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Advice please

andrea 69

New Kit
Billy is my first continental giant rabbit, i was given him for free with hutch.
I have read and heard a lot of people say these kind of rabbits are inside rabbits and it cruel to keep them out side, the women said he is used to being out side but when i go to say good night to him his ears are always so ice cold and i spend the rest of the night worrying about him. I have tried him indoor but his breathing tend to get fast and his ears feel like they are on fire so i put him outside again, i have put loads of straw and hay but i still worry about him as i have always wanted a rabbit like him but refused to go to a shop and buy one (even when they look really sad as i know another one will take its place) He is on his own at the moment so he has no friends to cuddle up to and i worry that he may become sick with cold.
So is it all right for him to be left out side or not as he is only 9 months old.
I do plan in getting another one so he wont be on his own but he has to have his jabs and be castrated first.
 
How big is the hutch? needs to be huge for him :)

My 2 buns ears feel a bit cold when i cover them up at night but they both have the bedroom bit of the hutch full off hay and have sleeping bags and tarps over their hutches. I feel the sleeping bag really makes a difference as i have never had a frozen water bottle even in the -7 weather and snow.

you could always get him a snuggle safe heat pad thing if your that worried.

hth
Paula
 
its 4.05ft in length 2.05ft in width and the hight is just under 3ft and there is no sleeping compartment . I know its small and i have looked in loads of pet shops but cant find any, when i looked on the internet all i come up with is hutches for the average rabbit :?
 
he is going to need a shed or wendy house. even 6x2x2 hutches are not big enough for him.

take a look on ebay and see if u can get him something bigger with a big run too.
 
Hi, welcome to RU!

It sounds like you're doing all you can to be a great bunny mummy, lucky boy! :D

As the others have said he will need a much bigger hutch, or preferably a shed, if he's to stay outdoors. Do you have a shed you could transform to a bunny palace? Part of the reason he's getting so cold is he has no room to move at the moment. A sleeping compartment is also a must - a cardboard box could be used as a temperary measure.

Personally, I think a giant bun would be happier inside. Do you have a spare room you could convert? He'll be very hot if you bring him inside now as he'll have his thick winter coat, and I expect your house is heated, so perhaps you could turn the radiator off in that room and even open a window for a couple of hours in the day?

Whatever you decide, please don't leave it too long before upgrading to a shed/converted room. He may well end up with health problems from being so confined otherwise.

Don't feel bad about it though - you've done a great thing taking him on like this, and I'm sure you'll transform his life! It's fantastic that you're getting him a friend when he's settled too, as buns are such sociable animals.

Keep us updated! :D
 
its 4.05ft in length 2.05ft in width and the hight is just under 3ft and there is no sleeping compartment . I know its small and i have looked in loads of pet shops but cant find any, when i looked on the internet all i come up with is hutches for the average rabbit :?

The average rabbit? A 4ft hutch is not big enough for one, let alone 2 (as rabbits are social anials and need to live in pairs). The minimum for two small rabbits is 6x2x2, and giants need shed sized accomodation- like other rabbits they need to live in pairs (neutered of course). The reason that the person probably said that it is cruel for them to live inside is that hutches are too small for giants
 
:wave: B & Q were selling a 6x4 shed for £89.99 recently aswell and to be honest you'd be pushed to get a hutch for that! If you do a search on sheds or housing you can get some idea's. A lot of people go for a dog kennel complete with run, they are a lot dearer but, handy if you want it all together no DIY. I agree with the comments about the size, there are in fact some breeds of dog smaller than that breed of rabbit and it wouldn't be acceptable to put them in a small wooden hutch. I think your one is likely to be the lucky one, you clearly want to do the best you can which is brilliant. :D
 
I agree with the above poster that he will be cold as he is unable to move around in his hutch.
Contis end up the size of a small -medium sized dog,and so space is an absolute must. If he is kept in small accommodation he will end up with muscle wastage due to his inability to move freely - my contis are over 3.5ft long when lying down, so in a 4ft hutch he has no room to move at all.

Ideally a wendy house or shed are best for him,and preferably with a partner in the future.
He will be absolutely fine living outdoors if he has a winter coat, but in the right accomodation.
If it will take time to get new accommodation maybe he would be better inside until the spring if that means he will have more room, and turn the heating down or off in the room he's in.
Working in rescue I see lots of rabbits that have suffered from living in cramped conditions, which is why I am passionate about giving a rabbit space.
Glad you have got him now, I guess the previous owner kept him in this hutch then if they gave it you with the bun?
Great to hear that you want to improve his life for him!
 
If i get a 6x4 shed make the hutch that he is in at the moment as a sleeping compartment attach it to the shed so it becomes one big hutch, he will have half of the garden as his run only during the day. Is this going to be big enough for two or should it be bigger.
 
If i get a 6x4 shed make the hutch that he is in at the moment as a sleeping compartment attach it to the shed so it becomes one big hutch, he will have half of the garden as his run only during the day. Is this going to be big enough for two or should it be bigger.

I should think that a 6x4 shed should bo ok for two. They would need a permanently attached run though.

PS: sorry I jumped on you at first, I'm sure that you are doing your best for him
 
I should think that a 6x4 shed should be ok for two. They would need a permanently attached run though.

PS: sorry I jumped on you at first, I'm sure that you are doing your best for him
Don't worry, I haven't had rabbit of over 5 years and have forgotten loads, and have never had a giant breed . The last two was Boris and sky, Sky die then a few months after her Boris went i was so up set. I have only had Billy for a couple of days and found this site the other day, every pet shop i went in to the hunches and toys are far to small just for him let alone two.
so any advice is more then welcome and if i am doing anything wrong then tell me i will not take it the wrong way as i know everyone on here just wants what is best for the rabbits.
 
:wave:

Look at this thread - theres some great shed/runs on here

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=216992&page=6

I would say put the hutch inside the shed so he has a sleeping compartment with hay but without the front on so he can hop out and roam the shed or onto the top as an extra shelf. You will also need a run attached - minimum 6 x 4 which the bun can access via a cat flap... This will ideally need to be quite large if you have a giant..

Well done for getting advice - Im sure you will do everything possible for your bunny .. He will be a very lucky bunny once he has the correct accomodation, a bunny friend and most of all a mummy that loves him..
 
thanks that looks like they love it :love:
has anyone got any pics of a home for them for in the home if you get what i mean. What i mean is if i were to have him in side would i have a cage/hutch for him as i haven't got a spare room, the kids are all for sharing until i tell them that the window will be open and the heating off so he wont get to hot.
 
I had i giant and made friends with a joiner who made me a 6ftx4ftx4ft hutch. It cost £90 and had to be hoisted over are back sheds as i live in a terraced house. A shed would be better as it's flat packed. Let us know how you get on.:D
 
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