# Rabbit needs in Indiana?



## Bootstrap (Dec 28, 2015)

Hey all from West Central Indiana! We finally got a house and small property in the country. That said when we were in the city we had a 1200 sq. ft. Vegetable garden and an additional 500 sq. ft. Of strawberries.

So we are really interested in self sufficiency. We are planning rabbit hutches with worm beds under them to compost the rabbit waste and eventually provide worms for a chicken flock.

So we are really needing advice on basic shelter needs for overwintering the rabbits and worms. Can we have a weld wire floor in inclement weather? Do they need small light bulbs inside to help keep them warm? Ideas for the worm beds would be great also.

Thanks in advance guys n gals and thanks for having me


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## chiques chicks (Dec 28, 2015)

No idea on worms, but for rabbits

Dry, draft free
Fresh water available

Wire floors are fine. In Pennsylvania, I have them in an unheated shed in cages, just change the water several times a day. Heat is a bigger enemy than cold.

I prefer not to use artificial heat since a failure could be catastrophic. I get power failures here every year at various times.


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## promiseacres (Dec 28, 2015)

Welcome. They need to stay dry and wire floors are fine. Heat in the summers is more detrimental than cold. Plenty of fresh water available is a must. I have heat lamp in my shed, chained up away from animals to help keep their bottles from freezing.


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## goatgurl (Dec 28, 2015)

i live further south on the Arkansas/Oklahoma border so its warmer here but all my rabbits are outside on wire floors.  i keep a nest box in each of the cages so they will have somewhere to snuggle down into but they do fine.  just make sure they water available and they should do fine


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## Bootstrap (Dec 28, 2015)

Thank yall for the replies. This is one of the hutches I'm in the process of building. In the nesting/cubby side it's wire floor too. Maybe I should make a removable nest box for that side?


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## Bootstrap (Dec 28, 2015)

I plan on adding PVC feeder tubes with hoppers and was considering a 5gal bucket reservoir for water, heated in winter with a heat pad, and tubed/plumbed to a ball nipple waterer like one would use a bottle with. Thoughts?


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## Bunnylady (Dec 28, 2015)

Rabbits will chew on anything they can reach. Your chip board sides may be rabbit resistant, or maybe not - I have known rabbits that could chew through that (and dogs, too).  I'm not sure about using PVC around rabbits; I'd be afraid they'd chew on that - which could result in a rabbit with a tummyful of plastic shards. 

 The ball type of tube used in water bottles depends on a vacuum created in the bottle to keep the water in. Without the vacuum, the water just runs right out. There are other types of water valves that have springs and rubber o-rings in them that are designed to work with low pressure water systems; most small animal supply companies sell at least a couple of different types.


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## Bootstrap (Dec 29, 2015)

Hmmmm. I think maybe I'll observe their habits when I get them. See if there is any evidence of chewing on the walls. If there is I'll line them with 1/4" weld wire mesh as I have plenty a friend gave me. I'll save my 1/2"  mesh for floors...its spensive lol.

Thanks for the info on the valves I'll have to look into them.

As for the PVC feeder idea it's something ide seen on google images and had not researched yet. Seen it work for chickens and have seen pictures of feeders like this in rabbit hutches...but you know how that goes, "seen it on the web has to be a good idea" lmfao

Thank you for the input


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## chiques chicks (Dec 29, 2015)

There are water nipples made for rabbits, they are metal and have o-rings and springs in them. They work well, but even with a heated water supply can freeze at the nipple in very cold weather. They mount horizontally. There are also pvc t's available so you don't have to drill and tap the holes in PVC pipe. I use them but at times in the winter switch to bottles. I just have three times the bottles I have cages and switch them a couple times a day.

I think I found mine on eBay, but there is a rabbit cage supplier that also sells them. The name slips my mind at the moment.


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## Bossroo (Dec 29, 2015)

All of that wood with it's nooks and crannies are perfect environments for all types of mites, bacteria and viruses to live and multiply.  The 1/2" wire for the floor is very often too small for the more  mature rabbit's pelets to fall through then build up. I would use 1/2 x 1" welded wire and 1 x 2' welded wire for all other cage surfaces, then use wood, tarp, corregated iron for roof and siding some distance away from the cages. I would recomend that the cages be placed inside a shed or barn. The 1/4 inch wire that you would line the wood interiors with is a very good place to catch the rabbit's hair which in turn will be next to impossible to remove . This will increase your chances of all types of desease issues.   Keep the nest boxes out of the cages unless the doe is ready to kindle...feces, moistsure and disease issues follows.  Doing otherwise will have the rabbit to deficate and urinate in it and cause all types of issues.  I would use copper tubing to distribute drinking water during non freezing time of year but use water bottles and change them often during freezing times. During the hotest times of summer I would install misters to cool the air around the cages to get the rabbits more comfortable.


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## Bootstrap (Dec 29, 2015)

Well we do what we can with what we've got thank you for your input.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find the 1/2" X 1" wire around here which is what I would have preferred. 

As for the .25" weld wire for the interiors I had not considered how hard to clean that would be. That said if the wood becomes an issue it can easily be removed from the frame and either thoroughly cleaned or replaced as all the panels are screwed on for easy removal. This is very similar to a pet rabbit hutch I had as a young child and although not ideal it worked.

The copper tubing is a great idea, would more likely have a much longer service life.


The only investment made in these hutches so far has been screws, hinges, and weld wire. I salvaged all the wood from discarded pallets and a construction dumpster. I figure for a season or two, three of these and a simple grow out pin can get me by for a buck and two does until I get a proper rabbit barn built. Then I'll transition to hung wire cages and scale upto a larger opporation.

Studying on growing red worms in the manure too. Will be taking plenty of pics and recording my progress here.


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## Bunnylady (Dec 29, 2015)

I've ordered a variety of supplies from these folks over the years:

http://www.klubertanz.com/


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## chiques chicks (Dec 29, 2015)

Another supplier is Bass products. I am not associated with them, but have been happy with their cages and equipment.


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