Housing For Lops

First of all you must consider what sort of housing you wish for your rabbit. If you want a House Rabbit then you can opt for an indoor type wire cage for your rabbits' security, but allowed space to roam in certain areas of the house when you are there to ensure his safety. Another option is the "dog crate" which is a collapsible type, tall cage with an excellent door at one end. It is available in a variety of sizes and you can also drape material over it should you wish to allow the rabbit more privacy and a natural darker area for sleeping. It also has a pull-out tray in the base which makes for easier cleaning.

If you have decided your new rabbit is going to live outdoors or in an outbuilding in the UK, then I would recommend a cage constructed of wood. There are several good manufacturers of these types of cages but I would strongly recommend one that is built of solid wood rather than flimsy ply. Many rabbits can live from five to twelve years and replacing a cage every couple of years is not an economical option. I have provided links to Hutch manufacturers that make good quality cages. If your cage is to be sited outdoors permanently then some sort of flap, perhaps of old carpet or tarpaulin, is useful to drop over the cage front at night in the winter, thus helping to keep the rabbit warmer and dryer. Another option is to construct a Perspex screen which will close over the wire front of the cage. By drilling small holes in it at regular intervals you can ensure good air flow and light whilst allowing less draught and damp to reach the rabbit.

It is unnecessary to provide a rabbit with a "bedroom" compartment, although many rabbits use these as toilets! As long as a cage is big enough and is out of direct draughts and damp, they manage very well. After all the wild variety manages very well with its own fur coat! For a Mini Lop / Netherland Dwarf / Lionhead I would opt for a minimum of 2ft to 3ft wide x 2 ft high x 2 ft deep if possible. This will give plenty of room for the rabbit to move around, lie stretched out, stand right up etc. If you can provide a bigger cage, then I would recommend a 3ft - 4 ft for a Dwarf or Cashmere Lop, Dutch or Mini Rex, 4ft - 6ft width for a German Lop, most of the fur breeds, a Hare or an English and possibly a minimum of 6ft - 8 ft for a French or English Lop or the other Giant breeds. If you always opt for a minimum of 2ft high then most rabbits get an opportunity to stand up and stretch.

If possible allow for a pen for your rabbit to play in. This should always be on concrete or solid surface which can be washed down. This surface also helps to keep the toenails in good condition. If you chose to allow the rabbit to run on grass, he may dig up your lovely lawn and certain predators can dig their way in too. For this reason I don't particularly approve the free range rabbits. Not only can dogs and cats scale six foot fences, there are a great many predatory birds around these days, since they are now protected by law.

If you intend to breed or show your rabbit, I still recommend that he comes out for a run around regularly, while you are about to watch out for him as this keeps him fit and healthy.

For Bedding your rabbits' cage I always recommend clean white shavings. Sawdust is available but I don't recommend this as the dust can easily get into the eyes and nasal passages and cause dreadful irritation and eventually infections. In the winter you might like to provide a quantity of clean dry straw which will help to keep the rabbit dry and warm. Remember that Hay is feed and not suitable as bedding material. Also I do not like the use of newspaper in a cage. Lops in particular tend to enjoy ripping this up or chewing it and most printing inks are lead based so can lead to many digestive problems. However, shredded paper intended for animal bedding is also useful in the winter instead of straw, but it must be intended for this purpose and not just paper from the shredding machine, which may have bleach or other chemicals used in its manufacture, so could cause problems. This sterilised paper animal bedding is quite useful if you have show rabbits and wish to keep their feet nice and clean.

I also recommend that you clean your cage out once a week at least, completely. This is to include a thorough dousing with a good quality disinfectant manufactured for this purpose. The one I use and have for many years is Virkon. It is a nice smelling one too and is recommended for animal housing, including rabbits. It claims to be effective against Myxi and VHD. You can also give the "dirty corner" a clean out every other day or so if you wish, particularly if you have a dirty rabbit!