Wanting to start raising rabbits for food.

RayRay

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I figured with y'all's experience with outside underground enclosures y'all could help.

I want to make it underground so that way the heat doesn't kill the rabbits they can't survive above ground here in the summer. It needs to be fire ant proof and last for years.

I saw a think online about it but figured id have y'all chip in.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I have NO idea.
But you're right about the heat thing. My wifes rabbit used to sit right up against a 2 liter bottle of frozen water on hot days until I rigged up a fan with a little mist for him.
How about just building in a very shady area or in a well ventilated area that you can keep air moving in?
Is it for personal consumption? Or will you be looking to sell them? It's likely best to see if there is a real market for them before you spend too much time and money.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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I think it's probably about as hot here as it is in Texas and people keep rabbits in above ground hutches and pens in the shade as both pets and food animals with no problems. They still reproduce quite happily, too when given the chance.
 

RayRay

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We have had rabbits before and they have died in above ground hutches with frozen two litter bottles.

Me and my dad have read up on it and there was a group who was trying to help under developed places get enough protein and they came up with keeping the rabbits underground with a cage they can go above ground to eat drink and poop so that their burrow stays cleaner.

They just use what ever is cheapest, but I was wondering what y'all use for tortoises underground enclosers. I've seen one or two on here before.
 

Tom

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I make my tortoise houses out of wood. Seems to me in your climate, and for a rabbit, a simple buried dogloo would work well. If you sealed the top of the igloo to the floor, it would keep fire ants out. I make rain covers to go over the entrance burrow, and point the entrance slightly down hill.

My last outdoor rabbit here dug his own burrow and did quite well that way. Survived our 110+ summer days with no ice bottles or external cooling of any kind.
 

tortdad

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BBQ rabbit is quite good :)

My ex wife was feeding one that was living under my shed. Well one day I had repaired a BB gun and used that rabbit to make sure I had sighted everything in correctly. The BB gun worked flawless and that rabbit tasted delicious ;)
 

Tom

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BBQ rabbit is quite good :)

My ex wife was feeding one that was living under my shed. Well one day I had repaired a BB gun and used that rabbit to make sure I had sighted everything in correctly. The BB gun worked flawless and that rabbit tasted delicious ;)

I see. Hence the "ex" part...
 

RayRay

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I make my tortoise houses out of wood. Seems to me in your climate, and for a rabbit, a simple buried dogloo would work well. If you sealed the top of the igloo to the floor, it would keep fire ants out. I make rain covers to go over the entrance burrow, and point the entrance slightly down hill.

My last outdoor rabbit here dug his own burrow and did quite well that way. Survived our 110+ summer days with no ice bottles or external cooling of any kind.

Thanks I'll look into that :)
 

RayRay

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I have NO idea.
But you're right about the heat thing. My wifes rabbit used to sit right up against a 2 liter bottle of frozen water on hot days until I rigged up a fan with a little mist for him.
How about just building in a very shady area or in a well ventilated area that you can keep air moving in?
Is it for personal consumption? Or will you be looking to sell them? It's likely best to see if there is a real market for them before you spend too much time and money.

It's for personal comsuption.
 

Jacqui

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BBQ rabbit is quite good :)

My ex wife was feeding one that was living under my shed. Well one day I had repaired a BB gun and used that rabbit to make sure I had sighted everything in correctly. The BB gun worked flawless and that rabbit tasted delicious ;)

:( cold. I love rabbit, but to kill somebody else's pet. :(
 

mike taylor

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It was wild . It lived under a tool shed . I would have killed it to . My boys had rabbits for ffa. We made a metal tray under the cages to funnel all the poo outside . Installed a small a.c. unit in the shed set to 78 . All was good . We had anywhere from 30 to 40 of them . Boy do they make a great stew .
 

mike taylor

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That's nothing new Kevin. Tell us something we didn't know . Rabbit killer ! Haha
 

mike taylor

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I seen Ken's post last week Kevin ,so I did know that . But only because Ken posted the blue whale thing last week . What I don't know is how they timed that fart to put a horse in it .
 
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