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Do you shut your outdoor bunnies in at night?

FloLo

Alpha Buck
Hey all,

Just wondering do you shut your rabbits in at night?
For the past 3 months I have kept Flo's hutch door open so she access her run as she pleases.
Now the weather has got worse, quite rainy, shall I shut her in at night? She likes to stay out in the rain, including in her play tunnels and will sleep in them during the day. I think she does use the hutch at night, but I can't be sure.
I know if she wanted to get out the rain she would use it, but I think she might be grumpy with me if I shut her in all night!
I'd shut her in if there was a storm, but if the weather is just cold/wet do I shut her in?
Not sure what to do!
 
Mine have access to their run 24/7. I leave it up to them to go in if they want to.
 
Mine also have access 24/7, but everything is weather proofed so no bunny gets wet at all.
 
I do but thats because I can't guarantee fox proofness and we have foxes locally. I know they can come during the day but next door have a dog which I think puts them off and I have only ever seen them at night. If I knew they would be safe I would probably let them come and go into their run as they please all night :)
 
No, my pair at the moment don't have a cover on their run but they do stay in the shed if it's raining. I did shut them in the other day when it was just howling wind and driving rain because it was actually going in the shed though their run door! Cover should be here next week so will be much nicer for them :)
 
Mine have 24/7 run access via a runaround system. The hutch is fully covered up on an evening with tarpaulin and the run is covered with clear corrugated roofing. We also have some roofing/tarpaulin secured around 2 of the sides permanently and a tarpaulin for the other side in extreme weather. The end is left open as that is nearest the house and doesn't experience bad weather.
 
Mine have access 24/7, if it's really cold and wet they're usually sensible enough to go inside the hutch :)
 
Yes mine get shut in the shed at about 10 pm. Honestly don't think I could sleep if they weren't, have never see a fox in the vicinity but thats not to say they arent about. Many birds of prey here too. It's now going down to freezing most nights too. They seem quite happy with this, and run back in when it's bedtime, knowing they will get a treat. I am always up early, so they come out first thing-works for us !
 
At our last place they all had 24/7 access to their runs. We have way less space so they are all in sheds or indoors.

I will be addding runs when I can and then they will, once again, have 24/7 access. I will keep the runs as dry as poss with plastic roofing and clear tarps.
 
Mine have constant access to everything but I recently had an awful dream where one of them hurt themselves in the rain, couldn't get back in the shed and died after getting rained on all night, so I'm now debating shutting them in!
 
I close access to the run about 11pm, when I'm settling in at night, and open it up in the morning, i wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise. We have foxes around us here.
Even now i'm typing this whilst being able to see directly out of the window, so I can observe activities, or none.
I moved my Buns into a 6ft x 8ft shed from a hutch / run set-up about 2 months ago, so they have space and they are safe at night. Still, I can't allow them run access at night... it's just me, my other option is to move into the shed with them, but my OH isn't so keen on that idea x
 
Yes mine get shut in the shed at about 10 pm. Honestly don't think I could sleep if they weren't, have never see a fox in the vicinity but thats not to say they arent about. Many birds of prey here too. It's now going down to freezing most nights too. They seem quite happy with this, and run back in when it's bedtime, knowing they will get a treat. I am always up early, so they come out first thing-works for us !

Yes... this works for me too
And most importantly for my Ferni Bun... she is such a nervous little bun that a fox prowl in the night might really really :shock: her.
Bless her! We also have a lot of Buzzards and Angry Seagulls up here ( Peak District ) so they do really enjoy being 'put to bed'
with their treat and 'woken up' in the morning..they really do. It's their routine as of the last 2 months, and they are getting more relaxed and happier everyday... especially likkle Ferni Bun x
 
I don't, but I've never seen nor smelt a fox anywhere in this garden so I think it's pretty safe. We don't even get many cats! With Lopsy's current small setup, I think he needs the space more than he needs the protection, and the only way he can get a full lolloping run is using the run under his hutch. I do tend to put the cover on at night these days though, rain or not!
 
Mine have 24 hour access to their run, but it is covered with a clear tarp. I have put bubble wrap at the sides to protect them from the rain. I leave the front open during the day so that they can see out, but at night I pull the tarp right down over the front.

I hope to get them a shed after Christmas and then I might think about shutting them up at night if the weather is really bad, but I do like them to have access to as much space as I can
 
Mine have access through a catflap 24/7. The run is always uncovered - although I have some panels I can put along the sides for shelter if it's windy/rainy
 
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