Outdoor hutch advice please

I took delivery of my first ever foster bunny today, he's gorgeous and so friendly and I hate having to leave him outside on his own! My own 2 are indoors so I'm not sure what I should have in the hutch to make sure he's warm. The hutch and run are provided by the rescue, they are not attached so I need to figure out the best set up with the equipment I have.

I bought a tarp this afternoon to cover the run, haven't put it on yet as it was too dark to do it properly by the time I got home - what's the best way to secure it? I see there are high winds forecast for tomorrow my plan was to tie it on with rope and also put a few bricks on top to keep it weighed down, will this work?

I've had a look on the outdoor housing sticky and also looked around online for tips. I would like to put lino in the hutch to make it easier to clean but I'm not sure how much I can do to the loan hutch. Can you show me how you protect the hutch from the elements on the outside and what you have inside?

I find rabbits like to sit up on a shelf if it's possible in the hutch you have got. Then they love their litter trays filled with hay. If he is litter trained the floor of the hutch won't get soiled so you could put some lino down or just clean newspaper. I have covers for my hutches which are better than tarpaulin - you might not want to go down this route of course. I don't think tarpaulin would work in the winds we have been getting lately, some people cover runs with perspex. Good luck with your foster!

There is a sort of shelf in the hutch - where the enclosed area of the hutch is, there has been a 'roof' added to that to make it a box and there's plenty space for him to hop on top. He does seem to like sitting up there! I'll try newspaper first, haven't established yet if he's litter trained but there is a litter tray in there so hopefully he's been using that - there was a little bit of pee in it last night, haven't looked in that side of the hutch yet today.

I can foresee my day being spent out in the rain and high winds trying to make him more comfortable! I don't fancy my chances of securing tarpaulin in this weather but I have to try.

Maybe a heavy piece of wood would shelter part of the run. Have fun!

I am in the process of making a run to attach to the hutch (it's been an ongoing project for a week now, my living room is a disaster zone as I've been constructing it in there!) so my foster bunnies can go between the hutch and run as they please.

I'm still not sure I have the inside of the hutch right though - where should the litter tray be? I've put it in the enclosed area but should it be in the main section of the hutch and the enclosed area used for them to sleep? My current foster seems to sleep in the main part of the hutch but maybe that's because I've put a litter tray where he should be sleeping! I am thinking of ordering a hide from small paws to sit in the hutch to give an alternate hidey hole. At the moment I have the pet carrier in there that the rescue provided but he doesnt seem to like sitting in this, he mainly sits on top which can't be too comfortable.

I've ended up spending so much money on bits and bobs to try to improve life for the fosters, the bunny I have just now is adorable and if I thought it would be possible to bond him with my own 2 I would 100% adopt him myself! They are all males though so not an easy bond :?

My 2 outdoor buns like to sit and sleep on their upstairs ledge leading into their enclosed area. Their enclosed 'bed' area has lots of hay and a soft blanket in for cosy quiet time for them to retreat to. Downstairs is their litter tray in one corner and a a set of wooden logs that bend to double up as a hidey space in the other corner. I'm sure your foster bun will make it known where he wants things to be, mine certainly move things round to make it how they want it! Good luck

I only have 1 level to work with, there is a ledge above the enclosed area which initially he liked to hop up on but I haven't seen him up there recently. He seems to prefer to sit on top of the plastic pet carrier! Ive just got an underbed storage box to replace the small litter tray I was provided with but I'm not sure that would fit well anywhere else. I had initially put the small tray in the enclosed area, it only took up half the space so I put some straw and hay in the other half and he peed on that too hence me getting the bigger tray. I'll probably just manage to get a set up for him that I'm happy with then someone will adopt him and I'll get a different bun who likes things done differently :lol: