hutch

Everyday

1. A hutch is a wooden box or cage with a wire front, where pet rabbits, guinea pigs or other small animals are kept. tree →
2. In American English, a hutch is also a cupboard with open shelves on top, for dishes. tree →

In the lessons

In pet-care lessons, a hutch must be big enough for the animal to hop, stretch and stand up, kept clean and dry, sheltered from rain, wind and hot sun, with fresh water, hay and bedding; rabbits also need a run to exercise and a friend of their kind. Phrases: «rabbit hutch», «clean out the hutch».

Examples

• Our rabbit lives in a hutch in the garden. tree →
• I clean out the hutch every Saturday. tree →
• Put fresh hay in the guinea pig's hutch. tree →
• The hutch needs to be out of the hot sun. tree →
• A small hutch is not enough; rabbits need room to run. tree →
• We moved the hutch into the shed in winter. tree →
• Grandma keeps her best plates in the kitchen hutch. tree →
• The rabbit hopped out of its hutch and into the run. tree →
• She never slapped her hippopotamus when it broke her dolls in its playful gambols, and she never forgot to feed her rhinoceroses in their little hutch in the backyard. tree →

Note

Plural hutches. A hutch is for small animals; a kennel is for dogs; a coop is for hens; a stable is for horses. Do not confuse with «hatch» or «hunch».