letting rabbits outside

Hi there,

I brought my rabbits into the garage on friday because of the immanent cold weather. Although they have about half the garage to hop about in, I'm worried that its not enough space for them as they did used to run about like lunatics in their run and they can't do that so much now. As the weather isn't so bad today I've put them in the run outside but I wasn't sure how long to leave them. Its not ideal as now they can't get into the hutch if they want a rest as its in the garage. The run is and 8 foot long run connected to my daughters 8 foot tampoline which has chicken wire around it. Its on the grass and I've covered half of it with tarpualine so its fairly sheltered in places. How long should I leave them out there like that. They do usually have a sleep in the middle of the day so I'm guessing I shouldn't leave them too long (assuming I'll be able to catch them to bring them in that is!

That's the other thing. Before all I had to do was open a door and they could go out. Now I have to physically pick them up to put them in it. Its taken some time to build up one of my bunnies trust and he now lets me stroke him so I'm a bit worried that carrying him to a run every day and back again might destroy my good work.

Eventually I'd like to fit a cat flap and have a run outside the garage (this won't be on grass though) but we don't ahve the equipment or know how to do this at the moment.

So I'm rambling on now. My initial question is how long should I leave them out there really.

If they live outside normally with access to their run they don't really need to be brought into the garage because they'll have built up a winter coat to help keep them warm. You can add straw to their hutch to help keep it insulated, and cover their hutch to keep out drafts.

jemjabella said:

If they live outside normally with access to their run they don't really need to be brought into the garage because they'll have built up a winter coat to help keep them warm. You can add straw to their hutch to help keep it insulated, and cover their hutch to keep out drafts.

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I brought them in partly because I didn't feel that their hutch was really big enough for them. When it was rainy they tended to mainly be in the hutch so I thought they'd be better off indoors where I can give them more dry indoor space than just their hutch. Its not going to be as warm as bringing them into the house. It's actually a lot easier for us now they're in the garage too. The girls are much happier to spend time with them and I can switch the light on etc. So I think it'll be much better, especially once I've sorted out a cat flap so they can have some extra outdoor space too. If I'd bought a bigger hutch initially I may not have worried about it but actually it works pretty well. They have around half the garage to hop about.

They did enjoy have a run in the garden though so I'll do that when I get a chance. If its really rainy I probably won't bother. They didn't seem to mind being carried too much and they both had a good leap about/binky time etc.

I think it's a great idea for them to live in the garage, no worries about the hutch getting wet, you can sit with them no matter what the weather, win win!

Just let them in the run when the weather isn't too bad

VickyM_73 said:

It's actually a lot easier for us now they're in the garage too. The girls are much happier to spend time with them and I can switch the light on etc.

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Ahh, sounds ideal then

My shed has a cat flap, my buns let themselves in and out all day, they are only locked in at night.