Outdoor rabbit a/c

Am I totally nuts?

  • Yes! You're a wackadoodle!

    Votes: 2 66.7%

  • No! You're a genius and I want one for my rabbits!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Hmmm... I'd have to see it in action and get a report after you've used it for a year or two.

    Votes: 1 33.3%

  • Look at the rabbits, George!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
hoosiercheetah

hoosiercheetah

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I have this idea... it would be really easy to pick up a small used window a/c unit (I just found several on CL under 50 dollars) and duct the cold air into a rabbit hutch. You'd want the back, sides, top, and part of the front of the hutch to be wood, and only have wire on the bottom and front, to get the best use of it. The fan would provide airflow even if you didn't need the air cooled, and the wood construction would help hold a little more heat in the cold winter days.

What do you think?
 
frustratedearthmother

frustratedearthmother

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I'm sure the rabbits would love the cool air! But, are you thinking about AC for outdoor hutches? Just one hutch, or a whole bunch of 'em? Just my opinion, but seems easier to put the hutches in an enclosed building so that you could AC the whole thing without needing to build or alter hutches....
 
B

Bossroo

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Wood cages are a BAD idea ... 1- the rabbits like to chew wood. 2. great place for virus, bacteria, insect pests , etc. to hide and then attack the cage occupants. 3. wood gets urine soaked. 4. very time consuming to clean. 5. etc., etc. :he
 
hoosiercheetah

hoosiercheetah

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Bossroo said:
Wood cages are a BAD idea ... 1- the rabbits like to chew wood. 2. great place for virus, bacteria, insect pests , etc. to hide and then attack the cage occupants. 3. wood gets urine soaked. 4. very time consuming to clean. 5. etc., etc. :he
Click to expand...

Good point! Careful, you might hurt yourself on that wall.
 
SA Farm

SA Farm

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My hutches are wood and wire and I really like them that way. I don't have the resources right now to build them their own shed, so it works out quite well for me. They can be a pain to clean, but since most of the mess falls down under them, it's doable.
I give mine frozen water bottles on the really hot days rather than putting in a fan, but I know many people with buildings who use fans/ac units in their rabbitry for the summers.
 
hoosiercheetah

hoosiercheetah

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The hutch I'm envisioning is one long frame, about 18' long by 3' deep and 2' tall. It will have movable conduit-framed wire mesh dividers to make separate cages that I can arrange as needed. The whole thing will stand about 4' off the ground on 4x4 legs. The bottom of the cages will be wire, of course. I can make the lengthwise beams of the cages conduit as well.

So, if making the back of the cage out of wood is bad, because of pee, how far away from my garage will I have to place the hutch, to keep the buns from peeing on it? Or will I need to buy sheets of fiberglass to stand between them? If someone put a hutch indoors, how would the pee be contained?
 
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