Prevue Large Rabbit Hutch with Asphalt Shingles Top Bunny Cage

I have purchased three of these for rabbits over the past couple of years. They are attractive and the size is perfect for larger rabbits. They are easy to assemble, although I would recommend having a Dremel tool close by because some of the screw holes are not drilled through and trying to force a screw will split the wood. My concern with these is that rabbits are destructive. I have hutches that are going on 6-7 years old and are still in good shape, but the wood on these is too soft and rabbits will chew through them very quickly, especially larger rabbits. Rabbits scratch too. The wood is so soft that they are able to scratch holes large enough to slip through very quickly. I reinforce with wire mesh to prevent escape when I see a hole forming, which is within weeks of purchase. I also have had problems with the hinges. They tend to come loose or break, especially on the drop down door. I probably won't buy this hutch again unless I can't find large sizes in another brand. My little guys do really well with these, but the larger ones not so good.

Easy assembly for two people and a drill. Took us a half hour. We eventually took out the wooden partition in the middle since it gave our bunnies more room. We hooked a water bottle just to the left of the wire cage door and the pellet bowl just below the wire door so the kids could easily open the wire door and dump the cup of food in. The bunnies have nibbled a bit on the wood door and also the plastic feet (we have a run set up around the hutch) but no major chomping since we have other stuff for them to chew on (pinecones, Timothy hay, chew toy). Here's what you really need to know- the removable tray at the bottom is awesome but NOT meant for the full output of two bunnies. We tried it that way for two weeks- lining with newspaper since anything else would have been incredibly messy and hard to change. And although the bunnies very quickly learned to do their messes over the wire grate, it has been very tough to clean and the pee started to encrust on the bottom despite scrubbing. So what I'm trying to say is, you STILL NEED A LITTER BOX or you will be changing 2x a week a very wide pan with tons of poo and pee. It is much easier to change the occasional output that doesn't make it to the litter box instead of the hundreds of pellets these guys produce in a few days. Another thing, the hay slips through the grate pretty easily, so we got a hay holder too and it cut down on that problem a lot. Little by little we have figured out what works. This product is great, but make your life better with a littler box.

The product design itself is pretty well thought out, however, the actual construction and quality of the material used was not so good.The box came undamaged for the most part. However, I found a corner of the top lid splintered right out of the box. There were supposed to be 4 thin pieces of wood, two on each side to form slots to allow you to insert the wooden partitions. Three of the four pieces of wood came off so I had to fix it myself. The wire mesh flooring is supposed to rest on two tiny strips of wood about 1/4 inch wide. Unfortunately the front & back panel bows out in the middle leaving too wide a space and the mesh floor falls right through. I fixed it by using a pair of hook & eye screw on both panels and ran a tight wire to pull the panel close enough so the floor can rest on the rails without falling through. All and all, it's usable, after some tweaking. The assembly was not difficult. It takes about 30 min to put together. However it took 30 extra min for me to fix what wasn't working. Considering the price I think it's an OK buy. If you like tinkering with stuff, this might be for you. Otherwise I don't recommend this product.

I will have to say that the Prevue customer service is awesome, which was the main reason we purchased this hutch. The instructions were clear and they clearly state that two people are required to assemble the unit. All the screws were included, they were the correct length, and predrilled starter holes were nice, so we did not split any wood. Our other hutch was much larger when we had two rabbits. We no longer needed one that large and after the neighbor's gardeners dropped a big tree branch on it, so we needed a new one quickly. Our rescue bunny likes her new home. We always keep a nesting box full of oat hay in with her for munching and to do her business. I was concerned that the wood floor might not last if it was stained repeatedly, so we are encouraging to use her box on the wire side.Although she lives outside, I did put the tray in for two reasons:1. Just in case the wire grate happens to get knocked loose, Madeline won't fall to the ground. It looks secure enough but just in case.2. Because it is plastic, it's easy to hose off and stick back in its place, especially as most of the droppings are in her nesting box.My husband thought this hutch was easy to assemble but does not believe it is as heavy duty as the previous one. Only time will tell regarding the sturdiness of the construction and materials used. I like the asphalt roof and I do feel confident it will protect our bunny. I do have to say the wire door is rather large. I don't know that I want to open it a whole lot because our dogs will be sticking their noses in to investigate. I believe I will be taking things in and out through the roof. This is a good solution as the hutch is only 36" tall and the lid locks open.03/14/14: Upgrade from 4 to 5 stars because of all the nice features of this hutch and it made it through a torrential rain storm a few weekends ago with flying colors and a dry bunny!Maddy seems to really like her new house. She especially appreciated the private, completely protected area behind the wood door during the rains. We don't normally get a 3-day storm like we had in Southern California the other weekend but Maddy was warm and dry, although I didn't plan ahead to place a tarp on her hutch. :(I love the wood door/ramp, because it is the perfect opening and support for our pet carrier when bringing Maddy inside the house to play or taking her to the vet. I walk with a cane, so do not feel safe carrying Maddy in my arms across the yard, in case she gets scared and jumps. Although our dogs would not hurt her on purpose, a dog's instincts are to chase small animals. I open the wood door, put the carrier in the opening, and encourage Maddy into the carrier. She hops right in, I close the carrier, close the hutch, and then we usually go into the house to play with our 3 kitty boys. Maddy is secure during this process and it's easy to block access to her from our pups. To return Maddy to her home, after our adventure, I just reverse the procedure and all is safe.I like the plastic pan, because it is light weight and easy to hose off. I may just call Prevue to order another as a backup in case this one wears out. All in all, I'd say we are very pleased with this purchase.

Three stars means "It's Okay". And it is.I bought this as an aesthetic replacement to the colored-plastic bottom cage-top options from a big pet chain; for a small mini Rex indoors. I was so disappointed with it that I returned it. I feel as though it's more of a Do-It-Yourself Starter Kit. It could be made into something very useful if you took the time to reinforce the construction, give it a coat of paint and add some flooring.The pull-out tray is great in theory but it's so shallow (about 1 inch deep) and flimsy (very thin plastic mould) that it's nearly useless. Even with an added litter box, the likelihood that messes would still find their way down the legs and onto the floor seems high. The lack of thickness also means that it moves with the weight of the animal - and I'm talking about a 3lb ball of fur, not a large lopp.Also, the wood looks and has a scent of cedar. Cedar oil is bad for bunnies. And I don't understand the green shingle material on the top. At best, it should be a separate, optional piece. As it is, it's an eyesore and distracts from the wooden body.I'm so disappointed. I bought a Ferplast plastic hutch instead. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0133LNM98?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00