Hi! I\'m new to the boards here. I\'ve been doing a lot of reading the past couple of days.
My nephew has a rabbit that he shows. Last weekend I went to one of his shows and fell in love all over again with the bunnies.
I\'ve located a breeder in my area with babies that will be ready to go on March 18th.
I am trying to get prepared for the new addition to my family. My question is this.. How large of a cage must a Flemish Giant have? My father and I will be building an outdoor hutch for her. (I will also have one inside for her.)
I will be getting a second bunny after my nephew breeds his satin angora next month.
Should I build a hutch built for 2, with 2 separate living spaces?
What would you all sugest?
Thanks,
Chrissy
Hi Chrissy.
Definitely build a hutch with separate living spaces. This prevents unexpected fights and injuries or fur chewing habits. Rabbits
can be sociable, but this should always occur under supervision.
I raised Flemish Giants for years. The dimensions I used for my Flemish were: 6\' Long x 30\" Wide x 24\" High (Does that I planned to breed) or 4\' Long x 30\" Wide x 24\" High (Bucks and young stock under 6 months). The floors should be 1\" x 1\", 14 ga. wire (I also used metal floor supports for added stability in the 6\' cages.) The 1\" x 1\" wire flooring is important because 1) It allows better support for the foot pad, minimizing sore hocks 2) the 1\" x 1\" wire allows the larger droppings Flemish create, to fall through the wire easily. You can use 16 ga. wire for the sides and top of the cage. (For the Satin Angora, stick to 1/2\" x 1\" wire for the floor.)
You will notice that 24\" is taller than the standard 18\" used for most rabbit housing. In Flemish it is important to have a taller cage to encourage better ear carriage in these massive rabbits.
Some Flemish breeders like to use solid floors for their Flemish, but if you do this, you must be prepared to bed them deeply with straw or grass hay and clean judiciously every week.
Good luck.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Congratulations on your new rabbit!
Where is the best place to find hutch plans?
Years ago, I found a book that had very easy-to-follow instructions on making all-wire rabbit cages, with instructions also on making an easy shelter out of angle iron -
Raising Rabbits the Modern Way by Bob Bennett.
He has written another book, that I\'m sure is even better. You can access them at the link below:
Amazon.com
There are various hutch plans available online, but I find most either expensive, complicated to build, or impractical. (Just my opinion.)
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Thanks for the info!
My dad is very good working with wood and well, just very good making stuff with his hands. So, we are going to come up with a design ourselves. The hardest part is going to be finding the wire for the cage. I\'m going to look at farming stores like Tractor Supply. Anyplace else I should look? I found it online, but I have to buy a huge amount and pay an arm and a leg for shipping!
Chrissy
You\'re welcome.
Most hardware stores stock the type of wire you need as well as hog-rings and j-clips if you need those. A lot of feed stores do as well, though it may be harder to find the 1\" x 1\" 14 ga. wire for the Flemish flooring. (That may be a special order.)
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
For the satin angora that I will be getting, is it ok to use 16 gauge for the floor or should I stick with th 14?
Thanks!
Chrissy
16 ga. is fine for the Satin Angora.
Charlcie