Help choosing wood?

[Female_enthusiast]

Hi I'm planning on building a rabbit hutch and run but have no idea on which wood to choose. I'm looking for something strong obviously as it will be outside but something also cost effective. Any and all info will be gratefully received. Please help! Thanks in advance

 

[Zeddedhed]

Treated tantalised softwood would be the best bet. The tanalith won't harm bunny if it chews on it.

 

[monkeybiter]

How do you tantalise softwood? [Note: See how I avoided the obvious]

 

[Zeddedhed]

How do you tantalise softwood? [Note: See how I avoided the obvious]

:lol: :lol:

 

[woodpig]

I certainly wouldn't use treated wood to house any animals but have a read up on it on some relevant sites.

http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/p ... dstain.asp

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/archi ... 46791.html

 

[Cinimod]

I suppose it depends wether the wood treatment is animal safe. Best bet may be to make out of untreated timber so nothing nasty on the insde and then a waterproof preservative on the outside ........dom

 

[Cordy]

Western Red Cedar

Link

Not far from you

Recently I made 3 Adirondack chairs with Redwood

I wish now that I had gone for the above; would have saved lots of time and ££££ with painting/staining

 

[vankou]

Having made several hutches when my children were younger I would recommend :

12mm exterior ply for all solid panels. Keep all framework on the outside so that the rabbit can not chew it, it also makes it easier to keep,the inside clean.

Make the hutch higher than most shop bought hitches to keep,it nice and airy and also to let the children see the rabbit without having to crouch down. Paint the inside white which will show you where cleaning is required and looks much nicer as well.

Construct it in such a way that the floor panel/s can be easily removed for cleaning, this will also give the hutch a much longer life as the floor is usually the first to rot and so can be easily replaced.

Allow a generous overhang on the roof all round to keep the worst of the weather off, particularly at the front.

When constructing the sleeping area, double up the ply thickness to keep the animal warm in the Winter months.

Paint the outside whichever colour fits in with the surrounding area, I painted mine green.

Seal all the inside joints with exterior caulk before painting .

Constructed along these lines will give you a hutch that will last many years and will be as pleasant for the animal looking out as it is for the people looking in.

I hope this is of help

Cheers

 

[Zeddedhed]

From the website for Tanalith E:

"Is TANALISED timber safe to use in children's playgrounds?
TANALISED Timber is safe to use for structures in and around children's play areas. With regard to any concerns that the children may 'chew' or 'eat' the treated timber, we have to conduct safety studies to demonstrate safe use of our products as part of their approval process. These studies have shown that the preservative within the timber would not cause harm to a child in the quantities that they are able to 'eat' or 'chew'. Please see our Treated Timber User Guide for more information on the use of TANALISED timber.
- See more at: http://www.tanalisedtimber.co.uk/Using- ... CmiVW.dpuf"

I would have thought that if it's OK for kids to chew bits of it then a bunny ought to be fine.

Apparently it's ok for nature reserves and stakes for food plants (vines etc).

Our rabbits are in a hutch and run made from tantalised roofing batten, amongst other things. It gets chewed a bit and none of them have died.