From outside to in??

Hello. As you may know I have just got two reasonably young rabbits who have medium thick coats. They're called Alby and Fawn. View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1419523606.485430.jpg Anyway, they are living outside in a shed in their cage and I wondered how long it would be before I could move them outside of the shed? We are taking the shed down in approximately 2 weeks. Would they have grown their winter coats by then? If the worst comes to the worst, I have a garage but t is still cold and it has no window or light at all and it's not attached to the house. It's a 2 minute walk away and I don't want them that far away. It's impossible to house them inside because they're not litter trained and we have a cat who lives inside and out. He wouldn't do much harm but just to be safe. I really need some help... Alby has thick fur and so does Fawn but I just want to be on the safe side. Thankyou. 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
From av proud new mother.

Is the temperature difference between your shed and the outdoors very different? Where did the bunnies come from?

Just use your intuition, if they are used to living in warm temps like in a pet shop then don't put them out in the cold. Bunnies can't grow thicker coats in just 2 weeks, and these are just babies who have smaller bodies that can't retain heat very well. If you must put them in the hutch (forget the garage if it's just as cold as the outdoors), see if you can put an old or washable cat bed in there, with a small blanket or two to snuggle up in for warmth.

whiskylollipop said:

Is the temperature difference between your shed and the outdoors very different? Where did the bunnies come from?

Just use your intuition, if they are used to living in warm temps like in a pet shop then don't put them out in the cold. Bunnies can't grow thicker coats in just 2 weeks, and these are just babies who have smaller bodies that can't retain heat very well. If you must put them in the hutch (forget the garage if it's just as cold as the outdoors), see if you can put an old or washable cat bed in there, with a small blanket or two to snuggle up in for warmth.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Whiskylollipop. The shed isn't warmer than outside, it just has less wind and drafts. As their are two I will pita large dog bed so that they can snuggle up. Could I put an electric warm blanket in for them. If it was chew safe. I'm sorry for all the questions, I learnt everything I thought I needed to know and suddenly there is so much more.

whiskylollipop said:

Is the temperature difference between your shed and the outdoors very different? Where did the bunnies come from?

Just use your intuition, if they are used to living in warm temps like in a pet shop then don't put them out in the cold. Bunnies can't grow thicker coats in just 2 weeks, and these are just babies who have smaller bodies that can't retain heat very well. If you must put them in the hutch (forget the garage if it's just as cold as the outdoors), see if you can put an old or washable cat bed in there, with a small blanket or two to snuggle up in for warmth.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Whiskylollipop. The shed isn't warmer than outside, it just has less wind and drafts. As their are two Rabbits (who I think are 4 months old.) I will put a large dog bed so that they can snuggle up. Could I put an electric warm blanket in for them. If it was chew safe. I'm sorry for all the questions, I learnt everything I thought I needed to know and suddenly there is so much more.View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1419583195.467831.jpg

What is the temperature like where you live?

Rabbits generally do much better in the cold than in warm temperatures. I live in Pennsylvania, and winters are usually 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit here. Their barn stays about 40, give or take. They are ALWAYS more active and happier in the winter. They run all over their cages, binky at feeding time, etc.

Once the temperature starts crawling up around 65-70 degrees or higher, they're a lot less active and a bit more sluggish. They do fine in the springs/summers too, but definitely thrive in the winter.

After two weeks in your shed, I'd say it's fine to put them outside if the temperature is similar. Just make sure they have a box or something to escape the wind and drafts - that's the most important part - and the cage is protected from the elements. If it's much, much colder where you live (like below 0), you may want to consider the garage instead.

My rabbits are indoor rabbits since it is far too hot where I live to keep them outside. Plus I enjoy having them inside!

But the following video is from a person in the UK who keeps her rabbits outdoors. I thought you might like to see her set up...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXKe5tuw47A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXKe5tuw47A[/ame]