Rabbits are adorable. Everyone loves rabbits. But, you are worried about your rabbit’s safety when it is raining outside. Because you know rabbits are very sensitive and can quickly get sick when exposed to rain, cold, or heat.
As you’re here, I can say it with my eyes closed. You’re looking for a solution, and I have a couple of ideas to help you.
Yes, you’ve got to make a waterproof rabbit hutch for that. And, in this post, I’d share some solid ideas on how to protect a rabbit hutch.
But, before that, you got to have a rabbit hutch in the first place. Do you have that already?
Don’t worry about that.
Because this post will teach you:
- What is a rabbit hutch?
- How much does it cost to build a rabbit hutch?
- Tools you need to create a rabbit hutch.
- How to make a rabbit hutch?
- How to protect the hutch from rain?
Let’s get started.
What Is a Rabbit Hutch?
A rabbit hutch is made for keeping rabbits. These are specially designed for rabbits to live in. They are made to promote healthy rabbits that don’t need them to be in a cage all the time. This can be an advantage for you if you have a rabbit that needs to be in a cage most of the time.
You can have a hutch as a safe house for your rabbit. The hutch will be made to give your rabbit plenty of room to move around without feeling cramped. These are used to keep rabbits warm, and they keep them warm with an extra layer of insulation and a heater.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of a rabbit hutch can vary, and the size and style will determine the overall price. The cheapest huts are usually made of plastic and can be bought at a discount store.
These huts can be bought in a kit containing the hut’s parts. These kits are often fundamental and don’t include everything you will need for a rabbit hutch, and they are easy to build and assemble.
Size and Style
The size and style of the rabbit hutch will determine how much it will cost you. The kits you will find at pet shops are a bit more elaborate, and you will need to buy wood, plastic, or metal components.
The materials are more expensive, and they tend to be more complicated. You will also need to buy the finishing materials, and it can be costly to finish your hutches. You will also need to buy a lot of food for your rabbits to keep them healthy.
The food can be purchased at your local pet shop. Keeping a freshwater bowl near the hutches is also a good idea, and this bowl must be kept clean.
Rabbits will need to have access to fresh air.
Things You Will Need
You will need the materials that you will need to build the rabbit hutch, and you will also need the tools to assemble the hutches.
Cement blocks
These are the basic building blocks you will need for your rabbit hutch. They cost around $1.50 each. You can build your rabbit hutch with cement blocks leftover from home building projects, and you can also buy cement blocks at a home improvement store.
Wood
You will need wood to build your rabbit hutches. You can either collect it yourself, or you can buy it. See the list of wood sources below; most of them are free.
Cinder blocks
You will need cinder blocks to build your rabbit hutches. You can buy them at a home improvement store, or you can collect your own, and they cost about $1.50 each.
Balustrade
An outside deck or balcony railing is a good idea for your rabbit hutch. You can buy one at a home improvement store, and it’s nice to have because it will protect your rabbit from falling accidents.
Paint You will need paint for your rabbit hutches, and the color can be purchased at a hardware store.
Glue
You will need glue to keep the cement blocks together, and this glue is available at your local home improvement store.
Screws
You will need screws to secure the cement blocks together.
Steps: Building Rabbit Hutches
- First, you need to prepare the cement blocks for construction. You will use a bricklayer’s trowel to smooth out the cement. You will use a finger to ensure that the blocks are smooth and flat.
- You will then split the blocks with a handsaw.
- You will then start assembling the rabbit hutches. You will need to set the cement blocks on a flat surface. You will use the bricks as support. You will use the cinder blocks to make the corner supports. You will then use the wood as support
- You will then start to secure the cement blocks together using screws.
- Once you are happy with the result, you can then paint the rabbit hutches.
What If You Don’t Build A Hutch And Waterproof It?
Your pet is at risk of becoming very ill or even dying if you do not weatherproof your rabbit hutch. Besides, it could create some potential danger.
Like:
- The cold
The extreme cold can cause an animal’s body temperature to drop dangerously low, putting its health at risk or even causing it to freeze. Despite being accustomed to cold temperatures, rabbits can usually create burrows to stay warm.
- The heat
Extreme heat is detrimental to rabbits. When it is extremely hot in the summer months, they can wander around and seek out shade when they become too hot.
- The wet
In the event of rain, your hutch will become very wet if you fail to weatherproof it. This may damage its structural integrity, and rain can penetrate the wood and damage it. As a result, your rabbits may become sick if the wood molds. Your hutch will begin to crumble as the wood breaks down due to moisture.
Besides harming your hutch’s overall structure, rain can also negatively affect your rabbit. Rabbits’ skin can be affected by the constant humidity in their hutches. Moreover, your rabbit can have difficulty staying warm because of the dampness. As a result, your rabbit may become ill.
- The wind
Most people do not think about wind as a weather element. In general, the wind doesn’t have as much of an effect on your pet’s health as other weather factors do, but it can affect the overall structure of your home.
Hutches that are not weatherproofed may tip over in strong winds. Similarly, a hutch that falls over can hurt your rabbit by squeezing it under the broken structure. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you weatherproof your rabbit hutch or bring your rabbit indoors.
How to Waterproof Rabbit Hutch?
Now that you know how to build your rabbit hutch, it’s time to waterproof it. I figured out a couple of ways to do that. And, here are those:
- Use a slanted roof to build a rabbit hutch.
- To protect your hutch from extreme heat, create a shade.
- Isolate the top of the cage with plastic. This will protect the hutch from snow.
- Build your hutch next to a structure such as a shed, barn, or even your house.
Key Takeaway
A rabbit hutch is crucial to protect rabbits from rain, cold, heat, and wetness. This may be a cause of sickness for rabbits or even death.
In this post, I tried to cover all the aspects of protecting your rabbit. Starting with introducing a hutch, its importance, things to need to build it, and how to make it. Finally, I shared a few ideas on protecting it from rain.
The above tips and techniques would be a duck soup nail a perfect rabbit hutch.
If you still got any questions, comment below.