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How long is too long in the snow?

Furries

Furries

Warren Scout
Although my two small-medium sized bunnies are in a 6'x6' shed, with two hutches for them to go in/on top of/underneath plus several toys, they were getting cabin fever after not being out in their run since last Friday, due to the snow.

So, today I put them out in their 100 square ft run, despite there being several inches of snow in there. They loved it and tore around in the snow, chasing each other and hopefully letting off lots of pent-up energy. There's a covered part which was mostly clear of snow, so that's where I put their hay. However, I had only intended to leave them in there for an hour, but when I went to check on them, they seemed perfectly happy (in fact, my buck had decided to bury himself in the snow - he'd been digging and had made himself a little hole).

When I did finally decide to fetch them in, they'd been out nearly 3-hours. I dried their paws, but expected the rest of their body to be really wet, especially their tummy, but they weren't, they were dry.

Could I leave them out all day tomorrow, so long as I keep checking on them?
 
My two rabbits also live in a shed outdoors and we let them spend as much time as they like in the run. As long as they can get back into the shed when they want to I don't see a problem with allowing them to stay out as long as they wish.

My two have access to the run all day along with 3-4 hours in the garden. Ususally we shut them in the shed when it gets dark then between 7.30 and 9 they get out in the garden again. When everyone goes to work they go back in to the run and stay there (with access to the shed) until someone comes home in the afternoon to let them back into the garden.:D
 
kennel-thingy

Our hutch is not in the rabbit garden - they are carried to and fro at the start and end of the day if the weather is bearable. So they can't hop into the hutch if they feel like shelter. I got a nice wooden kennel-thingy from a pet shop. Not sure if it has a brand - I'll see if there's a visible label. It wasn't meant for dogs, I think, but I can't remember what it was officially for. It has short legs, a hinged lid, and a ramp up to the opening. The ramp hinges up to close the opening if needed. It wasn't expensive (less than £30 if I remember right), and we keep it filled with hay. They rarely use it, preferring to tuck themselves tight under a bush if it is chilly, or under the table if it is mild but raining.
 
Is their run entirely separate? Is there anywhere in the run that they can not only 'shelter' but actually get completely off the frozen ground if they want to? (e.g. a small hutch stuffed with hay/straw).

If they have to stay on the ground all the time, I personally wouldn't leave them out for too long as the floor will be a lot colder than they are used to and they won't have any way of getting off it. If there's a suitable shelter off the ground in there though (or if you can move one of the hutches in there temporarily), I don't see why they can't stay out for longer as long as the wind stays low and it isn't too bitter :)
 
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