Rabbit hutches opening at the top?

Javan Rhino

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I'm suprised that I can't find these anywhere, as I think it would be a brilliant idea. Let me divulge some background to this:

My rabbit lives in a hutch that is opened by the typical two doors on the front of it. However, when we first got him he loved to chew, meaning that now the mesh door has a large hole in it that has had to be covered at all times, and the door is no longer in use (the bottom bean has split and now the door is dented inwards, meaning the latch is useless anyway. So, now we can only use the left-hand, sleeping area door. This makes it very difficult to clean out, since we can no longer reach all corners of the hutch properly, and it also makes feeding difficult when he decides to move his dish to a hard to reach corner. And as for renewing water in the bottle, it is a battle to get a hold of it behind boxes, a statue, extra layers of chicken wire and a sheet of bars, and putting it back is no easier. There really is only one thing to do here, and that is get a new hutch when I can afford it (but then that is a massive waste of money if he continues to chew, so I'm understandably reluctant).

Then I had an idea: A rabbit hutch that opens from the top (with the wire door being the roof). If it were high enough, then he wouldn't reach to chew, and better still treats/toys etc could be hung from it. Obviously you would still have the door for the sleeping quaters on the front. Also, a water bottle would have to be specially designed, or built into the hutch itself (with fresh water being supplied by a simple jug that could pour it into the attached bottle).

What does everybody think? The way forward for chewy rabbits?
 
Depends whether you want your rabbit to have a view upwards or outwards. You'd also probably want to have the run accesed by somewhere other than the sleeping area door so that the rabbit has enclosed to shelter if it wants to. I would say the ideal compromise would be to have a hutch with an opening top for ease of cleaning, but also a sleeping box door and another door to the run at the front.

Sounds like this might be an ideal time to get inventive and design your own hutch ;) I only have experience with aviaries and large sleeping boxes within them, but if you invest in some 2x1 roof battens from a timber merchant, some thick wire (16 gauge or so - look on Ebay), some thick tongue and groove and/or feather edged boarding and a couple of bolts and hinges you should be able to build something both practical and epic :D Then treat your rabbit to a wide variety of toys and chews to channel his destructive tendencies away from the hutch!
 
Depends whether you want your rabbit to have a view upwards or outwards. You'd also probably want to have the run accesed by somewhere other than the sleeping area door so that the rabbit has enclosed to shelter if it wants to. I would say the ideal compromise would be to have a hutch with an opening top for ease of cleaning, but also a sleeping box door and another door to the run at the front.

Sounds like this might be an ideal time to get inventive and design your own hutch ;) I only have experience with aviaries and large sleeping boxes within them, but if you invest in some 2x1 roof battens from a timber merchant, some thick wire (16 gauge or so - look on Ebay), some thick tongue and groove and/or feather edged boarding and a couple of bolts and hinges you should be able to build something both practical and epic :D Then treat your rabbit to a wide variety of toys and chews to channel his destructive tendencies away from the hutch!

Hehe, makes sense. I'm rubbish at D.I.Y, so I'd have to get somebody else to build the design :D. I did try chew toys, but he seemed a lot less interested in these and they are STILL pretty much intact (with more and more nibble marks appearing as he hasn't got any hutch left to chew ;)).
 
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