A Guide to Rabbit Hutches & Cages

Rabbit hutches are not a one size fits all. Your bunny may benefit from a different kind of setup depending on several other factors that are going to influence their lifestyle and subsequent welfare. Picking the right home is all about trying to maximise their well-being and give them everything they need to be happy and comfortable. 

Where you plan on placing your bunny’s new home is going to drastically change the type of housing you’re looking for. You generally have the option between an indoor cage setup and an outdoor hutch. While you can take a hutch indoors if you want, having a cage outdoors isn’t suitable. A hutch will generally have three sides of solid wood with a roof and a solid floor as well. While it can limit sunlight to a point, it does a great job of protecting your rabbit from the elements while still allowing plenty of ventilation from the front of the hutch.  

A cage may give much better ventilation as only the floor and a few inches of the sides are made of solid plastic to help keep bedding in but is only suitable for indoor use. Pets kept outdoors need to be protected from wind, rain and direct sunlight so they need something a little more robust. Where you keep your hutch is going to be one of the biggest factors in deciding what kind of home you get for your furry friend.  

A hutch is much like a bedroom and should be considered as such instead of your bunny’s entire home. It should be a comfortable place to relax and stretch their legs but shouldn’t be their whole world. The size of this space is going to be determined by how much space overall our bunny companion is going to have. If your rabbit has a run in the garden during the day or if you’ve made your whole garden bunny proof and they’re able to choose where they spend their time, you will need a smaller hutch. Similarly, if you keep them indoors and they have a lot of freedom to roam, their bedroom doesn’t have to be too big.  

If they’re only allowed to come out to play for shorter periods, you should make sure they have plenty of room in their hutch. It should be set up with toys to keep them occupied. They should have a bigger living space if they’re going to spend more time in there.  

A rabbit hutch needs to be large enough for your bunny to stand up without coming into contact with the roof. They should be able to turn and stretch out fully and even get up to a bit of a sprint. Minimum hutch size depends entirely on the size of your furry friend since you can get both dwarf rabbits and giant ones so there’s going to be a big discrepancy between them. Rabbits are also very social animals and love to live with others of their own species so you will need to consider that if you’re getting more than one then you will need to provide more living space.  

When you have more than one rabbit living in the same hutch, it helps to provide different spaces so they can spend time apart if they want to. This could mean a couple of little beds or a bedroom area that comes built into their hutch or even a second floor. It’s nice to give each bunny a space they can spend some alone time in even though they’re likely to almost always want to be around each other.  

To meet the variety of needs of different bunnies and give them the perfect home, we’ve selected some of our top rated hutches available.  

The Cheeko Smart Hutch looks very much like your classic rabbit hutch, but its 175cm length provides a nice amount of space. This gives plenty of room for your bunnies to roam and is perfect for an individual or multiple. It’s easy to build and simple to clean, with just two areas to keep nice and tidy. The smart hutch is a fuss free hutch that offers plenty of space for toys and enrichment to keep your bunnies occupied. It allows for plenty of ventilation and a peaceful sleeping area to hide away from the elements. In warmer weather, you can give them some extra outdoor space to sun themselves with a Rosewood Deluxe Rabbit Playpen with Net for even more space to stretch their legs and play.  

The Cheeko Over & Under Easy Grazer is about a meter in length but provides your rabbit with two stories of space to have fun with. This hutch is perfect if you want to give your rabbits access to natural grass to graze on, even if they’re shut away and can’t come out to play. With a lower floor that gives direct access to the ground beneath, this hutch is great for the summer months when they want to lie out and bask in the sun. During winter months, you may need to move it to rest on dry ground and out of draughts as the lower level is well ventilated with three sides open to the elements. 

You can protect your bunnies in the winter with the Cheeko Easy Grazer 42" Hutch Cover to keep them nice and warm.  

The Petsource Wooden Double Hutch is the mansion of rabbit hutches with two floors of over 150cm in length and a nice spacious sleeping area. It’s perfect for pairs of rabbits thanks to plenty of room to stretch out and run around. The lower floor is up off the ground to help keep away the damp, so you can be sure they stay nice and dry even when the ground gets cold and wet. With so much extra space you can add lots of toys and even extra sleeping areas to give multiple places for your rabbits to rest.  

If you’re housing your rabbits outside, then a hutch will always offer more protection however, indoors you have the option of providing them with a cage instead. A cage will allow your bunnies to feel much more involved with a constant view out so they can see your comings and goings.  

If you want a secure and safe bedroom area for a smaller rabbit or two dwarf rabbits, the Savic Ambiente Small Pet Cage is perfect. It’s a meter in length and nice and open, so you can put whatever bed, bowls and toys your rabbit likes in there. The best feature of the ambient cage is the wide door at the front that allows for easy access for them to enter and exit their bedroom. It’s perfect for fur parents who want to give their pets lots of free space to roam in so they can come out and interact with them or go back to bed and have a nap whenever they want.  

If you want an indoor cage with a little extra space, the Ferplast 120 Complete Rabbit & Guinea Pig Cage might be just what you’re looking for. It has a built-in platform to feed on top and a nice snuggly bed area where they can feel safe and secure underneath. There is a built-in hayrack to save space and leave plenty of floor space to add some enriching toys and activities to keep your beloved pet occupied while you yourself can’t. Indoor cages tend to be smaller than hutches because rabbits tend to have more free time outside of them. You should provide a safe area indoors for them to be able to come out and run around as well as their cage or take them for time out in the garden as well.  

For everything you need in the search for the perfect setup for your four legged friends, drop into your local store or take a look online.