Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Rehabbed Rabbit Hutch

My neighbors next door neighbors (who are very nice people!) just lost their last rabbit. He was very old and had to be put down. He lived in a HUGE rabbit hutch that used to have 3 rabbits in it - but they too were very old and passed away. They decided that they didn't want to have rabbits again and offered me the hutch! I said YES! (of course!)

When I brought it home it was SERIOUSLY unimpressive and my MIL wanted to burn it. I don't blame her - it was a mess...




But I was inspired and KNEW I could make something really nice out of it! So I got to work. I SCRUBBED IT OUT, removed the rotten wood and the too-small gauge mesh on the front and the rotten mesh on the floor...


Once it was all clean and dry I started with my "master plan". This is going to be used to raise meat rabbits. One boy, one girl and a section to raise the babies to the right size.

The door in the back was used only as an access panel and was left closed all the time. I decided that I would use it as cross ventilation so I put a hinge in the LARGE door so it could fold up against the back of the hutch in the summer and be closed in the winter.


Here it is! All done! Looks pretty nice I think... nothing like the shack it was when it got here! It makes Chubs hutch look TINY! This new one is REALLY big. I actually sat in it to put up the inside walls...
I decided to put this door between the moms section and the center section. While she's pregnant and is nursing I can leave the door open to give her more room - once the babies are weaned I can shut the door and they can grow up in the familiar center section.

So anyway! That's my latest project... Now I just have to find my new bunnies! We're going to a local fair this week, so I might find them there.

Who knows what I'll be building next - the neighbors (same ones!) just did some construction on their house and gave me a big pile of leftover lumber... MUAHAHA!!!

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