Creator's Critters Rabbitry

I have been raising rabbits since 1996. My rabbitry is made up of several hutches. I raise mostly quality holland lops in nearly every color, but do have a few nice tri -colored and chocolate mini rex and a pet Broken Orange English Lop named Sunny. The white hutches you see below face each other to form a shelter. I have placed a roof between them so that it gives a barn affect. It is nice to be able to go into an area that is out of the elements. This is my main rabbitry area and is where I keep my does and litters. The two tier cage banks are divided by corregated plastic backward slanting sheets. These trays are removable for easy cleaning. Under the bottom row of cages is a trench that is 2 feet deep. I fill it with peat moss to absorb urine and odors. I stir it a couple of times per week. This sytem works very well and I rarely have flies or any amonia problems. The trenchs under my hutches are dug out 2-3 times per year. The rich peat/rabbit manuer mixture is great to put on the garden. It can be used directly from the trenches without composting. Rabbit manuer doesn't burn like other manuers. It is usually loaded with worms too!

The roof is made up of 2 sheets of tenplast glued together using a connector and 2x2 pieces of wood which make up it's frame. The design of these hutches is my own and was made by me with a little painting help from the kids and some strong arms from my hubby to move them into place. Were they heavy!! The legs of the hutches rest on concrete blocks to keep the legs from rotting. It took about 2 weeks to build the one below which is 12 feet long.

This hutch below is facing the 12 footer (above). It is just over 8 feet long and contains 6 30x30 inch cages. At the time I took these photos I was mainly using feed crocks but have since switched to J feeders. I like the J feeders because the babies tended to climb in the crocks and use them as litter pans. They don't seem to climb into the J feeders and the J feeders also sift out the pellet dust. Not to mention it is so much easier and faster to feed them!

You will notice the sitting boards in the cages. They do periodically sit on them but seem to prefer to stretch out on the wire, especially on hot days. If it is quite hot I give them 12x12 ceramic tiles which I purchased at a carpet store. I place these tiles in the freezer and then replace them thoughout the day. They love to lay on the cold tiles. The tiles hold the cold for a fair time and are easy to clean. I also use frozen pop bottles to keep them cool. In the winter they all get a box to snuggle in. It doesn't usually get too cold here. We rarely have snow. It just rains a lot! The temp in the winter is usually between 4-12 degrees Celcius.

You will notice that the hutches are lined with tenplast, a different type of corregated plastic from the tray dividers.This lining provides exceptional barrier from urine. No matter how spayed it gets, a good hosing keeps it clean and looking nice.

My watering system is basically bottles. I buy oasis bottle caps. They are inexpensive and can be used with pop bottles of many sizes. The nice thing with these lids is if the bottle breaks or gets dirty you can easily replace the bottle with a new one. I do have a watering system but have yet to put it up. I am concerned should it not work or the rabbits not get the hang of it, it could lead to sickness. I know several breeders use them very successfully but I like to see the water levels and know they are getting enough. It makes for more work but I think it is worth it and in the winter a watering system would not be practicle for me as it could easily freeze for the few times it get below freezing. .

The floor is dirt covered with peat moss. It makes for a clean cozy area. These photos are more recent and I have since painted the backboard and added a shelf. You will notice the propane torches on the shelf. These touches are great for removing the hair that sometimes accumulates on the bottom wire. Several times a year I use a new pesticide canister/sprayer filled with a bleach/water mixture and remove all of my rabbits for a spray down. I then use an industrial power washer for a thorough cleaning. I have to be careful as it is so powerful that it nearly strips the paint off the cages! If you want to get your cages and trays looking like new I sure recomend a power washer, no scrubbing!

The green bin is where I keep their pellets. It is clean dry and keeps the feed fresh.

Below is another view of the hutch-barn. There is a board with tenplast attached to it to form a wall and above that is an attached white tarp. Also pictured is my portable grooming table. I keep it in the hutch and use it to place the animals on when taking the photos. I also use it to pose and examine the rabbits. I also use the shelf on the other side for this purpose.

Everyone should have a chair in their rabbitry! I love to sit and admire the bunnies watch them play and interact. It is a good idea to be able to spend time listening to them for signs of illness too. I like to sit down when clipping nails or grooming the angoras.

Above are a couple of my other hutches. They are located beside the white ones under the shade and protection of the trees. I have roll down plastic blinds to cover the fronts in the winter should it get cold and windy. Comfort and protection for your rabbits is of utmost importance. To have a healthy herd they must be happy and well taken care of.

I have sinced raised the green and white hutch to support another bank of 3 underneath. The green and burgandy one is where my oldest rabbit, an english angora named Misty lives. I used to breed English angoras exclusively but have since turned to raising hollands and mini rex. I still love the English and hope to always have one in my rabbitry, just as a pet. My English Angoras were from Betty Chu and Gerry and Nora Westgarde (GAN) lines. I just have a tort mother and a blue tort daughter left as pets. The little patch of ground that was dug up (above photo) is the grave of our sweet little budgie that passed away.

I will have to get some new photos up as this hutch looks very different being a two level now! I also have several new hutches which I have added to my rabbitry, but do not have any photos of as of yet.

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