Stoats and rabbit hutches

[Vorn]

I am looking into getting a pet rabbit which will stay outside at night, and inside during the day. I'm looking at these models for the outside 'hutch':

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-ultimate-heavy-duty-steel/dp/168128?

 

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-ultimate-heavy-duty-steel/dp/168127

 

https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-kace-tucker-murphy-pet-heavy-duty-stainless-steel-dog-cage-kennel-playpen-for-training-large-dog-with-double-doors-locks-design-pet-crate-w004819552.html?piid=863101496

I recently discovered that stoats are found in Riverside (California), and need to know if the bars on these models are close enough together that a stoat cannot squeeze between them.  Thanks.

 

[exchemist]

7 hours ago, Vorn said:

I am looking into getting a pet rabbit which will stay outside at night, and inside during the day. I'm looking at these models for the outside 'hutch':

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-ultimate-heavy-duty-steel/dp/168128?

 

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-ultimate-heavy-duty-steel/dp/168127

 

https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-kace-tucker-murphy-pet-heavy-duty-stainless-steel-dog-cage-kennel-playpen-for-training-large-dog-with-double-doors-locks-design-pet-crate-w004819552.html?piid=863101496

I recently discovered that stoats are found in Riverside (California), and need to know if the bars on these models are close enough together that a stoat cannot squeeze between them.  Thanks.

 

Ask a rabbit breeder.

[Peterkin]

9 hours ago, Vorn said:

recently discovered that stoats are found in Riverside (California), and need to know if the bars on these models are close enough together that a stoat cannot squeeze between them.  Thanks.

No! It'll keep a dog in,  but weasels are incredibly narrow and agile. You need something with a close mesh . I don' mean to advertise for vendor; it was just the first suitable example I found. You could probably find it in your local building or farm supply store. I once lost a litter of baby rabbits to some damn predator that could grab them through 1" fencing.  

 

 

[Vorn]

On 10/15/2022 at 10:38 PM, Peterkin said:

No! It'll keep a dog in,  but weasels are incredibly narrow and agile. You need something with a close mesh . I don' mean to advertise for vendor; it was just the first suitable example I found. You could probably find it in your local building or farm supply store. I once lost a litter of baby rabbits to some damn predator that could grab them through 1" fencing.  

 

 

Not sure I would trust any mesh. When I was young a weasel once chewed its way through our screen door. Our cats were delighted, and ganged up on him. I realize a weasel is a bigger badder version of a stoat, but I'd really want something stronger. I'm looking at these two now:

https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-heavy-duty-45-wheels-pet-crate-w000666481.html

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-vintage-pet-crate386x244x28h-w009980763.html

I'm liking the first one, because it is all metal (gnaw-proof), looks strong enough to defeat coyotes, doubt a rabbit could rattle it all night, and it's already on rollers. I don't see a stoat or even a snake  squeezing through them slit holes, but tell me what you think. The second one I'd have to build a base on rollers, and it appears to be made of treated poplar, that may not be okay (depends on which rabbit site you consult).

No idea how young breeders sell rabbits, but it will stay inside day and night until a couple months after the vet neuters it. Anyway it will not be a baby, and gradually transitioned to nights outside. I should also correct a mistake on my original post...I'm moving to Riverbank, not Riverside...guess that was wishful thinking.

 

[Peterkin]

Well, the first one would be horrible to live in and, being on wheels, the coyote will knock it over the better to search for its vulnerable points, and your rabbits will die of fright. There is not very much room in there; you'd have to invest an awful lot of money to breed in any meaningful way. I don't know what kind of snakes are native to that region; some could get in all right.

The second is a bit less pricey, more pleasant-looking, convenient and covered in what looks like half-inch wire mesh. I don't see a stoat chewing through that.  It's way heavier gauge than a door screen. You could do as well or better, much more cheaply. https://aivituvin.com/products/aivituvin-large-indoor-rabbit-house-with-pull-out-tray-waterproof-roof-outdoor-rabbit-houses-with-big-run-xz7001

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Peterkin

[zapatos]

We use these for our German Angora rabbits.

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-fold-carry-single-door/dp/239206?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12613349483&utm_content=Frisco&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyMOPlvP0-gIV04ZbCh00kQCYEAQYASABEgKbXvD_BwE

We built an elevated floor out of 1/2" hardware cloth (so the poop drops through but their feet don't) and also covered the cage in 1/2" hardware cloth to keep the raccoons from trying to reach in and grab the bunnies.

[TheVat]

Did you take an angora management class?

 

[Peterkin]

2 hours ago, zapatos said:

We built an elevated floor out of 1/2" hardware cloth (so the poop drops through but their feet don't) and also covered the cage in 1/2" hardware cloth to keep the raccoons from trying to reach in and grab the bunnies.

So, you started with dog crates and customized them for rabbits? Interesting approach. We - by which I mean, brother and I assisting father - built from scratch, by trial and error (back in the iron age). First, a tall fenced enclosure. Of course, some predator climbed over the fence. Then a large-mesh wire hutch. A rat or weasel reached through and mauled two of the kittens that later died and killed one outright. Then came the small-mesh wire. That worked. What worked even better was bringing the remaining two rabbits into the house as pets, with sleeping quarters in the storage room.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Peterkin

[zapatos]

4 hours ago, TheVat said:

Did you take an angora management class?

 

No but we had previous related experience with our alpaca fiber. 😀

3 hours ago, Peterkin said:

So, you started with dog crates and customized them for rabbits?

Yes, but mainly because we already had the crates. Not sure what our solution would have been if we started from scratch.

3 hours ago, Peterkin said:

A rat or weasel reached through and mauled two of the kittens that later died and killed one outright.

We had a broody chicken and had her hatch a dozen guineafowl chicks as guinaefowl are notoriously bad mothers. Sat on the eggs for 21 (?) days, took care of chicks and every night two or three would actually sleep on top of the chicken with the rest trying to get under her wings. The night before we were going to give the chicks to a friend as they were old enough, a raccoon killed 10 of the chicks by reaching through the 1" hardware cloth. That's why the rabbits got 1/2" hardware cloth, and why we subsequently modified the chicken coop.

3 hours ago, Peterkin said:

What worked even better was bringing the remaining two rabbits into the house as pets, with sleeping quarters in the storage room.

Did they have the run of the house or just the run of the storage room?

[Peterkin]

4 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Did they have the run of the house or just the run of the storage room?

The run of a room under supervision, and one kid on sweep-up duty at all times. They actually learned to behave quite well, except for the inability to control the droppings. They got along wonderfully with the cats and trained one puppy to be so tolerant that she later fostered a guinea pig. The breeding and selling idea was stillborn anyway; just not in our nature.