Chatsworth L Hutch 6ft Wide

It is important to follow a good maintenance routine to keep your new hutch in tip top condition for its furry tenants, just as you would with your own property. Below are some tips to bear in mind to make sure you get the best from your new setup and to ensure its longevity.

 

• Choose your set up area carefully.

Your hutch should be positioned in a sheltered area where it is not over exposed to extreme elements. Despite our hutches being sturdy and well built (and in a lot of cases, very heavy), we do experience on occasion, very strong winds in the UK, especially in more remote areas. It is therefore still possible that a hutch set up could be blown over or damaged by such winds if it is not adequately sheltered. More importantly, as your furry friends will be inside, we do not want them coming to any harm due to an exposed or unsheltered set up! 

Driving rain is another issue to consider when choosing your set up. Try to ensure that the doors of the hutches are not facing an area that could expose it to driving rain that would cause your pets to be exposed to inclement weather conditions and wet hutch floors.

Please consider conditions that your set up area and pets could be exposed to through changing weather conditions, and be mindful of keeping your pets safe and your hutch setup secure in times of extreme weather conditions.

 

• Fox-proofing

Although our hutch set ups are very sturdy, and as much as we would like to be able to, we do not claim for them to be fox or other predatory animal proof. We believe that no hutch set up, can be 100% resistant to attack from other animals.

We use high quality mesh and fixings to prevent access as much as possible, alongside further upgrades to bolt locks and thicker mesh.

Please be mindful of the suitability of your set up and take steps to reduce the risk of your pets becoming susceptible to visits from unwanted visitors.

Predatory animal attacks can happen anywhere, not just rural areas. Foxes, badgers, and even other domesticated pets can be a threat. 

It is also important to remember at this point, that a predatory animal can cause great harm or even death to small animals without even needing to gain physical entry to the setup.

 

 

• Cleaning routine

It is important, not only to maintain your hutch setup, but primarily for the health and welfare of your pets that you maintain a rigorous cleaning routine for your animals. Many of you are very experienced small animal owners who will already be well aware of the requirements of this. 

From a hutch maintenance aspect we recommend a thorough clean down of the inside of your hutch once weekly involving a wiping down and disinfecting the inside of your hutch including the walls and the underside of the roof. If your hutch is positioned against a wall or fence it is also important to wipe down the back walls of the hutch due to the reduced airflow. Remember to use pet safe disinfectant.

Remove and replace any soiled or wet bedding and hay daily. Droppings should be removed regularly to avoid a build up.

During colder and damper months, hay should be replaced daily to avoid damp that could cause mould/mildew build up. During these months there is an increased risk of mould/mildew build up becoming apparent on the inside walls of your hutch set up. This maintenance routine is of particular importance to reduce the chance of this happening.

 

• Hutch covers

Many owners choose to use hutch covers to help protect the hutch from the elements and provide further shelter for their animals. If you use a cover it is important to allow both the cover and hutch to air out regularly to avoid build up of mildew and mould as a result of reduced airflow. This is of particular importance following extended periods of cold wet weather. Mould and mildew build up is exacerbated by poor air circulation. 

 

• Wear and tear

The setup should be inspected regularly to check for any areas of wear and tear or damage caused by the furry inhabitants! No hutch is completely chew proof, and therefore it is important to put in place preventative measures to try and avoid this happening, and to inspect regularly to check for areas of damage.

 

• Weather resistance

Each hutch is treated with a water based stain as standard (oil based stain is available as an upgrade option). As wood is a natural material, it is important to maintain a weatherproofing routine to prolong the life of your setup. We recommend re-treating your setup once a year with a high quality, pet friendly wood preservative. If you choose not to do this then your hutch will weather much more quickly.

We also recommend spraying the metalwork on your setup (hinges/locks) frequently with a small amount of lubricant such as WD-40 to keep them functioning smoothly and to avoid them seizing and causing damage to the doors.

 

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and is purely a set of recommendations to ensure your setup is kept in tip top condition as long as possible!

 

Please view our disclaimer page for further details on hutch maintenance and your responsibilities.

Accessories will be shipped via Royal Mail and priced dependent on weight, calculated at checkout.

All hutches (except those advertised as flat pack) are delivered FULLY ASSEMBLED personally by our team. Delivery cost will be calculated at checkout dependent on your postcode and size of order. We will advise you of our delivery date once your order is ready for dispatch.

Please ensure you have adequate access for hutch delivery as all hutches are delivered fully built. We will not be liable for refunds due to incorrect measurements of gates/entries etc.

Currently we are unable to deliver hutches further than a 2 hour drive of DE55 7JR. If your postcode is not accepted for delivery, please get in touch.

 

As our hutch and run products are made to order, these cannot be refunded unless discovered to be faulty.

Any order cancellation must be requested within 7 days of the order date. Cancellations cannot be actioned after this time as work on the order will have begun.

Any accessory purchase can be returned for a refund within 30 days of purchase (excluding food items).
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unused, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the proof of purchase.

To start a return, you can contact us at mail@rabbithutches.net. If your return is accepted, we’ll send you instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted. Returns will be made at your own cost.

You can always contact us for any return question at mail@rabbithutches.net.

Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right. Hutch orders will require a signature on delivery/inspection for completion of the order.

Exceptions / non-returnable items
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food or treats), custom products (such as special orders or personalised items). Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards.

Refunds
We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.

 

Hutch Maintenance

Please visit our pages dedicated to hutch maintenance and disclaimer regarding hutch use for full details. 

How can I place an order?

You can place an order directly on the website for one of our ready designed hutches or runs. 

Do you do custom builds?

No. Currently we do not offer a custom build option.

Is there a waiting time for hutches and runs?

Yes. As all items are made to order and delivered personally by us, there is a waiting time associated with this. This waiting time is dependent upon current workload and planned delivery runs. It can be between 1 and 10 weeks. Please get in touch to find out current waiting times if you are needing your item ASAP.

Can I make changes to a 'ready designed' hutch?

Yes. We have a number of available upgrades for each hutch dependent upon size and/or design. These are 

• Oil Based Stain (upgraded from water based)
• Thicker wire (upgrade on the standard wire)
• Litter boards (please note, these are not removable litter trays)

For more information on our upgrades, please visit our dedicated page.

How can I pay? Do you have payment options?

Yes, we have many options available for payment. You can pay directly on the website via most major credit & debit cards, PayPal, ShopPay, Google Pay or Apple Pay. We also offer a payment upon delivery option where you can pay a small deposit to secure your order and then pay the remaining on the day of delivery.

How do you make delivery of my items?

For all small accessories and gifts we ship via Royal Mail. Cost is dependent on order weight and will be calculated at checkout. 

All flatpack items will be shipped via courier at a flat rate.

All other hutches are delivered ready built personally by our team. Delivery cost will be dependent upon your postcode and total amount of items in your order due to space taken up on the delivery van and distances involved.

Delivery charges will automatically be calculated at checkout.

If you would prefer to collect your order yourself, or arranged your own courier, this option can be selected at checkout. Please await confirmation that your order is ready to collect before attempting to visit the workshop as we are not always available if we are out on delivery runs for example. If you are arranging your own courier - please leave a note at checkout so we are aware.

Can I discuss my order with anyone?

Yes. We try our best to be available to our customers as much as possible. The quickest way to ensure a response is via email as all of our team have access to this. If your query is for a specific member of the team, we can make sure it is directed accordingly. 

You can also reach us on the website messenger (please leave an email address in case we are not online at the time of your query) or via email at mail@rabbithutches.net. Please note, we are not always able to answer calls outside of working hours or if we are out on delivery runs.

How do I maintain my hutch/run?

Please see our page dedicated to hutch maintenance for details.

Do you have a Facebook page?

Yes we do. We keep this updated regularly with new items, news, promotions etc. Please visit us here and be sure to 'like' the page to see our updates.

Do you have a newsletter?

Yes. We have a sign up option at the bottom of each page on the website. We send these out with new arrivals, news etc as and when they happen.

I have questions not answered here.

Please get in touch, we will do our best to help where we can!