Views sought on plastic/vinyl garden sheds for bunnies

We have had a query from a member regarding sheds made from synthetic materials rather than wood. This pertains to the UK which has a fairly equitable climate and very few predators, and where most rabbits live outdoors

Points made are as follows

Pro

Less temptation to chew
Easy to clean (especially floor)
Won’t rot, so less maintenance

Con

Ventilation may be less..windows tend to be smaller
Worries about cutting a hatch into the wall so as to attach to a run..will that weaken the structure?
Insulation in both heat and cold – is plastic/vinyl any better or worse than wood in this regard?
Stability in high winds – is it any more or less likely to be blown away if there is an exceptionally strong wind and is pegging-down easy?

Several possible models are available and our member is keen to know of anybody’s experiences with synthetic sheds or any helful observations that could be made. Since RWAF committee only has experience of them for hens (great for denying a home to red mite!), we wanted to ask a wider rabbit owning public for any information.

I'm not going to be much help but I know plastic sheds can get very hot, although that might not be such a problem if they were in the shade.

i would be worried about the heat factor, even in the shade on a hot day i would imagine it being very warm in there.
also how durable in high winds?

This is not regarding rabbits, but my chickens have a plastic shed as a coop so I can answer a few things.
(they have this one if anyone's wondering: http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garde..._sheds/Blooma-6-4-Brown-Plastic-Shed-11987600)

It does get hot in there when the sun is beating on it, it's not a problem for chickens as they're outside all day and are only in there when it's dark, but for rabbits I would say it definitely needs to be in shade all the time.
Referring to the one I have, we turned the panel with the window in upside down and made it into a pop hole which is open all the time, and it also has two vents, but when the sun is out (not even on a particularly hot day) it does get really warm and stuffy in there.

I find the plastic shed does get colder in the winter and hotter in summer compared to the wooden shed we had. It's not such a problem for chickens in winter but for rabbits you could try wrapping carpet around the outside to keep the warmth in. Or add a bale of hay or something inside to keep it warmer. In summer I would definitely say they need to have access to a run all the time and LOTS of ventilation in the plastic shed. Right now we're having to let the chickens out at 5-5:30am as the shed starts warming up around then, so unless you're willing to let the bunnies out very early I'd say they need a very sturdy bunny/predator proof run attached to the shed with 24 hour access.

Our shed has a bale of straw and a chest of plastic drawers so it's weighted down, but when we had really really high winds in December it did move a about a meter across the garden (Poor chickens!) so if you're thinking of a plastic playhouse or something light weight it will definitely need pegging down or attaching to a sturdy run.

This looks like quite an old thread

AnnieElms said:

This looks like quite an old thread

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Oh yes, I didn't even notice :lol:

Lillypad said:

Oh yes, I didn't even notice :lol:

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me either
In my defence, it got bumped by a spam post!