There’s no doubt that just about all children want a pet. Whether it be feathered or furry they just want one. But the range of choices for a parent considering buying a pet for their children is enormous. Why does a rabbit make a great pet for children and how do you buy, or build the perfect rabbit hutch to house the rabbit.

A rabbit is small and cuddly and just the right size for children to pick up and pat. They can be housetrained so won’t make too much mess around the house, and they are very social, so love spending time with children. Generally a rabbit will live for around 10 years.

Rabbits have a simple diet. It is perfectly fine to feed them dedicated rabbit pellets which you can buy from a pet shop, as well as complementing that feed with fresh hay and vegetables. A rabbit loves many dark green vegetables like spinach, broccoli leaves and carrots and is also very happy to eat various fruits such as apples and pears. Rabbits are simple and cheap to feed.

If you’re thinking of getting a rabbit for a pet for your children there are some things to consider before you rush in and buy your first rabbit. The main consideration is housing the rabbit. You will need a rabbit cage, or what is often known as a rabbit hutch. A rabbit hutch is a simple construction that allows your rabbit to browse outdoors on grass whilst also having shelter from the elements in a part of the hutch.

Rabbit hutches are generally constructed from timber and wire. You keep your hutch outside and move it around from time to time so that the rabbits can feed on fresh grass through the wire on the bottom of the rabbit hutch. A second compartment is always provided in a good rabbit hutch so that on rainy or windy day the rabbit can be safe indoors from the weather. This is where the rabbit usually sleeps. It is best to cover the floor of the compartment with sawdust or hay which gives the rabbit a warm and comfortable place to sleep.

If you’re using wire on the floor of the rabbit cage you need to understand that rabbits don’t like to walk on wire. If the hutch is placed on the ground and the wire is in contact with the ground the rabbit will be fine but if the rabbit hutch is lifted off the ground, which is a good idea again for cold weather to avoid the rabbit getting sick from dampness, then you will need to cover the wire something that makes it easier for him to walk on such as hay.

There is an advantage to having a wire floor with a hutch above the ground. The droppings fall through making it much easier to clean. However you wish to do this look for a material which has much wider areas for the rabbits feet and much smaller holes. Plastic slats may well do the job better.

You can use a solid material like wood or metal. Metal doesn’t soak up urine like wood so doesn’t smell as wood can do, and so is easier to clean, but neither metal or wood allows the rabbit to eat grass off the ground.

How big should the rabbit hutch be? Generally most hutches sold in pet shops are too small. Suggestions I have seen are that the cage should be 3 or 4 times the size of the rabbit, but I think that is way too small. Bigger is much better, but if you buy a small rabbit hutch you must take your rabbit out daily to exercise.

And build a hutch with a good door as you need to clean the hutch and replace the hay each day.

A rabbit is an excellent pet for kids. Do your research on rabbit breeds, and give yourself plenty of time before you buy one to sort out a solid, effective and well built rabbit hutch.

Why not build a hutch for your rabbit yourself? That just adds to the fun.

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