Outside Pen

[MelissaPenguin]

I know I had another post, but today when I got outside to put things together for my outside home, things went in a different direction than normally planned. Not only did the two smaller rabbits fit right through the fencing with no effort (I planned on boarding around the edge anyways, I just think it wouldn't be so easy) but we also moved the cage that they were in, right into the kennel as well, instead of building a whole new 'house' for them to hide in.

So here is what we ended up with. I dog kennel (7.5' x 7.5') with a tarp covering most of the top, aluminum siding around all 4 sides of the kennel, held in place with cinder blocks, and a larger wooden cage with the doors left open so the buns can come and go as they please.

Here's my question. I pulled all the weeds, scrapped up the dead plants from the winter, filled in the holes so the grown is moderately level, and left a small patch of grass along the edge of the kennel where their food bowl will go.

1) I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but naturally growing grass (no chemicals used on it in years) is okay from rabbits to eat, right?

2) Is cedar shavings okay for rabbits? Since I have a 'natural' dirt floor on the bottom of the kennel, I want some kind of shaving I can put down to help absorb moisture and things of this nature. Is cedar shavings okay? Should I use hay? If I use hay, won't they just eat it?

 

[Flash Gordon]

no pesticide grass is good..cedar shavings are bad.

 

[Krissa]

I have an outdoor fenced in area for my rabbit, I just throw down annual grass seed that way he can sit out there and munch.

 

[Peppers mom]

The only thing I would worry about is them digging out of the kennel rabbits love to dig tunnels, so just be watching..
I had a mini lop that would dig tunnels when I put her outside she became a free range outside bunny because she hated cages and she loved to dig holes under are shed were she spent most of her time...

 

[Flash Gordon]

lay some chicken wire under a layer of dirt .they wont dig thru that.

 

[MelissaPenguin]

Thanks for the chicken wire idea I'll definitely be doing that. Will the grass still grow, if I throw down some feed, even though the buns are stepping on it all day?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

The grass should be okay. Cedar is bad--instead you could use kiln dried pine as the drying process removes the phenols. Hay would work okay too as they can use it and eat it.

 

[MelissaPenguin]

Great. Thanks guys I'll probably be using hay for flooring since my mothers boyfriend grows it.