Housing Questions RE Lino, insulation, painting, bedding, disinfectant.

Hi all,

I had two rabbits as a kid who just had a hutch and a run and that was that really.

Now that my daughter is almost two, I decided to get two rabbits so that she can grow up around animals. Joined this forum and think it's great but I have a few questions!

1) Why do people lino the floor of their hutch? Is this to protect it or is it easy clean? How do you stick it down or do you just cut it to size and slip it in? Is there any specific stuff I should get?

2) Hutch disinfectant: What and why? Toffee has a 6ft hutch and Socks has a 3ft one (this is only until they're bonded - it is temporary!!) so I'm going through P@H's disinfectant at a rapid rate of knots. Seem to recall using Zoflora as a kid. Is this still used? Recommended?

3) Just seen a thread about insulation in the winter. As a kid, the hutch was just covered in a tarpaulin that we bought down overnight. Should the hutch be insulated or do you accommodate with more bedding? Both?

4) Painted hutches? I have the Bluebell hutch from P@H that I'm hoping the two buns will share when they're (hopefully) bonded! Should I paint it? I guess this is to help make it last but are there any other reasons people paint them?

5) What do people use to line their hutches and use for bedding? Currently I use newspaper and woodshavings in the living area and then newspaper and hay in the bedding area. Was thinking of putting some fleece blankets into the bedding - is this advisable? If I use lino, do I still need newspaper?

I do realise that I wasn't doing things brilliantly as a kid but I didn't know better and I did my best for the buns... Now that I've found you guys though, I've really taken an interest in making everything the best it can be for Toffee and Socks!

Sorry for all the dopey questions, just like to understand!

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

L x

welcome

1) people use lino in hutches as its easy clean i am not sure how to stick it down but sliding in willl proberley be fine

2) i use the bob martain my little friend disinfectant but you could also use white vinegar and water is also good. disinfectant is used to keep the hutch clean and hygenic as rabbits are very clean animals so its up to you to keep their accomodation clean

3) it could be covered with a tarpaulin or i moved my hutch into a shed i also put more bedding in so they could burrow and keep warm. many people put layes of bubble wrap covered with some wood around the walls of the hutch or polystyrene covered in wood around the walls of the hutch for insulation

4) people paint hutches to make them look nice and also to protect them to make them last longer if you were going to paint in make sure you use pet friendly paint so if the buns did chew it it wouldnt harm them

5) most people either use fleece or just newspaper on its own. i use woodshavings as i havnt had a problem with it as they are know to cause buns to have resperitory problems so many people on RU are against them


If they are boy and girl make sure they are spayed/neutered and have allowes 6/8 weeks rest before the bonding begins and remeber to bond on a neutrel territory that neither have the buns have been in before.

Thank you!

Moving them into the shed could be a possibility for the winter but at the same time, we could be moving house by then so it may not be... Will play that one by ear.

As for bonding, they're two girls. Toffee was spayed on Monday and Socks is being spayed on Tuesday so I'll give it six weeks from Socks' spaying and go slowly from there. I imagine there will be more questions to come then! One of which... how will I go about putting Socks into Toffee's hutch? Do I have to use vinegar and water to neutralise it all...?

I always tack my lino down as it helps prevent them from chewing.

I don't put anything else on the floor I just have one huge litter tray at one end with hay and a smaller one at the other end with fitch.

Mine are in an unused garage now but when they were outside I used to cover the lino with newspaper and a thick bed of straw in winter to make it more cosy.

You can buy a roll of silver loft insulation in places like b&q to put under a tarp in winter to help insulate it, just remember to leave a gap for ventilation.

I don't use fleece for my outdoor buns as they just trash them.

For disinfectant you can buy something such as conficlean which you dilute yourself into a spray bottle so its much more cost effective. I'd only use a disinfectant that was specifically aimed at pets so is definately safe.

What do you tack it down with?

Unused garage?! Lucky buns!

Thanks for the advice

L x


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

More like unlucky husband - he wanted to put a gym in there! :lol:

I use the little flat headed tacks but hubby always makes sure they are completely flat so there is nothing for the buns to hurt themseves on and puts them as close to the edge as possible.

I must say, my partner would be a little upset if I put buns in the garage (if we had one!) He's a car fanatic and would snap up the space before I could take the breath to suggest rabbits!

Cool. I'll take a look into it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free