i was looking for a rabbit hutch and most seemed to have wire flooringwhy is that? and doesn't it hurt the rabbit's feet?should i get the ones with wire floors or solid wood floors?
ditto what Cat said. Don't get a wire floored hutch - it'll really hurt your poor bunnies feet. It really isn't such a hardship to clean out a rabbit hutch - most rabbits will train themselves to toilet in one corner so put a little litter tray there and it'll help you out a bit. You sound like you'll be ok, you clearly thought a wire lined hutch was a bad idea or you wouldn't have asked :)
Some folks here won't want to hear it but if they are correctly made, wire floors are fine for all but the heaviest weight breeds (Flemish Giants, Checkered Giants, etc). It needs to be 1/2gageire galvanized after welding and 16 guage at the lightest. There are powder coated and plasticised versions that you can use as well. When we had French Lops (minimum adult weight 11 lbs and most of ours were in the 14-15 lb range) we had them on wire and never had a sore hocks problem. You can use a piece of sheet rock for a sitting board if you want and throw it when it gets nasty. Frankly wire floors are a lot more sanitary. We would wash down the cages weekly, but when we really wanted a thorough clean, we loaded them up and took them down to the car wash and used the pressure wand on them. Slick tile has 2 problems. The first is that it is slick and the rabbits don't walk well on it. It is a traction problem - we see it whjen our cats chase each other into the kitchen and slide like crazy! The second problem is that the urine will go over the edge and soak into the poros underside of the tile unless you grout and seal the grout.
I agree you should never use a wire floor for rabbits. Rabbits' feet are not protected in the same way as some other animals, such as cats or dogs. And wouldn't you find it uncomfortable to walk around on a wire floor all day too? Most hutches tend to have solid floors rather than wire - it could be you're looking in the wrong place. Come on over to the Rabbits United forum at forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/index.php and you can get advice on where to find good hutches and a whole load of other things :)
SOLID FLOOR!!! Wire floors are used by lazy rabbit keepers. In a large solid floored hutch with a permanently attached run you can litter train the rabbits, mine have this and have perfectly clean paws and bottoms. NEVER use a wire floored anything for any animal. You need a hutch at least 6x2x2 with a 6x8 permanent run, you may need to DIY something or modify a smaller hutch to the correct dimensions. Or use a shed/playhouse and run combo instead! Lots of space = fitter and happier bunny! EDIT: If you line the hutch with lino = very easy to keep clean, easier than wire and does NOT soak into the wood.
If you have a solid wood floor it will absorb the rabbits pee and the smell will linger. Rabbit pee and poop is high in ammonia. The ammonia can damage the rabbits' repiratory system causing respiratory infections and eye infections. It can also get into their bloodstream and damage the liver. Many rabbit owner put a mat or a square of wood in the rabbits cage so the rabbit can have some relief from the wood floor. A small size cat litter box that bunny can lay in is also a good idea. The wire floors provide much needed ventilation and keep the cage clean. It is also easier for you to clean up. No scrubbing solid wood floors.
