Unfinished project, but what do you think?

[Deleted User]

So, with my Saturday I got started on my DIY indoor bunny hutch project. It is made from a small, recycled piece of furniture that we found for $30 at a consignment shop! I hate the look of a cage….I am a real home-body and I love to decorate and do DIY projects! **I want to reiterate that I know this is small, and it is not used to house my bunnies for any extended amount of time.  I live in an apartment and both bunnies are free range, so this is only for them to be enclosed in when I am having maintenance done or pest control is spraying. This is going to be introduced to them once they are bonded.

We started with this:

We removed the additional “shelf”, took off the back (it was particle board so didn’t want to keep it), painted it, cut a semi-circle hole for them to jump up to the second level, and added a wood frame/hardware cloth door so it can be opened and cleaned if necessary.

The inside is not painted (besides the bottom doors). It is lined with a fabric that I found that resembles the feel of a rug or carpet. We are actually thinking of getting carpet squares from Lowe’s to make it more comfortable, but more work needs to be done before we start with furnishings/decorations! I would leave the bottom doors open so if they wanted to go in and jump up or perch, they are welcome to but they would have the whole apartment so I don’t think they would spend much time in here even if I leave it open.

I am considering two options: adding a third section entirely, or just adding two “resting shelves” that they could jump on so that there is still enough room for them to stand up on their hind legs in the middle section.

Also, for the back, hardware cloth or should I board the back with plywood? I thought hardware cloth might be better because it would feel more “open” since bunnies don’t like to be closed in with only one exit.

What do you guys think?

[ThorBunny]

Oh I love it! I know my husband would love to do a project like this for our buns, we should start looking out for second hand furniture

I’d lean towards adding a “loft” or resting shelf rather than a whole third level, my buns seem to love getting on perches to survey their empire. Maybe yours are the same.

They might use it when the doors are open as well! We have one of those wooden rabbit hutches, 2 stories. I think it’s for outdoor use, but we have it inside anyways. The doors are never closed unless I shut them in to vacuum. Both Thor and Boo (separately for now, sigh…) spend a good amount of their day in there, especially to sleep. They even love to sleep inside the little “bedroom” on the top level. So adorable

[Q8bunny]

That looks way cool! I’d do an open concept with more hardware cloth for the back.

[Wick & Fable]

I know you’ve stated your rabbits are pretty perfect with their litter habits, but even one pee which misses a box and gets on the furniture will seep in and potentially become a mold problem. With urine’s contents as well, it could begin chipping at paint or just find a single spot where the paint has an airbubble and seep through there. With large furniture DIYs, it’s not as easy to move it to peek around, checking for leaks or urine spots. Anywhere where the floor meets a wall, I would seal it or make the flooring material you choose run up the the walls partially to catch any urine.

For the backing, I’m tempted to say something solid. I like to think of hutches as some place a rabbit feels safe in if needed to be left there, and generally, solid walls with one/two-windows is safe for a rabbit, because their behinds feel secure while they can still see what’s going on. Wick outgrew his hutch majorly , but he loves it because it’s his “system of tunnels” in a way, with solid backing and open wire front. It’s his home-base that he doesn’t spend a lot of time in, but compulsively needs to check that it’s okay, and I think a lot of it is because he feels very safe in there.

I recommend putting panes or something along the bottom to a few inches up on the open wire side, so that hay, pee, poo, etc., can’t fall onto the floor from the top component. My initial thought is acrylic panes attached via zip ties.

If you do need to keep your rabbits there for an amount of time, the easiest way is install a latch on the bottom doors, or better yet get 2 dowel rod brackets (http://creativehouseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Photo-Aug-18-2-36-27-PM.jpg) and slide a dowel rod in. The latter is a bit better because with one latch in the middle, your rabbits still have some hinge-leeway when pushing on the door. With a dowel rod in place via two brackets across the length of both doors, neither doors will move.

A pull down blind installment on the front for the open mesh may not be a bad option as well, just in case circumstances require you need to cover up that mesh for any reason.

Adding a mid-shelf/ves would be fine in my opinion. If you’re worried about height restrictions, you can do just one over half the air space of the top component.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Deleted User]

Thanks guys! Any other suggestions will be appreciated as well

@Thorbunny- it was a lot of fun to take something junk and turn it into something else! I wish we didn’t live in an apartment, I would do this kind of stuff all the time! I used my sisters garage for this They may like it and spend time in it, I just don’t know! Of course, they will have the option since I’ll keep the doors on the bottom open. Since my apartment is small it will be nice for them to have a space that is theirs, and isn’t a stupid, ugly cage!

@Q8- Thanks! I can’t wait to get it finished and get some cute little bunny themed décor on it!! Once Ophelia and Quincy are bonded (fingers crossed) it will be their first home together <3 bahahaha

@Wick- Thanks for the suggestions! So it will be up against the wall in my dining room area. The hardware cloth on the back too would be the easiest option obviously, because I would only have to use the staple gun to secure it! I could do a closed back but I would have to bother with finding the right size/thickness of wood, and then either borrowing or buying a nail gun because I don’t currently own one. Plus its a very thin piece of wood that I would have to try to nail into! In all honesty, I will probably do the hardware cloth back, because I can always just take that off and change it to a solid back- not so easy the other way around though! I suppose you can’t see from the picture, but I have this fabric stuff stapled to the bottom and up the walls, so I will be able to notice any pee spots! I had the fabric just lying around so in the worst case I can figure out some other flooring!

[Deleted User]

Again with the sideways picture… They only come in properly on my work computer- so annoying!!! But the fabric is all up the sides. On the bottom I didn’t get that other fabric stapled to the sides but you get the idea. I will probably use some other flooring, but for now I had this lying around and threw it in there because the wood was so ugly  

[spunkysmokey]

I love it! I just finished my rabbit cage, the things us owners do for our bunnys haha! Great idea with the cabinet!

[spunkysmokey]

I love it! I just finished my rabbit cage, the things us owners do for our bunnys haha! Great idea with the cabinet!

[Deleted User]

Posted By spunkysmokey on 8/23/2017 11:58 PM

I love it! I just finished my rabbit cage, the things us owners do for our bunnys haha! Great idea with the cabinet!

Thanks! It’s a work in progress but I’m hoping it turns out as I had imagined And yes……. the things we do for our fluffs!!

[joea64]

I wish I had the space and woodworking skills to do something like that. What sort of ramp or steps are you going to put in to allow the buns easy access and egress?

[Deleted User]

Well I wasn’t really planning on a ramp, the sides of this thing is pretty thin wood.The bottom “cabinet” will just stay open, so they can enter through the bottom, jump up to the middle section through the hole toward the back, and then I’ll add a shelf half way up to rest on. I have no doubts in my mind that the jumping can be accomplished…as I’ve said before, Ophelia is an olympic jumper!

[Deleted User]

Here is Ophelia just lounging on my bed like it’s her own  It’s like 3 feet up and she makes the jump so gracefully!!

[Q8bunny]

Ooooooooh! LOVE your sleigh bed, Noob! ???

[Deleted User]

Posted By Q8bunny on 8/24/2017 11:54 AM

Ooooooooh! LOVE your sleigh bed, Noob! ???

Thanks! Once I have the spare cash I’m going to get a really nice beachy theme comforter and sheet set! The white wash look of the furniture really looks good with a beach theme! It’s like a driftwood type look!

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