Rabbit questions

Guinea_2

Hi there
I am in the process of setting up a show and breeding rabbit heaven :eek: in my back garden which a lot of thought is going in to. At the moment I am 'collecting' hutches to go in the actual shed and am looking for cheap plastic rabbit hutches. Not the ones for indoor use as they don't have a cover but the actual outdoor hutches but in plastic. I am bidding on one on E-bay at the moment but am looking for about another 3 or 4. Wondered whether any of you had any ideas about where I could purchase them cheaply?
Any ideas welcome.:D
Many thanks
G

skye

I don't want to sound rude but can I ask why you want to breed? There are already thousands of rabbits in rescues already that need re-homing - every year 33,000 are handed in to rescues. Please think carefully about this before you go ahead with breeding - more information and to make sure you are prepared for what to expect please see this page - http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/breedingrabbits.asp

Also if you need cheap hutches then are you going to be able to afford caring for them? - vaccinations, worming, rearguard, vets bills. To get an idea of the costs please see this page - http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/rabbit_costs.asp

stinky_onions

Can I just ask
Is the rabbit "Heaven" you are going to be creating for money making purposes?
If so can I just give you a bit of info regarding this subject
there is not a lot of money to be made from breeding rabbits, after you have spent on food vets bills housig bedding etc.and you have to keep them in an "acceptable" condition accommodation etc or the RSPCA rabbit friendly folks will be on your back. You would be much better thinking of another way of making money these days.
Sorry I can't be much help

kickstart_3

To be honest wouldnt rabbits gnaw through 'cheap' plastic hutches ?

hayleyc_2

Just wanted to add, that plastic hutches don't sound like the best idea to me. Surely a traditionally designed hutch made of plastic would get very hot in summer?? Also, what about space for the rabbits to get fresh air and run around? You will have to think very carefully about ventilation in a shed, especially with multiple hutches. Also plastic hutches will probably not provide as much insulation during the winter as a well made wooden hutch.

Just had a quick look on ebay, and found 3 plastic hutches. All look totally unsuitable for housing rabbits. Far too small, not enough ventilation and not sturdy enough. Bare minimum size should be at least 5ft x 2ft with permanently attached run. Larger if the rabbits are large, or there are more than 2 in a hutch. RSPCA recommends 6ft x 2ft plus run for 2 medium sized rabbits.

Guinea_2

Hmmm thanks for all these replies. Do you seriously think I haven't thought about why I want to breed them, why not to breed them, the ventilation in a shed, runs, food, vets bills and the like? I am not a stupid person.
I want 'cheap' hutches because I don't want to spend an absolute fortune on them in pet shops and just wondered whether there were any other bunny lovers out there who knew of a wholesalers that sells them or perhaps somewhere else I could get them from.
Thank you to skye for the websites. I will take a look now.

Ragnarok_3

Well I would love to hear the argument for yet another person setting up to breed rabbits. They are the most neglected animals in this country despite being the third most popular pet. How can you ensure they would be rehomed to people who wouldn't get bored of them? This usually ends up with the rabbit left at the bottom of the garden in a small hutch seeing a human once a day when food is thrown in. Rescues struggle to find good homes for rabbits where the accomodation is the correct size and the people have enough knowledge of the animal to care for it properly, how do you propose to do that? I would say save the rabbit population from needlessly expanding and help with fostering for your local rescue if you really want to help rabbits out. You won't make any money out of it.

Guinea_2

I actually don't care about the money. There IS no money! I am doing it for SHOW rabbits and NOT PET rabbits. There is a big difference. I want to improve the breeds that I choose and not sell mixed breed rabbits.

tru

Plastic cages would only get too hot if they're outside in the sun, in an airy shed out of direct sunlight they'll be fine.

Rabbits won't chew through plastic cages.

Show rabbits are very different to pets, Guinea hasn't said he'll/she'll be selling them, even if he/she did, they'd be going to people who know what they're doing, not people who fuss over a new pet for a week then ignore them.

Why do people assume the worst when they don't actually know all the facts?

tru

I can't believe it took me so long to type that, sorry Guinea - I didn't see your reply

Ragnarok_3

I'll tell you why we see the worst, cus we're the people that rescue them! Selling a pedigree or mixed breed rabbit makes no difference. Just to prove that point, take a look at all the breed rescues who take in dogs who cost a fortune, the excuses vary from didn't know it would grow so big, to I'm pregnant to don't have the time. Selling 'show' rabbits doesn't mean they will get treated any better. The only way to know that is to check the homes.