Here
at Bramcote Rescue we feel very strongly about the way
Rabbits are housed and have chosen to give a full page of ideas for to help new adopters with some ideas as to how bunnies can be kept other than being shut up in a hutch all
day whilst their owners are at school and work.
A
rabbit is the same size as a cat and some are even bigger.
The British Giant and the French Lops can be as big as
a medium sized dog and therefore need the same amout of
space and exercise as a dog or a cat.
Here
are some of the different ways people keep their bunnies,
everyones houses and gardens are different and everyones
way of life is different, so take a look and
consider what you can do to improve the space and room
you can give your rabbit(s). Expense
will of course always be an issue, but we have some lovely
examples here and all of the pictures are from private
owners, some examples cost more than others, but with
a little thought, often something can be set up quite
cheaply, expecially if the family has a DIY member. |
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The
example above is much larger than the minimum recommendation
and is large enough to house two rabbits. This type of hutch
MUST have a permanent outside run attached to it.
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Pictures courtesy of Alan at RSPCA Rabbits Norfolk. Alan advices that hutches should be used with permanently attached
runs, the RSPCA does not approve of hutched rabbits that have
no access to a run and neither does Bramcote Rescue. The hutches
featured here have been designed by Alan and are all fitted
with cat litter trays and garden gravel trays which makes changing
easier. It also keeps the urine off the bottom of the hutch. Thanks to Alan for the pictures, the advice and information.
Visit Alan's website at
www.rspcarabbits.co.uk |
For
outdoor accommodation using a hutch and run, the MINIMUM recommended
size by the RSPCA is 5ft x 2ft x 2ft (1.5m x 0.6m x 0.6m) for ONE rabbit. |
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This house has an extended run with moveable mesh panels to
include some of the lawn, lovely for the summer. This is ex
residents Abbey and Smokey's home.
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Wendy houses with attached runs, very
suitable for bunny houses, large enough to house two or three
bunnies. Both have a small door giving access to the enclosed
outdoor run.
The two
pictures shown are identical but have been sent to us from different
people that have adopted from us, proving that this type of
accommodation is becoming quite popular. These have the added advantage
of being able to enter the house in order to sweep out and clean
- great when its raining!! |
The
secure top on the run makes the enclosure safe from predetors,
especially when the bunnies have to be left unattended |
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Two
good examples, a large shed with enough room for three or four
bunnies, easy to clean and maintain, with litter trays tp protect the
flooring. The door opening out
onto an enclosed garden for exercise.
On the right a large outdoor
extension to a Wendy House, ideal for when owners
are absent, and both houses are large enough for when the bunnies
have to be enclosed with enough space and light.. Again,
pictures courtesy of Alan at RSPCA Rabbits Norfolk |
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This brick
enclosure with the nice big sleeping area is ideal for a couple
of bunnies as we can see. With access to an outside run or enclosed
garden makes an ideal home. |
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| The
final example of bunny housing that we would like to include
in our Bunny Housing page has to have a page of its own. We
ask all potential adopters what kind of housing they have and
we do like our bunnies to go to good suitable accommodation.
The following example is, however, the ultimate in Bunny Homes,
and whilst we would all like to have this type of accommodation
for our bunnies, circumstances and cost for most of us would
be an issue and not all of us have the space, but take a look,
it may give some ideas, people do spend alot of money on their
gardens these days making them look attractive, why not design
it to look attractive and add some bunnies instead of flowers!!!
Not only
are we pleased to see such a lovely place to keep bunnies, we
are very pleased that six of our bunnies, who had been in rescue
for over two years have gone to live there, thanks to Louise
and Steven, in Northampton. click here to see The
Ultimate Bunny Home |
