[mommabear]

Hello everyone, I am new on here and use to raise rabbits for meat for family and friends. I got out of it but an going back into it.
Some think I am making my cages to big and say it is a waste of space, I however prefer as much room as I can make for them.
Is a 3' x 3' ft cage to big?

I also have a garden and had always supplimented the pellet diet with additional veggies from the none chemical garden. What are your thoughts on this?

I also use 1/2 by 1 inch wire.
Any advice and ideas are appreciated as I have done it before but am no expert.

Does anyone give wood for their rabbits to chew on? If so what woods would one suggest?

 

[james dilley]

that sounds about right size but how high are they headroom wise? rabbitsneed18" minamal

 

[mommabear]

that sounds about right size but how high are they headroom wise? rabbitsneed18" minamal

hmmmm maybe I am wasting space, I was going to do 36" inches in all directions. Using 1/2 x 1 inch 36 inch long all the way around.
Maybe I should go to a 24 inch high and it be 36 inch wide by 36 inch long?

 

[CJ]

We raise NZW's and Rexes, our cages are 30"x36"x18". Commercial breeders probably use smaller cages but if you aren't raising a bunch give them the space you can afford.

We feed ours as much hay, greens and veggies as they want, and always leave pellets for them, which they only eat when they run out of the good stuff

 

[Michael Leferink]

Our cages are 30" x 36" x 18" tall as well. That = 7.5 sq. ft. and is the smallest I would go. Some folks use different dimensions, but come out with the same or more sq. ft. For example, if you have short arms and use a front loading door, you might build it: 24" x 46" x 18". Some people are even building them larger. The longer you leave the kits with the doe, the larger your cage needs to be. If we had the space, we would build them 30" x 48" x 18". We have Silver Fox, Champagne D' Argent and Californian rabbits. If you have smaller breed(s), then you could get away with smaller 30" x 30" x 16". If your raising one or more of the giant breeds, then you will need to go larger. We use 1" x 2" for the top and sides. The floor is 1" x 1/2", but 2" or 3" x 1/2" will work if you can find it. Use 14 gauge wire, although it's hard to find it in 1/2". You may have to use 16 gauge. Either way, you'll need to install bracing for the floor wire to reduce the sagging. Give them a pine board or a piece of sheet rock to rest on. They will chew it and play with it. If you use sheet rock, be SURE it has NO fiberglass in it. Also, ours love to play with yellow golf balls.

Enjoy your rabbits,

Mike


PS: You can build them 20" tall. Then when it's time to replace the floor, you can cut off the bottom rotten 2" and still be 18" tall.

 

[SueD]

My cages for the new buns will be roughly the same size as yours. It isn't so much for the bunnies, as it is for me, but they benefit in some ways, too. My new stock will be Californians, instead of smaller cross breeds, so they may or may not need cages that big anyway, lol.

As for the pellets in the garden - I have ALWAYS done that - its one of the best top dressings I've ever used, and I dump straight - no composting. Its never burned my plants - at least not noticably.

As for the wood... well... because I've always used wire cages, they always have wood to sit on if they want, and my nest boxes are all wood. I've not noticed them chewing much, but they sometimes nibble corners off the boxes. They will gnaw on sticks and such if I let them out in the yard, though, so it probably won't hurt anything if you want to give them some. For me, that would be a matter of what is on hand.

Sue

 

[poultryprincess]

The latest book I have says there is a minimum size required by law in England - 48" long x 24" wide x 24" high. They state that if you have 2 does in one cage you can get away with 60" x 24" wide x 24" high. The rabbit cage I purchased was not this large & I must admit I thought it too small for comfort.Now my buck shared a pen with the 6 hens & has a large outside coop to run & play. When I get 2 does they will not be as lucky.Good Luck

 

[anOldTroll]

you don't want your rabbit and chickens together in the same cage. The rabbits are carriers for diseases that can make the chickens really sick and can be fatal and the same goes for the chickens having bacteria that can cause the rabbit to be sick... I don't remember what exactly it was, but its not a good deal for either.
If your rabbit enjoys being free ranged within a run, try using those chicken tractors, should make the rabbit happy and keep him safe
good luck

 

[westbrook]

Since I can't reach back 36 inches in a cage without climbing in, I keep my cages 24 inches deep. This means the I also use the same wire for the top which causes me to have cages 24 inches high. I use 24 inch wide cages for bucks but prefer 48 inch cages for does. The same 4 foot cages work well for growing out kits before processing. This way it is a 1 cage fits all, except for the bucks.

To answer you question...if you can reach in and touch all the back corners of a 36 inch deep cage for cleaning then it isn't too big for you.

It is however more room then a rabbit needs and wire is so expensive.