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Keeping a run dry & wet bottom

capable

Mama Doe
I recently moved my outdoor bun William into a playhouse with attached run, (on a concrete patio) to give him more 'indoors' space. However, we've had a few days of non-stop rain, and it's proving impossible to keep the inside of the run dry. Even the lino floor of the playhouse is getting soggy, which I think might be rain blowing in through the meshed windows.

At the moment I got a heavy tarp over the run, which is helping a little, but it gathers great pools on top which eventually run down inside. It also seems to be getting wet underneath, I'm not sure if this is condensation from the wet ground, or from water running off the top and beading underneath.

So I'm looking for suggestions as to how you keep your outdoor runs dry? I've seen a few set ups with clear, corrugated plastic on top, how are those fixed? Is it effective? How about kick boards, maybe? I feel like shutters of plastic on the playhouse windows might help, but then what about ventilation?

William is starting to get rather soggy and dirty on his back legs - hocks and 'trouser' area around his bum, and I'm not sure how to go about trying to make it dry and clean again?

He's currently got his 'eating' tray lined with litter pellets which has his hay in, and an enclosed wooden box stuffed with straw. I'm going out today to buy an extra, bigger litter tray to line with straw, so he's got more absorbent places to sit, but he seems to prefer sitting up on the bare wooden shelf, next to the window :roll:

If anyone has any ideas or tips for keeping outdoor housing dry, I'd love to hear! I'm so worried about him getting sore :(
 
For the meshed windows I put clear plastic on the inside. I have done this for a few years and it works well. Not having a man around I have to do what is easiest. There is still plenty of air getting in. Keeping runs dry is not as easy but it seems like clear Perspex is the most popular and put an extra piece of wood along one side making a slope for the water to run off. Apparently you can drill holes into it.
 
We had a run around run for our boys, and we had a tarp type cover on top with some curved sections of mesh that went underneath which stopped water from pooling on the top, these were all from run around, but I'm sure you could do something similar with wood or plastic cut to shape, or even just a pipe running down the center of the roof underneath the tarp should, providing the tarp in tight enough, help the water to run off.

The main problem we experienced was that our patio is on a very slight angle, which meant that water would eventually run/seep into the run itself on the floor, I guess you could stop this by raising the run off the floor by putting it on paving slabs.

Rain blowing into the run could be a problem, however we rarely had problems with this due to our garden being very sheltered.
 
We had a run around run for our boys, and we had a tarp type cover on top with some curved sections of mesh that went underneath which stopped water from pooling on the top, these were all from run around, but I'm sure you could do something similar with wood or plastic cut to shape, or even just a pipe running down the center of the roof underneath the tarp should, providing the tarp in tight enough, help the water to run off.

The main problem we experienced was that our patio is on a very slight angle, which meant that water would eventually run/seep into the run itself on the floor, I guess you could stop this by raising the run off the floor by putting it on paving slabs.

Rain blowing into the run could be a problem, however we rarely had problems with this due to our garden being very sheltered.

good :)
hoping the 'fall' is away from the house? that's how a patio should be laid.

you could put the palyhouse on a pallet perhaps? keep it off the ground.
 
We put the original playhouse perspex windows back in over the mesh ones, just left one of the beads at the bottom so they're easy to remove and put a toggle at the top. I put newspaper down for mine when it's wet, as their feet are like sponges (especially Lopsy's) and it'll stay wet in their house for days. Soggy bottoms indeed! I have never solved the wet run problem: water runs in from wherever, then they drag it all over with their wet feet. Only half the run is tarped, the rest we need access to (hanging food etc.), plus they both get really anxious if the whole run top is covered.
 
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