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Can I see your winter hutches?

SOAD

Wise Old Thumper
As the title says really?

I have altered how I do my hutches as we are having them all tarted up and redone. Ordinarily mine are filled (and I mean really filled) with hay and straw.. but I have plain floor in them now, with a tray with hay and separate litter tray, they have their toys upstairs on floor rather than filled with bedding up top and all toys downstairs.

The buns seem to like it too, I am working around all the hutches so only one is like that at the moment, but omg took me two seconds last night to sort out, empty trays into bin, dustpan out, bit of disinfectant and clothed over. It was so quick it will enable me to clean the hutches out every night (rather than the twice a week clean I am doing at the moment which normal takes Andy and I between us about three hours.

Anywayyyy, this is great for summer, but need winter plans. They already have old quilts over the front at night in winter, but thinking of perhaps just filling bedbox with straw rather than entire hutch, what do you all do for winter hutch warmth?
 
Nothing really :oops: I give them all extra hay and wrap the hutch up with bubble wrap but any form of warmth anyone else here would use, (straw filled areas, hay filled areas etc) get dug all over the place, weed on and/or kicked out into the run.

The shed pair have an insulated shed now and tend to snuggle, they've always been fine and ignored the heat pad. Charley who is in the hutch/run on her own tends to sprawl out in the main hutch area or run so she has a heat pad under a blanket/towel which she likes and this year she will have a run shelter with a litter tray and hay but no doubt she will sit on top of it :lol:
 
Nothing really :oops: I give them all extra hay and wrap the hutch up with bubble wrap but any form of warmth anyone else here would use, (straw filled areas, hay filled areas etc) get dug all over the place, weed on and/or kicked out into the run.

The shed pair have an insulated shed now and tend to snuggle, they've always been fine and ignored the heat pad. Charley who is in the hutch/run on her own tends to sprawl out in the main hutch area or run so she has a heat pad under a blanket/towel which she likes and this year she will have a run shelter with a litter tray and hay but no doubt she will sit on top of it :lol:

Thanks for the reply, my sheds are insulated, and the hutches do have extra insulation on top, I've always rammed their entire hutch with hay and straw too, but trying to move away from that. I just googled this and found this http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/insulating-rabbit-hutch.asp (who knew about Tamsins other sire, I didn't :oops::lol:), I might try doing this in the bed box...although I have a feeling they would pee all over the cardboard and it would be do good after 24hours or just destroy it :roll::lol:
 
I put mine in the shed in the hutch and cover with picnic blanket as got a water proof backing they also have there rainproof cover on so they dont get drafts but i put them out durning the day every day i can into a run with a hutch in and cover that with a see through turp like market people buy as lets in the day light .. hope this helps :)
 
Thanks for the reply, my sheds are insulated, and the hutches do have extra insulation on top, I've always rammed their entire hutch with hay and straw too, but trying to move away from that. I just googled this and found this http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/insulating-rabbit-hutch.asp (who knew about Tamsins other sire, I didn't :oops::lol:), I might try doing this in the bed box...although I have a feeling they would pee all over the cardboard and it would be do good after 24hours or just destroy it :roll::lol:

Before Charley had the 6ft hutch and run she was in a 4ft double for a bit and I did something like that, I put the litter tray on top of it and it actually worked really well and lasted for quite a while. It was a cat litter tray at the time so pretty amazing that the box didn't get weed on :lol:
I used newspaper between the box and hutch, no idea if it worked but she spent a lot of time in there!
 
I put mine in the shed in the hutch and cover with picnic blanket as got a water proof backing they also have there rainproof cover on so they dont get drafts but i put them out durning the day every day i can into a run with a hutch in and cover that with a see through turp like market people buy as lets in the day light .. hope this helps :)

Awww thank you! mine already have sheeting down the front too, I do that to act as a wind cheat and winter they have their quilt, I run a rescue so have a few bunnies so couldn't move them into a shed without compromising their space :(
 
Before Charley had the 6ft hutch and run she was in a 4ft double for a bit and I did something like that, I put the litter tray on top of it and it actually worked really well and lasted for quite a while. It was a cat litter tray at the time so pretty amazing that the box didn't get weed on :lol:
I used newspaper between the box and hutch, no idea if it worked but she spent a lot of time in there!

Yes seems a good plan, I need to collect some boxes :lol:
 
I did something similar with cardboard boxes & just whacked a litter tray on top with hay in to keep the bottom dry-ish. I use old horse rugs over the outside hutches as they are a bit waterproof.:D I have heat pads but only use when it's really really cold.
 
I just put extra straw in the bedding area and leave the open bit still empty just with lino on the floor. My hutches are outdoors too.
I put a layer of polystyrene and I have some thin flexible silver insulation stuff from b&q that I wrap around the top, back and sides and then a tarpaulin on top to keep it dry. I have a glass clear tarpaulin that I pull down over the front during the night or I can leave during the day if it's extra cold.

In the summer it all comes off and I reduce the straw in the bedding area!
 
Thanks guys, I have plenty of time to have a bit of a play around and get them nice and warm before the bad weather :D. Never thought of using horse runs, bet they keep the heat in.
 
We don't tend to do much with the hutch but we do bang perspex across the front of the aviary as it's this bit that seems to get the wind.
 
My garden is quite sheltered so thankfully not too much of an issue. I am worried the buns will be cold though
 
I need to block off all the gaps in the shed (due to an uneven base :censored:) so that no draughts come in during the cold months.

Horse blankets do sound a good plan I must say.
 
Last winter I gave my quad a lovely snug plastic kennel within there big dog kennel, went out there one night to check on then it was like -3! and they have tipped over the plastic kennel and were sat on top of it :roll:

Now I only have 2 outdoors, who I hope to be bonded, and i'll do the same a smaller plastic kennel, I dout they will use it! but it's there if they do
 
I'm always so worried every winter, I think I overthink it though but I just put in extra hay/straw in their litter trays and use heat pads. If I can get a cardboard box I fill that to the brim with straw too for extra insulation - all the bunnies love them!

I also double up on the tarpaulin over the shed/hutches to protect against the rain/frost :wave:
 
I don't think you need to stuff the whole hutch as long as they have the option of a warm area if they want (odds are they'll spend most of the time playing in the run anyway :roll:). Straw is a better insulator than hay so adding that to the bed in winter helps.

The cardboard boxes are an easy (and cheep) way to create a double wall - like a cavity wall in a house) but you can do it more permanently like people with sheds do by lining the walls between the batons with polystyrene and then boarding over with plywood. Insulation on the outside like blankets etc. works too - just leave some vent gaps :)

The other thing for winter outside is to add a sitting area up off the concrete/paving. Just something like a wooden chopping board or low table - it's much warmer to sit on than the paving.
 
Mine are in a shed and run so I stuff straw in the bottom of their wooden castle in the shed and put extra hay in litter trays. Give them snugglesafes as well, and I tend to put clear tarpaulin round the sides of the run to stop the cold wind.
 
Thanks guys, I have such big ideas as to how I want it all to look in the end, I do want some sort of fixed structure tubing which would get them off the floor too. I am very excited about giving all he hutches a spring clean, it will be nice for the buns :D
 
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