A spacious and comfortable rabbit house is a guarantee that your pets will feel comfortable and actively gain weight. One of the most thoughtful and effective cells is considered to be a cell developed by inventor Igor Mikhailov. And although at first glance its device does not look simple, with certain skills practically any one can handle the production of this cell.
Cage Requirements for Rabbits
Basic requirements for rabbit housing:
- natural living conditions;
- comfortable temperature and humidity;
- constant flow of fresh air;
- access to food and clean water;
- elimination of stress and unnecessary anxiety;
- timely cleaning of cells from feces;
- minimum human participation in housing maintenance.
Did you know? The smallest pygmy rabbits in the world belong to the breed Little Idaho. The maximum weight of adult representatives of the breed is about 450 g, and the body length is not more than 35 cm.
Due to compliance with all these requirements, the productivity of animals increases, which is even fixed at the genetic level and transmitted to offspring.
Features of the design of cells for rabbits according to the method of Mikhailov
Igor Mikhailov’s cage is a well-thought-out structure, in each compartment of which the animal can be located both at the rear warm wall and at the front, cooler and more open to the sun.
The building has a well-arranged ventilation system and maintains a comfortable temperature. An automatic food and water supply system is also installed. Taking into account the cold period, a heated drinking bowl is arranged. The cage is cleaned of animal waste automatically in a separate sealed container, which is periodically cleaned.
- Also among the advantages of the cell is worth noting:
- good offspring and active growth of rabbits;
- good animal health and immunity;
- savings on the acquisition of new animals;
- time saving due to mini-farm automation;
- the ability to make a cell yourself.
The disadvantages include only the considerable costs of materials for the manufacture of the cell, but, given all its advantages, these investments quickly pay off.
How to make a Mikhailov cage for rabbits with your own hands
Before starting work, you should decide on the place to install the rabbit house. It is necessary to place the structure on a stable basis so that the back blind wall faces north. There are several design variations, but all are made on a single principle. Conventionally, the cell consists of the upper, lower and base parts.
Did you know? Unlike rabbits, rabbits do not like loneliness and even live in groups in the wild.
The upper one is one- or two-tier, the lower one is a cone for collecting animal waste products and a compartment for their storage until excavation. A stand or frame firmly fixes the structure on the surface of the earth. The floors in the Mikhailovsky cage are made of parallel wooden battens.
Dimensional Drawings
Mikhailov's cells can be performed both in a single-tier version, and with two or three tiers. Moreover, all tiers are performed similarly.
For the manufacture of rabbit dwellings, you can use these drawings:
Drawing of the cell of Mikhailov
Materials and Tools
In order to independently make a rabbit housing according to the Mikhailov method, the following is necessary:
- plywood in sheets;
- sheets of tin or galvanized iron;
- boards and boards made of wood;
- fiberboard sheets;
- OSB plates;
- narrow planks;
- galvanized wire mesh;
- roofing material;
- saw and ax;
- level;
- screwdriver;
- screwdriver;
- construction brackets and stapler;
- hinges and latches for doors;
- screws, nails, hammer;
- tape measure, ruler, pencil.
Important! In order for the design to be durable, all wooden elements must be treated with an antiseptic.
Step-by-step instruction
The rabbit house should be made in this order:
- From the timber, prepare vertical and horizontal cell supports according to size.
- Connect them at an angle of 90 ° using self-tapping screws.
- To maintain the supporting horizontal bars at the bottom of the frame, cut 4 additional corner elements.
- Attach them with screws to the main structure according to the drawing.
- Make a frame in the form of a rectangular funnel that supports the waste bin.
- According to the drawing, on the galvanized sheet of iron, outline the dimensions of the waste container and the place of bending of the metal.
- Give the product the shape of a rectangular funnel, seal the joints of the structure with sealant.
- Secure the manufactured hopper with screws to the support, under it set a container for collecting waste.
- Make a floor in the form of strips-rails and attach them to the base.
- According to the dimensions of the mesh and battens, make doors and attach to the structure with screws or with hinges.
- From the fiberboard to make partitions that divide the house into compartments.
- Close the back wall with a fiberboard sheet and insulate, insulate the uterine compartment from the outside and inside.
- In the mother liquor and the main compartment, arrange drinking bowls, hang feeders.
- Cut the roof from the OSB-plate and put it on self-tapping screws or nail it with long nails.
Recommended reading
Arrangement of cells for growing rabbits
According to Mikhailov, home rabbitry is most often made in the form of a two-tier structure, on the top floor of which there is a queen mother. Feeding troughs and drinking bowls are arranged in both compartments. The drinking bowl is an automatic device. The water bowl itself can be of any kind, for example, from plastic or wood. Exits from five-liter canisters with centimeter holes in the lids are arranged in it.
Important! To protect the waste bin made of galvanized metal from the effects of ammonia and other liquids, carry out its anti-corrosion treatment.
As a result, water flows gradually as needed, and the bowl does not overflow. The size of the drinking compartment is taken depending on the volume of the canister and the trough. One edge of the trough is arranged hidden from animals, a device for heating water is installed there, which automatically starts when the air temperature drops below + 8 ° С.
The feeder is installed next to the drinker in a small gap between the parts of the flooring, where the device for disposal is located. It is intended for crumbs and other particles of rabbit food, and has a slope along which the waste rolls into the utilizer. The feeder is equipped with a lid, and the sieve in it is installed at a slope. On the outside of the cell is suspended a tank with hay and vegetables.
So, now you know how to make Mikhailov’s rabbit cages with your own hands. Study the drawings, stock up on everything you need and act! And the time and materials spent by you will more than cover the pleasure of the result.
