New to Rabbits...housing question & more

[CashNKristin]

We haven't purchased our rabbits yet but are getting everything ready. We have a chicken coop that is up off the ground and an enclosed run that we want to use for the rabbits (we are moving our chickens into a new coop). I plan to clean it out thoroughly and put new bedding and everything in it for the rabbits. Is that okay? What do you suggest I clean the house with? The house has a nesting box that is on the side and that has little doors on each side of it for collecting eggs. I thought that could be used for the rabbits "nesting" box but do you have to keep the males separate from the females and the babies at all times? If so, should I put up a wire screen separating the nesting box from the rest of the house?

 

[starlight012]

To me I think that would be fine! If I were you i would screen off the nesting boxes from the rest of the coop. As for the cleaning solution, I'm sorry but I don't quite know. Hope that helps though!

 

[nawma]

I'm really new at all this too but I would think you would have better luck with new mom and kits separate from buck or any other does. I know my rabbits produce lots and lots of poop and urine. Any wooden floors would be difficult to clean. Rabbit urine smells strong of ammonia so I've been very wary of using any bleech to clean with as ammonia and bkeech together make a toxic mix. Good luck with your new adventure. The ladies here have helped me so much already.

 

[Prairiechick]

Unless you just want to keep having babies every month, yes, keep the buck separate from the doe and the babies. In fact, unless you know you can find a home for babies, plan wisely. There are already lots of unwanted pets 'out there' including rabbits. Just saying.
Honestly, the easiest way to keep rabbits is in some kind of wire set-up. Your coop is likely made of wood, and rabbits love to chew on wood. They will chew right out of their home if there is a way to do it. Those little hutches made of cedar are really cute, but I have seen them get chewed to pieces!
I tried wood and wire for our first hutch, but now it sits in the corn crib unused because they chewed it so badly.
If your coop is big enough, you can set up your cages in it and it can be the rabbit house. Some people free range rabbits, but I know I can't do it here. In the summer, my daughter likes to take the rabbits out in our fold-up dog pen and lets them eat grass and hop around. We have even made them play pens in the past to run around in.
I find that the wire cages are the easiest to clean as well. When they get dirty, you can take them right out and hose them off.
As for the nest boxes, the only time you need one is when your doe has babies. They use it for 3 or 4 weeks and then they are out of it. I would think a rabbit might use a nest box in a chicken coop like you described as a place to poop, and they like to do it in the same place all the time. That could be a really nasty mess.
Good luck on whatever you choose.