Sheds, Cages & buns! Advise needed please :)

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JessieR

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Hi All!

I am sure i have seen threads on a few of my questions previously but i cant seem to find them using the search tool - if anyone can link them here i would be grateful.

1. Indoor buns moving outside, so is there anything i can do to make this easier for them? I really dont want to do it but the landlord has said i am not allowed to keep them inside (we have recently moved, it was unsure which way the landlord would opt so we took the chance).

2. As soon as the snow clears here i will be emptying the shed for the buns to live in, i have carpet to put on the floor to make them feel at home, insulation for the walls & lots of cardboard. Would you put them in an xpen type set up with a box full of hay to cuddle up in for comfort & warmth if needed, or buy a hutch to put in the shed with an xpen attached?

3. If Hutch to the above Q - what would you guys say is an appropriate size hutch for 2 buns, 2 years old, mini lops (but they are not very mini lol).

On the plus side, these guys love being on the grass when i have been able to put them out, so i am glad i can offer this to them now we are in a house rather than a flat! We will also be building a run to put them on grass with, including a lid to keep out the cats!!

Any advise on moving them around would be appreciated, i will also add that they were kept outside at the rescue - I think they had been there some time, i have had them since October 2012.

Thanks

Jess :)
 
your rabbits will do just fine outside, cold does not bother them, but a draft will. Make sure your hutch has wind protection during winter/ shade during summer. As far as cage sizes, they do not have to be big, most people go too large and fancy. An all wire cage with a resting board works just fine and is much more sanitary. Most of my cages are 24 x36 inches and the rabbits do just fine, especially if you let them out to romp around sometimes. You may want to go bigger for two, generally 1 square foot per lb of rabbit is a good measurement.
 
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1 square foot per lb sounds way too small for most rabbits - I can't imagine each of my girls being in a 3-4 square foot cage.

this thread has a video of a *great* outdoor set-up: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f69/cage-size-dirt-help-70551/#p975229

honestly, I think the best option would be to bunny-proof the entire shed if it's possible and let them have full run of it - cheaper (and better for them) than buying a pen or hutch.

they need a minimum of either 60 square feet of space or 4-5h a day outside the shed to run around... if you can't take the time to supervise them the entire time they're running around, you'll want to build an enclosed run. mesh/wire is fine for the sides and ceiling as long as either they can get back into the shed on their own or you'll be nearby (ie inside, but at home) to put them up if the sun is hitting their whole run or it starts to rain or something. the point of having their run space enclosed is to protect them from predators (like a stray cat or a hawk passing over). you'll also want to take precautions to make sure they can't tunnel out of the run while you're not looking.
 
Too funny, Jennifer! I was going to post that video by Catx and then realized that your link went to my earlier posting of that video. :wave:
 
yup! that's my go-to video for an outdoor set-up... thanks again for sharing it before!
 
Hey all. The is for your replies! I wanted to give them the run if the shed and attach a run for them so that what I will do :)

I was unsure if they may get cold etc after being use to the indoors. Still lots of snow in the garden at the minute so can't get to the shed to sort it yet, I've kept lots of packaging from our new sofa to put around the shed to insulate it so there won't be any drafts :)

I can't seem to watch the link to the vid on my phone so will have a look when I get on the laptop later :)

Thanks Jess x
 
if you're waiting until the snow is gone and it warms up a little, they should be fine, especially if the shed is well insulated. dunno quite what the weather is like over there, but I would think by mid-april, it's probably not going to get below freezing again? if it does, then I'd bring them in. when it's chilly, make sure they have lots of straw to bed down in, too :)

by next winter, they'll be fine, since they'll have had a chance to grow a winter coat as the weather gradually gets cooler.
 
1 square foot per lb sounds way too small for most rabbits - I can't imagine each of my girls being in a 3-4 square foot cage.

this thread has a video of a *great* outdoor set-up: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f69/cage-size-dirt-help-70551/#p975229

honestly, I think the best option would be to bunny-proof the entire shed if it's possible and let them have full run of it - cheaper (and better for them) than buying a pen or hutch.

they need a minimum of either 60 square feet of space or 4-5h a day outside the shed to run around... if you can't take the time to supervise them the entire time they're running around, you'll want to build an enclosed run. mesh/wire is fine for the sides and ceiling as long as either they can get back into the shed on their own or you'll be nearby (ie inside, but at home) to put them up if the sun is hitting their whole run or it starts to rain or something. the point of having their run space enclosed is to protect them from predators (like a stray cat or a hawk passing over). you'll also want to take precautions to make sure they can't tunnel out of the run while you're not looking.

1 square foot per lb is not too small and is what is approved by the federal government for rabbittrys, could you go bigger of course but I am not sure where you are getting your numbers for minimums of 60 square feet & 4 hours of playtime? 60 square feet, that's a 10 x 6 cage. Lol
 
for a rabbitry, 1 square foot per lb may be standard because when you have as many rabbits as breeders normally do, it's unreasonable to expect them to give all of those bunnies the same amount of space someone can/should give their pet bunnies... but that is NOT the standard/recommended size for PET rabbits... and it's 60+ square feet 24/7 OR 4-5+ hours out of the cage each day, not both.
 
Just to confirm what is recommended in the UK by the Rabbit Welfare Association as follows;

The RWAF recommends a minimum hutch size of 6' x 2' x 2', which allows rabbits some room to move, stand on their hind legs and enough space for the food, toilet and sleeping areas to be kept apart. It is commonly accepted that a rabbit should have space for 3 hops, but it is commonly underestimated just how far 3 hops is - our tests show that 3 hops from an average sized rabbit covers 6-7 feet!
A hutch should only be a shelter and not the only living space. It should be attached to a secure run of at least 8' x 4'.
Please bear in mind that these recommendations are all minimums - and like many things in life, bigger is better!
 

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