Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Renegade Rabbit

We have an escapee!! One of the three males from Cher's litter flew the coop day before yesterday and has made himself quite at home in the pine trees behind the hutches. He's having a blast and seems to find it very funny that, try as I might, I can't get my hands on him!
He's figured out that the poop piles under the hutch are nice and warm!
We've decided (well, he has actually, since I can't catch him!) that we're going to let him roam the yard and "see what happens". He's already made friends with our cat Molly, they've been playing tag all morning - he does as much of the chasing as she does! Since he's made himself stand out from the crowd he's earned a name... Rennie (AKA Renegade Rabbit).
See him laughing at me??
Here is a shot of the new hutch. It is a MESS because it's been snowing non-stop for over a week and neatening up is not a priority right now. There are three sections on the top (with trays under them to catch the droppings) and eventually it will have 2 grow-out pens on the bottom for future litters. The striped awning flips down to give them some protection from the wind. This is in a temporary location. I'm planning on building a shed near the wood pile this spring for all of the hutches to go into. You can see the other two boys in the last cage... they didn't get out... Rennie's a sneaky one!

3 comments:

bethany (dreadlock girl) said...

Oh, I love that little renegade!! I may be "needing" to get rabbits next :) too cute.

Anonymous said...

How are your doors attached? I recently built a hutch and found that the best way is to put J-clips at the top as hinges and make the door big enough that it overlaps and inch on both sides and the bottom; and of course it should open inward. This way gravity keeps it closed and the rabbits can't push it open. I've accidentally left my cages unlatched for days at a time without any escapes.

Unknown said...

Hi Vyache!

When I cut the wire for the doors I left "tails" and wrapped those around the wire of the "walls" forming a simple, but continuous, hinge on the bottom of the door. The problem with the door was my laziness. When I cut the wire door panels I had a strip of fence that was long enough for all three doors but was ONE segment too short! I though, eh, it's only an inch, they won't squeeze out! But then I installed my hay feeders, on the doors, which the rabbits like to sit in. On the fateful Rennie Rabbit night I left ONE of the two latches that hold the door closed unlatched. He must have hopped up into the wire manger and squeezed out. Since then I have patched on another section of wire to close the gap. I have mental plans on a new design of hay feeder that would keep them from sitting in it.

On the up side, we're having a lot of fun with Rennie. The cats and he play all day and it distracts the kitten from the chickens... who wouldn't "fight" back like Rennie does! Although it does piss Rennie's dad off when he stretches up to sniff his feet. Sonny grunts like crazy and stomps his feet. Hahhaa!!