I am planning on building a 2-3 story cage for a rabbit. I have heard that some types of wood are not good for a rabbit. Is there any wood that is safe? How can I prevent or discourage a rabbit from chewing the wood?
2006-06-05 18:33:23 · 16 answers · asked by ksgates99 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I'd recommend avoiding building the cage out of treated wood except for the bottom of the hutch legs (where they meet the ground, to prevent them from rotting, you may want to place stepping stones under the legs to keep the hutch from sinking over time). Treated wood contains arsenic which can be unhealthy for your rabbit to eat. Hardwoods are fine and so is regular pine. If you build it out of 2x4's, and plywood don't worry, it will take them a long while (years and years) to chew through the wood to the point of escaping. I had my rabbit hutches for over 20 years and they never chewed through. The cage wire will rust out long before they chew through the wood. Some of the main things you want to consider though is will it be easy to get your rabbit in and out of the cage. Will the cage be easy to clean out? Is the hutch in the shade to keep the rabbits cool in the summer? Is it built well enough to keep dogs out? Does your breed require a solid bottom floor (heavy weight breed) or can it utilize a wire bottom floor (light weight breed)? Wire bottom floors are much easier to clean, but if you have a heavy breed it will be hard on their feet and tend to give them sore hocks. Don't use chicken wire for the cage or any kind of thin wire. I recommend using rabbit cage wire, check out Da-mars or Klubertanz online for rabbit cage wire. Use 1"x2" wire for the sides and for the flooring if you're going to use wire us 1/2"x1" wire with a heavier gauge wire. Galvanized AFTER-WELDED wire is much better. If it's galvanized before welded, it will rust much quicker. Another thing I recommend is build an extended roof on it. You'll be thankful you did on those rainy nights when you have to go out in the rain to feed your rabbits. In the summer, your cage should be open (just wire) on two sides (the front and the back). In the winter, you want three sides closed in to prevent a wind draft and pneumonia. That can be done by tacking a piece of plywood, paneling or thick plastic on the back. Last of all, set a post 3-4 feet deep in the ground and brace your hutch against the post. The first couple of years I was raising rabbits we didn't do that and a couple bad storms came in and blew the hutches over in the middle of the night. It's no fun chasing your rabbits in the middle of a rainy night or the next day and trying to tip a rabbit hutch back upright. Thankfully we had a tractor to tip them upright.
2006-06-06 00:26:37 · answer #1 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
If I was to build a rabbit cage out of wood, is this safe for the rabbit?
I am planning on building a 2-3 story cage for a rabbit. I have heard that some types of wood are not good for a rabbit. Is there any wood that is safe? How can I prevent or discourage a rabbit from chewing the wood?
2015-08-18 18:18:54 · answer #2 · answered by Helenka 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-05-04 02:30:23 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For a rabbit hutch you can use pine. Its usually not very expensive and works just as well as anything else. Use some 2x4's for framing it and 4x4's as the legs. then just use the sheet kind to make the house part. I would recommend putting wire on the bottom of half and on the other side a little enclosed spot with an arch for the bunny to get out the the weather, make sure that area has a wood bottom. Once you have finished the hutch put hay or straw in the enclosed area for a nice nesting area for your bunny to relax in and make sure you put a water bottle and food dish in the opposite side. Also rabbits need to chew because their teeth never stop growing. If they don't chew and file their teeth they will start to grow very long and need to be cut, not fun to do. I would recommend that you get the special wood chews they make for bunnies and give him apple twigs to chew if you have apple trees around. Apple tree wood is safe for rabbits fresh or dried. Hope that helps you out :o)
2006-06-09 02:31:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Find a rabbit shelter or go online to get a plan for building a rabbit cage, just to make sure everything is correct. Simplier, cheaper, and better for the bunny are things called NIC tiles that people get from Target. They are square wire, and clip together. You can make a big cage for cheap, and the bunnies can still see out and be seen. Petbunny listserve or yahoo bunny groups can tell you more about these panels.
2006-06-09 04:06:23 · answer #5 · answered by Nostril_B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
make sure the wood you use is not a pressboard type wood and is not pressure treated.
other then that wood is completely safe
something else to be careful of is if you are making a hutch for multiple rabbits that there are no sharp or tight corners that one rabbit could pin the other into. for example where your access points go up to the second floor
2006-06-05 22:30:40 · answer #6 · answered by lilbityippy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are a beginner or have done some woodworking you will find these plans easy-to-follow as the instructions are very clearly written. The woodworking plans are straightforward so they are not complicated at all. Even if you are a total newcomer to woodworking you will simply be able to master all the techniques that are needed and the woodworking skills very quickly by following the concise and clear instructions. Another thing which is so great about these woodworking plans is that there have been some videos included and there are some to guide you in how to build benches home furniture dog houses bird feeders sheds and much much more.
2016-05-21 01:37:23 · answer #7 · answered by Charmaine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use a hard wood, such as oak or hickory. Both are safe, and you can put the wire on the inside to keep any chewing to a minimum.
We had rabbits in wooden cages for several years.
2006-06-05 19:28:04 · answer #8 · answered by Chetco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bunny Cage
2016-10-07 00:12:42 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wood is fine, usually what you would find in the lumber store to use is going to be spruce, which from my experience is fine as long as it is not 'treated' with anything, like weather/pressure treating sealants, varnished or painted. They are ALWAYS going to find a spot to chew at it, BUT there is a deterrent spray called "Fooey" sold in many stores and pretty much everywhere online that they really dont like. one spray anywhere usually does the trick for quite some time
2006-06-06 01:51:07 · answer #10 · answered by forever_homes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋