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Buck Cages are 2 ft. by 2ft. and 18 in. high. Each cage has a water bowl, a 32 oz. water bottle, a feeder, and a resting board. The resting boards are to give the rabbit's feet a break from the wire. My bucks get 1/2 cup of pellets, fresh water at all times, a handful of hay every day, and various treats. Grass, oats, carrots, apple pieces, fresh clover, dandelion, etc. They also get pop-cicle sticks or small sticks from our apple tree to chew on and give them something to play with. I also let them out of their cages during pretty weather, letting them run around in the dog kennel that I use as a play pen for them.
Doe Cages
The doe cages are 3 ft. by 30 in. by 18 in. high. Each doe cage has a 32 oz. water bottle, watering bowl, feeder, and resting board. Resting does get 2/3 cup of pellets a day, nursing does get full feed. They get the same treats as the bucks above, and the handful of hay. The does have larger cages, because when there is a nestbox or a bunch of kits hopping around in their cages, it can get pretty crowded! The does also get exercise runs every now and then like the bucks.
Below is Ebony, the senior black Rex doe. She really likes her resting board.
Growout Cages
This is where the kits go after weaning, until they are sold or processed. They usually stay here from 4 weeks to 10 weeks.
My growout cages are at least 2 ft. by 2 ft. by 18 in., with most of them being 3 ft. by 30 in. by 18 in. They have pretty much the same things as the breeding rabbits, except for the resting board. I feel that they don't really need it, because they are so much lighter than the adult rabbits. I put one in there at first, but they never used it, and it was unsanitary because they did their business on it. Another thing is that they have longer feeders to give every kit room to eat.
From 4 weeks to 6 weeks, the whole litter (usually 6-8) is kept in one of the larger weaning cages, or split up into two of the smaller cages. Then as they grow, I move 2 or 3 into a different cage. Once they are past 6 weeks, I never have more than three in a 2' x 2' cage, and 5 in the 3' x 30" cages.
The kits have full feed, fresh water at all times, and also get a couple of handfuls of hay. I don't give them many treats, because they aren't used to eating them and it could make them sick. I do sometimes give them a few oats or a piece of dried bread. They also get more toys than the adults. They can really put a cardboard shoebox or a paper towel roll stuffed with hay to good use! It does make a mess, but it is worth it for them to have some fun, and it is fun for me to watch them!
I think they are happy :-)
The old sheets that you see in most of these pictures are used in cold weather to help keep the rabbits warm. I drape them over the cages to keep off drafts and helps keep the rabbit's body heat from escaping so quickly. They are removed during hot weather to encourage good ventilation.
