Outside living?? Chilly??

Hello.
I have got a massive two tier rabbit hutch that is absoloutely NOT going to fit into my house and I just wondered if/when I get my bunny/s will. Be able to keep them outside. They'll get ALOT of attention still and on weekends they could live in my room but I just don't want them living in my room intill litter trained! What do you think?

Rabbits have a difficult time maintaining their body temperature. That means that it isn't a good idea to switch them from inside to outside (or vice-versa) when there are large temp differences. For example, if bunny is used to living outside when it is in the 30s and 40s in the winter, it would not be a good idea to bring them in every weekend into a warm (probably 68F) house. That would be hard on them.

I would however, suggest that you consider getting a rabbit that is already litter trained. I know some people think rabbit rescues are full of problem rabbits (or ill rabbits) but that is not at all the case. Many rabbits end up in shelters because people just didn't learn enough about rabbits before getting them. They were disappointed either that bunny wasn't cuddly, or bunny got hormonal (and they didn't want to pay for spaying), or they just got bored caring for an outdoor rabbit that was rarely visited and became a chore.

The rabbits at rescues are vet-checked and fixed. Fixed rabbits practically litter train themselves. So by getting a rabbit from a rescue, you get the advantage of skipping the hormonal stage, saving $100- $300 on surgery costs, seeing the actual personality/temperament of your rabbit (not possible with babies) and possibly getting an already litter trained rabbit.

If you do house indoors, the rabbit needs to stay confined in his cage initially anyway. This way he can get accustomed to "his space" and learn where the potty is. This is true even with already litter trained rabbits. Anytime a rabbit moves to a new location, he needs to establish/ learn his territory and area, so that is why he needs to stay in the cage initially. (I mention this because even if your rabbit potty trains while living outside, he would need to learn it again for while he is inside because it is a brand new area. So if you want him inside, he needs to be trained inside regardless.)

When he does start to come out of his cage, it will need to be in a limited area at first to be sure that the potty training remains consistent. Granting too much freedom too soon is a major cause for potty accidents.

Might I suggest that you browse around my site? I put it together just for the purpose of letting people unfamiliar with indoor housing of rabbits to see what it can be like. There is also information on litter training.

And it sounds like you are unsure about whether to get one or two rabbits?? You can read on the site about the potential difficulty in getting two rabbits to get along. Of course, if you get your rabbits through a rescue, you can get already bonded pairs! I can't express how much simpler this would be than the alternatives. The idea of getting 2 babies would be the hardest way to go. Numerous times have we here on RO heard the same story over and over again: [2 babies snuggle, get hormonal, begin to fight, have to be fixed, !!$$!!, have to be kept separate until fixed and then until healed, have to re-introduce and attempt to bond -- might work, might not.]

Anyway, if you like the idea of having them indoors to play with and enjoy, then I'd encourage you to just house them indoors permanently. I so enjoy having the buns about the house all day long. We can see them and interact with them so conveniently - in all weather and anytime. As I type, the buns are nearby. While we watch TV, the buns run around the carpet in front of us. It's just so much more like a family member this way.

Blue eyes is right, NEVER switch from outside to inside just for a few days when it's cold. Your rabbit won't be well adjusted to the outside temperatures when you put it back in his hutch and will get sick. If litter training is your only problem, that's not really a problem at all. none of my rabbits have ever peed outside of their cage (not even on the first day at 8 weeks) and they were all free to roam in one room from the beginning. They understand very well the litter box concept if you put the hay rack over it and put all the stray poos inside. After that, they sometimes poop outside but it's not hard to pick up. It's not particularly disgusting either.
From personal experience, girls are a lot cleaner than boys. Yes, it's true for rabbits too. Maybe not all of them, but all of those that I owned anyway. The only real cleaning-related problem you may have with your rabbit is the hormone-driven pees that can happen before your rabbit is spayed/neutered. I've had only one rabbit do that (a boy, who else?) and that stopped the day he was neutered (which was a great relief). If that possibility frightens you, I suggest you do like Blue eyes suggested and take a grown-up spayed/neutered rabbit from a shelter. Or, better yet, an adult bonded pair.

My rabbit never peed out of her "pee area" in her cage either. They have a fav pee/poop spot and usually stick to it. They will get sick if you flip flop outside to in. Keep them indoors is my opinion Maybe find a way to adjust the cage for indoors if you can. Good luck!!!!

I totally agree with IndigosMommy, although I have only been a owner of my rex for 6 weeks, Baron quickly took to his litter. I use pure peat from Home Depot (make sure it has no chemicals added) and place it inside a small cardboard or plastic box. About ½ full or you will have dirt (peat) tossed onto the floor. It is very easy and clean to work with. Seldom will you find poo anywhere else in the room.

From what I read in the initial post you plan to raise many, so you might want to consider a rabbit room? The rabbit poop has no real odor to notice or maybe the peat just does a good job of locking the odor down. The one and only time the Baron peed on my bed, I couldn't detect an odor and thought I had spilled something. Moments later my friend who was watching me examine the wet spot said, "Don't taste it, your rabbit was just laying there a minute ago.".