Drawings of cages for outdoor rabbits. How to build comfortable cages for rabbits
Rabbits are quite unpretentious in care. They are versatile in matters of nutrition and do not require special conditions. But, before you start breeding such animals, you should remember that the animals reproduce extremely quickly. Therefore, the ability to make cages for rabbits with your own hands will be very useful for the owner of a rabbit farm.
Types of cages for rabbits
On the Internet you can find a large number of options on how to build a rabbit cage yourself. But, before using one of them, you should remember that such designs involve division into several types. A standard rabbit farm should be equipped with at least three of them:
- rabbitries for individual housing of males;
- separate enclosures with a uterine compartment for a rabbit and newborn babies;
- common spacious houses for keeping young animals until they reach puberty.
Also, such structures are divided among themselves based on the materials used. constructive solutions. So, if there is space, they will be equipped with an attached walking area. If there is no free space, the cells are made two-tiered. Differ from each other different variants also the design of the roof, floor, materials used.
For males
When making cages for males with your own hands, you should take into account that as the heat approaches, they become quite aggressive. During this period with general content Fights often occur between rabbits for territory and food. Therefore, to suppress aggressive manifestations, adult individuals are placed in individual cages. This measure will also allow better control of the process of reproduction of living creatures.
But when building an individual enclosure, you need to make sure that it is spacious enough. The animal needs constant activity to maintain its shape. If there is no room for it, the rabbit will become fat, which will affect the functioning of the genital organs and reproductive function in general. The sizes of cages for rabbits in this category suggest the following values:
- length – approximately 120 cm;
- width – varies between 70–75 cm;
- height – about 60 cm.
When calculating sizes for large breed rabbits, all values are doubled.
For a female rabbit with offspring
A female rabbit with young animals has completely different physiological needs. Therefore, the house for her requires a different design. It includes two sections:
- Uterine compartment. Here the female gives birth to babies, warms them and feeds them. The mother liquor is made from solid material, then covering all the cracks and holes with insulation. A thick layer of litter is placed on the bottom. The minimum dimensions of the queen cell are 40x40 cm. If necessary, such a compartment is supplemented with a separate door.
- Aft compartment. Suitable for installing a drinking bowl and containers under the feeder. It is also made spacious so that the rabbit can move around to her heart's content. The aft compartment can be supplemented with mesh walls.
The compartments are connected to each other by a small passage. It is placed at least 10 cm above the floor surface. This moment is a precaution against newborn babies falling out into the cold feed compartment.
For young animals
Grown-up rabbits are moved to a house for group housing. In this case, making a rabbit cage with your own hands is also easy. The main thing is to accurately calculate its dimensions.
- length – 250–300 cm;
- width – 100–120 cm;
- height – 30–45 cm.
If necessary, the group housing method is also implemented in the cage options listed above. But the number of animals in this case is calculated taking into account its area.
Two-tier structures
The solution to the lack of free space on a rabbit farm is a two-tier house for rabbits. This design practically consists of two ordinary cells installed one on top of the other. However, it differs in certain features, including:
- The presence of a common V-shaped canopy dividing each floor into compartments.
- The presence of a pallet between the floor of the second tier and the ceiling of the first. To place it, the cells are connected with a small gap, and not end-to-end.
- Placement of special containers under the floor for feces.
- Each tier is supposed to have two compartments.
Make a two-story cage for rabbits with your own hands according to step-by-step instructions:
- Four identical rectangles are made from iron corners or thick timber.
- The first rectangle is sheathed with a fine-grain mesh and placed on legs whose height is at least 30 cm. For this purpose, long wooden blocks.
- Next, two frames are installed on the bars with a distance of 50 cm from each other. One of them serves as a roof for the first tier, so it is covered with wooden boards.
- At a height of 10 cm from the second rectangle, a third one is mounted. It is also covered with mesh.
- The last rectangle is again attached on top of the floor in increments of 50 cm. It is covered with a board. If the rabbitry is planned to be placed outside, an additional layer of roofing material is laid on top.
- The side walls are covered with boards, plywood or mesh.
- For the left niche between the first and second floors, a box is made and installed to collect rabbit manure.
- A suitable size container for feces is selected under the bottom of the first tier and also placed under the finished structure.
The size of the enclosure can vary significantly. But the minimum length is 2.4 m. The width is at least 1.5 m. The height of the structure ranges from 1.8 to 2.2 m.
In general, a standard cage of this type can accommodate 4 animals. If necessary, a third floor is installed above the second floor, which significantly expands the capacity of the structure.
Walking
If the owner of rabbits has enough space on the site, it is recommended to make cages with walking. In this plan, two combined departments are also being assembled. The front is the standard option mentioned above. The only difference is a special passage made in the back wall and connecting the first section with a large closed enclosure.
This design is advantageous from the point of view that the animal has more space for activity. In addition, he receives Fresh air And sunlight. All this helps to increase the productivity of the rodent and improve the quality of its coat.
The paddock is made approximately as follows:
- They make a hole in the back blank wall of the main compartment.
- Behind the main house, two more bars are dug in at the required distance.
- Using slats, they construct the frame of the enclosure, connecting them with new dug-in bars and the rear supports of the main compartment.
- A mesh is installed on the slats.
It is worth noting that if the enclosure is used only in the warm season, the legs can be omitted. It will be installed on the ground. This option is also good because fresh vegetation appears through the floor cells, which the living creatures eat with pleasure.
Rabbit cage with walk
The minimum dimensions for a rabbitry with a walking enclosure are 200x100x60 cm. They can be increased upon request. The main thing is that there is enough space inside for active walks of animals.
Location of rabbit cages
In addition to how to make a rabbit hutch, you should also consider where to install it. There are also several recommendations in this regard.
The specific location of the rabbit houses is chosen taking into account the weather conditions of the area. If the climate is warm and does not expect severe frosts in winter, enclosures are installed outside. Moreover, this type of livestock maintenance is carried out year-round.
If winters are cold, then only in summer time enclosures are located outside. With the onset of cold weather, they are transferred to a warm barn.
Each option also includes a number of features. For outdoor placement:
- the cages are installed with a dense back wall in the direction from which the wind most often blows in the region;
- when installing, choose places where there are no drafts;
- they install houses on a certain hill where moisture does not accumulate after heavy rainfall;
- the roof is mounted so that water does not get inside the cells during rain;
- When placing houses in two rows, they are placed with their front parts facing each other at such a distance that a person can freely pass between them.
When moving rabbits indoors, you should adhere to the following rules:
- Natural lighting in the barn is not enough, so it must be supplemented with electric lamps evenly installed throughout the ceiling;
- artificial lighting in the room should be maintained for about 8-10 hours a day;
- windows and other openings in the walls should be located above the installed cages to avoid drafts;
- If the temperature in the barn drops very low in winter, you should consider using wood, electric or gas heating.
Important! Also, when located inside a barn, rabbit hutches are still installed on supports. This will reduce the amount of dust getting inside.
Materials and tools
Before you begin choosing a suitable material, you should develop a detailed drawing of such a project. Already developed drawings of cages for rabbits are freely available on the Internet. A ready-made plan will allow you to accurately calculate the required volumes of material and not miss significant nuances in the assembly of the structure.
Preparing suitable materials, it should also be taken into account that rabbits are rodents by nature. They easily damage the components of a fragile structure. Therefore, excessive savings here can lead to the fact that within a month or two the enclosure will have to be repaired or completely changed.
- wooden products: long beams, slats, boards;
- plywood;
- slate slabs;
- fine-grained mesh;
- nails, screws or staples to secure all elements.
There are also a number of important points that will significantly increase the life of the structure and will be useful for living creatures:
- Many manufacturers make the roof from metal sheets. This approach is fundamentally wrong. In the summer heat, the iron gets very hot, and excessive heat worsens the well-being of the rabbits. It is better to take slate, tiles or regular boards, covered with roofing felt on top.
- All wooden elements inside the enclosure should be sheathed with tin. Otherwise, the rabbit will sharpen its teeth on them and quickly render them unusable.
- The mesh for the rabbitry is taken with hole sizes of 25x25 mm. Such material will be convenient for the rodent to move, but will not allow it to escape.
- Additionally, it is recommended to lay a sheet of plywood on the floor. This coating will prevent health problems for your rodent's paws. In addition, after a certain time it is enough to simply remove it, wash it thoroughly, dry it and can be reused.
It is also not recommended to use metal corners and cross members as the basis of the frame. In winter, they can freeze, which will reduce the temperature inside the rabbitry. But the advantage of such elements is their strength.
Based on the selected materials, the necessary tool is selected. The minimum set in this regard includes:
- hacksaw;
- construction tape;
- hammer;
- metal scissors;
- sandpaper;
- screwdriver;
- plane;
- pliers.
Using metal elements You may also need a drill and welding machine.
DIY making
The specific algorithm for making a cage for rabbits is based on the drawings used by the owner. As an example, let’s look at the simplest version of a rabbitry, which requires:
- 10 wooden blocks with a thickness of at least 30 mm;
- 2 large sheets of plywood;
- 3m metal mesh;
- self-tapping screws
The assembly of the structure takes place in the following stages:
- From the bars we assemble a rectangle with dimensions of 3x0.7 m. Upon completion of assembly, we fix it to the vertical bars, which will also act as legs. Moreover, the height of the rear vertical bars is 1 m. We leave the front ones a little longer (1.2 m).
- We allocate part of the cage on both sides for the queen cells and lay out their floor completely with a board. Cover the remaining area of the base with the prepared mesh.
- We mount the back wall from boards using self-tapping screws.
- At the required distance from the walls, we fix the vertical bars that limit the uterine compartment. We install a plywood wall with a hole made across the base across the base. We mount the queen cell cover on top.
- We place a hay feeder in the center of the rabbitry. We make it from two frames connected in the shape of the letter “V”. We install steel wire vertically on the frames with wide spacing.
- Next to the hay feeder we install a standard feeder and drinker that is suitable in size and design. We fix them permanently.
- We line the sides of the cage with plywood.
- At the front we make frames for future doors. We make them from boards, cover them with mesh and fix them on hinges.
- We install the roof on top. The ideal material for it is slate. The roof is mounted on a slope with a tight fit to the vertical bars. At the same time, it protrudes beyond the side and back walls by 10 cm, and beyond the border of the front wall by 5 cm. In the center we make a hole for laying hay and feed. We close it with a door made separately.
Attention! At the end of the work, use pliers to bend all protruding parts of the mesh, sandpaper sand protruding wooden elements and sharp corners.
A carefully designed and manufactured rabbit cage will provide the animal with comfortable conditions residence and will help maintain his health. In addition, the thoughtful design greatly simplifies the process of cleaning up after rodents. But before making it, you should carefully study the main points of such work.
Many novice farmers wonder where to start raising rabbits. None special costs this activity will not require. First of all, it is necessary to arrange a place of residence for eared animals, prepare cages, drinking bowls, and feeders. All this can be easily done with your own hands. The main thing is to choose the appropriate design and size for the cage, prepare drawings, necessary tools and building materials.
First of all, you need to decide on the sizes. The most common are double designs with two separate sections. There are other types of cages: single-section, group for young rabbits, three sections or for a rabbit with babies. There are also original designs: from farmer Zolotukhin, from breeder Tsvetkov. Based on what will be built, materials are selected.
First of all, you need to decide on the type of cell, and then purchase the material.
Necessary tools for construction:
- hacksaw;
- hammer;
- corner;
- pliers;
- plane;
- screwdriver.
Any design requires a frame, walls, floor, ceiling and door. Most often, wood and metal mesh are used to construct cages. Each cell of such a grid should be no more than 2*2 cm and at least 16*47 mm in diameter (depending on the age and weight of the rabbits).
The minimum set of materials includes:
- large sheets of plywood;
- slate;
- screws and nails;
- bars;
- slats;
- durable galvanized mesh (with small cells).
To make the door, curtains and latches, as well as feeders and drinking bowls are additionally purchased.
The wood must be well sanded and sanded, and the ends of the mesh must be securely fastened. Be sure to remove all sharp edges so that the animal does not get hurt. It is better to cover all protruding wooden parts inside the cage with tin. Rabbits love to chew on wood to wear down their teeth. Therefore, you need to put twigs in their feeder more often. The walls and roof can be made of plywood and mesh, and thick blocks of wood are chosen for the main frame.
Attention. If the cage is located in an open space, on the street, then you cannot do without good roofing materials. But metal roof It's not worth doing. In the summer, the sun will become very hot, which will lead to heatstroke in rabbits.
![](https://i1.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2-14.jpg)
The frame is made of thick bars, the length of which depends on the location of the cage. If it is installed outdoors, then the length of the frame legs should not be less than 80-100 cm. For a cage standing indoors, 35-40 cm in length is sufficient.
Sizes and types of cells
First of all, you need to find or do it yourself, correct drawing. It is important to remember that one cage is not enough to breed rabbits. You need to build three or four at once.
The average dimensions of a standard cage are:
- length 120-140 cm;
- width 70-80 cm;
- height 40-50 cm.
For young rabbits, a length of about 90 cm is sufficient, and other parameters can remain the same. It is customary to allocate at least 0.7 square meters per adult animal. m. area, for young animals - 0.2 sq. m. m.
There can be several types of cells:
- for young animals;
- for adult rabbits;
- for a female rabbit with offspring;
- for giant rabbits;
- solid wire;
- cells from Zolotukhin;
- cells from Tsvetkov;
- Rabbitax.
It is customary to keep female rabbits and babies together, and a separate house is built for older rabbits.
A standard two-story house for adult rabbits is not difficult to build.
In the drawing it will look like this:
![](https://i0.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3-12.jpg)
Cage for young animals
Grown-up rabbits, weaned from their mother, are kept together in groups of 10-20 individuals. When manufacturing cages, the following minimum dimensions are used: total area 300×100 cm and ceiling height 50-60 cm. It is advisable to make the floor in such a house from thin wooden slats, covering them on the side with a metal mesh (1.5 mm thick and cell diameter 15 * 40 mm). You can install a completely mesh floor, but make a separate one for the rabbits warm room. In winter, it is carefully insulated with hay and straw.
Important: There should be at least 0.2-0.3 square meters per rabbit. m. area.
Some farmers do not make separate housing for young animals, but place them in cages intended for adult animals. At the same time, it is calculated how many rabbits can be placed in one cage to provide them with comfortable conditions.
For adult rabbits
For medium-sized adult animals, cages with a depth of about 70 cm, a height of 60 cm and a length of at least a meter are suitable. A block design is used here, and each block, in turn, is divided by a grid into two cells. During the mating period, the partition should be removed, combining the two sections into one.
![](https://i2.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/4-13.jpg)
You can make a two-tier and three-tier cage. This will be a little more complicated, but it will save space on the site.
Any cage should have a separate place for sleeping, eating or walking. To do this, the cage is separated by a plywood partition with a hole (20x20 cm) located at a height of 15 cm from the floor. The sleeping compartment should have a solid wooden door, and the area for eating and walking should have a mesh door. The resting place does not need to be made large. Ideal dimensions, approximately 30x60x50 cm.
House for a female rabbit with offspring
You can often hear the opinion that a rabbit with babies needs a separate queen cell only for winter period, and in the summer it is enough ordinary cell. But you need to remember that in an open room, fenced only with a net, the female will be nervous and worried. This can have a negative impact on the health of the offspring. The queen house must have a closed, warm place for the nest and a large space for walking, with a mesh front wall.
This is one of the simplest and most functional options for a house for a female with offspring:
![](https://i0.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/5-18.jpg)
The frame is made from strong bars, and the back wall and two side walls are made from plywood. The cage is immediately divided into two sections: a large one for walking and a small one for the nest. For each of them, separate doors are made (mesh and solid wood). The walls, floor and ceiling in the queen cell should be double, according to the sandwich principle. You can lay foam or straw between them. The roof is covered with slate.
House for giant rabbits
Cages for these large animals must be significantly larger than normal ones. Adults can grow up to 60 cm in length and reach a weight of 7.5 kg.
There are many giant breeds:
- butterfly;
- German Risen;
- grey;
- Belgian;
- ram;
- white;
- Viennese blue.
The minimum dimensions of a house for one rabbit should be as follows:
- height 55-65 cm;
- length 0.9-1.5 m;
- width 70-75 cm.
If possible, it is better to increase the parameters of the home.
For young rabbits, a special group cage is built, 40-50 cm high and about 1.2 square meters in area. m. Considering the considerable weight of the animals, the floor is well strengthened. It is also made from galvanized mesh, only thicker. To prevent such a floor from sagging, a sheathing is made under it from bars located at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.
![](https://i1.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/6-15.jpg)
Some rabbit breeders install a solid wooden floor in their cages and install a plastic pallets. But cleaning such a cage will have to be done at least twice a day.
All wire cage
This is the most a budget option rabbit housing, which can be installed both outdoors and indoors. These lightweight and durable cages take up little space and are easy to clean and maintain. To make them, you will need two types of mesh: a larger one for the walls and ceiling (diameter 2.5*5 cm) and a smaller one for the floor (1.5*5 cm). The frame is built from durable timber, with legs 50-70 cm long. For the winter, such a structure is placed in an insulated shed, and in the summer it is taken outside.
Cages for rabbits from Zolotukhin
The famous breeder N.I. Zolotukhin developed his own, original, simple and inexpensive design housing for rabbits. There is no need for daily cleaning in the cages, and the animals in them feel comfortable and get sick less.
Zolotukhin's cell is a three-story structure with a sloping plywood floor. The mesh is laid on the floor only on small space against the back wall, without a tray. The second tier is shifted relative to the first by the width of this grid. The third one is located in the same way. The front wall (common to all three floors) forms a slope. Each compartment is equipped with a tilting feeder.
![](https://i0.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/7-13.jpg)
To build a cage you will need: wood, straight sheet slate, metal mesh, polycarbonate and tin. Pre-fabricated wooden frame, partitions and doors of the queen cell. Mesh is used for cage doors and the back of the floor. The floor itself is made of slate, and the back wall is made of polycarbonate. All wooden parts located inside the cage are covered with tin.
Cage dimensions:
- height 150 cm;
- width 200cm;
- depth about 70-80 cm;
- floor slope 6-8 cm;
- mesh width in front of the back wall is 15-20 cm;
- door size 40*40 cm.
Each floor is divided by a partition into two sections, and between them there is space for a hay barn.
Cells from Tsvetkov
Experienced farmer A. A. Tsvetkov proposed the idea of a two-story mini-farm for rabbits, consisting of 4 separate sections. Distinctive feature such cages are: two gravity feeders, two hanging queen cells, original systems ventilation and manure removal.
The frame is built from coniferous timber and must be painted with white nitro paint. To make a hay barn, moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of at least 8 mm is suitable. The inside of the hay barn is lined with metal mesh, which also acts as a door in each section.
![](https://i0.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/8-13.jpg)
All wooden parts sheathe sheet metal, the cone for collecting manure is covered with slate mastic. For the roof you can use slate or roofing felt. The water in the drinking bowls is heated using a boiler.
Rabbitax cells
Rabbitax cells come in different designs and modifications. The simplest ones are small two-section options. There are also environmental models based on air flow redirection technology.
There are even real farms for Rabbits rabbits, in which more than 25 individuals live and breed at the same time. You can find a huge number of varieties of such cells on sale. You can make Rabbitax yourself. You can take the drawings of rabbit breeder I. N. Mikhailov as a basis.
Rules for making a cage
In order for the rabbits to be comfortable and comfortable in the new house, during construction you need to follow a few simple rules:
- all wooden protruding parts inside the cage are covered with tin;
- It is better to use slate for roofing;
- Antiseptics, varnishes and impregnations cannot be used;
- for the floor, take a mesh with cells with a diameter of 1 * 2.5 cm to 2.5 * 2.5;
- the frame is built from durable wooden beam(not less than 5*5 cm);
- The back wall of the cage is made of plywood.
![](https://i1.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/9-11.jpg)
How to build a rabbit hutch
When a drawing has been selected, materials and tools have been prepared, construction can begin. First you need to assemble a frame from timber and lay a mesh floor. In conditions street maintenance the floor will have to be insulated and there will be removable trays underneath (for cleaning).
Next, install the back wall made of plywood. It should be lower than the front one. It is also advisable to make the side walls of plywood. In a double cage, a hay barn is set up in the middle. And the front wall can be made of mesh, with a door. If the cage will always be located outside, then it is worth taking care of an insulated compartment for sleeping. The sloping roof is covered with slate.
What do we place inside the cage?
The internal contents of the cell may vary. It depends on who will live in it. So, for a female rabbit with babies, it is necessary to arrange special queen cells and nesting compartments. When keeping young animals in groups, warm nesting rooms will also be needed. Often special indoor enclosures for walking are set up for them. Each cage must have bunkers, drinking bowls, feeders, and hay barns.
![](https://i2.wp.com/ferma-nasele.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/10-12.jpg)
Choosing a place to install the cage
Before you begin construction, it is important to decide on the placement of the cage. This should be a comfortable place, protected from draft winds. You should not install a rabbit house on the south side, because in summer the animals will suffer from the heat. It is necessary to strictly observe the size of the cage, depending on the breed and number of rabbits. For ease of cleaning, the cages have a removable roof.
If the animals live on the street all year round, then it is better to make the floor from wood in the form of a retractable tray. And then fill the sheathing of slats on top. Feeders and drinkers can be removable. The walls and ceiling are insulated with foam plastic, and a heated floor is installed in the uterine compartment.
We offer you to watch video instructions that will help you build cages for rabbits with your own hands.
If for large animals it is enough to build a regular barn, then for breeding rabbits you need to take care special conditions. The best solution In terms of price-quality ratio, it will be possible to make an animal house with your own hands. It's cheap and also allows you to take everything into account peculiarities breeding and location. In this article we will look at what material needs to be used for this purpose, what is worth taking into account, and we will analyze the drawings.
Selection of necessary materials
The material is selected based on the type of cell. Any structure has a frame, floor, walls, door and ceiling. For building rabbit hutches houses Metal mesh and wood are most often used. The cell of this mesh should have a diameter of no more than 2 by 2 cm and no less than 16 by 47 mm (this depends on the age and weight of the animal).
The materials for building the cage are:
- plywood sheets;
- bars;
- slate;
- nails and screws;
- slats;
- mesh with cells;
- for door bolts and curtains;
- drinking bowls and feeders.
The wood is sanded and sanded, and the ends of the mesh are securely fastened. Sharp edges must be removed so that animals do not get hurt, and protruding wooden parts are covered with tin. Rabbits love it very much gnaw wood - this is how they grind their teeth. To do this, you need to put twigs in their feeder. The roof and walls are made of plywood and mesh, and the main frame will be wooden blocks. Their size will depend on the location of the structure: if the cage will be placed on the street, then the legs of the frame should be from 80 cm, and when installed indoors - 35-40 cm.
If the structure will stand in an open space, then it is necessary to roofing materials. Don't do it metal roof(for example, from a metal profile), because it will heat up in hot weather, which can lead to heat stroke in animals.
Standard design parameters
First of all, you need to decide on the size of the rabbit cage according to the drawings. Design drawings can be found on the Internet or made yourself. 2-seater designs with 2 separate sections are common. There are also other types: single-section, 3-section, group for young rabbits, for the mother house, author's designs from various farmers.
Standard sizes designs: height - from 40 to 50 cm, length - from 120 to 140 cm and width - from 70 to 80 cm.
For young individuals, a length of about 90 cm is enough, and other parameters are similar to the previous design. For one adult rabbit allocate from 0.7 square meters. m of area, and for young individuals - 0.2 sq. m.
Types of do-it-yourself houses
The types of cages for rabbits are quite varied:
- for adults;
- for young animals;
- for a rabbit with babies;
- for giants;
- solid wire;
- from farmer Zolotukhin;
- from farmer Tsvetkov;
- Rabbitax.
Rabbits with their offspring are kept together, and separate housing is built for older individuals.
For adults
For medium-sized adults, you can build housing about 70 cm wide, 50 to 70 cm high and 140 cm long using block construction. Each block is divided by a grid into 2 sections. The partition is removed during the mating period, which allows 2 sections to be combined into 1.
A standard 2-story house for adult rabbits is not that difficult to build. The main thing is to draw up the drawings correctly. You can build a two-tier or three-tier cage. It will be more difficult, but it will allow save space in the territory.
Each cage must provide a separate place for the animal to sleep, walk and eat. The cage is divided by a plywood partition. The sleeping compartment must have a continuous wooden door, and the place for walking and eating is mesh. The resting place should be small. The ideal dimensions are 30 by 60 by 50 cm.
Separate for young animals
Rabbits that have been weaned from their mother are kept in groups. The cage is made according to the minimum dimensions: the total area of the structure is 300 by 100 cm, the ceiling height is 50-60 cm. It is better to make the floor from thin wooden slats, and also cover them with a metal mesh (thickness 1.5 mm, cell diameter 15 by 40 mm) . You can make the entire floor mesh, but additionally equip a warm separate room, which in winter is insulated with straw and hay.
There are farmers who do not make a separate house for the young animals, but simply house them in cages intended for adults. But at the same time, you need to calculate how many animals can be placed in one cage in order to provide them comfortable accommodation.
For a female rabbit with offspring
IN open space, fenced only with a net, the female will be worried and nervous. And this will have a bad effect on the health of the offspring. In a house for a female rabbit with offspring, a mandatory condition is the presence of a closed and warm place for the nest, a space for walking with a front mesh wall.
Let's consider the simplest and functional option house for a female rabbit with offspring.
The frame is made from the bars. The back wall and two side walls are made of plywood. The cage is divided into 2 sections: for walking (large) and for nesting (small). Separate doors are made for each section (from mesh and solid wood). The walls, ceiling and floor should be made according to the sandwich principle (double). Straw or foam is laid between them. The roof is covered with slate.
For giant individuals
Designs for these individuals must be much larger than usual. Adult rabbits can grow up to 60 cm in length and reach 7.5 kg.
Minimum house sizes for one individual:
- height from 55 cm;
- width - 75 cm;
- length - 0.9−1.5 m.
If possible, it is better to increase housing parameters.
For young individuals, a group cage is built, the height of which is 40-50 cm, and the area is about 1.2 square meters. m. They reinforce the floor quite well (they are made of thicker galvanized mesh), since the weight of the animal is rather large. To prevent the floor of the house from sagging, they make sheathing from timber at a distance of three to four centimeters from each other.
Some rabbit breeders put a solid wooden floor in their cages, and plastic trays are installed underneath it. It is necessary to clean such a cage at least twice a day.
All-wire housing
This cell is the most in a budget way making housing for rabbits. It can be installed outdoors and indoors. Such cages are durable and lightweight, take up little space, and are easy to clean and maintain. To make such housing, you will need 2 types of mesh: a large one for the ceiling and walls (2.5 by 5 cm in diameter), and a smaller one for the floor (1.5 by 5 cm in diameter). The frame of the house is made of timber (legs length 50-70 cm). IN winter time The cage is placed in a warm barn, and in the summer - outside.
From farmer Zolotukhin
Rabbit breeder Zolotukhin developed a simple, original and inexpensive design for rabbits. In such houses there is no need to clean every day; animals feel comfortable in them and are less susceptible to disease.
Zolotukhin's cell is a 3-story building, with a sloping plywood or slate floor. The mesh on the floor is laid only a short distance from the back wall and without a tray. The next tier is shifted compared to the first by the width of the grid. The third one is located in the same way. The front wall is common to all floors forming a slope. The compartments are equipped with tilting feeders.
For construction you will need: metal mesh, wood, tin, straight sheet slate or plywood, polycarbonate. A wooden frame, doors and partitions are made in advance. The mesh is used to make the cage door and the back of the floor, which is made of plywood or slate, and the back wall is made of polycarbonate. The protruding parts inside the cage are covered with tin.
- height is 150 cm;
- depth 70−80 cm;
- width 200 cm;
- the floor slope is 6−8 cm;
- door 40 by 40 cm;
- the mesh size in front of the back wall is from 15 to 20 cm.
The floors are divided into 2 sections by a partition, and a place is left between them for a hay barn.
From rabbit breeder Tsvetkov
Farmer Tsvetkov presented the idea of a 2-story mini-farm for rabbits. It consists of 4 separate sections. Features of these cages: 2 gravity feeders, 2 hanging queen cells, unusual ventilation and manure removal systems.
The frame is made of coniferous timber and painted white. The sennik is made of moisture-resistant plywood, 8 mm thick. The inside is lined with metal mesh, and it also serves as a door in each section.
Wooden parts must be sheathed with sheet metal, the cone for collecting manure must be covered with slate mastic. Ruberoid or slate is suitable for the roof. The water in the drinking bowls will be heated by a boiler.
Rabbitax Dormitory
Such cells can be of various modifications and designs. The simplest of them are 2-section. There are ecological models that are based on the principle of changing air flows.
There are real farms for Rabbits rabbits, where more than 25 animals live and breed together. Many types of such cells are sold. But you can also build them yourself. The basis is the drawings of the rabbit breeder Mikhailov.
Sometimes a drywall profile is used to build cages. This profile is used to either make a frame or use it as a feeder.
To summarize, we can say that it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on building a house for rabbits. After all, the construction is not very complicated. Every craftsman can create comfortable living conditions for animals.
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You can build cages for rabbits with your own hands from available materials: unnecessary boards, plywood, chipboard, slate, bricks, metal cutting, tin, etc. The design of the cages also varies, but it is better to choose one that will not take you a lot of time to make and will be convenient for feeding rabbits, inspecting them and regular cleaning.
Types of cages for rabbits and possible materials for DIY work
Not all types of cages can be made with your own hands, but many of them can definitely be made if you know the sizes, have drawings and basic skills. So, what types of houses for the eared tribe exist?
By size and height:
- simple one tier,
- bunk,
- three-tiered,
- multi-tiered.
For which rabbits:
- for young animals,
- females,
- decorative,
- giants and dwarfs, etc.
What materials can it be made from:
- tree,
- metal (iron, etc.),
- metal profile, etc.
Options can be both summer and winter. There are types for keeping outdoors or in an apartment. They can be monolithic or portable, especially if the rabbits are dwarf and kept at home. The houses can also be fattening houses. There are also industrial buildings, but we will not talk about them.
Some options for homemade rabbit houses in the photo
Wooden with mesh
Combined wood and mesh
From metal profiles and wood using sect
Made of wood
Drawings with dimensions of some types of cells
2 tiers
Mikhailov's cage
Simple scheme
Zolotukhin cell
General step-by-step instructions for making it at home
To start rabbit farming, you don’t need any special investments: you can easily make cheap cages for rabbits, drinkers and feeders yourself, hay and branches can be prepared in the summer, root crops and vegetables can be taken from your own garden. The main expenses will be required only for concentrated feed.
Each cage should contain rabbits of the same sex, approximately the same age, weight and temperament
It is recommended to place adult rabbits and female rabbits with offspring in one- or two-section cages. Standard sizes of correct cages for rabbits: length about 100-120 cm, height 50 cm, width about 70 cm. It is better to keep young animals in a group cage, the dimensions of which correspond to the number of rabbits. For example, for ten little rabbits, a house with the same height and width as indicated above, but up to 170 cm in length, is suitable. It should be remembered that rabbits of the same sex, approximately the same age, weight and temperament should live in each cage.
Even novice rabbit breeders will find it easy to figure out how to build a rabbit cage consisting of two sections.
Step-by-step production of cages for rabbits:
![](https://i0.wp.com/orchardo.ru/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/kletki-dlya-krolikov-svoimi-rukami-prostye-i-usovershenstvovannye-konstrukcii-2-615x460.jpg)
When keeping rabbits outdoors, the cages should be installed on bars so that they rise seventy centimeters above the ground. This will protect the lop-eared ones from rodents and pets, and it will be much more convenient to maintain the houses. By constructing a cage from scrap materials, you get an original house for your pets for almost free.
Other options for rabbit houses
If the proposed tips do not adequately describe the picture of the upcoming work, you should pay attention to the most popular types of cages for keeping and breeding rabbits. They are used by experienced farmers.
Family block - three-section cage
Making a three-section cage for rabbits may seem a little more complicated, the drawings of which are presented in the tab with photographs. But in such family blocks it is very convenient to breed rabbits: the breeding rabbit lives in the central compartment of the cage, and the females live on the sides. Wooden partitions Between the compartments, the cages have manholes with plywood latches, designed to make it easy to place females for mating with a male and return them back to their compartments.
It is very convenient to raise rabbits in such family blocks
The frame can be made from bars, and the side walls, back, nest compartments with doors and partitions can be made from wide lining. A metal mesh is used for the front wall. In nesting compartments, it is advisable to provide an attic - free space between the ceiling and common roof, where female rabbits can rest from their offspring. An additional convenience of the design is the thoughtful arrangement of feeders and drinkers - the food and water in them are not contaminated, and they can be filled from the outside.
Mikhailov's mini-farms - an easy way to raise little rabbits
One of the most effective ways rabbit breeding are Mikhailov's mini-farms, providing intensive breeding of animals with minimal care from the rabbit breeder. The thoughtful design of Mikhailov's cages provides for automatic cleaning and provision of food for rabbits, heating of water in drinking bowls to the required temperature (which is especially important in winter), and heating of the queen cell to increase the survival rate of newborn rabbits.
Not every rabbit breeder can make Mikhailov cages with his own hands. But if you wish, you can collect complex design according to a scheme that you can easily find on the Internet.
Correct houses according to Zolotukhin’s method
The famous rabbit breeder Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin has been successfully breeding rabbits for several decades; such impressive experience helped him develop his own concept of keeping rabbits at home.
Their design is quite simple, and their production requires materials that are found in almost everyone’s household.
Features of Zolotukhin cells:
- the floor in the cages is made of solid slate or boards;
- there are no pallets;
- a narrow strip of mesh flooring is provided only along the rear walls of the cages;
- the back walls are made at an angle so that the rabbit waste upper tier did not fall on the rabbits of the lower tier;
- there are no special queen cells - the female rabbit arranges the nest herself before giving birth;
- There are grain feeders attached to the doors, which can easily be turned outward for filling.
After watching the video in the tab to the article, you will understand how to make cages for rabbits of the same type as Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin. Moreover, their design is quite simple, and their production requires materials that are found in almost everyone’s household.
How to make your own cages for dwarf rabbits
If you decide to have rabbits at home as pets, the issue with cages will be resolved differently. In pet stores you can now find a variety of cages for decorative rabbits, but you don’t have to spend money on buying them - making a cage for a small pet rabbit will take very little time.
A cage for a dwarf rabbit is made from two side walls 70x70 cm and back wall 55 cm high, 100 cm long. The back wall must be secured so that there is a 15 cm gap under the cage. Nail meter-long slats to the bottom of the cage and secure a metal mesh over them. You also need to nail a mesh onto the front door. Make a mesh lid with hinges and a handle. Place a tray under the cage - the cage for the dwarf rabbit is ready! Material updated 03/17/2017
Build rabbit cages with your own hands - feasible task for any rabbit breeder. It can be easily solved if you have step-by-step instructions detailing all the stages, including choosing a design, drawing up a drawing, preparing materials, installing and landscaping the houses.
Beginning rabbit breeders need to know that pets can be kept in two ways: indoors and outdoors. Not only the structure of the rabbits, but also the rules for caring for them depend on the chosen farming method.
There is no consensus among rabbit breeders about what living conditions are most favorable for animals. In your choice, you can focus on the point of view of Professor V.N. Mikhailova. He was a strong proponent of keeping rabbits outdoors.
This method has many advantages:
- No dampness.
- Sufficient amount of sunlight.
- Lack of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia vapors.
The listed problems can also be solved with internal maintenance: install lamps and a powerful hood. But this will entail an increase in costs and, as a result, a decrease in business profitability.
Design Features
Simple cages are boxes, one side of which is lined with metal mesh. It’s not difficult to make such houses, but the animals will be uncomfortable in them. The owner can expect difficulties in caring for their pets.
The basis of the cage is a frame, which can be made of wooden blocks or metal rods ( optimal choice- reinforcement with a cross-section of 6-8 mm). The next problem that needs to be solved is what the frame will be made of. This is an important choice on which the durability of the structure and the ease of its maintenance depend.
Criteria for selecting material for cell construction:
Double cages with mesh aviary
You can make a double cage for rabbits from a mesh with your own hands from available materials:
- metal mesh;
- reinforcement bars;
- sheets of plywood;
- planed or unplaned boards;
- slate.
The floor of this structure should be mesh, which will prevent it from rotting. Both adults and young animals can be placed in such cages. The double design consists of two parts:
- cages (length 200 cm, width 65 cm, height 75 cm);
- enclosure (length 200 cm, width 100 cm, height 60 cm).
When kept outdoors, the structure should be raised 70 cm above the ground level. This is the most convenient height for caring for pets. A hole must be made from the cage into the enclosure through which the animals will go out for a walk. It is recommended to make drinking bowls and feeders from galvanized steel. Cages with enclosures cannot be placed on top of each other.
To build one structure of the specified dimensions, the following amount of materials will be required:
- reinforcement with a cross section of 8 mm - 22 kg;
- metal mesh for an enclosure with a mesh size of 25x25 mm or 16x48 mm (all walls, floor, ceiling) - 9.5 m2;
- lumber for the cage - 0.25 m3.
Two-tier shed
A two-tier shed is a structure of two cages installed above each other at a distance of 50-60 cm, the lower of which is raised above the floor level by 70-80 cm. Shed maintenance is beneficial in terms of saving space and servicing pets. Industrial-type two-tier cages for rabbits have the following dimensions:
- width - 200 cm;
- depth - 100 cm;
- height - 60 cm.
Based on the given parameters, it is easy to make a drawing and calculate the required amount of materials for constructing a two-tier cage. You will need wooden blocks, slate sheets, metal mesh, plywood or OSB. Important Features sheda:
- all cells in it are the same size;
- the upper one has a roof made of slate or other material suitable for this purpose.
It is necessary to consider in detail how to make cells.
Three-tier cage in a minimal area
Shed in 3 tiers - optimal solution for a minimum area. These designs eliminate several problems at once:
- competently organize the farm, minimizing the time for its maintenance;
- provide pets with comfortable conditions;
- use space efficiently.
- When designing a multi-tier structure, you need to take into account the dimensions of the area recommended by experts for keeping one rabbit:
- for non-tribal - 0.17-0.23 m3;
- for breeding - 0.1 m3.
All cages must be equipped with retractable trays, preferably a manure channel. Between the houses of the same tier, a manger is installed, in which grass or hay is placed. Feeders are hopper type, made of galvanized steel sheets. The sheds must contain devices for lighting and heating: lamps and air heaters.
Winter cages
The design of outdoor cages for winter maintenance should provide for the possibility of insulation. Mesh windows must be closed with folding caps. The house in the cage should have a hole not with a folding door, but with a door that fits into the grooves. This will prevent animals from running out into the enclosure without permission. If all insulation elements are removable, the constructed structure is called all-season.
Rabbits tolerate frosts well down to -45 degrees. The most important thing when keeping outdoors in winter is to reliably protect animal houses from drafts and lay a thick layer of hay on the floor.
Materials and tools
Making a cage for rabbits with your own hands involves right choice materials. First of all, you need to decide what the floor will be made of. This is the most important place in the rabbitry, because it houses the animal and its waste products. Experts consider 2 flooring options to be the best:
from wooden slats with a cross section of 25x30 mm, laid at a distance of 15-20 mm from each other;
made of galvanized metal mesh with a mesh size of 18x18 mm.
Cleaning a metal floor is much easier. It is not subject to rotting, does not absorb animal urine and, unlike wood, does not emit an unpleasant odor.
You can build a house for pets from scrap materials. Suitable for this purpose finished goods: mezzanines, wide and deep drawers from chests of drawers and sofas. In order to build a cage, you will need tools for working with wood and metal:
- screwdriver or drill;
- wood hacksaw;
- metal scissors or grinder with a metal disc;
- screwdrivers;
- pliers;
- roulette;
- construction bubble level;
- hammer.
Materials you will need:
- OSB sheets with a thickness of 6 mm;
- metal mesh (for the floor - with a mesh of 18x18 mm, for walls and enclosure - 25x25 mm);
- flat slate for roofing;
- galvanized steel for the installation of feeders and drinkers;
- wooden blocks with a cross section of 30x30 mm for mounting the frame.
Cell sizes
When planning your farm, it is important to make drawings of each structure. These diagrams and calculations will be required if there is a need to increase the number of shad and add cages to them. When performing calculations, take into account the recommended space for a rabbit (indicated above). The size of the cages should be such as to avoid crowding of animals and provide them with free access to feeders and drinkers.
Rabbit sheds, regardless of their location (indoors or outdoors), must have a manure channel that can be easily washed with water pressure from a hose. With proper management, it is necessary to provide a container for Wastewater or their discharge into an autonomous sewage system.
For young animals
For young animals, single or double cages with enclosures are most convenient. If it is not possible to allocate a place for walking, the pets will not move much. Such conditions are optimal for fattening rabbits. For young animals, houses are often made from plywood boxes with the following dimensions:
- length - 60 cm;
- width - 50 cm;
- height - 35-40 cm.
The nest is made plug-in. A folding door is installed in one wall, consisting of wooden frame, upholstered with metal mesh. The manger is also made from mesh, but with a wider mesh: 35x35 mm. The house is installed at a height of 70 cm from the floor on legs or trestles.
Cage for adult rabbits
Optimal sizes:
- length - 240 cm;
- width - 65 cm;
- rear wall height - 45-50 cm;
- the height of the front wall is 60-65 cm.
The floor has a slight slope from the back to the front wall of the house.
Nest for a female rabbit with offspring
A cage for breeding rabbits consists of two parts - a queen cell and a feeding compartment - connected by a manhole. The nest for small rabbits is located in the queen cell. This is also a place for a rabbit. Dimensions of the queen cell:
- depth - 65 cm;
- length (facade) - 40 cm;
- height - 40-50 cm.
Dimensions of the hole: width 17 cm, height 17-22 cm. This hole should be raised above the floor level of the queen cell by 10-15 cm. Young rabbits will not be able to climb over a partition of such a height and will always be within the nest.
For large rabbits
Giant rabbits require larger cages and enclosures. Optimal sizes:
- length - 90-95 cm;
- width - 60-65 cm;
- height - 60-65 cm.
How to make a rabbit cage with your own hands
Do-it-yourself rabbit cage, step-by-step construction instructions take everything into account important points, is intended for outdoor keeping of non-breeding adult animals. There is no aviary. Drinkers and feeders are not built-in, but are installed directly in inner space house for keeping animals.
The instructions tell you how to properly make a cage measuring 240x65x60 cm. It provides the following:
Step 1. Making the legs. Since the cage will be raised 70 cm above ground level, 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 130 cm and 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 120 mm are prepared. The difference in length is due to the difference in the height of the front (50 cm) and rear (60 cm) walls of the house.
Step 2. Making the top and bottom trim. Prepare 4 bars 240 cm long and 4 bars 65 cm long.
Step 3. Assembling the frame. The bars are connected to each other using nails, screws, and metal corners.
Step 4. Making the walls. From OSB or moisture-resistant plywood, 2 sheets for the side walls are cut out, 65 cm wide, the height of one side is 60 cm, the second is 50 cm. The sheet for the back wall is prepared 240 cm long and 60 cm wide.
Step 5. Cover the frame on three sides with OSB sheets.
Step 6. Make a floor from metal mesh. The length of the canvas is 240 cm, width is 65 cm.
Step 7. Install the slate roof. It must be removable.
Step 8. Sheathe the front wall with a metal mesh.
The feeder and drinker are installed in the cage, removing the roof. In a similar way, the bedding is replaced and the house is cleaned. If you follow the suggested instructions, you can quickly make high-quality cages for your pets.