Indestructible indoor hutch?!!

[jonrotten]

Hi!

I have an amazing house rabbit. He’s great and when we are at home (a lot) he has the run of the kitchen/dining room.

He has an indoor hutch where his food and litter tray are and I keep him in at night or when we go out (we have a cat flap for the cats, I’m paranoid something will get in).

Trouble is, he loves being out. Thinks he’s one of the cats. Sleeps with them in their bed.

He’s chewed his way through the plastic bottom of three hutches in the two years we’ve had him so he can get out at night to be with them.

I really don’t want him being out too long unsupervised so I need a way of keeping him in when we are not around or at nighttime!

He’s got plenty of chew toys and had a large run in the back garden, so he’s chewing to get out rather than to relieve his teeth.

What options do I have for keeping him contained indoors for his saftey?

We don’t have much room for an indoor houSe current one is 4ft by 2ft (he’s out of it and running around inside or outside for longer than he’s confined in it each day and is litter trained), but him chewing through the plastic is driving me nuts!

Oh and he’s a climber/jumper so it would need a top!

Wow! I've had chewy buns but never one so dedicated to go through the plastic bottom of the cage. Mine, however, aren't contained at all. Would you be able to contain him in a room rather than a cage? Maybe if he had more space he'd be less inclined to escape.

My boy has a cage with his litter tray and food bowl etc but I've taken a side off it and he has full run of the house during the day. At night he's confined to the kitchen and utility. There's nothing he can really damage in there (cables) if he gets chewy but he's a bit old to be bothered now.

I wouldn’t mind giving him the run at night but the car flap makes me nervous!

It’s one of these we have and he makes short work of the plastic!

Could you get a magnetic catflap so only your cats can get in and out?

@reefedsail my cats are a nightmare with collars. They are 14 years old and I’ve spent enough on collars to have bought a house over the years! They get rid of them so they would lose an ‘opener’

I’ve had house rabbits for 20 years - none of them have done this! I’m reaseaching other ways to keep him contained when I need to!

How about a cat flap that opens by reading their microchip? £52 from Amazon. I've just had one installed and its fab.

@sammy oh wow, I didn’t know you could get those!

Cats are v old now so would need new microchips?

Wouldn't a small dog crate would do? It's all metal if you take the plastic tray out. Pop the litter tray in and line the bottom with a blanket and add water & food bowl and maybe a little bed, sorted.

@Sammy yes! Why didn’t I think of that! Perfect. Thank you

Yeah my cats won't wear collars either but I had to stop stray cats from coming in and upsetting my cats and it's been fantastic so far. I even set it up so my very small dog can use it

Glad I could help

Looking at dog crates to order now! Thank you.

One of my hamsters ate 3 PAH cages in a month, I kept on taking them back & they replaced them for free. In the end I got a refund & got a chew proof cage online, then the bloody hamster died on me. It was probably full of plastic, keep an eye on your rabbit in case it has digested bits of plastic.

Oh I hadn’t even thought of that!

The floor is usually covered in bit of plastic where
He’s chewed but he’s probably ingested some also.

Dog crate is arriving tomorrow.

Some alternative indoor ideas here:
www.thebigrabbithutch.co.uk/indoor-ideas.html

A perspex pen like some of the ones pictured with an added mesh roof to stop escapes would work.

Rogers new bedroom

Posted a photo but can’t see it!