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Outdoor Rabbits - Paranoia

Beapig

Mama Doe
I know that this has been discussed quite a lot recently on RU with the sudden drastic change in weather, but I'm a very paranoid bunny mother about whether my two babies are warm enough outside.

Where I am in Wales the snow didn't settle like a lot of other places in the UK, but it was still very cold and wet. Yesterday morning I found Beatrice drenched in the run, clearly she didn't have the common sense to take herself inside to snuggle up on the dry hay.

For those of you who haven't seen our setup, this is what it looks like:

20171025_160316 by Rachel Brown, on Flickr

(Bear in mind this was a couple of months ago, the run is now mostly mud :roll::cry: )

The hutch is very dry and sheltered because the greenhouse run has perspex on the roof and a couple of panels on each side too. That's all it is though, just a hutch, no fancy insulation or anything. Last night I stuffed it with extra hay and was extra especially paranoid because snow had been falling all day. I ended up waking up at 4.00 in the morning to loud winds shaking the windows, I was outside before I knew what I was doing to check if they were okay and they seemed perfectly fine in there.

Next summer, my OH and I are planning on extending the greenhouse backwards, as there's a good 4ft behind it, so that there's more of a shed rather than the hutch.

I'm just wondering if what they have for now is enough? I'm making sure they're topped up with hay and straw every night, but in the morning I always find it pushed out of the way with them lying on the cold lino :roll:

Also, Beatrice doesn't use the upstairs most sheltered part as a bedroom anymore, because despite my best efforts, Ham insists that it's his second toilet now. She rarely even goes upstairs anymore.

I keep day dreaming about bringing them in, but it is 100% impractical. We're in the middle of renovating and my OH and I are both work from home artists, so our house has a lot of dangerous equipment and tools all over the place.

I just want to make sure that both of my bunnies are safe and happy!
 
If it were me I would make sure they were inside the hutch overnight with plenty of bedding. Although you can buy a cover for the hutch(I have quite a few) if you didn't want to do that you could cover the front of the hutch with tarpaulin or plastic to keep out some of the cold air. Had Beatrice dried out by today - I was thinking about her and wondered if she had always been an indoor rabbit she wouldn't have learned to shelter in bad weather. All mine either stay in the shed etc or shelter if it is raining, even Harley and he was an indoor bunny. With more cover around the hutch and lots of bedding inside then they should be ok I've gone OTT today with the hay but it is necessary.
 
Awww bless her! How had she got drenched, is the water coming in sideways with the wind? I would suggest a couple of things you could do - get some kind of smaller hide/s or hutches to put in the run area and stuff those with straw and hay, if they have decided that they don't like the upstairs or want to use it as a toilet, it gives another snuggly area for them to go. Also, you can buy large clear tarpaulin sheets or similar and could attach these to the sides of the run over winter to try and minimise the amount of driving rain that gets in and also the wind chill. I think I got a couple of 6*8 ones from eBay for about £30 each. It's a lovely size run and I bet they love it, so if you can try and keep it a bit drier and make some more cosy places, that may just make it a little nicer for them over winter too :)
 
I would agree with tonibun and would make sure they are in the hutch at night. Whilst it is important for them to have space, if it's a choice between increased space or being warm and dry I would choose the latter.
 
You really need to insulate that hutch. It is only thin cheap wood and not at all warm. Buy some of the foil bubblewrap and staple it all over the outside, a couple of layers preferably and then put a layer of tarp over it if you can't make or buy a proper cover.

And tonight bring them inside. Please note I usually tell people not to do that but the cold will be extreme tonight and that set up is not good enough.
 
You really need to insulate that hutch. It is only thin cheap wood and not at all warm. Buy some of the foil bubblewrap and staple it all over the outside, a couple of layers preferably and then put a layer of tarp over it if you can't make or buy a proper cover.

And tonight bring them inside. Please note I usually tell people not to do that but the cold will be extreme tonight and that set up is not good enough.

Thank you very much for the advice everyone. Doorkeeper, my bunnies were out overnight with lots of hay and straw in their run and today they are bright and perky as usual. We had a hevy frost overnight but they seem completely okay, eating normally and running around a lot today. I care wholeheartedly about their wellbeing and have been piling up the hutch with blankets, hay and straw to make sure that they stay warm.

Bringing them in really isn't an option because my house is being renovated, we have a half laid floor and dust/machines/tools all over the place. The last time we brought them in when Ham was last ill (slow gut), he recovered in a few hours and then spent the rest of the day/night being loud and destructive. I'm no rabbit expert but he gets very irritable inside, he stomps his foot a lot and goes from being chilled out to harrassing Beatrice to the point that she's climbing the walls trying to escape.

I saved my boy a few months ago from a very bad situation, he was in a tiny hutch with no hay whatsoever, with no space in run in at all and no companion. My OH and I persuaded the previous owner to hand him over to us and we've since been spending every minute we're not at work or trying to make our house liveable in making his life as comfortable as possible - building the 8 x 10 run from scratch and purchasing the 6ft long 2 tier hutch.

Sorry to come across as defensive, but I really am doing my best for them and I don't think their setup is not good enough :/
 
It's a lovely set up, Beapig and your rabbits are very lucky. Sure, there's things you can do to make it cosier (and hopefully ease your worries) but you are doing a great job. I'm sure I read that it's good for them to be able to run around to keep warm when it's cold and they do have the option to go inside if they want to.

Anyhow, I found a few links that might be useful x

http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/rabbitwinter.asp
http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/insulating-rabbit-hutch.asp
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...dD5MQFghxMAw&usg=AOvVaw1pqs9E0NMyV6vkNXUE_OaP
 
Hello, what a beautiful run/setup, lucky bunnies! :)

Do you know if they sit in the bedroom for long periods while they use it as a toilet? Mine do tend to sleep in their litter trays, the little tinkers :lol: You could find a couple of large cardboard boxes, one smaller than the other, and make an insulated bedroom/toilet that way by stuffing straw between the 2 boxes and then more between them and the hutch, then cut out the hole for the access where the doorway is. To stop it getting wet from wee you could use a cat litter tray that fits the inside space, line with newspaper and stuff more hay/straw on top, making sure you change it regularly etc.. for a very cosy insulated bedroom/toilet area.

More suggestions could be a blanket or duvet draped over the hutch with an old shower curtain covering it for temporary option for this winter (before you make the extension changes next season :)

My friend found loads of used insulation panels (the silver ones with the dense foam inside) in a skip and she has simply propped them up around her hutch and then laid one across its flat roof and they really make a difference (one across the roof of the run in summer was fantastic for creating cool shade underneath too, the difference was amazing :D)

Best of luck x
 
It's a lovely set up, Beapig and your rabbits are very lucky. Sure, there's things you can do to make it cosier (and hopefully ease your worries) but you are doing a great job. I'm sure I read that it's good for them to be able to run around to keep warm when it's cold and they do have the option to go inside if they want to.

Anyhow, I found a few links that might be useful x

http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/rabbitwinter.asp
http://www.therabbithouse.com/outdoor/insulating-rabbit-hutch.asp
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...dD5MQFghxMAw&usg=AOvVaw1pqs9E0NMyV6vkNXUE_OaP

Sorry cross posted, those were the exact links I’d read up after joining :-D Thank you I’ll read them again x
 
It is a great set up, and I don't think you should worry too much. Rabbits are outside animals in the wild and there are lots of postings on this thread from people whose rabbits have lovely warm sets ups too and the bunnies still sit outside at night. There's some great suggestions on here about extra boxes lining the hutch, tarpaulin and extra hideaways in the run and I think those should help ease your mind. Your buns have plenty of space to keep warm in. Ive just moved my pair into the shed, in their hutch, but they still sit in the run at night sometimes (they have constant access) and they've all grown thick fur. Before I had a shed set up, I had hutches and just put tarpaulin over it at night and 2 of my bunnies will be 7 next year. I don't think the comment about your set up was meant to be unkind, I think everyone is just trying to make suggestions. We all worry about our lovely bunnies, I considered moving a radiator into the shed, but decided I was being over protective..
 
Thank you very much everyone. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the many fantastic suggestions and kind words. We've already made one improvement to the hutch, hoping to get more done on the weekend! :)
 
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