Is it okay to keep rabbits outdoors? Bedding

I'm getting a bonded pair of mini lops very soon. We're going to be keeping them outside because there is less mess and we will interact with them more than if they were in the spare bedroom. The hutch is a two floor, 6x4 feet on each floor, with a smaller loft at the top. A 10 foot run will be attached. Do you think this is okay for two small rabbits? Will they be okay outside? Their hutch will be filled with bedding, and hay in the winter. Will this be okay? And, what type of sage bedding is good for rabbits? I was thinking wood chips but they apparently aren't good if they eat them. Or are some kinds okay? i NEED bedding that will keep them warm, and make the floor soft.


Are aspen shavings okay?

Oh, and if it gets too cold they will come inside.

What sort of temperatures do you get?

That sounds like plenty of space The important thing with keeping warm is good insulation of the walls/roof. Then the heat your bunnies generate is kept in the hutch and keeps them warm. There are lots of ways to do that, eg you can have double walls with insulating in between or cover the whole thing with a blanket/tarp (leaving some ventilation obviously).

I would use litter trays with paper base cat litter to make cleaning easier and then you can use a mix of hay and straw for bedding.

We have it pretty mild, in the summer it's normally like 26-30 degrees, but we would put a fan and we put frozen water bottles in to cool them off, and in the winter it goes only down to like minus 5. (This is in Celsius.) The walls are double with insulation.

That's pretty similar to the weather we have They should do fine with that as it's within rabbits natural environmental range anyway.

In winter I cover most of the mesh front of the hutch, then put a layer of bubble wrap over the roof/sides and a sheet over that. When it's really cold I use a microwavable heatpad but I don't think my buns ever spend much time next to it anyway :lol:

Okay, that's good. If we get a super cold spell we'll bring them in or put heat pads in there, but we have the spring adn summer coming up.

Oh, And how should I go about cleaning this wooden hutch? Should I just take out the soiled bedding a wipe off the walls?

AriaSwan said:

Oh, And how should I go about cleaning this wooden hutch? Should I just take out the soiled bedding a wipe off the walls?

Click to expand...

I have a wooden hutch and I line the floor with newspaper, then put the bedding/ hay depending on what area of the hutch it is. I use litter trays as my two are sort of litter trained, this helps to clean out easier, and also preserves the hutch. As far as hutches go, it is best to paint/ stain it again once you get it, and make sure any small holes are filled in. Make sure you use animal friendly paint though.
When I clean mine out, I usually do the litter trays every other day, and change rest of hutch twice a week. Every now and then I leave the hutch to air when they aren't in it, and use animal friendly disinfectant. I also wash litter trays every week.
Hope this helps, but newspaper is great as you can just roll everything up in it and makes it easy to clean out.

Alot of us dont use sawdust of any kind, pine being one of the worst to use, as there has been a link to respitory probs,

Some use litter trays, some cover whole area,

Me i use newspaper and hay, If it get really really cold newspaper layer of straw then a huge amount of hay

I have two mini lops who live outside in temps pretty much like your own. They are fine and come leaping out of their house every morning as if it were a spring day!! Instead of hay on the floor - put loads of straw - loads and loads!! I sometimes find mine nestled in it on the coldest of days, admiring the view, all snuggled up!! Straw is warmer and doesnt flatten like hay will, when they hop all over it. I have it covering the run floor and hutch area. I use wood shavings in the litter tray but maybe I should change to hay. I give mine plenty of shelter inside the condo by cutting a hole in a large cardboard box - they will make another one, or two!! That's where I'll find them snuggling or sitting on top guzzling timothy hay!

Bunnies also like places to hide - they will be frightened in a large open area without something to scamper into. I have a green plastic tunnel and their cardboard boxes in their house and they really use them. They like to sit up high too so I put a little wooden bench in there too and they sit on it all the time together, snuggled up. Glad you're getting two - you will love watching them grooming and snuggling together.

Enjoy your bunnies - remember the more you invest in them timewise - the more they will give you back!! :wave:

I'm glad they will be warm enough. I'm probably going to line it with newspaper, then put straw on top.

This sounds like a lovely set up
I use lino, then newspaper and then hay.
I don't use straw as they can happily eat the hay instead (it's the biggest contributor to their diet!)

I line both my hutches with lino first, then newspaper, then hay/straw (hay bottom, straw top levels). Lino makes the hutch very easy to clean, just needs a wipe, and no wee goes through it to the wood, which in time, would rot!

Temps should be fine! We go down to about -10 up north, buns are coping fine with blankets and a hutch cover.

happysaz133 said:

I line both my hutches with lino first, then newspaper, then hay/straw (hay bottom, straw top levels). Lino makes the hutch very easy to clean, just needs a wipe, and no wee goes through it to the wood, which in time, would rot!

Temps should be fine! We go down to about -10 up north, buns are coping fine with blankets and a hutch cover.

Click to expand...

:thumb:

I've learnt the hard way that rabbit pee and wooden hutches don't mix! I line mine with those pet feeding mat things that you put under dog bowls, but lino would do just the same job. It sounds like a great setup to me!

I also line my hutches with lino, but for reference vinegar is brilliant for cleaning hutches as it neutralises the urine smell brilliantly if you don't mind the initial chip shop aroma. :lol: