Does Rabbit Retail sell Hutches?
At Rabbit Retail we categorically never have and never will sell hutches.
Here’s why we don’t sell hutches:
Rabbits need a minimum of 3m by 2m by 1m living space. That is 3 metres wide, 2 metres long, and 1 metre high (6 metres squared). This is the bare minimum - much more is better! This is so they can run, explore, stand up and binky.
Sitting in a small hutch all day with no space can cause joint pain, arthritis, obesity and other issues for a rabbit and a miserable, boring existence.
A wild rabbit will run and roam over a large space, typically about 10 acres (40,000 metres squared). Those big powerful legs need to move and stretch. Not just sit in a prison.
History lesson
Hutches were not designed for pet rabbits, but, sadly, for meat rabbits (as a vegan and rabbit lover this bit is very upsetting). A fat rabbit will supposedly taste better, not one that is lean from running. Also rabbit meat doesn’t last. So keeping a rabbit in a box ready to slaughter as needed became the set up. The hutch was never designed for a rabbit’s welfare, but for human convenience.
But my bunny is only in a hutch at night - they are out all day.
It is great they are out all day with space - I am going to assume this is a rabbit-proof space, such as an aviary or coop so birds of prey or cats can’t get in.
But rabbits are crepuscular. They are mostly active at dusk and dawn. They also don’t sleep like we do for 8 hours straight, they still need to move about at night in the 3 by 2 by 1 space, so a hutch is not enough for overnight either.
At Rabbit Retail we suggest free-roam house bunnies. The bunny staff here at Rabbit Retail live in either the living room or the kitchen (we tried for a group of 5 in one room, but there were ‘creative differences’). No situation is perfect, but working towards a better habitat for your rabbits is crucial to their welfare.
Do you sell Cages at Rabbit Retail for indoor bunnies?
Cages are also included in this no hutch statement. They aren’t big enough. You can get x-pens which help keep a bun in an area of the room. Baby gates are useful too, but check the gaps between their bars are narrow enough (we didn’t once and Dandelion hopped through before we’d even finished the install!).
But my childhood bunny had a hutch!
Thinking you need a hutch for a bunny and that is what has always been done is not your fault. The rabbit community is constantly learning and what was considered adequate in the past is no longer.
When we first adopted Oreo and Macaroon, we went to a well-known online shop, bought a “large” two story cage, muesli mix and sawdust. Now I know this is all incorrect and harmful for rabbits.
But if these items are so bad and detrimental to a rabbit’s health why are they sold?
Because money. These large shops don’t really care for animals, and there are no effective regulations.
It’s the shop and pet industry in general that sell these bad items that I get so angry at, not customers that would reasonably expect them to sell okay products. It is the reason I started Rabbit Retail - a shop that self-regulates what is stocked as safe and suitable for rabbits and tries to provide information to help other bunny pawrents. And we are still constantly learning and trying to improve the range of what we stock for your bunnies and trying to improve how we care for our own rabbits.
So no, Rabbit Retail does not, and will not sell hutches.