Well, I know that this blog is supposed to be about modding a travel trailer and traveling (note the use of the word travel) Unfortunately, we have been stuck in one place for two years because of the insanity. So, anyway, we've been living on my sister's property and I decided to get some rabbits. You know, for when they manage to burn down ALL the food processing plants.
We meant to get 3 rabbits, and ended up buying out a guy that had 10 rabbits (2 preggers) and a bunch of haphazard cages. A total of 26 rabbits at one point.
Having rabbits is wonderful! They are true stress relievers. There are many days I come out to feed them and end up spending practically the whole day out here.
I have come up with ways to make cages and equipment using recycled and/or free items that you may be interested in. Maybe you might like rabbits :)
If you have any ideas you think I can use - please let me know!
CAGES
This is a 9 lb rabbit in a medium kennel |
First, if you don't have a rabbit hutch or cage, look for one of those wire dog kennels. We had a few and I thought they would make good emergency cages. Turns out they're great and I plan to continue to use them. They have a lot of advantages
This is a 13 lb rabbit in a large kennel |
- They are inexpensive. I have paid as little as $5 for a very large cage at a yard sale.
- They are tall enough to allow them to stretch their backs and have a shelf
- They are sturdy, the rabbits cannot chew through the bars.
- They are lightweight and moveable
- It's cheaper than building a hutch, if you get them second-hand.
They do have one drawback - The bottoms must be covered with wire fencing - 1/2"x1" if you are raising large rabbits like Tamuks. Do not use hardware cloth if you can help it. It is hard on their feet.
Well, pretty much that's the only drawback and it's a lot cheaper than building an entire hutch. If you are going to have babies, you need to cover the first 3"-6" of the sides so they can't fall out.
We also got 2 huge cages made from Closet Maid wire closet shelving. They are hung from the rafters using the wire that is used for the top of chain link fencing. They are 72" x 32" and originally had wire closet shelf as flooring. This was uncomfortable for the rabbits so I covered it with hardware cloth. This was uncomfortable for ME because their poop got caught in it and it made it a huge chore to keep it clean.
I removed the bottom section and replaced it with some really nice wire fencing with 1/2" x 1" spacing. It is sturdy enough without bracing, but I put braces every 24" anyway. The braces are remnants of an 'ez-up' shelter that got destroyed in the wind. This is why I save everything LOL. The metal is sturdy and the rounded, enameled finish means it's easy to clean.
The longer cage can be divided into multiple cages by affixing scrap wood dividers. Make sure to cover the edges with metal so the rabbits won't chew them.
Speaking of round metal - instead of wooden supports under the cages that are on a stand we used metal pipes. They are indestructible and easy to clean. We could actually suspend the cages as we did the long ones, but at this point they are just mounted to the columns. If we ever have a problem with rats or ants, we will change it to a suspended set-up.
Ceramic Floor Tiles:
Housing/Shelter/Nest Boxes
Feeding:
I have some J feeders that are nice. However I don't want to cut holes in the dog crates so they are mounted inside the cage. It was a pain to fill them until I came up with this solution -
Hay Racks:
Protecting Metal Cage from Salt Licks
Feed Scoops & Traditional Can Feeders:
Small scoops from ammonia bottles, larger can be made from bleach bottle. The one on the right was to feed through the bars into the feeder.
Poop Patrol
Now that you've gotten all the food into them, you have to deal with it coming back out the other end. I'm not the one who came up with this, but I think my version works quite well. I have them hung under the cages using the same fencing wire as I hung the cages with.
Miscellaneous
Thanks for reading! Please send in any of your ideas!!
Live Creatively!
Liz
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you so much for taking the time to share a comment. If you have a question please use the CONTACT FORM at the top right of the blog to contact me. I can't answer your questions through the comments section. I don't know how to fix this so just use the contact form and I can answer any question you may have. Thanks!