Buns Not Using Bedroom!!

Hi There

I was wondering if anyone can help please!

We have three girls (6 months) who are very well bonded.
They live in a large covered chicken coop style house and has a ramp leading up to their bedroom area. This is insulated with blankets and a tarpaulin, packed with straw, hay, boxes and where they use a litter tray. However, when I check on them early in the morning and evenings, they are all huddled together in the freezing cold outside!! Obviously they do use it (based on the amount of poo in there!) but I'm worried that they are going to get cold! The outside area is partially covered with tarpaulin on one side to minimise wind, and the other side is up against a wall and I know they have each other for warmth but is there a way to encourage them to sleep in there? Or am I just being a paranoid first time mum?!!

Thanks so much in advance!

The only way to make sure they are in their bedroom overnight is to close it up otherwise they will sleep where they think fit. It won't do them any good to be permanently on cold damp concrete, I've taken a couple of rabbits from situations like this and they were in pretty poor condition . Wild rabbits would be in their warren at night fairly warm and dry and they are hardier than domestic bunnies. As they get bigger though, there probably won't be enough space in the bedroom although I don't know the size. Most chicken coops aren't really suitable for raabbits I am afraid.

Mine are always in their run on the slabs, no matter what the weather is doing. None of my rabbits have ever used the bed area as a bed area, it's just commonly known as that I think, mine have never slept in them. Even my nervous rabbit who spends 90% of her time in the enclosed area (her litter tray is in there) ends up falling asleep in the cover of her slabbed run!

As long as they have a warm place to go to then personally I wouldn't worry, you could always put a dog bed with hay in the run or some raised bits so there is less cold space but they'll still probably ignore it! They have each other to keep them warm too. You could put a litter tray (I use 32L storage boxes) in the enclosed bit, lined with newspaper and filled with hay, to make cleaning easier.

You could stick a box or something in the run too to keep them raised, mine love jumping on things. Maybe something like this? I have the large one which might be better for 3 buns!

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches/single_storey_hutches/trixie_natura_hutches/33223

The coops aren't made with the bets quality wood though so I'd keep an eye on it, I had one as a temp home for 2 hens and even though it was covered and in a sheltered area the roof leaked and the wood warped so much I could barely open it after about 4 months! The thing I have seen people do is make coops into large hutches, because the inside space alone isn't big enough as a 'hutch', so the bottom has a base and the sides and back are boarded up along with the small bit under the enclosed section. Then a separate run is attached to maximise space
Like this - (4th picture down)

http://www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/success-stories.html

Tried to find the other one that's really good but can't find it!

If they have the option of somewhere warm to go and don't use it then they're probably not that cold. I expect they do retreat there in the middle of the night when it's genuinely freezing but I wouldn't worry too much - try going out around 2am and see where they are, it might put your mind at rest.
Otherwise, I do agree with tonibun that providing them with a larger covered area may be the way forward. If they're using it as a litter tray and it's a fairly small area they may be loathe to go and snuggle up in there. Aly's idea of providing a sort of nest box in the run is also a good one.

Personally I'd suggest including some other kind of snuggle box for them or enclosing the whole thing to turn it into a giant hutch with floor and sides. They don't realise that we think that the internal part should be a cosy place for them to sleep, so if they are using it as a loo then they will need to be provided with somewhere else to sleep, as obviously they won't want to get cosy so close to their loo corner. It's one of the problems I think with the chicken coop style set ups, if the bunnies decide to use that as a toilet area, they aren't left with any decent sized resting space in a fully sheltered area.

You could try putting some litter trays in the run to see if you can get them to swap their toileting area for a litter tray, but I suspect it may be too late for that and the habit is already ingrained. Certainly as an interim measure I would suggest some kind of cosy box or similar, stuffed with straw/hay so that they have somewhere cosy to snuggle up into.