Hi, We got 2 dutch rabbits yesterday and I thought I had done my research but now I seem to have more questions than answers!
We have bought this hutch:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches/hutches_runs/outback_hutches/225682
which i know is not the best set up ever but we needed to find out if rabbits were for us (and the kids) before we gave up too much of the garden and spent too much money. Here are some of my questions:
Do they need a litter tray in the hutch and the run or in one?
Do we need to shut the rabbits in the hutch at night, or can we leave them with access to the run? (We have a dog so no foxes in the garden!)
The ramp goes into the sleeping area which means that in the day time the straw all falls down the ramp into the run. Should I buy a separate shelter/igloo and put it at the other end of the hutch so the straw stays where it should be?! Also if I leave the ramp open they do not have much sleeping space so maybe an igloo would be better?!
I have put sawdust in the hutch and straw in the bedding area with hay in the hutch and the run to eat..is this ok? It all seems to be very messy!
How often should I change the sawdust and straw?..everyehere seems to be different
Thats it for now but I wikll be back with more questions soon. thanks for your help!
Hello and a big welcome to the group, you will find lots of useful information on here on a huge variety of subjects.
here are my answers to your questions :
yes the bunnies need to be shut up in the hutch at night, the reason being is because rabbits are very delicate animals and even though their hutch and run is fully enclosed it doesn't stop predators like cats coming into the garden at night and trying to pester them through the wire, rabbits can become easily stressed by this as they are a prey animal and feel fear very deeply, rabbits that become stressed can refuse to eat and can get a condition called GI Stasis where the gut stops working, a rabbits gut is always moving hence they eat for most of their day, if they stop eating because of stress they can become very ill very quickly and if not treated GI Stasis can kill a rabbit in less than 24hrs (depending on your bunny)
litter tray? it is always advisable to use a litter tray and for this size hutch a corner one would suffice, unfortunately it's not up to you where the litter tray goes as the buns will decide this for you, monitor their toileting habits for a few days and you will probably find they favour a particular corner (usually in the sleeping compartment) this is where the litter tray should go.
Cleaning? hutches need to be maintained daily, all poop removed daily as there is a serious condition caused by poop, i cannot remember the name of it but it is in this forum somewhere, whereby poop that is left developes mould spores which the rabbit breathes in, it is a serious condition and very difficult to treat, unfortunately it has a high death rate, so all poops need to be cleaned out every day at least once a day, litter trays need to be washed out daily and a suitable hutch disenfectant spray used to kill germs,usually leave the spray on for about 15mins, rinse again, dry reuse. Also poop needs to be removed daily because there is another condition which is devastating for rabbit owners called 'fly strike', where flies are attracted to the smell of dirty hutches and lay eggs on the rabbits rear end, depending on weather conditions maggots can hatch within a few hours and burrow into the rabbits skin and they basically eat the rabbit alive, this causes intense pain to the affected bunny and a rabbit can go into shock very quickly, flystrike also affects rabbits that are overweight and cant clean their bottoms properly so poop sticks to their bums, this also attracts flies, rabbits bottoms should be checked daily, in hot weather their bottoms need checking every few hours if you are home, the condition must be caught early if the rabbit is to survive.
I wouldn't bother with an igloo inside the hutch as there isn't room the rabbits may not use it, but you can put that sort of thing in the run for the rabbits to use as a toy. but looking at the size of the run and you have 2 rabbits try not to clutter the run up too much otherwise the rabbits will not have enough room to move.
sawdust?? putting staw in the bedding section is ok as it adds warmth but also put hay on top of the straw as rabbits need plenty of hay and will often eat the hay in their bed section whilst sitting comfortably, i use only a small amount of straw as i use it just as an insulator, rabbits will eat the straw but it has no nutritional benefit to them, i always put a lot of hay on the top. you dont need sawdust on the floor of the larger compartment, firstly sawdust/shavings is not good for rabbits as it can cause a respiratory illness called snuffles as the fine particles get into their lungs, that part of your hutch is plastic lined so you dont need to use sawdust or shavings at all, this is where their feeding dishes should go and no sawdust/shavings means no bits getting in their food.in my rabbits bedding compartment i change the litter tray every day and in hot weather i change it twice a day, the litter tray is the only place i use shavings for its absorbant properties then i put hay on top, the main bedding i remove all soiled bedding daily, some days i change the whole lot depending on how many wee's have been done and how dirty it is.
Hay in the hutch and run is perfect, don't worry about messy bits, the main issue is cleanliness, as long as it's clean there is no need to worry about rabbit muddles cause they will mess it up anyway no matter how nice you lay the hutch out. Hay needs to be available at all times 24 hrs a day.
please don't be upset at what i am about to write, as a newby rabbit mummy you need to know that the hutch you put the link up for is not suitable for 2 rabbits to be kept in permanently and neither is the run attached, as a temporary measure you could extend the run to make it bigger so they have more space in the daytime, this hutch doesn't meet the welfare requirements for 2 rabbits, this is a mistake many of us make when starting out as pet shops etc more often than not sell cute looking hutches that don't consider the rabbits welfare, it catches many people out when they first start, if you wish to save money then you could design your own hutch and make one cheeply, i have 2 rabbits, they have to be kept seperate as i have 2 bucks and they fight, one has a 12ft x 4ft space to play in the other has the rest of the garden, they are let out first thing in the morning and they are put back in at about 10/11pm at night, we are soon building new hutches for them and they will be getting a 7ft x 3ft hutch each which will be insulated for the winter, this size hutch is very costly to buy and usually aren't that well made, so we are building our own and insulating it all round so it's good for the winter months and it will cost us about a 1/3 of the price and last a lot longer than a shop bought one.
I hope that you will stick with the rabbits as you will soon find your knowledge improving and i hope that you will get much enjoyment from them as they are wonderful creatures and i wouldn't be without mine.
Never be afraid to ask a question in the forum as we are all here to ask advice ourselves and pass on our exp to others, you will find that you are constantly learning with rabbits i don't think it ever stops, ask as many questions that you feel you need to ask no matter how daft you might think your query sounds after all we are all bunny mad people lol
good luck xx
