Do I bring bunny in from the cold?

rosie383

This is our first year having a rabbit in winter. She has a hutch and run in the garden.
Do we need to put the hutch into the shed over the winter? It has an upstairs and downstairs, and one side of the upper level is a cosy wee sleeping area which is full of hay. it has a closed door on that bit, so is a bit like a box with a wee doorway into her 'viewing gallery' bit which she loves lying in , looking out.
If I don't put her in the shed, what do I do? Cover the hutch?

krlyr

A cover, a nice snug area filled with hay (create an insulated box area by putting a box - cardboard or wood perhaps - inside the sleeping area, just slightly smaller in size, and stuff the gap between box and hutch with straw/hay), a Snugglesafe microwavable pad perhaps. Rabbits tend to grow a thicker coat to manage the cold, they're not as sensitive as guinea pigs, so they generally do fine if they're in full health.
One thing that you might want to consider, which would keep her lovely and toasty - a bunny friend to cuddle up to! Rabbits are social animals and often do well in pairs or groups, and it's a real live hot water bottle for the cold weather! Mine always snuggled up together when it was colder.

rosie383

Can I make a cover? I just went on a rabbit site and they say to put a waterproof, windproof cover over the hutch. I like the idea of the box. Where would the opening go? Same place as the doorway to the sleeping area? And would she not just chew it to bits?

Jox

http://home.btconnect.com/NucleusTCR/bunnyhugger/wintercr.htm

Here's some bunny advice.

I feel a bit sad for animals locked up though...

rosie383

That's a good site. Thank you. Some good advice on there, and now that I have seen the hutch covers, my next project with DD1 will be to try to make one. We have been letting her out in the run on dry days even though it's cold, and she loves getting out for a wee run around.
Will be going to hunt upstairs for a shoebox for the hutch too. We have a spare water bottle, but I never thought about the water in the nozzle bit freezing!

spugzbunny

We always put a big piece of old carpet over the top of the hutch and door in the winter. Seemed to work a treat and very MSE!

doodle-bug_2

My two buns used to have an open hutch door and run all year round. Obviously I made sure that in winter the bedding was more than adequate. They could come in or go out at will - some of my best photos of the buns are in the deep snow - given a choice, they will do what they want when they want! Depending on their moods, they would snuggle up, or (more often than not) enjoy hopping around in the snow with big piles of snow on top of their heads. I did cover part of the run but they preferred the open parts.
On a night, I locked them in the hutch and covered the front with extra thick bubble wrap (loosely, of course!). Every morning when I opened the hutch door, out they would run.
Lost them both last year when they were 12.

krlyr

Cardboard boxes are easy enough to replace if she does chew it You can buy wooden boxes with holes already in them, but if you have anyone handy at a bit of minor carpentry they could make some up for you.

rosie383

Thank you all. I have got some carpet, but thought that would just get very wet and make her even more cold.
As for cardboard boxes, I have about 4 squirreled away and can ask around among friends, so no worries there.
Maybe (lightbulb moment here!) I could cover a bit of carpet with, say, an old buggy raincover. That'd do it!

jayme1

Great shove a rabbit in the shed, in the depths of winter I bet it's going to have loads of fun sat there in the cold by itself how often will you honestly go play with it when it's really cold outside.
Better option bring it inside and have it as a house rabbit, they are very similar to cats without the downsides, they will happily use a litter tray, run around and sleep looking cute they'll even come sit with you to be stroked, but because they are vegetarians they don't smell, they don't bring you dead stuff, they aren't noisy and you don't have to let them out as they will run around the house, mine also never once chewed a single wire but you should take steps to prevent that.

You can put a reasonable cage with the litter tray in if you put some it's waste in the tray it will know to always go there in the future, and if you need to you can put it in the cage temporarily if you were going to have the doors open to outside so it doesn't run away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_rabbit

krlyr

jayme1 wrote: »

Great shove a rabbit in the shed, in the depths of winter I bet it's going to have loads of fun sat there in the cold by itself how often will you honestly go play with it when it's really cold outside.
Better option bring it inside and have it as a house rabbit, they are very similar to cats without the downsides, they will happily use a litter tray, run around and sleep looking cute they'll even come sit with you to be stroked, but because they are vegetarians they don't smell, they don't bring you dead stuff, they aren't noisy and you don't have to let them out as they will run around the house, mine also never once chewed a single wire but you should take steps to prevent that.

You can put a reasonable cage with the litter tray in if you put some it's waste in the tray it will know to always go there in the future, and if you need to you can put it in the cage temporarily if you were going to have the doors open to outside so it doesn't run away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_rabbit

A bit harsh. My rabbits had to live out in a shed (converted especially for them - insulation, lighting, etc) in the end because of a family member's allergies. I probably spent more time out in that shed than up in my bedroom to give them attention.
Yes, many rabbits get shoved down the end of the garden and ignored but many get shoved in a cage in the house and ignored too. OP has gone to the effort of starting this post, researching hutch covers, etc., to me they sound like the kind of owner who'll go out of their way to care for their pets properly.