A cage for rabbits can be easily built at home from scrap materials. But it is important to take into account the shape of the structure and its safety for furry residents. The success of rabbit breeding largely depends on these factors. What should an ideal abode for eared animals be like, what is best to build it from and how to do it correctly - you will learn about this later in the article.

What should a rabbit's home be like?

The development of pododermatitis and frequent injuries to the limbs in rabbits are the first signals of improper maintenance. In the future, such conditions do not have the best effect on the productivity of the wards and their safety. Therefore, the breeder, in addition to feeding and watering, as well as animal stocking density, should pay close attention to the features of rabbit housing.

Ideally, cages for long-eared pets should provide reliable shelter from bad weather and at the same time be well ventilated and illuminated. Constant control over the level of exposure to external factors is important, which largely depends on weather conditions, season and time of day.
It is unacceptable for animal feces to collect inside. Many rabbit breeders solve this problem by installing a slatted floor. But, according to experts, it is in the mesh cells that the highest degree of injury is recorded. Therefore, such designs are extremely undesirable for rabbits.

These animals are very sensitive to air exchange and dampness. Excess ammonia and hydrogen sulfide have a bad effect on their productivity. Therefore, the air humidity in the rabbit house should correspond to 60 – 70 %.

Important! Fine spinous straw or hay is strictly not recommended for rabbits as bedding. Soft, awnless cereals are preferred. They are used from late autumn until spring. At other times of the year, it is necessary to cover the floor only in cages with pregnant females. And then they do this 5 days before the birth.

Their home should be inaccessible to rodents and predators. It can be built from used boards, plywood, bricks, carvings, and slate. Multi-tiered group structures are ideal for mass breeding of long-eared animals. On them, as on the simplest cells, it is recommended to provide a single- or gable roof.
Experienced rabbit breeders advise:

1. Choose dry and elevated areas for placing rabbit cages, away from sources of dampness and ponds, but in the shade of trees. This is due to eared intolerance to direct sunlight.
2. Strictly monitor the ventilation of the structure and prevent the slightest drafts. In the houses of wards, air movement that exceeds a speed of 30 m/s is undesirable.
3. For the winter, insulate the cages so that the temperature of keeping the animals corresponds to the range of +10...+20 °C.
4. Make sure that in winter, closed rabbit hutches are illuminated at least 10 hours a day. Ideally, this problem can be solved by installing a window on the entire wall on the east side of the structure.
5. Install cages at a height of 80 – 100 cm from the ground. This is necessary to protect the wards from rats, and this solution will greatly facilitate maintenance.

Did you know? In Australia, rabbit breeding is prohibited by law, violation of which carries a fine of $30,000. This is due to the fact that local residents consider wild animals to be the most destructive pests. Every year they destroy agricultural crops and, with their vigorous activity, lead to the degradation of entire lands, causing damage to the population in excess of $600 million.

How to make a house for a rabbit with your own hands

Regardless of what type of cage you prefer, and how many individuals it will be designed for, its basis is: frame, walls, floor, ceiling and doors. But before you take up the tool, you need to thoroughly understand the required dimensions of the structure and make its drawings.

Design and sizing

The classic version of the rabbit queen cell has dimensions of 70 x 100 x 60 cm. For young animals, the structure can be made according to the same parameters, shortening the length by 30 cm.

It is important for the builder to understand that the entire area of ​​the structure for the female rabbit and her offspring will subsequently be divided into a walking area and a remote nook. The first zone in most cases is a square with sides of 50 cm.

And the second is a blind box with a length of 25 cm and a width of 50 cm. A removable door is attached to the front side of the structure, and a small hole at a height of 15 cm is provided on the wall adjacent to the walking space.

There must be a tray under the floor to collect feces. The floor can be made of densely placed wide slats. When using gratings, to avoid injury, be sure to cover them with a mat, leaving small gaps around the perimeter.
Experienced breeders advise calculating the height of the rabbit hutch at 55 cm on the front side, and 30 cm on the back side. The slope on the roof can serve as a pallet if placed at the top of the second tier. For reliability, it will need to be galvanized.

Did you know? Rabbits chew 120 times per minute and have more than 17 thousand taste buds.

If you are planning to build a two-section house for adult rabbits, calculate its length within 140 – 210 cm, width 60 – 70 cm and height 50 – 70 cm. The sections will be separated by a V-shaped feeder for grass and hay. On the front side, provide 2 solid doors in the nesting compartments and 2 mesh doors in the walking areas.

Remember that the size of the cages largely depends on the breed of the wards and the way they are kept. For example:

• rabbits about 0.5 is required – 0.7 square meters of area;
• adult males- 0.17 m2;
• young animals- 0.12 m2.

Materials and tools for work

You can build an abode for long-eared pets from any material that you have on your farm. But, according to experts, among all the available varieties, wood has proven itself best. It is environmentally friendly, durable, retains heat well and does not heat up in hot weather.

Did you know? The left rabbit's foot is revered as a talisman of good luck and happiness in many cultures around the world, including Europe, North and South America, Africa and China. It is likely that the belief in the magical power of the long-eared paw originated in European countries from 600 BC among the Celtic peoples.

Metal is absolutely not suitable for such structures. In winter, animals in such a house can freeze, and in summer they can overheat. You should also avoid using chipboard. This material quickly absorbs moisture, resulting in severe crumbling.
Here is a list of tools and materials necessary for further work:

• 10 wooden beams 3 m long, 30 x 50 mm (for the frame);
• boards or plywood sheets measuring 1.5 by 1.5 m, thickness ― 10 mm (for wall cladding);
• a meter piece of slate (for the roof);
• wooden slats 3 cm wide or welded mesh with cells 15 x 15 mm (for the floor);
• metal sheet 1 m long (for constructing a pallet);
• 4 canopies (for fastening 2 doors);
• boards (for a blind door);
• welded mesh with cells 2.5 x 2.5 cm (for the ventilation door in the walking area);
• metal rods (for a V-shaped hay feeder);
• electric drill;
• hammer;
• wood saw;
• roulette;
• pliers;
• construction stapler;
• square;
• pencil for marking;
• coarse sandpaper;
• 1 kg of self-tapping screws 30 and 70 mm, nails.

Step by step instructions

When everything you need is available, you can get to work:

1. Cut the measured length of the beams. On a flat surface, put together the frame of the structure from the prepared blanks. In the case of a multi-tiered structure, be sure to provide a space of up to 15 cm after each of the tiers for installing a pallet.
2. Connect the front and rear beams with transverse slats. This is the basis for the cell.
3. Measure 4 legs for the rabbit house from the prepared wooden blocks. Pin them to the resulting wooden rectangle so that there is a height margin of 30–40 cm to the floor.
4. Measure the slats for the door and use screws to connect them. Then cover the resulting frame with mesh. Fasteners are made from the inside using a construction stapler.
5. Measure the required length of the boards and cut the blanks. Cover the frame of the cage with them.
6. Hang the doors on the hinges and provide a latch on it. It is convenient when the structure opens from top to bottom.
7. Inside the center of the cage, attach a V-shaped hay barn, dividing the space into 2 sections.
8. Now you can start building the blind pen. Many rabbit breeders build it with a removable plywood bottom to prevent increased dampness inside the cage. Therefore, this part of the house must be made entirely of boards or plywood.
9. Between the nesting and walking areas, install a plywood partition with an opening for the passage of residents.
10. After that, make a solid door in the blind part of the cage, also attaching it to the hinges. Don't forget to attach a latch to it.
11. Mount the roof from boards or slate. It is desirable that it be folding. Therefore, experienced owners advise using hinged hinges as fasteners.
12. Now lay the floor at the bottom of the slatted structure, leaving 1.5 cm gaps between them. If you retreat more, animals can get stuck in the openings and injure their paws. As an alternative, a mesh with small cells is suitable, but then you will need to provide a mat.
13. Build a low tray of appropriate dimensions from a metal sheet and place it under the cage. Some manufacturers advise placing this part at an angle to make cleaning easier.

Video: DIY rabbit cages

Home improvement inside

After checking the safety of the finished cage, you can begin arranging it. First of all, pay attention to the floor. Rabbits often suffer from pododermatitis from mesh coverings. Therefore, if your structure is made of metal grating, be sure to cover it with a rug.

Carpet and wool products are absolutely not suitable for this, as they often cause disruptions in the animal’s gastrointestinal tract. Do not forget for a second that we are talking about a rodent that can taste everything within its reach.

After this, lay a thick layer of bedding on the floor. In the autumn-spring period, it is important for rabbits that their paws are protected from bedsores. Sawdust, coarse straw or hay of soft, awnless cereal crops are ideal for this. You should be especially attentive to the choice of material when keeping downy breeds.
The awns caught in their fur cause discomfort and pain. Straw is preferable because it retains heat and is safe for the eared one. Remember that the larger the pet, the more bedding it needs. For adults, it is enough to lay a layer with a thickness of 12.5 – 15.5 cm.

In addition to the already provided cribs for hay and grass, you need to put a drinking bowl and a feeding trough in the animal’s cage. It is important that these containers cannot become overturned or become clogged with excrement. Therefore, experienced rabbit breeders advise purchasing a commercial drinking bowl, which is attached from the inside to the front side of the cage. And you can build a feeder yourself.

To do this, attach a wooden block vertically in the cage and attach a wooden rectangle 7 cm high and 30 cm wide to it. Pin a guide block on top at a distance of 20 cm.

And after that, sew up the structure with plywood, so that the sheathing fits between the guide beams to the top, and at the bottom rests against the feeder, but does not block access to feed. As a result, you will be able to fill the structure through the top.

House care

Rabbits are very sensitive to cleanliness in their abode. It is this factor that largely determines the health of pets. Therefore, the breeder regularly needs:

• remove manure from the pan (ammonia fumes have a very bad effect on the health of eared animals);
• change the bedding in the cage daily (otherwise the animal will get sick due to increased dampness);
• before each feeding, clean the feeders from food residues (rabbits are characterized by increased sensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract);
• change water in drinking bowls every day;
• Every six months, carry out a general cleaning of the rabbit house and completely disinfect it.

Did you know? A two-kilogram rabbit can drink as much water as a ten-kilogram dog.

Getting rid of pathogenic microflora in rabbit cells is not so easy. Therefore, this process cannot be started. The rabbit breeder must understand that infections and viruses are extremely tenacious, infecting each new generation of animals that are bred under these conditions. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the death of livestock by timely disinfection of cages and all equipment.
Disinfection of cells and all equipment Since the microbes living in the abode of long-eared animals are very resistant to high and low temperatures and quickly get used to pesticides, they can only be destroyed by special disinfection methods. All surfaces (both internal and external) of the rabbitry, all equipment involved in care, as well as the walls, floor and ceiling of the room in which the cage is located must be treated.

Did you know? Rabbits' eyes are designed in such a way that they can watch what is happening behind them without turning around.

First, the rabbits are transplanted from the structure, and only after that the space is cleared of feces, bedding and dirt. Then they remove all the removable elements and use a hose to wash the inside of the cage with a stream of hot water. Repeat this procedure with any detergents and a brush. The same is done with equipment, feeders and drinkers.

After the manipulations have been completed, the rabbit housing is left to dry and only then treated with disinfectants: Virocide, Ash Lye, Ecocide S, Formalin, Glutex, Virosan, Belizna, Virkon S, formaldehyde solution, soda ash or Bromosept-50.
Now you can return all objects removed from the cage to their place and place pets in them. Their health is no longer in danger.

As you can see, at home, using scrap materials, you can independently build a rabbitry of the required size for a certain number of animals. The most difficult thing in this process is calculating dimensions and preparing drawings. We hope our article will help you resolve these nuances and quickly complete the construction.

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Breeding domestic animals is a pleasant and interesting process for experienced farmers and a labor-intensive challenge for beginners. Size does not matter - even the smallest eared ones cause a lot of trouble. It is especially important to prepare a house for a rabbit.

The life of rabbits

Before you start building a house for rabbits, you need to learn about living conditions and rules for caring for furry animals. With proper care, rabbits live about 5-10 years and love to chew on everything. The long-eared tree can damage a simple tree. The material must not be coated with toxic varnish.

A warm skin does not always protect pets from unstable temperatures and weather conditions. The structure should not be placed in a draft or near radiators in the apartment, such conditions affect the condition of the animals. The size of the cage should correspond to the size of the eared ones.

Preparation for construction

The design of the cage for domestic rabbits must be designed for offspring. A two-section, single-tier cage is ideal, with enough space for even a large brood. To make a rabbit house with your own hands you will need the following:

• drawing;
• 2 chipboards measuring 120 cm in length and 60 cm in width, as well as 2 chipboards measuring 60x60;
• sheet of tin the same size as the first plywood (thickness - 0.2 mm);
• bars of appropriate height;
• slats;
• iron mesh;
• nails or screws;
• hand file, metal scissors, hammer or screwdriver.

Step-by-step making of a house

The frame is made of the most stable material - wooden blocks. Building such a structure for your rabbits is not a difficult task if you rely on the drawings.

Sheathing

The next step is covering the floor, walls and roof. For the floor and roof, large slabs are taken and completely attached to the floor and roof. The roof is also made with a gable roof, but for this purpose the slabs are fastened differently. The hinges will allow you to raise the top of the cage at the right time.

If rabbits will be kept outside year-round, it is important to consider insulating the house during the construction stage. To do this, you can use natural materials (moss, straw, etc.) and artificial ones (foam, glass wool).

Marking

Then you need to think about the placement of the branches. For the cage in question, two compartments on both sides, separated by a feeder, are suitable. The feeder is made of slats and is located in the middle of the cage.

The female rabbit requires different planning.

Tin scissors help cut straight pieces of tin for the floor. There is no need to cover the entire floor. They do this to make cleaning the cage more convenient.

Final stage

All that remains is to make the doors and holders of the house. The doors are made of slats and mesh, with hinges attached to them to hold them in place. Anything can be used as pallets (they can even be made from boxes), but it is better to take rough and tall bars. The distance to the ground should be at least 60 cm. A hook is important for safety. The house where the rabbits will be kept is ready for use.

House for a rabbit in an apartment

The structure in the apartment should be built from wood. A house must be beautiful to make it a pleasure to live in.

DIY rabbit house - compact design. Often apartments have little space, so a two-tier wooden house is a more popular option. Material costs will remain almost unchanged, but the drawings will have to be redrawn. A staircase to the second floor, compartments and a floor will be required.

Olga Nevolina (Veterinarian):

Regular cages are sold at pet stores and come in a variety of sizes. It is impossible to keep a rabbit in a cage all the time; it must be let out every day to run around within the apartment. If this is not possible, then a small playpen is built around the cage where the animal can move freely.

How to build a rabbit cage yourself? This question usually arises among beginners who decide to start rabbit farming. Experienced farmers usually develop designs that are convenient for themselves, making it easier to care for animals.

Cells can have different structures and be made from a variety of materials. They are made completely simple or additionally equipped with “conveniences”, such as running water or heating. In the construction of the cage, much will depend on the planned number of rabbits, their breed and size, on the availability of retreat materials and on the place where it will be installed, on the desire and ability to equip it with various devices, as well as on the ability to work with carpentry and plumbing tools.

Cell placement

Rabbit cages can be located in utility rooms, such as, for example, or directly on the street. Therefore, they can be divided into three types according to their location and the method of breeding rabbits:

• Year-round outdoor placement of cages, when animals are constantly outdoors.
• Keeping pets indoors all year round.
• A combined breeding option, that is, in winter the rabbits are kept indoors, and with the onset of warm weather they are transferred outside.

Experienced rabbit breeders believe that the most optimal way to breed these animals is to keep them outdoors all year round, as this promotes the development of immunity to various diseases and the formation of healthy, high-quality hair. In addition, when raising rabbits outside, the females' productivity significantly improves, which increases the number of rabbits in the litter and their endurance.

Street cages

Rabbit cages are most often installed outdoors if you plan to breed a large number of animals - a hundred or more animals.

The convenience of setting up rabbit hutches in outdoor conditions lies in the availability of more space and the ease of caring for your “menagerie”, since each of the cages needs periodic cleaning.

Rabbit cage

To build outdoor cages, fairly durable materials are used, since the structure must be reliable and stable - these qualities will help protect rabbits from adverse natural factors, as well as from the penetration of predatory animals - dogs, foxes, cats or rats - into the cages.

It is advisable that the building be located under a large front canopy so that any precipitation, as well as direct sunlight, do not bother the pets too much.

If the rabbits will be outside all year round, then it is necessary to take care of insulating one of the parts of the cage. These animals tolerate low winter temperatures well, but it would still be a good idea to create comfortable conditions for them and a special place where they can bask on especially cold days and nights.

Cages placed indoors

Cages placed in non-ventilated areas can be made entirely of metal mesh attached to a wooden frame and have a wooden lattice floor. If breeding pets is carried out indoors, it is important to think carefully about the convenient disposal of their waste.

Combined rabbit breeding option

In another case, if funds and space allow, cages are built in two places - both on the street and in a barn. This method of farming is unlikely to be suitable for those farmers who raise a large number of pets, since installing winter and summer cages will require a fairly large area.

Cell design and size

Rabbit cages can be single-tiered or multi-tiered. In addition, their design may vary depending on the main purpose - for breeding, for raising young animals or for keeping adult pets.

Single-tier and multi-tier structures

Cells can be single-tiered or multi-tiered, but they are arranged in no more than three tiers.

• Single-tier cells

Single-tier buildings are raised above the ground by 700÷800 mm and covered with a roof made of or sheet metal. If this type of building will be located on the street, then it is better to choose a slate roof, since the metal heats up quickly, and rabbits do not tolerate extreme heat very well.

To collect and dispose of animal waste, a metal tray made in the form of a drain is often installed in a single-tier cage for the convenience of its regular cleaning.

• Multi-tiered cells

More often, multi-tiered cages are practiced, which can have two or three tiers, and on each of which a different number of sections are placed. Such structures are most often made of bars, boards and galvanized mesh, and are used for breeding rabbits, both outdoors and indoors.

Such cage designs are called sheds - in them, tiers with sections are located on top of each other, which helps to significantly save space.

A two-tier design is considered the best option, as it will allow for comfortable care and monitoring of pets.

It is recommended to raise the shad above the ground by 500÷600 mm when installed indoors, and by 700÷750 mm when installed outdoors. This cage is considered the best for keeping rabbits, so it is used most often.

When building multi-tiered cages, there must be a space of at least 150 mm high between each of the tiers. A sloping metal roof is installed over the cages. In the space between the tiers and under the lower tier, inclined tides are fixed. They are necessary so that rabbit waste does not fall into the lower cages and does not linger on the lower roof, but flows to the ground or into a common or separate drain for each tier located at the back of the structure. At each of these ebbs, sides are bent on the sides to prevent waste from falling beyond this plane.

Some owners prefer to use removable plastic trays, which are mounted on skids under the slatted floor and can be removed for cleaning and rinsing.

Another option is for the trays to be installed directly in the cages. In addition, sometimes cages are made with a solid floor. Both of the latter options are probably still not very convenient, since the bedding in the cages will have to be changed quite often - once every two to three days.

Cages for breeding

In cages intended for breeding, special chambers are installed on the sides, or space is provided for installing a mobile queen cell. In a design with a stationary compartment, the walls, removable floor and ceiling are made solid, since it must be well insulated and not blown through by drafts, otherwise the rabbits will die.

The floor in the rest of the cage, where the food section is located, is made of wooden blocks or metal mesh.

The mobile queen cell is a completely closed box with a round hole for entry. The box should also have an additional side door to allow it to be cleaned and dried.

breeding cages

A mobile queen cell is convenient because it can be rearranged, if necessary, into different cells, and it is also easier to clean and change bedding.

This chamber is insulated with dry, mold-free hay or shavings. It is not recommended to use small sawdust, as they can get into the respiratory tract of the rabbits, and they will die.

If breeding is carried out in winter, then a few days before it, it is recommended to place an electric heating pad in the queen cell to create comfortable conditions for the female rabbit.

During the cold season, it is often impossible to do without heating the uterine tract, so instead of a heating pad, you can also use a regular light bulb, which is kept constantly on during this period. It is placed in a compartment located behind the wall of the uterine chamber. Having chosen this heating option, it is necessary to take care of fire safety, so the chamber where the lamp will be located must be sheathed with a thin metal sheet.

Another way to heat this part of the cage is, which is fixed to the bottom of the queen cell, and a removable floor panel is placed on top of it. When using this option, it is imperative to ensure that the cable located in the cage is solid, without splicing. This system, installed according to all the rules, allows you to regulate the temperature in the uterine compartment depending on the outside temperature - it can be connected to a thermostatic regulator.

For cages located indoors in barns, it is best to make queen cells mobile so that they can be taken outside for thorough cleaning, ventilation and drying in the sun. If a built-in uterine chamber is planned, then the floor must be removable.

Each section of cells of this type usually has a length of 1000÷1200 mm, a depth of 550÷650 mm, a height on the front side of 550÷600 mm and 400÷450 mm on the rear wall. The built-in uterine chamber is made 350÷400 mm wide.

Cages for young animals

Cages for young animals should be designed to house 8÷20 rabbits at a time between the ages of three and five months. A group cage is made with an area of ​​approximately 0.25 - 0.3 m² per pet, with a wall height of at least 350 mm.

If the cages are made multi-tiered and installed on the street, then they must be raised above the ground by at least 700÷750 mm.

In cages for young animals, the warm nesting compartment should also be well insulated for the winter period, in approximately the same way as for newborn rabbits. For insulation, hay or straw is used, laid 15÷20 mm thick. You should not choose artificial materials for insulation, as they have a bad effect on the development and growth of babies of all breeds of rabbits.

Cage for adult rabbits

For adult rabbits of medium-sized breeds, cages are made with sections 600÷700 mm deep, a front height of 600 mm and a length of 1000 mm - these are the minimum dimensions for the comfortable development of an adult animal. The same block design is used for these cells; each block contains two cells separated by a wall.

It is also necessary to provide for the union of these cells into one, for example, for the mating period - for this, the partition between them is made removable. It is recommended to make the floor in cages for adults from galvanized mesh.

It is very important to take into account that pets must move freely inside the cages, since their growth and development will depend on this.

Cage with aviary for walking

This cage design is well suited for keeping young animals or for rabbits of reproductive age. The cage consists of two compartments - an area completely enclosed by walls and a roof and a mesh enclosure. The two compartments are connected by a round or rectangular entrance cut into the rear wall of the cage with solid surfaces. Rabbits in such cages have the opportunity to move freely and safely, which is beneficial for their development and growth.

The dimensions of such structures may vary, but usually the depth of a closed cage is 600÷650 mm, and the depth of the enclosure is 800÷1000 mm. Most often, a regular single-tier block is built, consisting of two separate cages, and then, if there is space behind it, a mesh enclosure is attached to it.

Cages for giant rabbits

Large rabbits of the “giant” meat-skin breed require a special approach, since not standard cages are built for them, but those with more significant parameters. Individuals of this breed grow to sizes from 550 to 650 mm in length, and their weight ranges from 5.5 to 7.5 kg. These numbers must be used as a starting point when drawing up a construction design drawing.

For one adult “giant” rabbit, you will need a cage measuring at least 960 mm in length, 700 mm in depth and 600÷700 mm in height.

For young animals of this breed, in one litter of which there are on average eight rabbits, you will need a cage of 1.2 m², at least 400 mm high.

Since “giant” rabbits have quite a lot of weight, the floor of the cage should be reinforced - it is also covered with galvanized mesh, but made of thicker wire, for example, 2÷2.2 mm. In addition, to prevent the mesh from bending under the weight of the animal, when making the floor, you must first secure bars measuring 30×30 mm, laid at a distance of 35÷40 mm from each other, and then lay and secure a metal mesh on top of them.

Some farmers put a solid floor in their cages, but in this case, the best option would be to install plastic or rubber trays in them. If you choose this option for arranging the cage, then you will have to clean it of waste daily or once every two days.

metal aviary

California rabbit cage

This breed of rabbits (a hybrid of the New Zealand breed, the Soviet chinchilla and the Russian ermine) is quite popular due to its ease of care and resistance to negative winter temperatures. In size, adult individuals of the Californian breed are smaller than “giants” and their length is 450÷500 mm, but their weight sometimes reaches up to 4.5÷5 kg. The cage for these rabbits should be approximately 0.4÷0.5 m² in size. The paws of pets of this breed are covered with coarse hair, so they will be quite comfortable in cages with mesh or slatted floors.

When California rabbits are raised exclusively for meat, they are often kept in a pit measuring 2000x2000 and 1000 mm deep. The walls of the pit are reinforced with slate, a plank or mesh floor is laid on the floors, a low fence is installed around the pit and a roof is built.

An earthen niche is made in one of the walls of the pit, which is not reinforced in any way. It is necessary to create conditions close to the natural habitat of these animals. Rabbits will happily dig holes in the ground, and with proper care they will reproduce well and raise young on their own.

Feeders and drinkers for rabbit cages

To make caring for your pets easier, it is worth considering a convenient supply of food and water for them. There are many different designs, both feeders and drinkers. They can be purchased ready-made or even made yourself.

Drinking bowls

Rabbits need a lot of clean water, and if you pour it into a bowl that is not fixed at a certain height, then various debris will fall into it, or, even worse, the rabbit, stepping on it with its paw, will simply knock it over and spill the water.

It is very important to decide on the choice of material from which the drinkers will be made. For example, if you install products made of thin plastic, they will not last for a long time, as rabbits will chew them. In metal cans, water will quickly become dirty and cloudy. Therefore, experienced rabbit breeders have developed several simple designs that allow them to constantly provide the animals with the necessary amount of water.

Automatic drinkers

This type of drinker is often used both on large farms and in small households. The design of this drinking bowl consists of a bowl connected to a container filled with water. Moreover, the bowl is in the cage, and the container is located outside, so it is easy to replenish it with new supplies of fresh water.

The principle of operation of such devices is quite simple - as the water decreases from the bowl, a new portion of liquid will flow into it from the container. In this case, the float system is triggered - there is little water left in the bowl, so the valve installed in the container opens and the drinking bowl is replenished with water. It is quite difficult to make such a drinking bowl yourself, but it can be purchased ready-made.

Nipple drinkers

The nipple type of drinker is convenient and practical, since in this case the animals cannot spill the water - it remains in the tube until the rabbit begins to drink, performing sucking movements.

The disadvantage of this water delivery system is that at low temperatures the water in the container and in the tubes quickly freezes, so this drinking bowl can only be used in the warm season.

Vacuum drinker

There are several ways to make a drinking bowl from a regular plastic bottle, and they should be considered, so the manufacturing process can be carried out independently.

The operating principle of this design is based on the laws of physics, and to make it, you need to proceed as follows:

• A bowl with a flat bottom, sides approximately 50 mm high and an elongated shape is fixed to the cage at a height of 100 mm from the floor, so that half of it is inside the cage and the other remains outside.

• A regular plastic bottle of two or one and a half liters is filled with water. The bottle is then closed with a cap or even a piece of paper, which is pressed firmly to the neck. Next, the container is quickly turned upside down and placed in a bowl. The neck should not reach the bottom 2÷3 mm. The bottle is then secured to the cage using wire or clamps.
• The lid is carefully unscrewed (if paper was used, it is simply pulled out), and the bowl is filled with water by about ⅔. As your pets drink water, water will flow from the bottle into the bowl, filling it to its previous level.

Throttle drinker

This drinker works on the principle of a conventional hand washbasin, that is, when you press the throttle installed together with the valve in the bottle cap, water begins to flow down the throttle through the resulting hole.

The hole in the cover should not be large, but the throttle should move up and down easily in it. A rubber gasket can be used as a valve, which holds the throttle well and covers the hole in the bottle cap in a calm state.

The bottle with this device is fixed vertically on the cage, at a height of 250÷300 mm from the floor.

Hanging drinker

This is a very simple version of a drinking bowl, made from a plastic bottle; it is suspended on wire holders at a height of 250÷300 mm from the floor. To make such a drinker, a cutout is made in the side of the bottle, 100÷120 mm wide and almost the entire length of the bottle, 50÷60 mm away from the lid and bottom.

The drinking bowl is fixed on the outside of the cage so that the hole cut in the bottle is turned inward. In the cage at this level, part of the mesh wall is also cut out so that the rabbits can easily reach the water. Such a drinking bowl will have to be replenished with water quite often, but it is extremely simple to manufacture.

Feeders

It is advisable to plan the feeders at the stage of drawing up the drawing of the entire structure. Feed supply devices can be of three types:

• Senniki are most often located between two adjacent cells and have a V-shape. They are made together with the structure of the cell itself - they, in fact, are its integral part. Fresh grass or dry hay is placed in these feeders, and the rabbits pull it out through the lattice walls.

• Feeder for filling feed. This product is necessary for rabbits to enrich their body with minerals and vitamins, which contributes to the rapid growth of animals. This food is especially important in winter, when there is no grass, fresh vegetables and fruits.

Feed troughs can be made from sheet metal used for sewerage or other materials. An important condition that must be met for the effective operation of this device is the correct and reliable fastening of the container to the cell wall. The principle of operation of such a device is that food independently enters a bowl located in the cage from a container fixed outside it, as it decreases.

• A device for vegetables, fruits, tops and other fresh shredded products can be made of any material. It is made spacious and easy to clean. The feeder must be kept clean, otherwise harmful insects may grow in and around it, which can cause various diseases in animals.

Making your own multi-tiered cage

Before purchasing materials, it is recommended to draw up an accurate drawing of a cage or multi-tiered complex. It is necessary to foresee the location of feeders and drinkers on the plan, especially in cases where they will be built into the overall structure.

In this case, a step-by-step description of the manufacture of a three-tier cage with a width of 1400 mm, a height of 1900 mm and a depth of 600 mm is presented.

For work you will need the following materials:

Name of materials or components	Size, mm	Quantity
Board	100×30	10 m
timber	50×30	27 m
Plywood 15 mm	Standard	1÷2 sheets
Metal mesh	Wire 0.7 mm, mesh 25×25 mm	8 m²
Metal galvanized sheet	Thickness 0.6÷0.9 mm	3 m²
Self-tapping screws	50	300÷500 pcs.
Nails	60÷70	100 pcs.
Latch locks for queen cells	Standard	6 pcs.
Hinges for securing the hinged doors of the queen cell.		12 pcs.

The table below describes the cage installation process step by step:

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	From the purchased boards it is necessary to make parts for mounting the frame: - 100×30×2250 mm – 4 pcs.; - 50×30×1340 mm – 12 pcs.; - 50×30×540 mm – 12 pcs.; - 25×30×540 mm – 72 pcs.
	Six identical frame frames measuring 1340x600 mm are assembled from prepared lumber.
	Making frames is easy. First, one is assembled with precise dimensions and squareness, and then it is used as a template for making the rest. To assemble each frame, you will need two beams measuring 50x30x540 mm and two beams measuring 50x30x1340 mm. Smaller bars are secured between two long ones using two self-tapping screws at each connection
	The result of installation should be six neat, even frames of the same size.
	The next step is to position the frames and fasten them onto boards measuring 100x30x2250 mm, laid at a distance the width of the frame. The distance between the frames forming the frame and the floor of the cage of each tier should be 400 mm. The space left between tiers is 180 mm. The first tier should be raised 400 mm above the ground. The frames are secured with two self-tapping screws, screwed in along the diagonal intersection line at the joints of the frame frame and side boards.
	The next step is to fasten the frames along the top edge with two boards laid parallel to the bottom ones. It is important here to ensure that the frames are perfectly vertical. To check their verticality, a building level is used.
	Next, the blocks for installation of the grated floor are prepared. Their size should be 25x30x540 mm.
	The distance between the sheathing bars should be 15÷20 mm (lightwise). They are installed inside the frame frame, and through it, on the side, secured with self-tapping screws on both sides.
	The floor of the cells on all three tiers is lined in exactly the same way. If it is planned to make a queen cell on one of the tiers, where breeding occurs, and where the rabbits will be kept until a certain age, then in this place the floor of the cage should be solid and removable. The arrangement of the queen cell was described above.
	Will each of the tiers be divided into two separate cells? between which a hay box is mounted in the shape of the Latin letter V. Hay or grass for rabbits will be placed here. The sennik is formed from four bars, which are installed on both sides of the frame. The size of the hay is 150÷200 mm in the upper part, and 6÷8 mm in the lower part. Naturally, it is necessary to achieve a clear correspondence in the location of the inclined crossbars on both sides of the frame.
	To ensure that the doors have the correct rectangular shape, the hay barn can be made from boards by cutting one of their sides at a certain angle and connecting them at the bottom from the inside of the cage. Thus, the outer edge of the hay barn will be smooth and will act as a wall to which the door will adjoin. In addition, the front parts of the hay barn can be cut from plywood 15 mm thick.
	The frame of the hay barn is sheathed inside along installed bars (or cutouts made at an angle in boards or plywood) with a mesh of 0.7 mm wire having cells of 25 × 25 mm.
	If you plan to make a queen cell in the cage, then it is separated from the cage by a plywood or plank wall with a small entrance. To make it easier to attach this wall, additional bars are mounted into the structure, to which the plywood jumper will be attached.
	The entrance to the wall can be round or semicircular, but it must be located at a height of 100-120 mm from the floor of the cage - this distance must be maintained so that the rabbits cannot get into the large cage until they can overcome this height on their own. The width of the entrance to the queen cell should be approximately 150 mm. After the hole is cut, it must be cleaned with sandpaper, since its edges must be absolutely smooth.
	The width of the queen cell is usually 300÷350 mm. The jumper wall is fixed to the bars, then the same wall is mounted on the outside of the cage, and then the roof panel is fixed. If in the main space of the cage the roof can be covered with a metal mesh, then in the queen cell it should be continuous. Lastly, a bottom made of plywood is placed in the queen cell compartment. However, it should not be secured to the lower bars with self-tapping screws, since after the rabbits grow up and are moved to other, more spacious cages, the bottom part is removed from the uterine chamber, washed, dried and put in place for the next birth.
	The final stage in the installation of the queen cell is the installation of a hinged external door on it across the entire width of the chamber. At the bottom, the door is secured to the beam with two metal hinges.
	A latch lock or latch is installed in the middle of the upper part of the door panel.
	Next, the cage door frame is made from 30x30 mm bars. It is made according to the size of the opening formed in the cell wall. The door frame bars are fastened together at the corners with two self-tapping screws.
	The illustration shows the finished door frame before it is covered with metal mesh.
	The mesh is fixed to the frame using staples and a stapler - such fixation will be quite sufficient.
	A door with a mesh installed on the inside looks like this.
	Hinges on mesh doors can be mounted at the bottom (in which case the door will be hinged), or on one side of the opening (in which case it will be hinged). It all depends on ease of use in specific conditions.
	If the cages will be installed under a roof, for example, in a barn or other indoor utility room, then the walls and roof of the cages can also be lined with mesh. When installing the structure outdoors, the side and rear walls and roof must be covered with plywood or boards
	It is very important to make the correct tides under each tier of cages so that animal waste from the upper cages does not fall into the lower ones. To make ebbs, a metal sheet is used, on which the edges are folded on the sides - these sides should have a height of 80÷100 mm. The ebbs are attached to the front lower part of the frame under the cage, and its other edge is laid on the rear wall of the lower cage and extends beyond it by 300÷350 mm. Thus, the ebb tides are tilted and they protrude back beyond the structure so that they do not interfere with the approach to the rabbitry from the front side.
	The result should be something like this cell. In terms of complexity, this design option can be called the simplest and most accessible even for beginners.

If you understand the principles of constructing cages for rabbits, then when drawing up a drawing, if desired, you can make your own adjustments. But it is still necessary to always keep in mind that any adult rabbit requires at least 0.5 m² of living space. It’s even better to adhere to the recommended section sizes, about 1000 mm in length, 600÷ 700 in depth, and from 400 to 600 mm in height.

And at the end of the article, there is a video in which the rabbit breeder shares the secrets of the design of improved cages:

Video: an interesting version of cages for rabbits

Beginning farmers usually wonder how to make a rabbit cage with their own hands. It is worth noting that this activity will not require any large expenses. But you will need to build a very good place of residence for the eared animals. It is quite possible to carry out this operation on your own. You just need to choose the right design and select the required dimensions.

Materials and design

There are many options for how to build a rabbit hutch. Before you begin the actual assembly, you need to choose the right dimensions. The most commonly used cages are double cages, which have separate sections. There are other types of structures - single-section, group, divided into three sections. Having chosen the type of cage, you can proceed to the selection of materials and tools.

Required tools:

Any structure will consist of walls, frame, floor, doors and ceiling. Typically, wood and metal mesh are used for construction. Each grid cell must be at least 16 by 40 cm in size. The dimensions will depend on the weight and age of the eared animal.

Minimum set of materials:

• slate;
• screws or nails;
• bars;
• slats;
• durable mesh that has small cells.

To make good doors, you need to additionally purchase latches and curtains, as well as immediately buy drinking bowls and feeders.

The wood must be properly processed using sandpaper. If this is not done, the rabbits will get splinters and get hurt. The ends of the mesh must be very well secured. It is worth removing all sharp edges so that animals do not cut themselves on them.

If there are any protruding parts of the wood inside the cage, it is better to cover them with tin. Rabbits love to chew wood, which is how they sharpen their teeth. That is why it is necessary to constantly put branches in the cage so that they do not gnaw the structure.

Roofs and walls are made of plywood and mesh.

To make the main frame, you need to use only thick blocks of wood. If the cage will be located outdoors, then you also need to purchase good roofing materials. You should not make a metal roof - under the influence of sunlight it gets very hot, Rabbits can get heatstroke.

The length of the bars from which the frame will be constructed is selected depending on the location of the cage. If it will stand outside, then the length of the legs should be approximately 100 cm. A cage located indoors should have legs 40 cm in height.

Cell sizes

It is necessary to correctly determine the dimensions before you start making a cage for rabbits with your own hands; the drawing should be based on them. One cage is not enough if you plan to breed rabbits. It is necessary to build three or four internal sections at once. If you place all the animals in one area, then it will be very uncomfortable for them to live together, and various problems will arise during breeding.

Approximate dimensions of a standard cage:

1. Length - 140 cm.
2. Width - 80 cm.
3. Height - 50 cm.

If the rabbits are still very young, then 90 cm is enough length, but it is better to leave the other parameters the same. One adult rabbit requires 0.7 square meters. m of free space. For a young person, 0.2 square meters is enough. m, but no less!

There are several types of cages for rabbits:

1. For young animals.
2. For adults.
3. For a female rabbit with offspring.
4. For large breeds (“giants”).

You can assemble all these rabbit cages with your own hands.

Room for young animals

Growing rabbits must be separated from their mother and kept in groups of 10-20 individuals. For them you will need to assemble a cage with a total area of ​​30 by 100 cm, a height of 50 or 60 cm.

The floor must be made of thin wooden slats, previously covered on the side with a metal mesh. The cells must be small so that rabbits cannot get out through them. You can also make a mesh floor, but you will need to provide a separate warm room where the animals can warm up.

In winter, the entire structure should be well insulated with straw and hay. Many farmers simply do not want to provide separate housing for the younger generation of rabbits, so they place them in cages that are intended for adult varieties. In this case, it is necessary to calculate how many animals can be placed in one cage so that they feel comfortable. If the house is too small, additional.

For adults

For an adult rabbit, the cage depth should be 70 cm, height 60 cm, and length at least 1 meter. Here it is necessary to use a block design, and each block is divided into two sections by a grid. During the mating period, the grate should be removed so that the two sections become one space.

You can make a three- or two-tier cage. This design will be somewhat more complicated, but this way you can save space on your site. It is necessary to prepare a separate place in the cage for sleeping, walking and eating. For this purpose, structures at a distance of 15 cm from the floor are separated by a plywood partition, which has an opening of 20 by 20 cm. The sleeping compartment is equipped with a wooden door, and the place for eating and walking is equipped with a mesh door.

House for a rabbit

It is recommended to build a separate house for a female rabbit with her offspring only for the winter period. When setting up, remember that the female will be nervous in a cage fenced with a mesh, and this will have a bad effect on the offspring. The house must be closed so that the mother is confident in the protection of her offspring, but a house made of mesh will not give her such confidence. Only the front wall can be made from mesh. The cage needs to be well insulated.

The frame is made from good bars, the back and side walls are made of plywood. The cage must be immediately divided into several sections: a large one where the rabbits will walk, and a small one for the nest. Doors must be made for each compartment. The walls and floor must be made double, according to the sandwich principle. Straw and foam plastic are laid between them for insulation. The roofs are covered with any slate.

Aviaries for large breeds

Giant rabbits are very large varieties, so their home must be much larger than for ordinary rabbits. Adults grow up to 60 cm in length and can reach a weight of 8 kg.

Minimum house sizes for one rabbit:

1. Height - 65 cm.
2. Length - one and a half meters.
3. Width - 75 cm.

These parameters can even be increased to make the rabbit feel comfortable inside. For a young rabbit, it is necessary to build a group cage with a height of 50 cm and an area of ​​1.2 square meters. m. The weight of the animal will be quite large and the floor needs to be well strengthened. It is also best to use galvanized mesh, but thicker. To prevent the floor from falling through, the sheathing underneath must be made of bars, which are located at a distance of several centimeters from each other.

Wire construction

A wire cage is the most budget-friendly and versatile option that can be installed both indoors and outdoors. Can be used for young animals that gather in groups. It turns out to be durable, but at the same time light, takes up little space, and is easy to clean and put away.

For manufacturing you will need two types of mesh:

1. Large - for making walls and ceilings.
2. Small - for the floor.

The frame must be built from good timber, with legs 70 cm long. When winter comes, the structure must be moved to a warm barn, and in the summer it must be placed outside again.

Collection rules

In order for the animals to be as comfortable as possible in the manufactured house, it is necessary to follow certain rules during construction. It is advisable not to violate them:

To avoid dermatitis in animals, it is better to lay a piece of plywood on the floor, which must be dried daily. Therefore, it is better to make them in two copies - one is dried, the second is kept indoors.

When the drawing is completed and the materials are prepared, you can proceed to the actual construction. First of all, the frame is assembled, and then the mesh floor is laid.

If outdoor maintenance is planned, then the floor is insulated and a removable tray is installed underneath it. This is necessary for cleaning. Next, you can install the back wall, which is made of plywood. It is worth noting that it must be lower than the front one. The side walls can also be made from a sheet of plywood.

If the cage is planned to be double, then a hay barn is installed in the middle. The last wall is made of mesh, with a door. If the cage will always be outdoors, then it is necessary to properly insulate the sleeping compartment. It is advisable to make the roof at an angle and then cover it with slate. This is necessary to prevent water from accumulating on the surface after rain.

The contents of the cages may differ; it is chosen depending on what kind of rabbits will live there. For small rabbits, you need to install special queen cells, as well as nesting compartments. If there is group keeping, then a well-heated nesting room should also be arranged.

It is also necessary to provide the animals with a trough and enclosures. Each cage should have a bunker, drinking bowls, hay barns, and feeding troughs.

Before starting assembly, you need to decide on the place where the structure will stand. The place should be comfortable and protected from draft winds. In no case should you place a house for a rabbit on the south side, since there the animal will suffer greatly from the extreme heat. If the house will stand on the street all year, then the floor must be made in such a way that it slides out like a pallet, with a lath of slats placed on top of it.

If you take into account all these nuances, then making a cage for a rabbit will not be difficult.

People have been breeding rabbits for a long time and with pleasure. In the process of breeding these little fluffies, it is very important to provide them with a cozy home, that is, a reliable rabbit house. It's surprisingly easy to build it yourself.

Peculiarities

A house for a rabbit must first of all satisfy all its needs. That is, there should be enough space for both sleeping and moving around a little. In addition, for its construction it is necessary to select only environmentally friendly materials. You can buy ready-made cages for a decorative rabbit, which are available in any zoological store. In this case, the bottom is completely covered with a tray made of plastic, and the top is made of a wire frame.

When purchasing, you should pay attention to such characteristics as the height of the cage, its floor, the depth of the tray, and the presence of a door. First of all, the rabbit should calmly stand on its hind legs so as not to touch the ceiling.

But also for breeding decorative rabbits, you need to know that the floor should not be made of gratings; there must be a tray. Otherwise, he might just get hurt. In addition, it is better to choose a deeper option so that the bedding does not scatter throughout the room.

But the door must be wide so that, if necessary, you can get a small pet. In addition, it must be placed so that it is convenient to open the door. If there is very little space in the apartment, you can build a cage on two floors.

How to choose?

The choice of cage primarily depends on the breed of rabbits, that is, you need to approach everything quite individually. If we talk about the weight of decorative breeds of pets, it can reach up to 6 kilograms. But dwarf breeds weigh up to two kilograms. Rabbits that are so different in appearance need, accordingly, different “houses”. In addition, you need to take into account how much time the rabbit will spend in such a cage. If it is possible to let him run around the whole room, then the rabbit house will only be needed for sleeping.

Dimensions and shape

The minimum dimensions of a house suitable for a dwarf pet are 40 centimeters wide and 70 centimeters long. But for a more complete house, the dimensions should be large. They can be from 45 centimeters in width and up to 85 centimeters in length. The largest are those whose width reaches 50 centimeters and up to 100 centimeters in length.

The ideal option is a house that is 4 times the size of the rabbit itself. In this case, he will be able to move freely around the house.

Many people choose two-story cages for their pets. On the first of them you can install a tray for the toilet, and on the second you can make a sleeping place. In addition, both floors are connected by a wide staircase, along which the rabbit can run with great pleasure.

If you bought two pets at once, then you should buy the appropriate cage. For a rabbit couple, a cage measuring 65 centimeters wide, 155 centimeters long, and 55 centimeters high will be sufficient. It is better to select all sizes individually. If you can’t buy a house of the right size, you can make it yourself.

Materials

Most often they make a wooden house with their own hands. In addition, it has doors made of very fine mesh. This is done for the safety of the animal. Through it, the rabbit can see outside, but cannot get out of its house. Almost any wood has good thermal insulation and also protects against heat and cold. But despite all these preferences, such a house is quite heavy and therefore poorly suited for indoor use.

You can also take a metal cage. This house is perfect for rabbits, because they love to chew on everything around them. However, it must be placed in a shelter, which can be made from a box. In this case, the pet can not only hide from everyone, but also sleep peacefully. A metal cage for an apartment is better simply because it is lightweight, which means it can be easily moved around the rooms while cleaning.

But it will be best if the entire house is made of twigs; you can choose galvanized ones. In this case they will not rust. But the pallet can be made of plastic, but its depth should be up to 15 centimeters.

How to make and arrange?

Very often people make houses for their beloved pets with their own hands. To build it, you don't need to make any special efforts. In addition, homemade houses will be both more comfortable and durable. If the owner makes it himself, then the rabbitry can be made into two tiers.

First you need to make the appropriate drawings. And after that you can start making it. The first thing to do is the floor. You can use a sheet of chipboard. Its dimensions must fully correspond to the size of the rabbit. After all, he can not only live in it, but also move around calmly. After this, the floor can be covered on top with tin, the thickness of which is 2 millimeters. With such a bottom it will be much easier to clean the rabbitry.

After this, the walls are also made of chipboard. However, only the back wall and one side wall are closed, so that there is always light in the house. The two remaining walls can be made of metal mesh. You need to make frames out of it.

The door should be quite wide. It can be made from wooden slats and thin mesh. You can attach it using small loops, which are available at any hardware store.

Now it’s time for the second “floor”. You need to put a cut plywood sheet on the finished walls and attach it using self-tapping screws. The plywood should be used so that it can easily support the weight of the rabbit.

You can also make the stairs yourself; its width should be no less than 14 centimeters. It is also made from thin wooden slats and pieces of plywood. The distance between the “steps” can be up to 5 centimeters.

The second “floor” is done in the same way as the first. The top can be covered either with a sheet of plywood or made of bars so that the rabbit can see everything.

After making the house, you can start arranging it. The bottom must be covered with bedding so that your beloved pet does not develop bedsores. The larger the rabbit becomes, the thicker the bedding needs to be laid. You can use different materials, such as hay, straw or even wood chips.

It should not be covered with other material so that the rabbit does not chew it. Indeed, as a result, the pet may even get sick. It is imperative to clean the house daily, even if the rabbit is litter box trained. For it you need to take only a special filler, because otherwise the pets may even get poisoned.

On the second floor you can lay out toys that will be interesting for him. This will add some variety to his life. To do this, you can take either cardboard tubes, made by yourself, or purchased balls, inside of which there is a bell.

Since rabbits love to chew on everything and everywhere, you can put some branches of fruit trees. If there are none, then pet stores sell special devices for grinding teeth.

And it is also necessary to buy bowls that are intended for food and drinking bowls. Bowls should have a thick bottom so that rabbits cannot tip them over. In addition, you can make special devices for laying hay. It is best to make it from thin wire that can be attached to the lattice wall.

In addition to hay, you can give your pet fresh vegetables and, of course, some fruits. There should always be water in the drinking bowl. However, it must be changed daily to prevent germs from collecting in it. If there are two pets at once, then drinking bowls should be placed on both sides.

Where to place it?

It is not so easy to house a rabbit at home. It is imperative to follow simple rules. The place where the rabbit house will stand must be cool and well ventilated, but completely free of drafts. In addition, the room should always be clean, because the rabbit has very delicate lungs.

There must be good lighting at all times. It is also necessary to take into account that such small pets do not like sharp sounds or too sudden movements at all, otherwise this can lead to a stressful situation.