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Moving from indoors to outdoors.. plus what to put in hutch

Jocelyn

Mama Doe
So I spent Saturday wrestling with some Cuprinol and a 6ft x 4ft happy hutch combo - quite surprised I managed to assemble it between me and a very small manual screwdriver!

Anyway.. There hasn't been frost down here for a while, and night time temps are averaging 8 degrees celsius.. is it ok to put them outside now? Bearing in mind they've been in a room with the heating off as I have chinchillas too and they can't cope with heat :)

Also as they are litter trained I don't want to be covering the whole of the hutch with straw/hay etc.. is it ok to just put blankets etc down on the wood or do they need something more substantial? I'm going to put their carrier in the hutch part as a shelter, as the divider thing that came with it was rubbish and I just binned it :? this has vet bed on the bottom of it too..

I've got some tarpaulin and a thick blanket to use to cover the hutch at night.. but I'm totally new to the outdoor thing.. is this going to be enough.. if not what else should I use??

Ta in advance :)
 
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If I were you I would leave it for a little while longer. The long range weather forecast is for very cold weather again next weekend. Even in May the night time temperature can still drop quite low.
 
It's difficult. I have my bunnies in the garage at mo and am wondering the same thing. I'm going to get April out of the way and then review it - unless we get a sudden heat wave!:lol:
 
I think its all about knowing your out door space and choosing the best position from there. Is it sheltered at all? Does any of it flood? go swampy etc. Where in the country do you live etc.

My set-up takes up nearly the whole of my patio but it was the best position. It gets sun only in the early morning and the sun has moved round by the time the hot mid day sun shines so thats not a problem. Its protected on 3 sides by our house and the neighbours convervatories. The setup allows 24/7 access to the run and the run has tarp put over the exposed side and roof. I made a hutch hugger with car windscreen shader's and they seem to keep it warm. Only really cold nights I use a duvet too. I have don't have sleeping quarters either as Arthur was using it as a massive loo, so instead I have a big deep cardboard box stuffed full the hay.

He has always been warm enough when I've checked on him.

I would wait till mid April though as were still able to get frost and snow at the moment.

xx
 
I think its all about knowing your out door space and choosing the best position from there. Is it sheltered at all? Does any of it flood? go swampy etc. Where in the country do you live etc.

My set-up takes up nearly the whole of my patio but it was the best position. It gets sun only in the early morning and the sun has moved round by the time the hot mid day sun shines so thats not a problem. Its protected on 3 sides by our house and the neighbours convervatories. The setup allows 24/7 access to the run and the run has tarp put over the exposed side and roof. I made a hutch hugger with car windscreen shader's and they seem to keep it warm. Only really cold nights I use a duvet too. I have don't have sleeping quarters either as Arthur was using it as a massive loo, so instead I have a big deep cardboard box stuffed full the hay.

He has always been warm enough when I've checked on him.

I would wait till mid April though as were still able to get frost and snow at the moment.

xx

Sounds similar to where I've put the hutch - it's on our patio with 3 walls surrounding it [only just fit with a foot of space for us to get pat :) and the hutch is sideways on the the exposed side. It doesn't flood at all, the drainage seems to be really good. I'm down south [Brighton] and it's not been frosty for a few weeks now.. Just quite rainy on and off! But my bunnies seem to be crazy and like the rain [I let them run in and out of the house into the garden when supervised and they like sitting in the rain :shock: always fun sitting out getting drenched for the sake of the buns :lol:]

I was thinking about getting something like the windscreen thing you wention actually - just don't know where to get one!

I guess mid april's only a couple of weeks away and I can still put them out during the day - it's just they're stuck in a dog crate with a pen attached in the living room at the mo during the day and I'm pretty sure it's driving them crazy as they were used to having run of my bedroom at my old place :( Wish I could do that again but I don't think my landlord and O/H would be very happy with everything getting chewed up [and I've already managed to leave the crate door open once :oops:]
 
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hiya jocelyn, im in the same position..fingers crossed moving house this weekendto a brand new apartment with a covered terrace... and my o/h doesnt want the buns to be house buns anymore:evil:...so they will be going in a new hutch with a run of the terrace 24/7, from all the info iv gathered..(from this forum mainly) and because mine are tidy as they have been house buns this is my plan..
hope it helps.....

newspaper..(just in case) with fitted lino off cuts from my local carpet shop on top..easy to sweep clean..

a litter tray with newpaper, a thin layer of cat litter/wood chippings and hay ontop..they will only poop on hay?my crazy buns

and fleecy bedding in their enclosed bed area

and a hay basket (from pets at home , its willow and u just fill it with hay and they eat it through the holes!

so far thats pretty much what i have in the house, i want it to be easy to clean and mess free but cosy fro the buns!

hope that gives u an idea....

i might put a heat pad in the bed area till it gets warmer and iv been leaving the kitchen window open a lot when im out so they are getting used to being a bit cooler...i have no choice next week they have to go outside! but id pick a sheltered spot and give them lots of cosy bedding whatever u happen to choose!

hope that helps hun!
 
i've just put 2 of mine outside (other two are more protected as in a shed.)

fingers crossed the buns will be fine. :D
 
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