Hutches for Your Rabbits

Rabbit hutches are very important to the health and well being of your rabbits. These hutches provide your rabbits with shelter from the elements, prevent them from escaping and also protect them from predators. For these reasons, careful consideration should be given to picking out rabbit hutches. There are a number of factors to consider when investing in rabbit hutches. These factors include price, protection from weather, flooring, size, security and of course personal preference. Each of these factors should be prioritized before you begin looking for rabbit hutches so that you know what aspects of a rabbit hutch are most important to you.

Price is usually a factor in any purchase and rabbit hutches are no exception. Rabbit hutches are readily available for consumer purchase but the prices of rabbit hutches can range drastically. Consider setting a budget before you begin shopping for rabbit hutches. This will help you to realize which features are available in models that you can afford. The most expensive rabbit hutch is not always the best one but you can expect that the higher priced rabbit hutches will generally be of a higher quality than the less expensive rabbit hutches and have more elaborate features.

One of the main purposed of rabbit hutches is to protect the rabbits from the weather. Cold, dampness and heat can all be damaging to your rabbits so it is important to purchase rabbit hutches that will keep your rabbits protected from these elements. Rabbit hutches that contain nesting boxes will help to protect your rabbits from the cold. If nesting boxes are not included, you should consider adding them to your rabbit hutches. A water proof covering on your rabbit hutch is also very important because this will help to keep your rabbits dry during rain and snow. Finally, rabbit hutches should be well ventilated. This will prevent heat from becoming trapped in the rabbit hutches. If the heat does not have an escape route, it could cause temperatures to rise rapidly and this extreme heat could be fatal to your rabbits.

Two other factors to consider when purchasing rabbit hutches is the size of the hutch as well as the type of flooring. The size of the hutch is important because your rabbits will most likely spend a great deal of time in their hutch and need enough room to eat, sleep and exercise. A good general rule is to provide one square foot of space per pound that the rabbit weighs. Providing a rabbit with adequate living space is important because doing so will give the rabbit room to exercise which will help to prevent obesity, prevent the rabbit from becoming bored and destructive and help to prevent the rabbit hutch from becoming unhealthy due to excrement. The flooring of rabbit hutches is also important. A mesh surface is good because it allows droppings to fall through but at least one third of the flooring should be a solid material such as weather treated wood. This will help to prevent the rabbits from becoming sore or infected from walking on the mesh exclusively.

Security is another very important issue with rabbit hutches. Without adequate security, rabbits are susceptible to predators. Care should be taken to choose rabbit hutches that will prevent predators from entering the hutches. It is also important that the rabbits feel secure so nesting boxes should be provided to give the rabbits a place of refuge when predators are nearby.

Finally, personal preference is also very important to many when purchasing rabbit hutches. Rabbit hutches come in a variety of styles ranging from those that look like simple wooden boxes and those that are constructed to resemble a house. Your personal preference as well as your spatial limitations will factor into the type of rabbit hutches that you purchase.