High-quality cages for rabbits are sold ready-made. But if desired, you can make the structure according to individual drawings. We figure out what size the cage should be, where it is best to place it, how to make a frame, floor, walls, roof. Read to the end and you will have an accurate idea of how to quickly and correctly build a rabbitry.
DIY rabbitry Source fermer.ru
Recommendations for placing a rabbitry
It is important not only to understand how to make a rabbit cage, but also to know where to place it. When choosing a place on the street where the rabbitry will be installed, you need to consider several important factors:
- Rabbits are distinguished by increased sensitivity to drafts. Therefore, the place should be chosen such that the rabbit’s house is out of reach of the winds.
- However, greenhouse conditions are not suitable either. An important point in keeping any pets, including rabbits, is high-quality ventilation. If this condition is not met, pathogenic organisms in the feces will begin to actively multiply and negatively affect the condition of the rabbits.
- The location should be dry, away from bodies of water. This is due to the fact that the upper limit of moisture tolerated by these animals is 75%. An indicator higher is fraught with consequences - pets will begin to sneeze and get sick.
- Homemade rabbit cages should be installed in the shade under trees. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
- During the winter cold, the rabbit's house is insulated. The temperature inside the cells must be maintained constant. It is not allowed to decrease below +10 degrees. The upper temperature is +20 degrees.
The rabbitry is installed in the shade, direct sunlight is excluded Source fermok.ru
Cold climatic conditions require the location of the rabbitry in a special barn or other building. Which also has a number of specific requirements.
- The windows of the shed should face south or southeast. This way the animals will be able to receive enough light and warming sunlight.
- It is important that additional lamps and heaters are installed in the room so that in winter the animals avoid a lack of heat and light.
- The walls must be plastered. This will prevent excess moisture from penetrating into the room itself.
- A constant supply of air is ensured to the cells.
When arranging the cells, it is necessary to take into account that they must be located from the ground at a certain height. This saves you from rodent attacks.
Hut for fawning
In such a house, chambers for queen cells are usually placed on the side. The walls must be solid so that there is no draft. If the enclosure will be placed indoors, then you need to choose a place without ventilation. When the house is placed on the street, it must be insulated.
The queen cell should be made removable so that, if necessary, it can be moved to another enclosure. The camera must be kept dry at all times. It is necessary to periodically lay fresh hay in it. You should not use sawdust for bedding, as small parts of it can get into the rabbits' noses.
When the female brings her babies in winter, you need to put a heating pad with warm water in the queen cell. You can also use a regular incandescent lamp for heating. It must be on all the time. With such heating, you need to take care of fire safety.
Some breeders lay a cable from the “warm floor” system in the queen cell. The cable must be placed intact in the enclosure; there should be no solders on it. Using this method, you can regulate the temperature in the box yourself.
What materials will you need?
When planning to make a cage for rabbits, you should prepare certain tools and materials. Wood and metal mesh are the priority. The first of these materials requires mandatory treatment with antiseptics.
Tools and materials for building a rabbitry Source kartoska.ru
Materials:
- edged board;
- wooden blocks;
- plywood;
- mesh with small cells;
- medium diameter metal wire;
- plastic pallets.
Important! It is unacceptable to use chipboard instead of plywood, because the latter is characterized by high moisture absorption, as a result of which it quickly becomes unusable.
Tools:
- hacksaw;
- screwdriver;
- hammer;
- pliers;
- plane;
- corner.
The roof of the cage is covered with slate.
Preparation
You can build cages for rabbits with your own hands. It's quite simple. Initially, you need to decide on the type of enclosure and make a drawing. Next, you will need to purchase materials and prepare tools. A homemade house can be made from scrap materials.
You can make your own cages from metal profiles or wood. For rabbit breeding, the most popular enclosures are wooden. There may be external cages for rabbits, as well as for rabbits that will live in the house.
The most popular are bunk cages for rabbits. They can be used simultaneously to keep adults of different sexes. You can also keep young animals in the same house. This will help save space in the room.
Cage sizes for rabbits, drawings
The size of rabbit cages depends on the breed of pet. Larger individuals, therefore, need more space. Standard building dimensions:
- cage height for rabbits – 50-70 cm;
- width – 70-80 cm;
- length – 120-170 cm.
Important! If there is a need to change the size of the building, then the length indicator increases. The height and width are not touched, they are standard.
The roof of the rabbitry can be sloped backwards. Then the height of the rear part will have to be reduced by 5-10 cm.
Roof of a rabbitry with a slope Source sait-pro-dachu.ru
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in the design and installation of small architectural forms
Only individuals of the same sex can be located in one pen. Mixing animals of different sexes is prohibited due to certain circumstances. In particular, the following:
- high probability of uncontrolled cases;
- Pregnancy in females will be difficult to track;
- there is a high risk of males fighting for the attention of females and vice versa;
- warring females can kill each other's offspring.
It is wise to start by drawing up a drawing of the planned building. According to the proposed drawing, you can build wooden cages for rabbits. The proposed rabbitry solution is the most popular, ideal for keeping small livestock. In the constructed cage you can equip a house for a decorative rabbit.
Creating a two-tier structure will require more effort, patience and skills, but this model is very convenient, as it allows you to use less space while accommodating a large number of animals.
When choosing a drawing for a future building, you should take into account the possibility of placing a rabbit house in a cage in the future.
Dimensions of the rabbitry Source skachat-kartinki.ru
Nursery construction
The first thing you should pay attention to when making nurseries is the design. The parameters and quality of the final construction will depend on the chosen design.
Nursery construction
There are several types of rabbit hutches:
- single-tier;
- two-tier;
- three-tier;
- multi-tiered;
- monolithic;
- portable;
- shads;
- nurseries in Zolotukhin, Tsvetkov, Rabbitax.
Nurseries differ in materials (wood, plywood, metal profiles) and the breed of pets. In the latter case, rabbitries are allocated for female rabbits and rabbits, for decorative breeds, dwarfs, etc.
Nurseries are designed for warm and cold seasons; for this purpose, special seals are installed in them, and the buildings are closed from precipitation.
Single-tier rabbit cage, first steps - frame
If you have a drawing and the desire to build cages for breeding rabbits, it will not be at all difficult.
First, a frame is formed:
- Wooden beams are prepared in advance and treated with an antiseptic composition in order to subsequently avoid rotting of the material and the appearance of harmful microorganisms in it.
- The timber is used to assemble the frame of the future cage. 4 beams of 1.5 meters each, 4 – 55 cm and 4 – 70 cm are cut from the workpiece. You can replace 4 beams of 55 cm with 2 beams of 55 cm and 2 beams of 35 cm. Smaller pieces will work on the back wall, where the queen's nest will subsequently be identified.
- Short bars are connected to one and a half meter bars. The result is two equal figures. From the same bars for the front and back of the cage you will get a rectangle. If two different pairs were initially taken, we get a trapezoid.
- Using 70 cm blanks, these two rectangles must be connected to each other.
The result is a frame in the form of a large box.
Installation of the floor in the rabbitry
You can use different materials to install the floor.
Floor in the rabbitry Source ytimg.com
Metal profile floor
This option is characterized by a long service life and ease of maintenance. The disadvantage of this design is the difficulty in its manufacture. Firstly, you will have to make such a grid yourself. Secondly, special attention to the cells, which must be very small so that the rabbits’ legs do not fall through.
Fine mesh floor
Fine mesh is easy to install and easy to maintain afterwards. But it may break. The design and long service life are no different. Typically, the service life is directly related to the quality of welding.
Wood slatted floor
Wooden slats – environmental friendliness and affordability in one. They are easy to install. But if the material is not initially processed properly, then rabbits can get splinters in their paws. Another drawback is the short service life. Soon such a floor will begin to rot and will need to be replaced.
You can combine these options.
Important! It is not advisable to use a non-mesh floor in the main compartment. This is due to the fact that waste products will penetrate through the holes and accumulate in the pan.
House for young animals
A cage for a domestic rabbit should accommodate from 10 to 20 animals at a time. The walls need to be made 30-40 cm high. The offspring can be kept there for up to 5 months. The cage should be raised from the floor surface by 70-80 centimeters.
You need to put a net on the floor to prevent kids from chewing on the wood. You can make the entire floor from mesh, but such a house will have to be placed in a warm room. With a mesh floor, the house will be constantly ventilated, and feces will not accumulate there, which will help protect animals from various diseases.
Hay can be used for insulation. The layer thickness should be from 15 to 20 millimeters. Artificial bedding will have a bad effect on the young animals, and therefore they may get sick. It's worth giving up.
Roof construction
To decorate the roof you will need a sheet of plywood and hinges used on doors or cabinets. First, the hinges are screwed to one of the upper frame beams. A sheet of plywood is laid on them, which fits tightly, otherwise drafts will appear.
In the place where the mesh connects to the boards, a board is installed that will go from floor to ceiling, and from wall to wall. A small hole should be made in it in advance, which will allow the animals to move freely.
The finished structure must be supported by supports. A pallet is formed at the bottom.
Ready-made cage for rabbits on supports Source unidoski.ru
You can make cages for rabbits from a profile pipe.
Making your own rabbit cage using the Mikhailov method
Rabbit cages built using the Mikhailov method are multi-tiered mini-farms. The structure consists of several tiers, each of which serves as the basis for the next. The bottom is made of slatted lattice, which ensures that manure falls into a special container. The walking compartment is equipped with feeders and drinking bowls. Food and water are replenished as needed.
The main advantage of mini-farms is minimal human participation in the production process, which ensures the absence of stress for shy animals.
Cages for rabbits Zolotukhina
This structure increases the efficiency of raising rabbits. The structure consists of three tiers. The higher ones are shifted relative to the lower ones by the width of the grid. There are two cells on each floor. The feeder is a tilting tray, which makes it possible to add food without opening the door.
This design is very popular.
Feeders, drinkers and hay
It is important not only to have an idea of how to build a rabbit cage, but also how to properly equip it from the inside. Feeder, drinkers and hay are the constant attributes that must be present.
When equipping a drinking bowl, it is important to take into account the fact that it can be easily removed, since it will have to be washed frequently and the water in it changed. It is best to use trays made of metal strip for this purpose. Attach them to the cage door or next to it on the wall.
One of the most optimal options for making a drinking bowl is using sewer pipes. A scrap of this material with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 8-10 cm is used to decorate the “cup holder”. A trimmed 2-liter plastic bottle fits into this ring. Cut it so that it is on the same level as the “cup holder”, leaving only a strip 2-3 cm wide and 5-7 cm long.
General content issues
Photographed near flowers Regardless of the species, they cannot tolerate heat; they need good nutrition and fresh air.
A danger to their health is posed by low or high air humidity and drafts. Advice from a professional
Buy a home made from high-quality durable materials. Then it will serve the breeder for at least 3 years. The rabbit, in 100% of cases, will begin to chew on the bars. The rods or grilles should not be painted (galvanized or metal can be used), otherwise the paint will cause diseases.
It is not advisable to buy a cage made of plastic, since it is completely closed, and the rabbit will literally fry in it, suffering from lack of air
It is important to have a first aid kit and a carrying bag. Buy small nail clippers, a mineral stone, a brush to comb out the fur, and a vegetable holder
Short and to the point. Take a look to gain an understanding of the arrangement and maintenance of dwarf and ornamental breeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXTYHu0Tk7A
Since these animals are social, it is advisable for them to create company. But here it is worth considering that two males will not be able to live together due to the constant struggle for territory. Buy two females. Individuals of different sexes will only get along if the male is castrated
It is important to increase the length of the cage by 20 cm. Rabbits are not hamsters!
Useful tips for building a rabbitry
Not all novice craftsmen know how to make a cage for rabbits, taking into account all the nuances, so mistakes are possible when making the structure.
For example, if you save material, this will lead to crowding, which negatively affects the health and reproduction of rabbits.
The uterine or nesting compartment must be made stationary. Any nooks and crannies can provoke the death of baby rabbits as a result of a stampede, as the female becomes frightened.
But when depositing young animals, it is recommended to use a cage with a stationary nook for rabbits. A small loophole in a compartment measuring 12x12 cm will allow the rabbits to get through there, while the female will not be able to get through and will not be able to be with them all the time. In the question of how to make rabbit cages, this option allows you to reduce the stress of the procedure for weaning offspring from a female rabbit.
