Outdoor hutch owners - Lino, bedding, flooring - help please?

Hi :wave:, Giving my two new bunnies hutch an overhaul this weekend and wanted some advice please as I want to make it the best that I can .

1. I was going to line the hutch with lino/vinyl (do you think sheet roll or tiles are better?) and then put wooden batons round to stop them from digging it up!

2. Would you put anything on top of this as I don't want them to get cold but I want cleaning to be easy.

3. What would you use for bedding and how much? At current I put in tons of Timothy Hay in their sleeping compartment to keep them snug but I was hoping to toilet train them so that they don't poop in their bedding.

4. Any tips on toilet training/what to put in their litter tray etc?

5. Any tips on hutch layout? I have a double teir 5ft x 3ft hutch, top half with sleeping box (which they can jump on top of) and I also put their food & water in other top section. Then they have a ramp to the bottom half where they dig and have lots of play toys. Then a 6ft out side run (I am hoping to attach another 6ft run at some point soon) - I am not sure where to put the litter tray, food etc.

:shock: So many questions I know! But I really would appreciate all you're advice as I want the best I can give to them - I love them soooooo much

Many Thanks, Emma

I just bout some of B&Q basic floor tiles for mine. It was about 4-5 pound a pack and they cover quite a bit. Makes things a lot easier then trying to measure out the lino from a roll.

Thank You - I am making a trip down to B&Q tonight. Tiles do seem a good idea when you put it that way.

Your hutch set up sounds similar to mine. I used lino offcuts in mine (I asked in the local carpet place if they had any offcuts and he gave me a load for free!) and I put hay in the sleeping box and they have a litter tray at the bottom of their ramp - the place where they liked to sit most. To try and get them to use the litter tray rather than their sleeping area, take the hay out of the bedroom for a few days and just have it in the litter tray. Hopefully they'll just use the tray and when you put the hay back in they'll just eat it rather than pee on it!

Come winter time, I have a carpet offcut that I will put in, and in the sleeping area I will carpet the walls and the roof as well as the floor to keep a bit more heat in.

I used lino tiles from Homebase, it was about £2.50 for 6 tiles. Apparently you can get them from the pound shop as well, but I don't know how well the adhesive would work on those...

I cover it with newspaper and hay (and straw when it's cold), otherwise it's quite slippy.

I have a 5x2 double hutch. I put the litter tray in the corner underneath the ramp, which is where Ruby seems to do her business the most.
I feed them out in the run at the moment, because that's where they run to when I go out with the food. In winter I fed them in the upstairs bit. They don't seem to spend much time up there any more though...

pipkin pretty much toilet trained himself, and I haven't managed it with Ruby yet :roll: So I can't really help there, sorry!

Thank You All

Thank you for all your advice - it has given me some clearer ideas of how to make a start. Hopefully it will be easier to clean out with the lino as I do a full clean out every 3-4 days.
I sure do hope they learn to use the litter tray!

Many Thanks, Emma

I bought tiles from pound land, you get four in a pack and they're 1sq ft each. We've had them in our hutch for a few months now (through heavy rain and the recent heat) and they're doing just fine.

It makes cleaning out so easy, no scrubbing away at wood anymore!

I think i might have said mine were a bit more expensive than they actually were :? They are textured as well so no slipping for my Dexter

1. I was going to line the hutch with lino/vinyl (do you think sheet roll or tiles are better?) and then put wooden batons round to stop them from digging it up! Rolls of lino always as the tiles will often lift at the corners in the cold or the heat and rabbits will also nibble them. Definately put wood around the edge to stop them nibbling the edge and pulling themup.

2. Would you put anything on top of this as I don't want them to get cold but I want cleaning to be easy. With all rabbits it is trial and error, some people put a few carpet tiles or a towel or newspaper. See that works for you.

3. What would you use for bedding and how much? At current I put in tons of Timothy Hay in their sleeping compartment to keep them snug but I was hoping to toilet train them so that they don't poop in their bedding. Rabbits usually poop in their litter tray (bedding) there is not a lot you can do to avoid this, however if you use an ikea shopping bag holder above the litter tray for that nice Timothy hay they wont poop on it.

4. Any tips on toilet training/what to put in their litter tray etc? some megasorb at the bottom of the tray and normal bedding hay on top. To start with you may find having a couple of trays helps. Pickup any stray poops and just pop them in a tray. You may need to move a tray to a corner where they naturally tend to go to the toilet.

5. Any tips on hutch layout? I have a double teir 5ft x 3ft hutch, top half with sleeping box (which they can jump on top of) and I also put their food & water in other top section. Then they have a ramp to the bottom half where they dig and have lots of play toys. Then a 6ft out side run (I am hoping to attach another 6ft run at some point soon) - I am not sure where to put the litter tray, food etc. Trial and error to see what works best for you

Mrs Ord said:

I think i might have said mine were a bit more expensive than they actually were :? They are textured as well so no slipping for my Dexter

Click to expand...

These do sound good, I've seen them on the website for £2 something.
I think I will go for these as there is no pound shop near me. The fact that they won't slip will be great - Thank You! :thumb:

janice-arc said:

1. I was going to line the hutch with lino/vinyl (do you think sheet roll or tiles are better?) and then put wooden batons round to stop them from digging it up! Rolls of lino always as the tiles will often lift at the corners in the cold or the heat and rabbits will also nibble them. Definately put wood around the edge to stop them nibbling the edge and pulling themup.

2. Would you put anything on top of this as I don't want them to get cold but I want cleaning to be easy. With all rabbits it is trial and error, some people put a few carpet tiles or a towel or newspaper. See that works for you.

3. What would you use for bedding and how much? At current I put in tons of Timothy Hay in their sleeping compartment to keep them snug but I was hoping to toilet train them so that they don't poop in their bedding. Rabbits usually poop in their litter tray (bedding) there is not a lot you can do to avoid this, however if you use an ikea shopping bag holder above the litter tray for that nice Timothy hay they wont poop on it.

4. Any tips on toilet training/what to put in their litter tray etc? some megasorb at the bottom of the tray and normal bedding hay on top. To start with you may find having a couple of trays helps. Pickup any stray poops and just pop them in a tray. You may need to move a tray to a corner where they naturally tend to go to the toilet.

5. Any tips on hutch layout? I have a double teir 5ft x 3ft hutch, top half with sleeping box (which they can jump on top of) and I also put their food & water in other top section. Then they have a ramp to the bottom half where they dig and have lots of play toys. Then a 6ft out side run (I am hoping to attach another 6ft run at some point soon) - I am not sure where to put the litter tray, food etc. Trial and error to see what works best for you

Click to expand...

Hi and Thank You for answering all my questions!

I have bought a "resting mat" from The Hay Experts and I think I may see if I can get some off cuts of carpet when they are toilet trained.
It is so nice when people are here to answer all the worries that we all have with the buns. I never thought I would worry this much :roll:!

Thank You