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Considering Rabbits - What kind of floor in an outdoor run?

  • 24-06-2015 12:56am
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 14,344 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi folks,

    I'm redoing the back garden at the moment (As detailed in the DIY forum, here).

    I have a concrete path that has no intended purpose at the moment. The plan in the back of my head is to use this for two rabbits to live on.

    It's a concrete path and measures (complete guess work here) approximately 9ft long by 2.5ft wide. I'm assuming this would be a big enough area for two rabbits to wander about.

    (they'd also be let loose around the entire garden when there's someone present, but there are wandering cats from next door, so they'd be stuck in their cage when there's no human company around the place).


    So I suppose the first question is, is this enough space? I was thinking if I made a cage that had two floors, that might be a cheap and cheerful way of adding to their living space? (but I'm not sure if that counts, with rabbits, as each floor would be the same length/width?).



    The other question I have, the more pressing one (as I'm stumped!), is what kind of floor would work best here? I know rabbits are generally happy enough on grass and will eat away at it, but as this would be the only grassy area in the whole garden, once they eat it down to muck, it'd more than likely end up turning to crap and into a mucky mud area.

    I was considering sticking down a plywood floor and perhaps throwing some hay onto it or something like that, but unsure how that'd go down with the rabbits? (I know they like hay, but a plywood floor underneath it?).

    As the run would be outdoors, I presume they also may possibly run into issues when it rains (would the hay get soggy and such, making life there a bit miserable?).


    I like the idea of rabbits but I'm just looking to get a bit more info on housing them properly before I act on buying some or building their home.


    I was considering buying a hutch for them online, to use as their house, and then building their cage around it. I may end up making the hutch, instead (as I'd ideally like to make sure it's something made with thick woods and not some cheapo stuff, so the rabbits will have somewhere warm, dry and elevated in the winter time).


    Like i say, still early days, but its the floor that's got me confused for the moment. I know i need to cage them to keep predators out, but I also know they don't like to stand on the cage as it can be sore on their feet, so I'm just not 100% sure what I'm doing in that regard.. (Also, is it best to put a roof over their heads, to stop rain, or do they prefer an open top to see the sky, etc? so they dont feel as enclosed (hopefully!)).



    Thanks for anyone able to help out at all :) Did a bit of googling but not finding much relating to outdoor rabbit hutches/runs (except images that show them on big lawns of grass, which doesn't really apply to me).


    Cheers :)


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