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Stylish Rabbit Hutch plans. A cosy spot for Amigo.

Contributor·
Pet Furniture
·13 Comments·2 mins read

Here are my rabbit hutch plans to convert the IKEA BESTÅ units into a stylish and classy rabbit hutch for my rabbit, Amigo.

Amigo is let out of the hutch most of the time. He uses it to sleep and have his alone time.

(Editor’s Note: If you have more than one rabbit, a large one or intend to keep your rabbits confined, this hutch design is not suitable. For rabbit space requirements, please check out the following link for indoor rabbit housing requirements.)

rabbit hutch IKEA hack
Materials:
  • BESTÅ cabinet
  • MDF board
  • Wire netting for doors
  • Tiles for flooring

Rabbit hutch plans

rabbit hutch plans
Rabbit hutch plans

The base is an IKEA BESTÅ cabinet. I made an opening between the two cabinets and finished the hole with some wood slats.

IKEA hack for rabbits

Related: A large rabbit hutch: Simple DIY project for your bunny

To make wire doors I made an MDF board frame with a slit to fasten the wire.

IKEA hack for rabbits

The inside of the BESTÅ cabinet needs to be waterproof. To make it so, I added some mosaic tiles to the floor of the cabinet.

Last step, was to assemble the doors onto the frame. I added a magnetic latch to keep the doors closed, when necessary.

rabbit hutch plans

Bunny like to lie soft, so I’ve put a nice soft mat inside the hutch.

Don’t forget to add your bunny’s favourite toys and accessories too.

~ by Evelien Lulofs, Deventer, The Netherlands

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This is a rabbit house / bunny hutch TV stand converted from IKEA BESTÅ media units.

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13 Responses

  1. It’s true. Had rabbits for 7 years. Favorite pet ever. They are so easily litter box trained. After the initial training, never had a problem with them going to the bathroom anywhere but the litter box. They’re smart little wee beasties.

    Reply

  2. This looks nice but isn’t really appropriate for a rabbit. It looks like Amigo is out of it a lot (going by the picture where he’s outside) but the Rabbit Welfare Society (http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ahutchisnotenough.htm) reccomend a minimum hutch size of 6’x2’x2′ (180cmx60cmx60cm). Despite the small cages sold in shops and what would be considered ‘common knowledge’ rabbits need plenty of space to run, hop, periscope (stand on their back legs) etc.

    Equally as a number of people have said rabbits can be litter trained and infact pick an area to use as a toilet as they are very clean animals so the mesh floor idea isn’t really required and does seem like it could be irritating/damaging long term to bunny feet.

    By taking the time to make this you obviously care about your pet but perhaps a bit more information will help you adapt/add an extension to Amigo’s hutch to make it more comfortable and roomy for him. He really should have a bit more (http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ahutchisnotenough.htm)

    Reply

  4. Yesterday’s News IS cat litter, in case you’ve never bothered to read the packaging. As for not eating where they go to the bathroom, this is not always true, however I do agree that the food and litter box should be kept on opposite sides of the cage. Last, not all rabbits enjoy running and playing.

    My family used Yesterday’s News for our rabbit from the time we brought him home as a baby bunny to the time he passed away at 2 years old due to complications from the cancer that was not found until after he passed and a bunny autopsy was done (little 12-year-old me was of course very sad that he was gone). Every time I cleaned his cage, I would put his food dish with his water bottle in one corner and his litter box in the opposite corner, but he always pushed his bowl over to the litter box corner and tipped it over so he didn’t have to get up. Looking back on it now, we realize that was probably due to the cancer making him weak but our last rabbit (who had led a very long and happy bunny-life) had also been quite lazy so we thought nothing of it. He also would not run around even if we let him roam the whole house. He preferred to hang out with our dog when she was napping (sometimes nibbling on her tail – she’s a shih tzu so the hair on her tail is rather long and apparently very attractive to little bunnies), or watch her run around with her toys. Occasionally he would join in, and he was very fast when he wanted to be, but honestly he preferred to just hang around and eat and poop and sleep.

    My point is that rabbits are very different from each other, just like dogs, cats, and humans. Each rabbit has its own personality, and some are just too sick to do much aside from laying around. We know nothing about little Amigo or how he spends his time, so we can hardly make a judgement. For all we know, he spends most of his time hopping around the house and only sleeps in his hutch. It is clear that his owners have indeed thought at least some about his well-being, because they included a rug in the hutch since he likes to lay on soft things.

    Don’t be so closed-minded and opinionated on things that you don’t know everything about.

    Reply

  5. Do not use cat litter for your rabbits!
    They can be litter box trained. Put newspaper and/or kiln dried aspen, care fresh or yesterdays’s news product on the bottom and cover with hay. They will not eat from the same area where they go the bathroom. Hay is 80% of their diet, so please be sure to provide the with enough to eat.
    This hutch is okay for an enclosed space as long as bunny gets plenty of time to run and play. I have a house rabbit and she is never in a hutch or cage. She uses her litter box perfectly and I’ve bunny proofed the house by covering all electrical wires etc.

    Reply

  6. Rabbits are VERY easily litter-trained and do not like to sit in the same area that they go to the washroom in. Therefore, a litter box with wood shavings or cat litter is fine. Also, that is a very large cage for a small rabbit. I’ve seen worse rabbit cages sold in pet stores. This is fine.

    I don’t know why all animal hacks turn into people commenting on how others treat their animals.

    Reply

    1. It’s true. Had rabbits for 7 years. Favorite pet ever. They are so easily litter box trained. After the initial training, never had a problem with them going to the bathroom anywhere but the litter box. They’re smart little wee beasties.

      Reply

  8. Where to get such mesh? I’m trying to find something similar more than 1 year in Czech…

    Reply

  9. Steven, if the bottom of the cage is 100% wire mesh, then yes you are correct. Long term (several years) they can develop sores on their feet.

    The bottom of the cage should have at least half mesh for their droppings to fall into a pan full of wood shavings or other absorbent material (there should also be urine guards the extend above and below the mesh as the pee on a diagonal. Then there should also be something for them to sit on that is easily cleanable so they are not sitting in their own waste.

    Reply

  10. I hope he doesn’t spend too much time in that. It’s quite cramped and bunnies like lots of floor space to stretch out and hop around. My brats would eat me if I put them in that. Well, first they’d eat through the cage, then they’d eat me. Also, bunnies are social animals, much happier in pairs.

    It’s very aesthetically pleasing for humans, however.

    Reply

  11. As I understand it, wire mesh in the bottom of a cage isn’t very nice for bunny, and can cause them foot problems. So long as the latrine area is regularly cleaned, it shouldn’t be a problem.

    Reply

  12. Is it functional? I do not see pan for droppings and a section of wire flooring for him to use the restroom. It looks like he’ll be sitting in a mess. Otherwise, it does look really nice!

    Reply

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