Homemade Portable Rabbit Hutch

Rabbit hutches are quite expensive to buy ready-made---up to $300 in some cases for a wood-and-wire hutch. There is really no need to spend the extra cash when you can make one relatively cheaply at home. A rabbit hutch generally has an open and an enclosed section for the rabbit and is ideally portable so your rabbit can munch on a new section of the lawn each day.

Things You'll Need

  • Lumber 2-by-2
  • Plywood, ½-inch, external grade
  • Saw
  • Wood glue
  • Clamps
  • Drill
  • Screws, various sizes
  • Hammer
  • Nails
  • Wire mesh, ½-inch openings
  • Wire cutters
  • Staple gun
  • Piano hinge
  • Cart wheels/outdoor casters
  • Wheel/caster bolts
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut your lumber with the saw: four 44-inch lengths and eight 32-inch lengths. Cut your plywood into four pieces: One 48-by-36 inches; one 32-by-36 inches and two 32-by-25 inches. Two sheets of 4-by-8-foot plywood should suffice.

    • 2

      Arrange the 44-inch and four of the 32-inch lumber lengths into two separate rectangular frames; the 44-inch lengths should abut the top and bottom inside edges of the 32-inch lengths. Glue and clamp in place, making sure the joints create right angles. Drill pilot holes through the 44-inch lengths into the ends of the 32-inch lengths they abut, then screw them together using 4-inch screws.

    • 3

      Stand the two frames 32 inches apart, so that the 44-inch planks are vertical. Insert the remaining four 32-inch planks between the top and bottom corners of the 44-inch planks; glue and clamp in place, making sure the 32-inch planks are at right angles to the 44-inch ones. Drill pilot holes and screw the 32-inch planks in place through the glued joint. You should now have a cubic rectangular frame, the bones of your hutch.

    • 4

      Align the 32-by-36-inch piece of plywood over one of the side ends of the frame and nail in place; one nail every couple of inches, using 1 ½-inch nails. Place the two 32-by-25-inch plywood pieces on the side walls of the same end and nail in place to create the covered area for your hutch.

    • 5

      Stretch the wire mesh over the top of the frame and staple in place; trim any excess with the wire cutter. Invert the frame, so the wire is now on the bottom. Cover the remaining side end and sides of the frame with wire and staple in place, leaving the top of the frame free.

    • 6

      Position the piano hinge along one 48-inch edge of the 48-by-36-inch plywood piece, which is the roof of the hutch. Screw in place using quarter-inch screws. Align the roof over the top of the hutch frame, and screw the remaining portion of the hinge onto the side of the frame.

    • 7

      Position your small cart wheels or casters on the sides of each corner of the hutch. The wheel should be around a half-inch lower than the bottom of the hutch---you want the bunny to be able to reach the grass. Bolt the wheels to the side. Most wheels and casters come with specific bolts and washers to secure the wheels in place. Your portable hutch is now ready for its new resident.