Routines, Tools and Equipment for Raising Rabbits
Your rabbits are in their hutches. Those hutches are under cover. Now is a good time to assess what you need, and what you might simply want, to keep everything running smoothly.
We’ve covered basic housing options and the typical rabbit feed and watering options already. But what about all those extra tools that make running a rabbitry go smoother – the things you’d never think about until you were helping a buddy cull a few rabbits and you had one of those where-did-you-get-that-thing moments? And where should you draw the line between essential and nonessential?
Read on, and we’ve got you covered with some devices that may or may not be fundamental to your rabbit keeping operation, drawing on decades of rabbit-keeping experience and expertise. And then once you have everything you need, it’s a good idea to establish a regular routine for your animals.
Read more: How to clean a rabbit cage
The necessities
Learn MoreLet’s start with you — with what to wear — and then proceed to what your rabbits need.
Long-sleeved top. After handling rabbits, you realize that while they have a reputation for being soft and cuddly, they are also noted for scratching and shedding. When handling them, long sleeves are a must. Wooly sweaters are not a good idea, as rabbits’ nails can get caught in them, and shedding hair sticks to them. A twill or nylon shop coat, full canvas apron over a sturdy shirt or blouse, or sweatshirt make a good outfit for the rabbitry. I have a favorite thigh-length denim jacket.
Rose gloves or boot sock. When carefully looking over young stock at weaning time, deciding what to keep and what to cull, you realize what sharp nails they have. And they tend to aim for the insides of your wrists and forearms.
My favorite antidote is a pair of rose gardener gloves with the fingers snipped off. These are leather gloves with very long, heavy leather gauntlets that protect up to your elbow. Rose gardeners use them because they are always reaching deep into thorny bushes to prune. I first used these gloves many years ago after I took a physical.
The physician looked at my wrists and forearms and asked, “Are you and the missus getting along?”
A good alternative to these gloves is an old pair of high, heavy boot socks. If you cut the toes off and poke holes for your thumbs, you can pull them right up over your shirt sleeves and handle your rabbits with safety.
I have observed rabbit judges wearing athletic sweatbands on their wrists. Those are good, and perhaps stylish, but they don’t provide as much coverage as the rose gardener gloves or the modified boot socks.
Feed scoop and bucket. You will need a feed bucket, unless you have a large operation and need a feed cart. A 20- or 30-gallon steel garbage can will safeguard your feed supply.
Plastic feed scoops are inexpensive, and you can easily make one from a plastic bottle. I have a steel scoop that is still as good as new after 40 years of use every single day.
Nail clippers. Rabbits raised on wire tend to wear down their nails over time, so clipping them is not a regular chore. But when you need to clip the nails of an older animal, a regular dog nail clipper does the job nicely. You don’t want a rabbit’s nails to get caught in the floor wire of a cage.
Read more: Benefits of rabbit production
Brushes. A good wire brush with a scraper on the end (sold in paint and hardware departments) comes in very handy for use on hutch floors to remove the occasional dried manure droppings that cling to the wire.
A wire brush with brass or stainless steel bristles will cost more but last longer. Another brush with nylon bristles is handy for brushing hair from the hutch. And a slicker brush, as used on dogs and cats, will take out dead fur and ease a rabbit through a molt.
Building tools. We covered the tools that you need to build your hutches. They include wire cutters, J-clip and hog ring (or C-ring) pliers, and basic household tools.
Bucket and scrub brush. These are for washing and disinfecting hutch floors and feeders, as well as nest boxes, unless you are using wire nest boxes with disposable corrugated cardboard liners.
Propane torch. Not required but certainly handy is a small propane torch to burn off hair on wire hutches. Use a torch nozzle that flares, rather than pinpoints, the flame. My Tans don’t shed a whole lot, but in late summer or early autumn, my torch goes to work.
Read more: Proper hygiene measures on the farm
Wide-blade putty knife or paint scraper. If you use pans under the hutches, these are useful for scraping off manure that the hose can’t budge.
Pitchfork and shovel. Use for manure removal. A rake and hoe are handy, too.
Wheelbarrow or garden cart. For hauling manure to the garden or compost heap. I have one of those wooden garden carts with big bicycle wheels, and it still works great after 30 years of service.
Nest box warmer pad or aluminum photoflood reflector. If your rabbitry is cold in winter, you will need one of these, along with a 25-watt light bulb or a heat bulb used to keep pet reptiles warm.
Insulation foam board panels and plastic foam trays. These are another way to make doe hutches warmer, along with the heating devices above.
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