Raising rabbits is a profitable and uncomplicated activity. These animals do not require special care and exceptional conditions of detention, so 2-3 eared fluffies can be placed on summer cottage or even in an apartment.
Many novice farmers are involved in breeding rabbits. And the first thing you should purchase for a rabbit farm is cages.
Rabbits are animals that do not require special living conditions. That’s why you don’t have to buy houses for them: you can make them yourself.
Advantages of handmade houses:
- during construction, all the features of the premises, its location and conditions of maintenance are taken into account;
- the costs of setting up a rabbit farm are significantly reduced;
- Making cells yourself will help avoid defects, which are often allowed at the factory.
An example of a homemade house in the photo.
Advantages of factory cages:
- ideal design, which provides optimal conditions for the life of animals;
- the structure is equipped with nests, drinking bowls, feeders, and trays;
- Factory products are constantly being improved, their designs are becoming more complex: by purchasing a ready-made cage, a farmer can be sure that he will become the owner of modern equipment.
Factory houses are shown in the photo.
Cell types
If you are seriously going to start breeding rabbits, then you will have to build several premises:
- for fattening rabbits;
- for keeping female rabbits with cubs;
- for males.
To provide housing for rabbits, you need to build an entire “residential complex”. It can be installed both outdoors and in a barn: it all depends on natural conditions specific region. You can develop drawings for creating cells yourself or find ready-made ones in specialized magazines and on the Internet.
Cages for males
Males are housed in separate houses. This avoids fights, competition for food, as well as unplanned mating (if males and females are kept in the same room). The size of the house should be such that the rabbit can move freely inside it. If the males are cramped, they will become lazy and obese. And this can affect reproductive function: rabbits will stop producing offspring.
Houses for rabbits with rabbits should be spacious enough. They are located in one tier and consist of two compartments: the main and uterine. To prevent the babies from freezing in winter, the uterine compartment must be thoroughly insulated.
Rabbits at the age of 2–3 months are placed in such houses if they were unable to gain the required weight while living with their mother. To give the female the opportunity to give birth to new rabbits, the grown-up babies are placed in a separate room and fattened to the desired weight.
Types of cells
Now there are a lot of modifications, but the most popular design for keeping rabbits is still a two-section cage.
You can make a house for adult animals with your own hands. It will take several hours to create a home, but you can be sure that the room meets all the requirements for keeping furry pets.
The finished cage for adult animals is shown in the photo.
Stages of work:
- Make from 4 wooden beams house frame. It should be rectangular; its dimensions are equal to the length and width of the future product.
- Place the house on its legs. To do this, take 4 beams: 2 of them should have a length equal to the height of the front wall + 30 cm, and another 2 – the height of the back wall + 30 cm. The frame of the front wall is formed by long beams, the back - by shorter ones (a difference of 10–15 is enough cm). Screw them to the rectangular base so that it rises 30 cm above the floor. These will be the legs.
- Attach galvanized mesh to the rectangular floor base so that it covers the middle part of the room. Leave a space of 35–40 cm long on each side for nesting compartments. Cover the floor in the nests with plywood suitable size so that it slightly grabs the mesh.
- Install the side and back wall from plywood and finish the frame of the house. To do this, secure 1 long beam at the very top between the front side beams.
- Separate the nesting compartments from the rest of the room with slats. Install dividers between these slats and the back wall: plywood sheets with holes cut in them. The holes are needed to allow rabbits to move freely between the nesting and feeding compartments. Attach a roof to each nest.
- Divide the room into 2 sections cross beam. Make feeders out of plywood and screw them on opposite sides of the dividing strip.
- To ensure that the bottom holds well, turn the structure over and secure the mesh with nails and slats.
- Make a bunker for feeders from 4 sheets of plywood, which should be slightly smaller in height than the house. The hopper should look like a "V" and expand towards the top. Attach it between the feeders so that after pouring the food from this funnel can be easily fed into the feeders.
- Closer to the back wall, make a manger for rougher food: hay and grass. Their width should be 30 cm. To make it convenient for rabbits to pull out blades of grass from there, make walls of wire rods on both sides.
- Attach a roof to the cage. It should protrude slightly above the cage. In the middle, where the feeders are located, build a slider door that you can pull out to add food. For convenience, attach a wooden or metal handle to it.
- Attach doors made from slats to the front wall. Stretch the mesh between the slats. The nesting compartments can be left without external holes, or they can have solid wooden doors.
Drawings for making such cells are easy to find.
Houses for three-month-old rabbits
For up to three months, rabbits are kept in groups of 6–8 individuals, so group housing is used to keep them. They are made in the same way as double houses. The only difference is that a large number of rabbits require a different feeding system: they simply cannot all eat from a small feeder.
Stages of work:
- The frame of the house is made in the same way as the frame of double cages for adult animals. However, there is no need to divide the room into two sections. The cage will consist of nesting and feeding compartments. In this case, the nesting compartment should be 1.5 times smaller than the aft compartment.
- Cover the floor of the nesting compartment with wood planks and separate it from the feeding compartment with a plywood wall with a hole for the movement of animals. Outer wall nests need to be made of plywood.
- The floor and front part of the aft compartment are made of mesh. In the front part you need to attach a door made of slats.
- Place a feeder along the entire length of the feed compartment. It should be positioned in such a way that part of it is in the cage, and part is outside (for the convenience of laying hay). It is made of mesh so that it is convenient for animals to pull out the grass. It is better to raise the feeder 3-4 cm above the floor so that the food is not contaminated with waste from the baby rabbits.
There are ready-made drawings for making such cells.
Two-tier (three-tier) shed
Two-tier and three-tier structures are made according to the same scheme as two-section houses for adult rabbits. But in this case, several cells are located above each other in tiers.
Stages of making a two-tier shed:
- Make 3 rectangular frames. They will become the floor and roof of future cells.
- Secure them onto long beams. Connect the first rectangle to the beams so that legs 30 cm high remain below. Fix the next rectangle at a height of 50 cm above the previous one, the third at a height of 10 cm above the second.
- Attach a galvanized mesh to the first and third rectangles, which will serve as the floor for the aft compartment. Equip both houses in the same way as a regular two-section cell.
- The second rectangle will serve as both a roof for the lower house and a pallet for the upper one. Between the second and third rectangles you need to install a removable box into which waste from the upper house will be poured through the mesh.
In this way, you can make not only a two-tier, but also a three-tier shed. If you make several of these structures, you will have a real rabbit farm.
What a multi-tiered structure for keeping rabbits might look like can be seen in the photo.
House for a rabbit with a nest
To make a house for a rabbit with a nest with your own hands, you need to take into account some of the features of this structure. The house for the rabbit is built separately from other buildings. It would be good if it was portable so that animals could be moved from the street to the barn.
Stages of work:
- Put together a frame for the house, make the back wall and sides from plywood. This structure should have two compartments: the main and the uterine.
- For each of them, make a separate door: to the compartment for the rabbit - from a mesh, to the queen cell - from plywood or thin boards.
- To prevent the baby rabbits from freezing, insulate the queen cell. It is advisable to make it a double floor, walls and roof, in the space between which you need to lay insulation: polystyrene foam, straw or any other material. If winters are very cold, then a “warm floor” system is suitable: a heating pad is placed between two floor levels. The wire from the unit is routed outside so that the animals do not gnaw it.
- The roof is covered with water-repellent material.
The photo shows what a house for a rabbit with a baby should look like.
Do you need a house with a walk?
If the owner of a rabbit farm has a large green area at his disposal, then houses with walking in this case - great option. They look the same as regular rabbit houses, only on the back wall they have a door through which the rabbits are let out for a walk.
You can make a walking area with your own hands. Behind the cage you need to equip a large enclosure. Its frame is made of wooden slats, and the walls are covered with a dense mesh. It is better to place the aviary on sunny side: Rabbits spend most of their lives in dark cages, and they simply need the sun.
Advice! If your farm is safe enough for rabbits to graze on grass, then run houses can be made without legs. Then the animals will be able to eat pasture. And when the grass in the enclosure runs out, the rabbit’s home can simply be moved to another place. If on a farm there is a possibility that mice, cats or martens will get into the enclosure, then the enclosure will be equipped on stilts.What is the advantage of cages with walking? The thing is, rabbits need space to run around. If they have the opportunity to be in the fresh air and periodically stretch their paws, they will get sick less, gain weight faster and reproduce more actively. In addition, the fur of such animals will be much fluffier and shiny than that of their sedentary relatives.
A house with a walk can be like in the photo.
Place for a house
The choice of location for the house depends on the climatic conditions of the region. If winter frosts are very rare in your region, then rabbit houses can be safely placed outside. However, it is worth choosing a place where there are no drafts and excessive humidity: rabbits are susceptible to colds.
Advice! You can keep rabbits indoors, however ideal option– combined maintenance: in the summer, rabbit houses are exposed to fresh air, and in winter they are again sent to a barn or house.If you are installing shad cages, it is advisable to arrange them in two rows and turn the facades towards each other. An adult must pass freely between the rows.
Rabbits do not like intense lighting, but if the houses are located in a barn, then the room should be equipped with several lamps. They should illuminate the rabbit's home for 8-10 hours a day.
Materials
To make cells with your own hands, it is recommended to use the following materials:
- wood (beams, slats, plywood);
- galvanized mesh with small size cells (it depends on the size of the rabbits);
- plastic for finishing work;
- slate or tiles for the roof if the cage will be located outside.
It is not recommended to use metal for arranging rabbit cages. Under the rays of the sun, this material heats up greatly, and in the cold season it freezes. In such a home, rabbits will feel uncomfortable, begin to get sick and stop breeding.
Tools
To make a rabbit house with your own hands, you will need the following tools:
- hammer;
- roulette;
- wood hacksaw;
- plane;
- scissors for cutting mesh;
- pliers;
- nails, screws, self-tapping screws, corners;
- screwdriver and screwdriver;
- sandpaper.
Cage dimensions
The size of rabbit cages depends on the size of the animals. A single cage for a male rabbit should have a width of at least 0.6 m and a length of 0.8–1.1 m. If the rabbits are large, then the size of the section should be increased. One rabbit weighing more than 5 kg requires a room with a length of 1.3 to 1.5 m.
The size of the room for young animals depends on the number of rabbits. They can be placed in groups of 5–8, and with compact planting - 12 individuals per house. The width of the cells in this case should be 1 m, the height should be from 0.35 to 0.6 m, and the length should be 2–3 m.
In any case, one adult rabbit should not have less than 0.5–0.7 m2, and one cub should not have less than 0.15–0.2 m2.
Having studied these simple recommendations, you can easily equip your rabbit farm. If you make houses for animals yourself, the enterprise will cost a small amount. And rabbits bring considerable income: after all, not only the tender meat of these animals is valued, but also their wool and manure.
Building cages for rabbits with your own hands is a feasible task for any rabbit breeder. It can be easily solved if you have step-by-step instructions detailing all the stages, including choosing a design, drawing up a drawing, preparing materials, installing and landscaping the houses.
Beginning rabbit breeders need to know that pets can be kept in two ways: indoors and outdoors. Not only the structure of the rabbits, but also the rules for caring for them depend on the chosen farming method.
There is no consensus among rabbit breeders about what conditions are most favorable for animals. In your choice, you can focus on the point of view of Professor V.N. Mikhailova. He was a strong proponent of keeping rabbits outdoors.
This method has many advantages:
- No dampness.
- Sufficient amount of sunlight.
- Lack of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia vapors.
The listed problems can also be solved with internal maintenance: install lamps and a powerful hood. But this will entail an increase in costs and, as a result, a decrease in business profitability.
Design Features
Simple cages are boxes, one side of which is lined with metal mesh. It’s not difficult to make such houses, but the animals will be uncomfortable in them. The owner can expect difficulties in caring for their pets.
The basis of the cage is a frame, which can be made of wooden blocks or metal rods ( optimal choice- reinforcement with a cross-section of 6-8 mm). The next problem that needs to be solved is what the frame will be made of. This is an important choice on which the durability of the structure and the ease of its maintenance depend.
Criteria for selecting material for cell construction:
Double cages with mesh aviary
You can make a double cage for rabbits from a mesh with your own hands from available materials:
- metal mesh;
- reinforcement bars;
- sheets of plywood;
- planed or unplaned boards;
- slate.
The floor of this structure should be mesh, which will prevent it from rotting. Both adults and young animals can be placed in such cages. The double design consists of two parts:
- cages (length 200 cm, width 65 cm, height 75 cm);
- enclosure (length 200 cm, width 100 cm, height 60 cm).
When kept outdoors, the structure should be raised 70 cm above the ground level. This is the most convenient height for caring for pets. A hole must be made from the cage into the enclosure through which the animals will go out for a walk. It is recommended to make drinking bowls and feeders from galvanized steel. Cages with enclosures cannot be placed on top of each other.
To build one structure of the specified dimensions, the following amount of materials will be required:
- reinforcement with a cross section of 8 mm - 22 kg;
- metal mesh for an enclosure with a mesh size of 25x25 mm or 16x48 mm (all walls, floor, ceiling) - 9.5 m2;
- lumber for the cage - 0.25 m3.
Two-tier shed
A two-tier shed is a structure of two cages installed above each other at a distance of 50-60 cm, the lower of which is raised above the floor level by 70-80 cm. Shed maintenance is beneficial in terms of saving space and servicing pets. Two-tier cages for rabbits industrial type have the following dimensions:
- width - 200 cm;
- depth - 100 cm;
- height - 60 cm.
Based on the given parameters, it is easy to make a drawing and calculate the required amount of materials for constructing a two-tier cage. Will be required wooden blocks, slate sheets, metal mesh, plywood or OSB. Important characteristics of the shad:
- all cells in it are the same size;
- the upper one has a roof made of slate or other material suitable for this purpose.
It is necessary to consider in detail how to make cells.
Three-tier cage in a minimal area
A 3-tier shed is the optimal solution for a minimal area. These designs eliminate several problems at once:
- competently organize the farm, minimizing the time for its maintenance;
- provide pets with comfortable conditions;
- use space efficiently.
- When designing a multi-tier structure, you need to take into account the dimensions of the area recommended by experts for keeping one rabbit:
- for non-tribal - 0.17-0.23 m3;
- for breeding - 0.1 m3.
All cages must be equipped with retractable trays, preferably a manure channel. Between the houses of the same tier, a manger is installed, in which grass or hay is placed. Feeders are hopper type, made of galvanized steel sheets. The sheds must contain devices for lighting and heating: lamps and air heaters.
Winter cages
The design of outdoor cages for winter maintenance should include the possibility of insulation. Mesh windows must be closed with folding caps. The house in the cage should have a hole not with a folding door, but with a door that fits into the grooves. This will prevent animals from running out into the enclosure without permission. If all insulation elements are removable, the constructed structure is called all-season.
Rabbits tolerate frosts well down to -45 degrees. The most important thing when keeping outdoors in winter is to reliably protect animal houses from drafts and lay a thick layer of hay on the floor.
Materials and tools
Making a cage for rabbits with your own hands involves right choice materials. First of all, you need to decide what the floor will be made of. This is the most important place in the rabbitry, because it houses the animal and its waste products. Experts consider 2 flooring options to be the best:
from wooden slats with a cross section of 25x30 mm, laid at a distance of 15-20 mm from each other;
made of galvanized metal mesh with a mesh size of 18x18 mm.
Cleaning a metal floor is much easier. It is not subject to rotting, does not absorb animal urine and, unlike wood, does not emit an unpleasant odor.
You can build a house for pets from scrap materials. Suitable for this purpose finished goods: mezzanines, wide and deep drawers from chests of drawers and sofas. In order to build a cage, you will need tools for working with wood and metal:
- screwdriver or drill;
- wood hacksaw;
- metal scissors or a grinder with a metal disc;
- screwdrivers;
- pliers;
- roulette;
- construction bubble level;
- hammer.
Materials you will need:
- OSB sheets with a thickness of 6 mm;
- metal mesh (for the floor - with a mesh of 18x18 mm, for walls and enclosure - 25x25 mm);
- flat slate for roofing;
- galvanized steel for the installation of feeders and drinkers;
- wooden blocks with a cross section of 30x30 mm for mounting the frame.
Cell sizes
When planning your farm, it is important to make drawings of each structure. These diagrams and calculations will be required if there is a need to increase the number of shad and add cages to them. When performing calculations, take into account the recommended space for a rabbit (listed above). The size of the cages should be such as to avoid crowding of animals and provide them with free access to feeders and drinkers.
Rabbit sheds, regardless of their location (indoors or outdoors), must have a manure channel that can be easily washed with water pressure from a hose. With proper management, it is necessary to provide a container for waste water or their discharge into an autonomous sewage system.
For young animals
For young animals, single or double cages with enclosures are most convenient. If it is not possible to allocate a place for walking, pets will not move much. Such conditions are optimal for fattening rabbits. For young animals, houses are often made from plywood boxes with the following dimensions:
- length - 60 cm;
- width - 50 cm;
- height - 35-40 cm.
The nest is made plug-in. A folding door is installed in one wall, consisting of wooden frame, upholstered with metal mesh. The manger is also made from mesh, but with a wider mesh: 35x35 mm. The house is installed at a height of 70 cm from the floor on legs or trestles.
Cage for adult rabbits
Optimal sizes:
- length - 240 cm;
- width - 65 cm;
- rear wall height - 45-50 cm;
- the height of the front wall is 60-65 cm.
The floor has a slight slope from the back to the front wall of the house.
Nest for a female rabbit with offspring
A cage for breeding rabbits consists of two parts - a queen cell and a feeding compartment - connected by a manhole. The nest for small rabbits is located in the queen cell. This is also a place for a rabbit. Dimensions of the queen cell:
- depth - 65 cm;
- length (facade) - 40 cm;
- height - 40-50 cm.
Dimensions of the hole: width 17 cm, height 17-22 cm. This hole should be raised above the floor level of the queen cell by 10-15 cm. Young rabbits will not be able to climb over a partition of such a height and will always be within the nest.
For large rabbits
Giant rabbits require larger cages and enclosures. Optimal sizes:
- length - 90-95 cm;
- width - 60-65 cm;
- height - 60-65 cm.
How to make a rabbit cage with your own hands
DIY rabbit cage, step by step instructions construction takes everything into account important points, is intended for outdoor keeping of non-breeding adult animals. There is no aviary. Drinkers and feeders are not built-in, but are installed directly into the interior of the animal house.
The instructions tell you how to properly make a cage measuring 240x65x60 cm. It provides the following:
Step 1. Making the legs. Since the cage will be raised 70 cm above ground level, 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 130 cm and 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 120 mm are prepared. The difference in length is due to the difference in height of the front (50 cm) and rear (60 cm) walls of the house.
Step 2. Making the top and bottom trim. Prepare 4 bars 240 cm long and 4 bars 65 cm long.
Step 3. Assembling the frame. The bars are connected to each other using nails, screws, and metal corners.
Step 4. Making the walls. From OSB or moisture-resistant plywood, 2 sheets for the side walls are cut out, 65 cm wide, the height of one side is 60 cm, the second is 50 cm. The sheet for the back wall is prepared 240 cm long and 60 cm wide.
Step 5. Cover the frame on three sides with OSB sheets.
Step 6. Make a floor from metal mesh. The length of the canvas is 240 cm, width is 65 cm.
Step 7. Install the slate roof. It must be removable.
Step 8. Sheathe the front wall with a metal mesh.
The feeder and drinker are installed in the cage, removing the roof. In a similar way, the bedding is replaced and the house is cleaned. If you follow the suggested instructions, you can quickly make high-quality cages for your pets.
To keep a rabbit you need a cage. Almost an axiom. But this axiom is not easy to put into practice in all regions, since factory-made cells are not available for sale there, and ordering from afar is expensive. There is only one solution: make a cage yourself. From this article you will learn how to make a cage for rabbits with your own hands using the example of Tsvetkov, Komov-Kuzmin, Mikhailov and Zolotukhin’s schemes with a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Models of cells, drawings for them, how to choose material for a cell
The simplest cages: four walls, a tray, a box for a nest - often do not satisfy rabbit breeders who breed animals in large quantities. It’s difficult to keep such cells clean; you want more automation. Professional livestock specialists and amateur rabbit breeders are trying their best to improve cages and automate the process of caring for rabbits. To date, several rabbit cage projects are known, named after their designers:
- Zolotukhina;
- Mikhailova;
- Komova-Kuzmina;
- Tsvetkova.
Each project has its own advantages and disadvantages in design, material costs and use.
Characteristics of rabbit cages of various projects.
Comparison of the Tsvetkov, Komov-Kuzmin, Mikhailov and Zolotukhin schemes with a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
| Project name | Material | Advantages | Flaws |
| Professional Mikhailov cages | Metal; some craftsmen make it from wood | Forced ventilation with top ventilation pipe; winter heating of the queen cell and heating of the drinking bowl; convenient manure collection system | A very complex project with many unnecessary details that even a specialist gets confused about; “dead” zones that are difficult to clean and collect dirt; other shortcomings are the same as in Tsvetkov’s project |
| Professional Tsvetkov cells | Metal, sometimes wood | Electric heating of the drinking bowl and a convenient manure collection system are provided; simpler project compared to Mikhailov cells | Pallet assembly floor; urine and smeared manure remain on the wide slats; the development is intended for a forest zone; absence quality protection from the wind; occupy a large area; drinking bowls become very dirty |
| Amateur project of Komov-Kuzmin | Metal or wood | The manger is closed with a door; vacuum drinkers | Lack of queen cell; lack of electric heating of the drinking bowl; |
| Zolotukhin project | Wood or metal | One of the simplest projects available to beginners; solid floor in the middle of the cage; tilting feeder | Requires insulation in winter; when there is wind, there is a draft from below; |
| Folk Design Lattice Cage | Metal mesh | Easy to manufacture; very hygienic and hassle-free cleaning; can be made in any size; well suited for fattening beef herds | Unsuitable even for very warm climates with above-zero winter temperatures: newborn rabbits die |
Tip #1. From Odessa practitioners: when using “Tsvetkovsky” or “Mikhailovsky” cells to eliminate odor, pour a tablespoon of used machine oil into each bucket. An oil film on the surface of the bucket's contents will prevent the smell from spreading.
The difference between Mikhailov cells and Tsvetkov cells is noticeable only in the drawings.
Drawings and appearance of Mikhailov cells.
There are a lot of details in the drawings and it is often impossible to understand what belongs to what, while a high-quality drawing should be “transparent”.
There are a lot of details in the drawings and it is often impossible to understand what belongs to what, while a high-quality drawing should be “transparent”
Mikhailov cages on a rabbit farm in a forest area where trees dampen the wind. Almost a copy of the Mikhailov cell with the same design flaws is the Tsvetkov cell. But the blueprints for this cell project are simpler. Separate drawings are devoted to individual details. In this case, the author did not try to fit the entire cell on one sheet.
Drawings of Tsvetkov's cell and its appearance
General drawing Tsvetkov cells 
Above is a drawing of manure collecting cones, below is general view cells. 
The queen cell is provided in two versions: as a full-fledged queen cell and as an almost open box. The second option will be preferable in summer, the first in winter, since heating is normally provided in the winter queen cell. 
The bunker feeder is generally no different from similar feeders from other manufacturers. 
The drinking bowl has a fairly good design that does not allow rabbits to get their paws into the water. The manger is designed in such a way that the rabbit cannot eat all the hay at once or scatter it around the cage, but is forced to pull food out of the bunker one hay at a time, eating constantly, while spending less hay than in a traditional manger. 
In 3D projection onto cells, the structure of these cells becomes more clear. On the left is a front view with bunker feeders, on the left is a rear view with queen cells. 
Worker cells located in steppe areas. Very large open openings on the façade of the cage provide for the animals fresh air, but in winter the wind chills the cells. Tip #2. Experienced rabbit breeders living in open spaces use polycarbonate sheets to protect cages from the cold, which are screwed to the cages in winter.
The Komov-Kuzmin and Zolotukhin cells are much closer and more understandable to the average amateur, since they were created by amateurs. More simpler cell from a lattice, but it is also the most unsuitable for rabbits.
The Komov-Kuzmin cage essentially replicates a standard two-section cage for amateur rabbit breeding 
The Zolotukhin cell is even simpler. Even a novice rabbit breeder can repeat it. Instead of a queen cell, it contains a simple septum. How to make a rabbit cage with your own hands
The following materials can be used for cells:
- wooden boards;
- plywood;
- metal sheets;
- galvanized welded fine mesh;
- stone or brick.
There is no need to use polycarbonate sheets as the main material. In the summer they will create elevated temperature inside the cell. In addition, plastic cracks when exposed to sunlight.
Characteristics of building material suitable for the manufacture of cells
| Material | Characteristics |
| Board | Retains heat well in winter if there are no cracks; in summer it maintains a cooler microclimate than outside; one of the disadvantages is that it cracks under the influence of weather conditions; damaged by insects |
| Plywood | It is more durable than a board due to its structure; the plywood sheet does not have any cracks that need to be sealed; of the minuses - it warps under the influence of external conditions and is affected by insects |
| Metal sheet | There are no cracks; galvanized sheet is slightly susceptible to weather conditions; of the minuses - both in summer and winter in a cage without thermal insulation, standing in the open space, hell: icy in winter, hot in summer |
| Metal mesh | Placing a rabbit in such a cage is the same as leaving it to simply live under open air. The mesh does not protect from anything, and since such a cage often lacks shelter, the rabbit experiences additional stress in it. |
| Stone or brick | Quite suitable for southern regions with mild winters and hot summers: the stone keeps cool in summer and warm in winter, but it is better to place such cages under a canopy; one of the downsides is that such cells cannot be cleaned properly |
Cells practically unsuitable for breeding. Suitable only for fattening for slaughter. Insulation materials used for cages
Insulation materials should be chosen that are harmless to humans and animals. Preferably also cheap. Such insulation can be.
Experienced rabbit breeders know very well how important it is that rabbit cages have the correct design and are made of high-quality and safe material. Since their ability to reproduce depends on these factors. The cage can be purchased ready-made or made with your own hands. Last option preferable, since during construction the breed and the number of animals placed in it are taken into account.
Required materials and cage design
Regardless of what type of nursery will be built, they all have the same basis:
- frame;
- walls;
- ceiling;
- doors.
A rabbit cage is made from wooden material or mesh, but in no case made of iron. In hot weather it will become very hot, and in cold weather animals can freeze to it.
The frame is built from thick beams, and the length of the legs must be at least 35 cm. If the nursery will be located outdoors, then it is better to make them even higher - from 70 to 100 cm. In addition, a cage of such a height is much more convenient to maintain, and the animals will be protected from predators. The walls are made of plywood, boards or mesh. For the floor in the feeders, slats or mesh are used, since waste spills through them well. The roof is made from the same materials as the walls. If the industrial rabbit cage will be located outside the premises, then an additional roof will be required to protect it from precipitation.
Every part in the nursery must be smooth and safe, without splinters or sharp ends near the net so that the animals cannot get hurt.
Types of cages for rabbits
Nurseries differ from each other according to the type of construction:
- regular with or without queen cell;
- I.N. Mikhailova;
- N.I. Zolotukhina;
- with an aviary for walking.
In the first version, the cage has high legs and two separate places for feeding and nesting. They are separated from each other by a continuous partition with a hole. The door to the nest is made of solid wood, and the door to the feeding area is made of a frame with mesh. If there is free space, then an enclosure for walking is added to the cage. The entrance to it can be made through the back wall, or it can be arranged from below under the housing, as in the photo below.
Often, nurseries with an enclosure are used for mating, since active movement not only has a positive effect on the health of rabbits, but also improves their reproductive abilities.
Mikhailov's industrial cells are considered the most complex and advanced; they look like small farms. They provide ventilation, shelves, heating of the queen cell and drinkers, as well as unique system waste removal - everything is poured into one container. 
Below is a photo of a drawing of a Mikhailov cage for rabbits, according to which you can make it yourself. 
Cell N.I. Zolotukhina
The main difference between this author’s nurseries and others is that instead of mesh or slats for the floor, they use plywood or flat slate, and there is no pallet. The floor is installed with a slight slope. A mesh is installed along the back wall, 10-20 cm wide. Feces and urine are removed through it, especially since in most cases rabbits relieve themselves against the back wall. 
The feeders used are tilting, to clean them, just tilt it towards you, and not remove it completely from the cage. It is imperative to divide it in half with a net so that the rabbits cannot crawl through. 
Zolotukhin also suggests not setting up a queen cell for the summer. It is enough just to fence off required size Place a board up to 20 cm wide and place it in the corner of the hay. The rabbit will make a nest for herself. Thanks to this method of cultivation, the living conditions in a rabbit cage are as close to natural as possible. As a result, baby rabbits are born less susceptible to infectious diseases. As soon as they grow up, the board is removed, resulting in more space for walking. In winter, instead of a board, it is necessary to install a house for a female rabbit with offspring.
In the video below, Zolotukhin talks about the principle of operation of cages for rabbits, made with his own hands using a method he invented.
To build cells using the Zolotukhin method, you do not need to have specific skills or expensive building materials. Enough mesh, boards, flat slate or plywood, as well as sheet metal. The frame, nest doors and partitions are made of wood. The floor is made of slate or plywood and mesh. Mesh is also used for doors in feeders. Sheet metal is used to trim bars and other protruding wooden seats to prevent rabbits from chewing them. There should not be a lot of light or drafts entering the nest, so the door is made solid and not made of mesh. A threshold at least 10 cm high is nailed to the edge of the floor in the queen cell so that the rabbits cannot fall out when the door opens.
The back wall of the upper tier is made straight, and the lower ones inclined, so that waste from the upper does not fall into other cells, but rolls down the wall outward.
Stages of creating a cage for rabbits
Step-by-step instructions on how to make your own rabbit cage with a built-in queen cell and feed bins:
- A cage roof and a sliding door with a handle for feeders are installed.
- Doors with mesh and solid doors for nests, as well as latches for them, are attached to the frame.
- If the nursery will be located on the street, then an additional waterproof roof should be made. To do this, a frame made of slats is nailed to the existing roof, and a roofing material, for example, slate. Don’t forget about the slope, so if the height of the nursery at the front is 70 cm, then at the back wall it should be 60 cm. This is necessary to drain precipitation from the roof.
Before you start making a cage for rabbits, you need to make detailed drawings with dimensions.
The proposed option is convenient in that it has a large-capacity feeding hopper. It holds at least 6 kg of feed. Also, this design allows you to install additional tiers. The main thing is to place a tray between them to collect waste or an inclined surface along which they will roll into the container. But you shouldn’t make too many tiers, as the food is poured on top.
The mesh size for rabbit cages should not be larger than 2x2 cm, otherwise they may fall through and get stuck.
Before you start making a rabbit cage with your own hands, you should decide on a place to install the nursery. It must be protected from strong winds. It is not advisable to install a nursery on the south side, since in the summer the animals will be exposed to the heat of the sun all day. The size of the cage is also affected by the breed of rabbits, some of them are noticeably larger than others. Optimal size cages for rabbits of different colors - 150x70x70 cm. It varies depending on the number of animals. It is better to make the roof removable, this will make it much more convenient to disinfect the cage.
If the rabbits will live in the nursery in winter, then it is better to make the floor from wood. Bottom part It is made solid in the form of a pallet, so it must be pulled out. And on top of it is installed a floor of slats, packed in increments of 1.5 cm. It is better to make feeders and drinking bowls removable to make them easier to clean. In order to prevent the offspring from freezing in winter, the walls should be additionally insulated with any thermal insulation, for example, polystyrene foam. The insulation must be hermetically sealed in film so that it does not absorb water. In the uterine section, you can lay a heating system with a warm floor or a heating pad.
For dwarf and decorative rabbits, other nurseries are made, and always with an aviary. A cage for such rabbits is most often built with your own hands in the form of a house, with many ladders and shelves. If the pet will live in the house, then it is best to purchase ready-made option because they have an attractive appearance.
Step-by-step instructions for building a cage for rabbits - video