RWAF Rabbit Hutch and Run of The Year Competition Feedback
Feedback for The Rabbit Hutch Shop
Tested by Trouble and Mischief
The Rabbit Hutch Shop entered a 6ft hutch and 8ft attached run for the competition, which exactly meets our minimum recommendations. Part of the entry included a ‘Houdini’ kit which is a mesh kit that runs around the perimeter of the run to prevent the rabbits from digging out. We used our best diggers to see what they thought of it and to find whether it did indeed prevent them from digging out. (NB. As you probably know, it is not appropriate to have wire all the way across the bottom of a run, unless it is sunk under the turf).
This is the set being built, it needs to be on a very flat surface or the hutch and run don’t join up together properly. The Houdini kit is in place here, so although the rabbits can dig, they have to start further away from the corners so it will slow them up (but also allow them to dig which is a natural behaviour of course) and also slow a predator down. It’s a great idea.
Finished and ready for the testers, can you see the little scrapes at the front of the shot? This is evidence of their previous escapes from their previous run. They certainly wouldn’t be able to escape from this run so easily, so first impressions overall of the whole set up are good. Locks are strong, mesh is small to prevent predators, rodents etc entering and is also strong, We would think this would withstand a fox. The run lid is hinged at both front and back so it’s really easy to access the run for feeding, cleaning or checking the rabbits, ie to check for fly strike. The roof of the hutch lifts off so again this is really easy for cleaning.
Lots of room for toys in this run
And for jumping
Mischief can sit on a toy and still sit up tall, good height on the run
Streeeeeeeetch – Trouble can certainly rear up – no painful spine problems for her and she can check for predators easily too.
As you can see, the rabbits can access the hutch or the run as they please, both are strong and safe, so they can exercise or rest/ shelter as they please.
The girls were in here for 4 weeks, and although they did dig, they didn’t once escape. They usually escape within 2 or 3 days of the run being moved to fresh grass, so the Houdini kit did work. They would have escaped eventually, but because they had to start further back, we had more time to watch them and move the run, or fill in the holes etc. We had lots of binkies when they first went in here (previously in a similar set up, but this run was 2ft wider) so they definitely appreciated the extra space.
Of course another benefit of the run and hutch being attached is that the rabbits will use a far corner of the run as a latrine, so the hutch was clean this whole time, and only needed to be freshened up every so often. Poo easily removed from the lawn, so less mess (no bedding to remove, just poo).
The Scores:
| Hutch | |||
| Quality – 25% | Score | Comments | |
| 10%- Build/ materials | 10% | ||
| 5% – water proof - | 5% | ||
| 5% – draught proof | 5% | ||
| 5% – aesthetically pleasing | 5% | ||
| Total | 25% | ||
| Ease of use – 25% | |||
| 5%- Assembly | 5% | Took 1 hour to assemble | |
| 5% – ease of cleaning out | 5% | ||
| 5% – ease for feeding/ topping up hay | 5% | ||
| 5% – ease of attachment to run | 5% | ||
| 5% – bonus if all above are met | 5% | ||
| Total | 25% | ||
| Safety – 25% – score 25% | |||
| 5%- catches | 5% | ||
| 5% – wire (strong and rodent proof) | 5% | ||
| 5% – safe for rabbit to use | 5% | ||
| 5% – roof | 5% | ||
| 5% if all above are met | 5% | ||
| Total | 25% | ||
| Size – 25% | |||
| 5%- take 3 hops | 5% | ||
| 5% – rear up without touching roof | 0% | Increase internal hutch height to allow more clearance. | |
| 5% – 2ft deep | 5% | ||
| 5% – large bedroom area to accommodate 2 bunnies | 5% | ||
| 5% – bonus for larger than 6x2x2 | 0% | ||
| Total | 15% | ||
| Run | |||
| Quality – 25% | Score | ||
| 5%- Build/ materials | 5% | ||
| 5% – sturdy – ie fox proof | 5% | ||
| 5% – can prevent digging out or in | 4% | Houdini Kit was a good addition, will not totally prevent digging out but does slow it down. | |
| 5% – easy for owner to catch rabbits | 5% | Good design re the lid opening back to allow access to run or hutch | |
| 5% – bonus if all above are met | 0.00% | ||
| Total | 19.00% | ||
| Ease of use – 25% | Score | Comments | |
| 5%- Assembly | 3% | Large so takes 2 people. | |
| 5% – ease of cleaning out | 5% | Great that lid folds back at both ends for access and cleaning | |
| 5% – ease for feeding/ topping up hay | 5% | Easy access | |
| 5% – can easily attach to a hutch | 5% | ||
| 5% – bonus if all above are met | 0.00% | ||
| Total | 18.00% | ||
| Safety – 25% - | |||
| 5%- catches | 5% | ||
| 5% – strength of wire | 5% | ||
| 5% – safe for rabbits to use | 5% | ||
| 5% – could rabbits be left out safely unattended | 5% | ||
| 5% – bonus if all above are met | 5% | ||
| Total | 25% | ||
| Size – 25% | Score | Comments | |
| 10%- allow rabbit to run free/binky | 10% | We had lots of binkies | |
| 5% – rear up without touching roof | 5% | Can rear and stretch up fully in the run | |
| 5% – room for toys/ hay rack etc | 5% | Lots of room | |
| 5% – bonus if all above are met | 5% | ||
| Total | 25% | ||
| Overall scores: | |||
| Hutch | Run | ||
| Quality 25 | 25% | Quality 25 | 19.00% |
| Ease of use 25 | 25% | Ease of use 25 | 18.00% |
| Safety 25 | 25% | Safety 25 | 25% |
| Size 25 | 15% | Size 25 | 25% |
| Total 100 | 90% | Total 100 | 87.00% |
| Combined total | 88.50% |
Recommendations for full marks :
Increase internal hutch height. Houdini kit has given you points that no other entrant had so this is the highest score of the competition.
Result – WINNER.
A simple set-up, but one that allows rabbits to display their natural behaviours, with plenty of room for toys, tunnels etc. The Houdini system obviously works, which should dispel fears that owners may have about their rabbits tunnelling out, although it does still need to be monitored obviously. We are encouraging people to have secure, permanent enclosures, where the rabbits have access to the whole area all of the time, rather than being confined to the hutch for long periods, and the Houdini system supports this.
50% Off The Rabbit Hutch Shop Stock Clearance
Our January Stock Clearance is now on, with up to 50% off selected lines plus by 3 get another free on all toys theres never been a better time to stock up. Big savings on rabbit hutches, runs, toys, hamster cages and more.
http://www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com/Reverse_Auction.html
Robotic Rabbit Ideal Gift for Bunny Lovers!
I just found these great little robotic rabbits a must for any gadget loving rabbit lover.
So what exactly can the Karotz do? It can’t move around, though its
ears can perk up, and its belly can light up in different colors.
However, the real beauty of this device is its ability to send audio
updates from the Web, based on either voice commands or RFID input. According to Mindscape, the Karotz can:
- Read Information from RSS Feeds, Eamils, Social Networking sites. All from voice command, tell your bunny to “read Eamails” and it will read out your emails to you!
- Play Radio or weather info
- Chat with your friends
- Watch your home from your phone using the built in belly webcam.
Check out the full details and pre order on the link below, this looks like an amazing gadget for rabbit lovers and gadget geeks alike.
Karotz Robotic Rabbit Demo: Reads Your Feeds, Plays Music, Looks Cute Doing It
For Real Rabbits, Toys or Large Rabbit Hutches then take a look at our shop.
How to Take Care of Your Rabbit
here is a link to a rabbit care guide that contains some good basic information about caring for your rabbit
I particularly liked this section about feeding rabbits.
Rabbits Ɩονе tο eat nutritious food. It іѕ possible tο Ɩеt уουr rabbit eat vegetables bυt іt ѕһουƖԁ bе organic vegetables аחԁ חοt јυѕt аחу vegetable. Vegetables tһаt аrе treated bу chemicals οr conventional-grown veggies саח bе toxic tο rabbits. Tһеу ѕһουƖԁ eat аt Ɩеаѕt three (3) different vegetables each day. Yου саח mаkе іt a vegetable salad іf уου want. Tһе mοѕt favorite food οf a rabbit аrе apples аחԁ bananas..
Take a look at the full article here
http://petrabbitguide.com/pet-rabbit-care/taking-good-care-of-your-pet-rabbit/
Year of the Rabbit Leads to new hand Gesture in China
The chinease new year has sparked this new hand gesture online in china.
not sure if it will catch on here??
To ring in the Year of the Rabbit, Chinese netizens created a “rabbit hand gesture” to replace the traditional greeting method of bowing with clasped hands.
The gesture is to cross you hands and hold up your thumbs, which makes your hands look like a cute rabbit. Chinese netizens also have added smiley faces, moles or New Year messages on their thumbs in order to make their own versions stand out.
Here is the full article
How Not to Choose a Pet
I found this blog article, that did make me laugh and at the same time made me sad as it highlights the way in that so many people decide to get a pet.
“On my oldest’s twelfth birthday, I went on a visit to a friend’s house. That friend was dumping a large rabbit hutch. The light in my brain turned on saying “Take the hutch, give the girl a rabbit for her birthday!” The light must have been a distorting black light because in the long run … I made a mistake.”
The article is worth looking at and you can see it here
http://comehometoroost.blogspot.com/2011/01/bunnymatchcom.html
But Please Please do not use it as the basis for getting your kids a new pet.
Britains First Rabbit Grand National 29/30 jan 2010
For the First international rabbit jumping competition will take place this month with rabits from the UK competing with international competitors from Denmark and Sweden, in the ultimate display of hopping agility!
Rabbit agility is one of the uks fastest growing pet sports and is a great way for you and your pets to bond and excercise at the same time.
The competition will take place on the 29th and 30th of january at the larges uk small animal show in Harrogate, the first jumping competition was held last year and following its success this year sees international entries.
Check out the full details here
http://www.thesmallanimalshow.co.uk/a-fun-day-out/rabbit-grand-national.html
Choosing a Rabbit Hutch
I found an interesting article today on the “how to teach your children blog”. Although it does not go into specific indoor rabbit hutch sizes it does offer some simple guidelines for choosing indoor rabbi
t cages. In many case you can also use an outdoor hutch inside, specially if your are going to use a shed or garage so it does not really matter how good the hutches look, A large outdoor rabbit hutch and run might look a bit strange in your living room. In any case take a look at the article about indoor cages in the link below.
How To Teach Your Children » Choosing a Rabbit Hutch
Rabbit Feeding, Housing, Litter training and More!
I came across this article today that initially just looked like a load of really cute bunny pictures. It really is worth taking a look just to see the great pictures. As an added bonus there is a tonne of great information in
there about feeding rabbits, houseing, litter training, rabbit hutches, and mutch more. Here is a little clip from the article, theres also a great list of fruit and vegies you can feed your rabbits!
“You also want to provide fresh fruits and vegetables
daily. This will help balance out your rabbit’s diet. Generally, you
want to offer 2 to 4 cups of fresh fruits and vegetables per every 5
pounds. You want to make sure that all vegetables are washed and
organic because you never know what pesticides are used. For example,
because people do not eat the carrot tops or radish top, typically this
portion is sprayed with a pesticide, which can be dangerous, if not
fatal.”
washing your rabbits greens is often something that bunny oweners overlook.
Here is alink to the full article and all the great pictures, My favourite is the one in this post. If you have any great rabbit pics please share them on our facebook page.
http://www.petadvice.com.au/rabbits/
If you are looking for rabbit supplies, Large Rabbit Hutches or other bunnie treats take a look at our shop
Big Rabbit Hutch Ideas
I just found this video of 13 big rabbit hutches, I thought i would share it as it does show what is out there and has some ideas if you are looking for rabbit hutch plans or you want to build your own rabbit hutch!
Of course if diy is not your thing or you got the rabbit hutch plans and couldnt work the out you can buy large rabbit hutches here!