Like most things in our modern world, research, studying and learning from how things used to be done is forever developing and improving. Years ago it was deemed acceptable and indeed the norm to keep rabbits and guinea pigs in tiny little outside hutches. Thankfully thanks to a wave of small pet welfare leaders, leading vets, charities and more…….we have now crushed the idea that it is okay to keep a small VIP in one of these. As a fierce voice for welfare standards for small pets, myself, I will not look after a clients pet if I find them living in tiny inappropriate housing. It’s unfair and cruel. Sadly, there are still many people out there who haven’t got the memo or who feel that it is okay to still keep them like this- Often kept as petting toys for their kids or to be used for money making from illegal breeding. Big shops such as pets at home do not help matters either as they often have deals in their shops for tiny hutches (what I call, two down, two up) on sale for some very sweet deals. And of course if you are not a seasoned bunny owner and new to the game then you’d likely think it was okay to trust a shop, therefore it must be the right type of home for your new bunnies to come- best advice, don’t trust shops when it comes to this, they are out to make profit and that is it!
I’ll let you in on a little secret since it was years ago and this pretty much sums me up as a person- the only time I’ve ever been told off by the police was because of going into a neighbours garden at night to feed their rabbits in secret who were starving in a tiny little hutch, no clean water, it was horrid and I couldn’t bear the thought when my pets were treated like royalty next door. We’d approached their owners but they didn’t care so I went undercover each night with a bag of fresh hay, a bottle of water to pour into their bowl and some veggies and pellets.
So….maybe you’re asking, well then….what is the right size accommodation for buns and piggies? Well let’s look at bunnies and piggies in separate parts, since they actually have different needs when it comes to size of accommodation. The Rabbit Welfare Association and the RSPCA recommends that your rabbit's hutch be large enough for “three hops” from end to end. That means a minimum of six feet long by two feet high by two feet deep. A 6ft x 2ft x 2ft hutch will allow your rabbit to hop, stand up, stretch, and move around comfortably. They then recommend on top of that, that you have a much larger secure run, pen or enclosure around the hutch for them to exercise. Personally I’m not keen on set ups where the rabbits have to be manually moved from their hutch to the larger play area. The pen area should really be accessible at all times and totally predator proof if outside.
If we are looking at the biology behind it, remember that bunnies skeletons are designed to run fast when being hunted. So naturally, if you stick them in a tiny space and they can’t keep their muscles and bones strong by carrying out normal bunny behaviours then they will begin to develop health problems, depression, weight problems, arthritis …the list goes on. This is why in my view, if you are planning to get bunnies, then you need to understand that there will be costs involved with getting them the right home set up to keep them healthy. A tiny hutch from pets at home will not cut the mustard.
The Fashion for having house rabbits has grown and grown over the last few years- pro’s and con’s of course to having buns inside rather than outside which I will explore In another blog. But one of the great things about this is that you’re able to offer much larger spaces e.g. one whole room or even a floor of the house that they can play and live in safely. There are load of options these days for what you use to build your bunny pens. Open top metal gate panels are extremely popular, easy to clean, not too expensive and moveable. There are also some great companies out there, which for slightly more money, can offer custom made pen shapes, styles and sizes. Just always do your research before rushing into any buys. Or if you fancy more of a family project and aren’t afraid to roll your sleeves up then why not build a totally unique bunny pad yourself. If your bunnies are outside buns then again, these days- there are so many options. The most popular style is what we have which is a aviary style pen-totally covered on all sides so that it is predator proof, sun and rain proof. I’ll be honest, these don’t come cheap especially if you’re making it from the best material which is treated wood- I spent most of my savings on my bunny palace. But there are many options to fit your budget and of course, if you make it yourself then you’ll save a lot of money.
A few words of caution if you’re building an outside bunny pad: firstly be careful what materials you use for the roof- metal and plastic can over heat in the sun and it can become way too hot for your buns living under it. Make sure that the overhang of your roof is wide enough to block out rain/snow etc. Now I know that the image of your buns binkying around on a lawn is lovely but truthfully, totally impractical and your lawn will very quickly turn into a muddy mess. While you can allow your buns to have supervised time on the grass- I recommend laying down a proper floor to your bunny pad using patio stones. Patio stones are easy to clean and maintain and won’t get saturated when it rains which can cause rising damp and damage to the underside of your roof. Make sure that if you are putting them on grass as the base, that you put a liner under the soil otherwise they will dig their way out of the bunny pad faster than you will ever know. If you want to allow your buns to dig then these days- you can get deep plastic tubs which can be filled with soil so that they can dig to their hearts content without actually damaging the garden, escaping or even meeting harm from predators or other environmental factors.
A perfect example of a lovely bunny setup outside.
A perfect example of a lovely house set up with the option of opening the gate to allow access to the rest of the house. Some house setups, just have a corner for the bunnies items and then free roam of the whole room or house. Remember to bunny safe all the wires in the house first though!
My bunny set up is a bit over the top, I admit ….But I only want the best for my fur balls. Most people who see it, look at me sideways with that look, as if to say…you crazy animal girl lol …..but in summary for bunny set ups, space, security and being practical are the key parts to remember. So may options out there so there is no excuse anymore for keeping buns in tiny little hutches- and if you can’t afford a flash set up then that’s okay. You can have a smaller hutch but make sure it is within a much larger play area that the buns can get into all the time using a ramp or tunnel.
’ll keep the section on piggies a bit briefer since most of the advise for rabbits, can be applied to pigs too, just with a few differences. Piggies don’t require as much room as rabbits and as their skeletons are not designed for running at speeds, they don’t tend to get as many ill effects from having less room to run around. They are also considerably smaller in size then bunnies. However they still deserve as much room as you can give them- the general guidelines are a space that is 10 square feet wide for a pair of adult pigs as a minimum but ideally bigger. Of course if you have more than two then you will probably be wanting a similar large aviary outside, shed or room inside your house, just like for rabbits as they will need a lot more space. The kind of set up shown in photo below are extremely popular for piggy owners who have them inside the house. However you would also want to make sure that they got some run time outside too in a secure predator proof run especially in the summer so they can enjoy the grass and nice weather.
Just remember- whether you have buns or piggies- they deserve a nice space to live in which will fore fill their health and welfare needs so that you can enjoy them at their best. Big space equals happy hoppy buns and pigs. And if you know anyone still stuck in the dark ages with a tiny hutch, please talk to them and explain why they need to change their ways. It’s like I always say, if you wouldn’t want to live in it then it’s probably not up to standard. And if you’re worried your piggy or bun home isn’t up to snuff then there are always ways to amend and add sections to make it more suitable. See photo below (these tunnel connected homes are extremely popular) I recommend the company Omlet for buying tunnel extensions.
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