attach a roof on an angle sloping toward the back of the hutch.

If you’re a real do-it-yourselfer, you can build your own rabbit cage. In addition to the supplies you’ll need that are in boldface, you’ll also need tin snips, wire cutters, a case of 3/8” hog rings, a door latch, a cardboard box, a litter box, organic litter, straw, a water bottle, and rabbit toys.

Start by making the sides of the cage with an 18” x 132” piece of 14-gauge woven wire. To bend it into shape, fold at right angles at 36”, 66”, and 102” from one end. The remaining length of woven wire should measure 30 inches to match the opposite side. Fasten the end and the beginning of the structure together using hog rings placed at 5” intervals.

Make the top of the hutch with a 30”x36” piece of 14-gauge woven wire. Attach to the structure you just made with hog rings. Make a door by cutting a 13” x 12” hole that is at least two inches away from the bottom and sides of the structure. Attach a 14”x 15” piece of 14-gauge wire to the top of the hole using hog rings, and secure the bottom of the door with a ready-made latch.

For the floor of the hutch, use a piece of 30”x 36”, 0.625”x0.625” 16-gauge hardware cloth. Hardware cloth is more durable than the 14-gauge wire, and is much more comfortable for a rabbit’s feet and mouth.

Place the hutch on a piece of vinyl flooring covered with newspaper, and put a layer of fresh straw on the floor of the hutch, along with a cardboard hiding box for your rabbit to sleep in and a litter box. The food bowl can go on the floor, and the water bottle can be attached to the side of the hutch.

Rabbits are sweet, sociable animals that require daily care and attention, and you will find that you will be well rewarded for that care and attention by years of companionship.