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Housing your pet rabbit depends on whether you intend to keep them inside a shed or outside exposed to the weather. The main requirements of their accommodation are that they are warm, protected from draughts and the extremes of the weather, and have ample space in which to move around. Most rabbits can live in a cold situation but damp and draughts can lead to health problems.
The advantages to housing rabbits inside a shed is that the person attending them will be much more comfortable. Indoor hutches need not be as securely constructed and can be built in tiers to save floor space. Sometimes you can find large wooden boxes that will only need some netting placed across the front and a door constructed. A stack of hutches can be made with tiers of three composed of single hutches in groups of three, six, nine etc. As rabbits numbers increase these can be easily added to.
For a single rabbit a hutch should measure 60 x 60 x 120cm and this should be raised off the ground by at least 50cm or 20 inches. A breeding hutch should be 105cm long by 75 cm wide and 60 cm in height. Also take into account the breed of rabbit you intend keeping as a hutch designed for a Flemish Giant will necessarily be much larger than one intended for a Netherland Dwarf.
When building a hutch it is easier to construct a large door that opens along the entire length of the hutch with a smaller wire netting door built into this. The bigger door can then be opened right up for cleaning with the other one allowing access for feeding and taking rabbits in and out. It is very important that the door fits exactly to prevent draughts and stock escaping. If building a hutch for outside use it will be necessary to add a roof with a substantial overhang, sloped so that rain water will drain away to the back and not down your neck as you attend your rabbits! It is also important to treat the wood so that it is waterproof with creosote or some other sealant. It is very important that with all materials used in hutch construction that they are not toxic to rabbits as they are prone to chewing. Also great care should be taken to ensure there are no protruding nails or rough edges that could cause injury.
For Angora rabbits it is better to keep them in galvanized wire cages that are suspended from the shed roof. These should hang at least two feet about the ground. The cage floor should be constructed of wire mesh 25 x 13 mm square with a 2.5 mm diameter. A mesh of 50 x 25 mm square with a 2 mm diameter will be suitable for the sides and top. A height of 400 mm is required to allow the rabbits to sit up. Does with a litter need a cage of 0.54 m square while a single rabbit only requires one of 0.3 m square in size. Door openings should be 330 mm x 420 mm to allow for putting in a nest box and for the animals to be taken out. Waste will drop through the wire bottom of the cage into a manure pit so this method of housing makes for easier cleaning.
The best type of housing for keeping your rabbit outside is the Morant hutch. This is an ark consisting of a small covered sleeping compartment with a wooden base and an exercising area with a wire netting floor. It should be 210cm in length, 90 cm in width and 90 cm high. If it is fitted with handles it can be easily moved each day so that the rabbit is always on fresh grass. It can also be used nearly all the year round and moved inside when bad weather strikes.
Really it is just a matter of finding the method of housing which not only suits your circumstances and your pocket book but the health and well being of your pet.
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