A suggestion from viewer Pauline Luttrell, who wanted a more spacious home for her daughter's dwarf rabbits, Johno and Rosie. Pauline found this A-frame hutch design and sent in a diagram.
There are some government regulations and care guidelines that should be followed if you are thinking about keeping rabbits.
NSW — More than one pet rabbit requires a licence. The licence is free.
VIC — Up to 30 pet rabbits are allowed without a licence.
QLD — Rabbits are banned as pets.
ACT — There are no regulations at the moment although there is currently an investigation into keeping domestic pets. Call the Environment ACT helpline for updates (see number below)
TAS — Up to 10 rabbits are permitted without a licence.
NT — Call the Parks and Wildlife Commission to find out if you are in a declared pest area.
SA — The floor space of a rabbit hutch must not exceed four square metres. Rabbits are not encouraged as pets.
WA — A maximum of two pet rabbits are allowed.
Rabbits need plenty of room to hop around and a separate enclosed sleeping area that provides shelter from the elements. They are social animals and should have a companion such as another rabbit or a guinea pig. The suggested (RSPCA) size of a hutch for two rabbits is 180cm x 90cm x 90cm. This allows them to stand up, play and find space to be on their own. Bedding straw should be replaced on a daily basis and the hutch should be cleaned thoroughly each week. Insect mesh around the hutch will protect the rabbits from mosquitoes and other insects.
A rabbit's diet should consist of a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apples, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, pears, spinach, turnip, lettuce and special pellets which are available at most pet shops. Other treats for rabbits include fresh hay, wholemeal bread mashed with water or milk and a piece of bark-covered wood is good for gnawing to maintain healthy teeth. Drip-fed water bottles stop contamination which happens if water is kept in a bowl.
BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS
1 Pre-cut all timber to size and lengths detailed in Materials list.
2 Assemble base frame with screws.
3 Assemble A-frames and door jams for front of hutch, centre, front of sleeping quarters and rear of sleeping quarters. NB: fix door jams to A-frames but leave top of A-frame unfixed in order to insert ridge piece.
4 Screw all A-frames to base (the front of the sleeping quarters frame should be fixed 50mm from the rear, and the centre A-frame about half way between the front of the sleeping quarters and front of hutch). The sleeping quarters length (from the back wall to the internal wall) should be shortened by twice the thickness of the recycled timber. This will allow the boards on the roof to overlap the boards on the back and internal walls.
5 Insert and screw ridge piece to top of A-framework.
6 Paint framework.
7 For rear wall and door of house: hold recycled timber pieces up against the rear A-frame. With a pencil, scribe A-frame and door opening onto recycled timber panels. Cut along scribed angle lines and cut out doorway.
For central wall and door: scribe A-frame and cut as above. For doorway, scribe small triangle and cut with handsaw.
8 Screw rear recycled timber cladding to rear and central A-frame walls.
9 Staple wire mesh to the underside of the floor of hutch.
10 Staple mesh to sides (roof) and the front of the hutch. NB: The wire pieces for the front triangular area will have to be trimmed to fit.
11 Screw side wall panels of recycled timber to hutch.
12 Staple mesh to the front door of hutch.
13 Screw recycled palings to the rear door frame.
14 Hang both rear and front doors with hinges and secure with latches.
NB: If you are worried about water getting into the sleeping quarters, put some waterproofing silicone on the exterior joins of the timber housing.
Diagrams (please note diagrams are not to scale)
BASE PLAN:
SIDE ELEVATION:
MAIN FRAME SKETCH:
FRONT AND REAR DOOR FRAME:
FRONT FRAME:
FRONT/REAR AND CENTRAL FRAME:
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