Winter questions from a newbie

Hello all!

We've had two miniature Rexes for about a month now, and we've kept them in their hutch/run in the garden. The run is about four feet by three, which we were told was enough but looking at information here, probably isn't. In fact, I've got loads of ideas for how to expand in the mid-term by looking at the fantastic examples here.

But my short-term issue relates to winter. So far we've been moving the run about the lawn each day so they have fresh grass, but with the weather becoming colder we've been thinking of moving the hutch and run in to the garage. I'm reluctant to move them too early as I thought they'd prefer the fresh grass to the drier foods they'd get indoors, and I was also concerned that they needed more time out to "toughen them up", so to speak.

So, to break this down into questions:

1. If you have outdoor bunnies, do you move them inside for winter and when do you do it?

2. Or do you cover their hutch/run with a tarp etc instead?

3. And if they do go indoors, I presume training them to use a litter tray is vital?

Thanks in advance!

Hello and welcome to RU!

Yes, 4 x 3ft is a bit too small unfortunately. The recommended guidelines are 6x2ft hutch with an 8x4ft run permanently attached.

Answer number one - generally, no. I don't have outdoor rabbits myself - my bunny is indoors - but I'd only bring them in if they were ill/old, or it was absolutely freezing (like -5 or below). Or if it's a single rabbit, but I don't think they should be outside alone anyway.

Answer number two - Yes. There are plenty of threads here on winter proofing, and a lot of us have Snugglesafes, which are microwavable heat pads that hold their heat for several hours. People also insulate their hutches using carpet or bubblewrap.

Answer number three - not vital, but necessary if you don't want poos and wees everywhere :lol: however, rabbits do not cope with the change in temperature very well. Bringing them into a warm environment from a cold environment, or vice versa, isn't advised. If you want to bring your rabbits in over winter, you'd be best doing it asap before it gets even colder(next few days) and trying to reduce the temperature difference in their indoor environment as much as possible. One way to do this is to leave windows open (assuming nothing can get in/bunnies can get out) and let the room cool down by itself, with no heating on or anything. Then, once they've adjusted, you can start to bring the temperature back up slowly. If you get a thermometer and compare the temperatures, you'll be able to see how much difference there is. If there's a lot, then I would leave them outside to be honest.

Would love to see photos of your little ones!

You can pretty much move outdoor bunnies indoors at any time, but when there starts to be a big difference in temperature it's best to turn the radiator off in whatever room they're in to begin with just to lessen the temperature change. In your case the garage I assume isn't heated, so it should be fine whenever you want to. One thing to note is they do need natural light so it'd be best if the garage has a window of some sort, even if it's just one in a window.

I personally, and quite a lot of other people, don't bring them in during the winter. I would prefer to but I'm living back at home and the parents say no unfortunately. I think most people on here weatherproof somehow - there are a lot of ways to do that. Tarp is a great choice - the clear tarp is the best as it's fully waterproof. Insulating is important too. Some people insulate and then board over the inside of the hutch/run and others insulate around the outside and then cover with tarps and hutch covers etc. An important piece of weatherproofing is to cover the roof of any run from all the rain so that they can have access in all weathers, and to cover the mesh in the run to protect the inside from driving rain.

I would say the majority of people litter train if they're indoors yeah. It's a lot easier even if they're outdoors, but it can be tough to get them to litter train when they're not spayed/neutered - not sure if yours are? So if you're struggling with it at the moment it should settle after their operations. If they're not litter trained it's easy to create a small barrier around the inside or outside of their setup so that most of the mess is contained which makes it slightly easier. Lino is good too as it's so easy to sweep up and wipe up all the mess.

Do bear in mind that if the garage is heated in any way or you bring them into the house you won't be able to put the bunnies back outside until April onwards when the temperature warms up a lot. I think unless you have any specific worries about the bunnies i.e health conditions etc they should be fine outdoors with weatherproofing since they have each other - presuming of course that they've been outdoors for several months already so that they've been able to grow a winter coat.

Sorry that you were one of the many who were misled by breeders/petshops etc (not sure where you got your buns from). Almost all of us on here had the same learning curve! Some links for you when you upgrade their setup:

http://www.welfarehutches.co.uk/

http://www.boylespethousing.co.uk/

Often eBay will have a local hutch/shed/run/aviary builder near you and almost all will make a custom size run for you to suit you. The wood should be good quality timber, as thick as possible. The mesh needs to be galvanised weld mesh in 19g or thicker, with holes 1 x 1/2 inch maximum. I've never found a problem with getting people to make exactly what I want with the right mesh etc. Lots of people will have recommendations and tips for you when the time comes to upgrade

You can cut grass for them with scissors if you do move the run into the garage. Otherwise give them extra hay as they eat more of that to compensate,

Thanks very much for the replies! The garage isn't heated so it should be fine for them. After reading what everybody said, I think the run is too open for them to stay out all winter; they'll get wet and cold and it's windy up here. Moving them in is easier than doing a big DIY job on the run right now. So I might fashion a bigger sort of run in the garage, get a Snugglesafe and keep them going with cut grass and hay.

And here are Jumpy and Mr Flopsey...

Aww beautiful velvety bunnies

Oh, they beautiful :thumb:

Thanks folks! They don't normally live in a box

you'll be able to see how much difference there is. If there's a lot, then I would leave them outside to be honest.

Thanks fegopocae. There's very little temperature difference so they're going in! I have an old wardrobe broken into its constituent panels, ready to fence in a nice indoor run.