Looking for Rabbit Advice

meow

Hi,
I have 2 rabbits, Kermit 3yrs old (castrated Rex) and Ruby (7mth old lop-eared).
Both have lived in the house their whole lives.
I'm considering moving them outside, maybe in the Spring.
I have a 6ft secure run for them, I'm wondering if I get a kennel built for them, warm, small door but big enough for them to be comfotably locked in at night- will they be warm enough?
I can put a heat lamp or warming disk in for them too.
I keep them in a run in my room at present but they make it very hard to sleep and have destroyed the place.
If they're not going to be warm enough outside, they'll definately be staying in.
I know most people keep their rabbits outdoors but I'm concerned because they've spent their lives to date indoors.

Anyone any experience/ advise in this area? Preferably people who have kept/keep rabbits..

Denis322

I've had rabbits and guinea pigs for years, my oldest lop eared is 7 this christmas and they've all lived in a 12ft x 12ft stable most of their lives no problem, and the stables are fairly open. Just make sure they've plenty of bedding, hay and are sheltered and they'll be grand. Ours lived inside for a couple months before being moved outside, I'd say move them out now with it being a moderate winter only you wouldn't want to shock them too much. As far as I know lop eared bunnys are from cold climates anyway. Won't be necessary for heating lamps or anything else

Lamina

Wait till Spring as since they weren't out during the Winter, they won't have developed a nice, thick coat to keep them cosy due to the heat of the house. You won't need to give them a heat lamp or anything, as long as they have a shelter they'll be perfectly fine

Magenta

I would actually advise against a heat lamp. It is worse for rabbits to be too warm than too cold- like dogs, they do not sweat and can easily get heatstroke.
A hutch would be better than a kennel, as hutches are designed to be easy to open out and clean, kennels are not. Also, make sure it is off the ground on bricks or similar as otherwise the cold comes up from the ground.

Sigma Force

Wait until the end of May/beginning of April and then you can start putting them out for a few hours during day time for a while until they get used to it..more because the open space and sky can seem a be scary at first.

To be honest I think you'd be better off with a large shed than a large run, mainly because you will have to go out to them a few times every day in all weathers so it would be more pleasant for you if the rabbits were in a shed so you can sit with them and even just for every day cleaning etc. with a run attached for fresh air.

I've had rabbits outside before and the shed was so much easier, you can even section the shed off with boxes made of plywood to created smaller spaces or block off areas you don't want them to chew. You can get a large piece of lino for the floor, my buns didn't chew on it. Once there's enough for them to do and the space to run about they don't tend to be as toothy with their chewing.

boomerang

I'd agree with Sigma Force - she's my go-to person when I need rabbit advice. ;-)

orchidsrpretty

I use to keep a bunny in my bedroom for 2 years, but my boyfriend put an end to it as bunny li,ked to jump on his face in the middle of the night(he robbed his spot:p).

anyway thought I did all the right things, gradually leaving her outside for longer each day. The first full night she spent outside, sbe got very ill and sadly passed out before I could even get her to the vets. I dont know what happened but im guessing it was the shock of being left outside all night. This was in summer so wasnt too cold but it did rain that night.

Hope you have more luck.

Silverfish

I moved my bun from being an outdoor bun to an indoor bun, as they generally live longer indoors.
It seems that temperature changes can be dangerous for rabbits, but the main cause of death in outdoor buns is fright. We have a lot of cats roaming free in the area and they tend to jump on her hutch, and we know theres one out there when we can hear her thumping away. So being advised by a few people to move her indoors I did.

If she's in a shed, then that's technically indoors, so if there's a cat or fox prowling about, it won't be able to get close enough to stress them out, but a hutch would allow them to get too close. If they had a box inside the shed, that'd be even better. I'd consider the shed idea if you can!

meow

Thanks all,
Ideally I'd love to get a little garden shed for them but space is exceptionally limited.

I'll just wait til the weather heats up, then think about whats right for them