please help - bunnies not going in the dry in bad weather

Hi,

We are pretty new to keeping bunnies; we have 2 brothers who live quite happily together in a hutch outside. We only got them 6 months ago so this is our first winter with them and I'm hoping to get a bit of advice with the awful weather!

We got the bunnies at 8 months old and they live in a hutch that is like a chicken coop - a raised indoor part where they can sleep and their food is, a large open bit downstairs where they can run around (we have added a run so they have permanent running area whilst we are at work). We let them out for a run of the whole garden every evening and over weekends. The hutch sits on the grass so they always have grass to eat.

They are rescue bunnies and before we got them they weren't treated very well so they are pretty nervous and we can't really handle them (they will come up to us and we can stroke them if they are in the mood, but we can't really approach them without them getting nervous and we can't pick them up as they go crazy and we worry they will hurt themselves)

We have noticed that the bunnies do not sleep in their dry upstairs area, but on the grass downstairs even if it is cold and raining. When we first got them we locked them in the dry raised bit overnight as we were worried about foxes etc. but they sounded like they were getting distressed being shut away so we stopped doing that (their run/hutch is secure so we are no longer worried about foxes, so overnight they can be down on the grass) They would scratch and jump around and we didn't want them to hurt themselves.

Last night it was absolutely pouring with rain and was bitterly cold. We went out to check on them and they were both sat on the wet grass, and because the wind was blowing sideways they were getting wet. We tried to encourage them to go up into the dry area but because we can't get hold of them we had no luck. We were so worried about them getting a chill but they seemed fine this morning.

Does this sound normal? For a bunny to rather be out in atrocious weather than in a dry warm area? The other problem is that they completely destroy their sleeping area. We try and make it cosy and warm by stuffing in towels and straw but they pull it all out and create havoc so they don't end up with a warm place to sleep even if they wanted to!

Any advice would be really appreciated as we are worried they don't really know what's good for themselves! Unfortunately we don't have room to bring them indoors or to devote shed space to them.

Thanks very much for any advice,
Jo

I'm sorry I can't really help other than their behaviour may be due to how they were handled/kept in the past. Can you make their outdoor bit more weatherproof which in turn will make it a bit warmer?

One of my bunnies who is a huge ball of fluff will sit on a balcony at which the temperature is always the same os the outside temperature, even when it is - 25 degrees, but I would be very weary of the combination of rain and cold, and if wind is added to the equation, it gets very dangerous for them.

Without seeing your set-up it's a bit difficult to suggest specific things, but an immediate priority should be to shield them from rain and wind. Provded they have their winter coats, they are normally fine in the cold, but wetness and wind are very bad for rabbits, particularly in combination.

Hi, I have a similar type of hutch and also have a run attached. To try and give them more shelter I modified it by making a front cover and nailing wood on the back and sides.

The back



Front and side, the shutter goes over at night.

I'm glad you asked this as I was going to ask people if it's normal for a rabbit to sit in the rain. My youngest will just sit in the middle of the lawn in the rain and I'm not sure why :shock: I have to shoo him on. Is this normal? Why would he choose to do this?

Sorry - I am no help but agree that maybe some sort of wind break would be good. I will add that my oldest bunny ALWAYS pulls out all the hay and straw from his bedroom then just sleep in there without anything!!

Thanks so much for the help everyone, we have got some tarpaulin and wood to put around the hutch so we'll get on that tonight

On a related note, seeing as the grass will be getting wet even with a cover around the hutch and they seem intent on sitting out on it, should we look to move the hutch on to the concrete over winter? We were worried about doing it as they have gotten used to having grass all day, but maybe it would be best for now?
Thanks again everyone

joblanc1 said:

On a related note, seeing as the grass will be getting wet even with a cover around the hutch and they seem intent on sitting out on it, should we look to move the hutch on to the concrete over winter? We were worried about doing it as they have gotten used to having grass all day, but maybe it would be best for now?
Thanks again everyone

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I would. It will be drier underfoot for them as the grass will turn to mud. There is also the risk that they can dig out or a predator can dig in so night time accomodation should be on concrete. Hope they are drier tonight!

Wonder if this would help?

Hello, first time on here & new to keeping bunnies. I had rabbits as a child but we really didn't know enough in the 70s did we, thank goodness ours had a big run! Anyway here I am 40 years later with another! (totally unplanned is not the word but that's another story :-S) so I have read loads recently. The regulars on here will know much more than me but one thing I read recently was that some bunnies will not go in a sheltered part of the hutch unless there are 2 entrances, ie an escape route. If they've been badly treated in the past, they may feel cornered or claustrophobic. Glad they've been rescued. It may be worth trying that? I know when I rescued my new bunny friend, he was sleeping in the draughty part of a tiny, nightmare hutch. When I hastily made his first hidey den for indoors I put 2 holes in a box & he went in it no problem.

Ozbun, that's a very good point. Also bunnies like different types of shelter, so although the might not want to retreat to the enclosed bed area they may shelter under something more like a small table or stall so they can see out but the rain is kept off. Even tunnels can work well as they are quite enclosed.

It's normal for buns to sit out in the rain, their coat is warm and fairly water proof. I'd maybe add some plastic to keep the worst of the rain off.

Tamsin said:

Ozbun, that's a very good point. Also bunnies like different types of shelter, so although the might not want to retreat to the enclosed bed area they may shelter under something more like a small table or stall so they can see out but the rain is kept off. Even tunnels can work well as they are quite enclosed.

It's normal for buns to sit out in the rain, their coat is warm and fairly water proof. I'd maybe add some plastic to keep the worst of the rain off.

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I'm glad you said that as I was worried as to why one of my bunnies seems to like it! I try and towel dry him a bit afterwards but it's tricky!

Next time you spot your bun looking a bit soggy, try pushing your fingers backwards into their fur. At the base next to the skin the undercoat should be dry and warm. It's the top coat that gets soggy. It works like a fleece under a rain coat. If you blow into the fur of a dry rabbit, often you'll see a different colour - that's the fussy undercoat.