Types of Run
Traditional
Classic rabbit runs are usually low to the ground and can often be attached to a hutch or rabbit enclosure, allowing your pet to move effortlessly between their home and their area of play. Accessible via an opening roof, you can then bend down into them to stroke, feed or pick up your pet!
Walk-In
Taking their dues from chicken coops, walk-in rabbit runs are giant house-like cages, with full-sizes doors you can walk inside. This makes getting into your rabbit enclosure less fiddly and bach-aching work, but more importantly, it also provides your pets with masses and masses of room to explore!
Playpen
These are often smaller areas which are created by linking together several single fences into one hexagonal or octagonal shape. Lighter in weight and much easier to move around and dismantle, they make great pop-up areas which you can set up for your rabbit any time and are probably the most suitable models for indoor rabbits as they take up much less room. However, they are usually less secure than a proper run and so are probably best used under supervision.
Features To Look Out For
Material
Most rabbit runs are either constructed from metal or wood and will often also utilise a wire mesh material.
Wire mesh usually provides a strong protective barrier, while the frame of the run will be made of heavy-duty wood or metal to ensure the structure is sturdy and will stand its ground.
Metal cages are usually the best option, as they are naturally heavier and more robust, and so tend not to suffer from damages or wear. This is critical to stopping predators from easily breaking into or knocking down your run.
Wooden designs, of course, look a lot nicer than great big metal cages, but it’s at the cost of durability and security. When combined with wire mesh they are still brilliant options, but treated wood is never going to last you as long as a steel material playpen.
Security
The absolutely most important thing a good rabbit run can offer you is security, to stop both predators getting in… and rabbit getting out!
The wire mesh used on a rabbit’s run must be strong and galvanised or welded to ensure it firmly fits into the frame. The spaces between the mesh should also be small enough to prevent rabbits or predators getting through, but large enough so that they are easily visible through the gaps and are well ventilated!
It’s also a good idea to watch out for runs which feature extra secure locking mechanisms on the doors or roofs, which will help prevent more crafty and cunning predators like foxes from sneaking their way inside.
Size
The whole point of a rabbit run is to offer your bunnies a large, safe space in which they can perform exercise and remain fit and healthy in both mind and body.
The very minimum size of run recommended for two rabbits is 8 ft x 4 ft. But it’s always recommended to just choose the very biggest size that your home can accommodate.
It should be tall enough so that your rabbits can stand upright on its back legs as well as hop around in.
If a walk-in option, you might also like to consider your own height – as you don’t want to be stooping over all the time!
Durability/Longevity
No matter what material your rabbit run is, it’s always helpful to find out what coating or treatments your wood or metal has been given, as certain treatments can help your run last for years longer than expected.
In the main, such coatings tend to protect from poor weather as well as scratches or any other damage it may receive.
Shades/Covers
While you might naturally want to protect your ickle rabbits from torrential downpours, roof coverings and safety nets can also be useful for protecting from less obvious issues too.
Rabbits can suffer in extreme heat and powerful sunlight and so UV protected shading can help keep them cool during the summer, while net coverings can also help protect them from items falling from trees or predatory birds from above.
Skirts & Anti-Predator Features
If you keep your hutch and run outside, various predators in the wild will have an opportunity to get in your animal’s home and harm them, no matter how far-fetched and ludicrous that seems!
Nocturnal animals like foxes are more common in urban areas than ever before, and they’re all too happy to spend a few minutes digging a hole under the fence of your run to squeeze under and gain access to your bunnies.
Therefore, features like metal skirts around the base of a cage can provide added security!
Ease of Access
You’ll need to be able to efficiently lock up your run and open it when feeding, cleaning or attending to your bunnies, and fast-action locks and handily positioned doors can help make this a breeze.
Quick Assembly & Dismantling
Unfortunately, it would be too awkward and difficult for large cage structures to arrive at your door ready-made and so in the vast majority of cases, rabbit runs need to be put together by yourself!
So if you’re not comfortable with DIY, try and find something which can be easily constructed with buckles, bolts and clips.
Some models can be folded down almost instantly, making them a great pop-up choice for those who want to let rabbits out under supervision.
