Need to move bunny outside

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Since having got Truffles 3 months ago my work pattern has changed and I'm not at home as much as I used to be, I used to work 16 hours a week, and I am now working 30 hours a week.
I feel so bad because I can't have her roaming around the house unsupervised so I am currently paying my friend to come over everyday so she can have a few hours out of the cage.
As my shift pattern has changed, I feel it would be better for me to get her a nice big area outside to live and play in. I was thinking of getting my uncle (a carpenter) to make me small shed on our courtyard for her indoor area and fit it with different levels etc with a cat flap style thing leading outside to the courtyard, which is maybe 12ft x 8ft and fitting a fence to it so she can't go up the steps that lead to the street.
Is this going to be appropriate for her to stay in? I would need to somehow put a protective metal covering over her run as there are quite a few Sparrowhawks that live in a field about a 5 min walk away and I don't want them swiping her. I need decent advice on what to do for outdoors accommodation as her only being out for 1/2 hours during the day and then again until I go to bed isn't the best for her
I don't want any offensive comments about how I shouldn't have an animal if I don't have time for her, as everyday after work she gets my full affection and attention and on my 2 days off every week, I just need to rethink her living area as it's unfair to keep her cooped up and I refuse to rehome her as she's my baby!!

 

[Imbrium]

Is setting up an x-pen area inside not an option? That's what I do for my bunnies, as they've proven that they can NOT be trusted ssd:. If you keep her outdoors, that's a lot more to worry about and it would make it harder for you to spend what time you can with her during some months of the year (for example, you really don't want to bring an outdoor rabbit indoors during the winter as it could make them blow their heavy coat). The recommended size for rabbits who don't get any out-of-cage time is 60 square feet (minimum), which can be accomplished with as little as one x-pen by attaching it to the walls (I used screw eyes and zip-ties) 8' out from a corner to make an 8' square area.

If that's just not very practical for you, then outdoors *can* be a viable option (particularly in the UK where the climate tends to be fairly mild/predictable). I'm not an expert on outdoor set-ups by any means... but one thing you didn't mention that's *really* important is dig-proofing the enclosure so that she can't escape by burrowing.

There really is a lot to consider when plotting an outdoor enclosure - dig proofing, predator proofing, protection from sun/wind/rain/snow, rabbits' tendency to chew on any wood in their environment (I'm honestly not sure how one goes about weather-proofing wood in a way that's safe if chewed on, but it's obviously possible given the number of outdoor rabbits in the world )... however, having a helpful uncle who's a carpenter should make it reasonably possible to come up with a safe, suitable outdoor utopia .

Hopefully someone with actual experience keeping rabbits outdoors can come along and offer more specific tips!

 

[Bville]

I keep my rabbits outside so it is doable, but I am wondering if you could just attach an exercise pen to her cage for indoors while you are away. That would give her more room to run around.

If you build an outdoor shed and run, the only thing I can think to add to your plan is to make sure she cannot dig under the fence and escape.

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

The room isn't big enough to attach a cage and she normally has free roam of the house when I'm home, the room she is big enough for her to run round on her own but I also have geckos so their vivarium has alot of cables and wires which need to be fully accessible so bunny proofing them isn't really viable
The area I am looking to put her in is concrete so she deffo can't dig under and the area around it is 4 ft high brick wall so will be a case of bricking off next to the steps that lead to the street, I was going to get 3x1 foot long gardening tub to grow grass in so she can nibble and run around in it and have a digging pit at the end with sand or earth. I will still have daily interaction with her after work etc and she'll still be coming inside on my days off so we can play together so I can still bond with her

 

[Imbrium]

Just a heads-up - you're not going to have any luck growing a small patch of grass if a rabbit has full access . If you wanted her to be able to eat grass as it's growing, I recommend ghetto-rigging some sort of barrier (with chicken wire or hardware cloth, for example) that the grass can grow through but that prevents her from eating it all the way down to the roots (or digging up the roots, heh) - that way she can eat everything above a certain height but the grass can still manage to keep growing .

Another good option for growing bunny-friendly plants or making a dig area would be a hard plastic wading pool (aka "kiddie pool"). This time of year, they're nearly impossible to find in stores (though I managed to get one via site-to-store so that I didn't have to pay shipping charges... granted, I looked rather silly with a 45'' wide plastic pool tied to the roof of my sports car a week or two before Christmas, lol)... they should be easy to find when the weather turns warmer, though. My girls are crazy destructive and have been too busy digging in their pool to chew at it.

Your yard area sounds like it's got a lot of potential - I think you can make a lovely run for her out there!

Keep in mind that she shouldn't be out there except on particularly warm days (if you have any, that is. It's like 20C here today, perfect bunny temps; we don't have much in the way of winter, though ) until Spring is well underway. I'd say any day where the temperature is 10C or higher is totally for an indoor rabbit spending the day outside (assuming she'll be protected from winds/drafts and it won't be raining in her run).

I know you mentioned a pet door providing access between an indoor and an outdoor area for her... however, it's not necessarily safe to count on that to be enough - as smart as rabbits are, they don't always have the common sense to go inside when they get chilly or the weather gets bad (especially when they're brand new to the whole "being outdoors" thing). I remember a time when Nala and Gaz stood right out in the rain when they could've gone into their nice, dry plastic tunnel (granted, it was pretty warm out and my neighbor and I were sitting a couple feet away on the porch waiting to see if the drizzle would pass after a few minutes).

Once Spring hits and she can acclimate to outdoor life, you won't have to be as overly cautious as she'll start to grow seasonal coats to match the weather .

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Just a heads-up - you're not going to have any luck growing a small patch of grass if a rabbit has full access . If you wanted her to be able to eat grass as it's growing, I recommend ghetto-rigging some sort of barrier (with chicken wire or hardware cloth, for example) that the grass can grow through but that prevents her from eating it all the way down to the roots (or digging up the roots, heh) - that way she can eat everything above a certain height but the grass can still manage to keep growing .

Another good option for growing bunny-friendly plants or making a dig area would be a hard plastic wading pool (aka "kiddie pool"). This time of year, they're nearly impossible to find in stores (though I managed to get one via site-to-store so that I didn't have to pay shipping charges... granted, I looked rather silly with a 45'' wide plastic pool tied to the roof of my sports car a week or two before Christmas, lol)... they should be easy to find when the weather turns warmer, though. My girls are crazy destructive and have been too busy digging in their pool to chew at it.

Your yard area sounds like it's got a lot of potential - I think you can make a lovely run for her out there!

Keep in mind that she shouldn't be out there except on particularly warm days (if you have any, that is. It's like 20C here today, perfect bunny temps; we don't have much in the way of winter, though ) until Spring is well underway. I'd say any day where the temperature is 10C or higher is totally for an indoor rabbit spending the day outside (assuming she'll be protected from winds/drafts and it won't be raining in her run).

I know you mentioned a pet door providing access between an indoor and an outdoor area for her... however, it's not necessarily safe to count on that to be enough - as smart as rabbits are, they don't always have the common sense to go inside when they get chilly or the weather gets bad (especially when they're brand new to the whole "being outdoors" thing). I remember a time when Nala and Gaz stood right out in the rain when they could've gone into their nice, dry plastic tunnel (granted, it was pretty warm out and my neighbor and I were sitting a couple feet away on the porch waiting to see if the drizzle would pass after a few minutes).

Once Spring hits and she can acclimate to outdoor life, you won't have to be as overly cautious as she'll start to grow seasonal coats to match the weather .

I didn't think about her eating to the roots so will need to get something to stop her doing so

Kid pools aren't an issue of me getting hold of, I have 6 nephews and nieces all under the age of 8 and my sister has 3 pools so may permanently borrow one from her after giving it a good clean

I'm hoping she'll learn to use the door, if not then maybe I'll just leave the door open daytimes and close it nighttimes/when it's wet, thankfully the garden has 3 levels, and where she will be will be the bottom level so should hopefully be protected from the wind anyway

As for the spring, it will probably take me until then to get everything I want ready for her anyway, so until then I'll just have to sadly stick to getting someone to come in to sit and play with her everyday for a few hours, it isn't ideal for her, but at least she'll still be let out for a little run everyday, even though it's less than normal, I'll make it up to her in the spring with her new place

 

[Imbrium]

Something tells me as soon as she gets a look at her new outdoor bunny utopia, she won't even remember the days of being cooped up!

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Something tells me as soon as she gets a look at her new outdoor bunny utopia, she won't even remember the days of being cooped up!

I hope not it's my day off today so gunna see if my uncle can come round and take measurements and stuff and talk to him about what I want