Best wood for a rabbit run

[PCPaul]

I'm about to launch into making a few folding runs for small animals (rabbits/guinea pigs) which will necessarily spend a lot of time sitting on the grass.

The design I have in mind only needs a 1x1 frame, so that just about brings nice woods like oak and ash into a reasonable price range.

What's the best wood to use for this application? (possibly with some pet-safe preservative, but I'd like the wood to have some innate resistance to rotting as well).

And as well as the *best* wood to use, what's the *sensible* wood to use? I know there's probably some exotic species that wouldn't rot for 100 years, but at a ridiculous price...

[devonsteve]

Roofing batten will be the cheapest

[Doki]

A mate tells me Sitka spruce lasts well for bat boxes.

[Doki]

Should have added: bat boxes are never treated with any kind of wood preserver.

[Andy Burns]

They'll gnaw it away before it has chance to rot!

[TheOldFellow]

Cedar, white or red. Rot resistant, resinous - so probably unpalatable.

R.

[Dave Liquorice]

But if treated probably not to good for the health of occupants of the run.

Unless The OP knows he has a market for bespoke rabbit runs in oak then I'd stick to softwood. Rabbits will gnaw at the timber and it will be weakened by that before it rots...

[The Natural Philosopher]

the rabbots will rot in less than q100 years.

We used to use orange boxes got free from the grcers.

Pallets are good.

Let's face it, Nr Rabbit wont last more than 5-7 years, if you are unlucky, and if lucky will get eaten by a fox tomorrow. I wouldn't spend a penny on the bloody things. Well actually that is EXACTLY what I WOULD do. Useless bloddy pets. Nibble bibble bibble. Best stewed with sage.

[Andy Champ]

You need to build it with the wood covered in netting on the inside. It won't stop them, but it'll slow 'em down.

Andy

[Mark]

IME bunnies will eat almost anything given the oppurtunity. We used to allow the kids' rabbits inside any they managed to chew the plaster off a corner of the wall!

Use cheap wood and replace when necessary.

[Clint Sharp]

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Filleted, coated in curry powder and shallow fried. Actually, I bet Thumper tikka massala would be nice.