To Anyone with an Outdoor Bun...

[Katmais_mommy]

Alot of people tell me that keeping a hutch bunny is cruel. But what they dont know is that they each have their own 4'x7' pen in addition to their hutch, with 8 hours of freedom each day. Their outdoor enclosure is predator-proof, wind-proof, rain-proof, and snow-proof.

I know their water bottles freeze fairly quickly in the winter. As a dedicated bunny mommy, I layer up my winter gear, trek outside into the snow, and change their water bottles every TWO hours. In addition to hay in their hidey spot, I also added an extra small dog bed (from petsmart) to put under the hay.

My hutch bunnies are never forgotten. I spend time with them every day, whether it's -10 degrees or whether its 90 degrees. I know each of their quirky personalities and love them all to death. :biggrin2:



So if you have a hutch bunny, do not feel bad! People always tell me that they need to be inside, but its not always the case. I know my bunns, Kody, Katmai, Gopher, and Dutch HONESTLY do not like being inside. They love the fresh air. And when new bunny parents ask me if it's okay to have their bunny outside, I tell them that its fine as long as it is a bunny-safe environment that is appropriate for extreme temperatures.

 

[Happi Bun]

I think the big problem is most hutch bunnies aren't cared for as wonderfully as you do. Because of that people are hesitant about outside rabbits. Sounds like you have an awesome set-up though with safe and happy bunnies!

That's what really matters.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours are all house bunnies, but, when I was a kid (a really lonnnnnng time ago) we had several NZ's and they were all outdoor hutch bunnies.

 

[maxysmummy]

omg picssss of your setup please

 

[elmerfudd]

Very positivecomments Katmaisand it sounds like you are a kind bunny lover. My outdoor bunnies literally have pastures to roam about in during the day, and the smallest one is about 10' x 24' with a walk-in hutch that's about 4 x 7 (complete with LED lights around the door). I plan to enlarge the 10 x 24 so that they don't get bored with surroundings and can kick up their heels even higher. The other three pastures are about 3 x times larger and sometimes I can't see the bunnies when they feel like playing hide and seek. Suffice to say they have funyet come when calledfor their salad and tucking in at dusk. It became my personal ambition to provide them with large enough habitat that they would feel almost free within their confines and be as close to natural as possible but still be safe and loved. Whenever I get a burst of energy I build another portable fence section (usually about 4' x 8') to extend a pasture or create a new one. It's lots of work but it's worth seeing them happy. It's true thatwe are slaves to our bunnies - if we are loving them right eh? :halo If only more people understood....

 

[massie777]

Could you both post some pictures of your setups, I would really love to make mine better and looking at pictures really helps. You sound like your bunnies are taken care of wonderfully.

 

[maxysmummy]

alsoooo - i think the main reason people are against outdoor bunnies is that 99% of people who do have outdoor bunnies just leave them in the garden to grow sad and old... it's safer to advise not to do it and the smart ones (like yourself) will take their own initiative and make awesome outdoor rabbitats like you have

 

[Katmais_mommy]

These pictures are from the summer time. It looks a bit different now in the winter. Now, I have tarps around the enclosure to keep the wind and snow out. I also have a sturdy wood roof too for the snow build-up. Also, in the pen on the far right, there is now a hutch for Gopher. Kody, who you see in the little cage is actually residing in my bedroom for the winter since I couldnt afford a hutch and I obviously didnt want her to freeze and die outside in her little cage.

This is a close-up of Katmai's area. Each bun has the same amount of space and same set-up.

The flooring is plywood and outdoor carpeting.

 

[elmerfudd]

Molly - Your bunnies have it good. I will send pictures in a few days. My setups are not pretty but the bunnies don't mind that one bit!

Does everyone spay and neuter? Mine are all fixed and they are healthier and happier for it. There are no worries of baby bunnies, and the ones that have chosen one another as partners can happily live together!

 

[elmerfudd]

Exactly Holly!!!! We teach people to be kinder & to question what they are doing.

 

[elmerfudd]

Don't get me wrong - I'malso pro house bunnies! They really do have it good. My neighbour has one that lies between his dog and his cat and if you weren't paying attention you'd think he also was a cat stretched out there. It made me very happy to know he had such a perfect life!

 

[Katmais_mommy]

I would love to neuter and spay my rabbits. The only reason they arent already is because I cant afford it at the moment. But yes, I agree, they are much healthier when they are fixed.

 

[elmerfudd]

Regarding spay and neuter - Yeah I know it's not cheap and the only thing I can think of is to check with your local SPCA to see if they could possibly help? It won't hurt to ask. Thanks for your comment.

 

[iAutumn]

All my rabbits aren't spayed and neutered, but their all safely separated from each other by a wall. Lol. Its a beautiful set-up! I envy it! I have Garage-Bunnys,
but I have a little run for them. A cage-run, likely. Its warm in the garage, so I don't worry. But I make sure their always happy, healthy, and fit for Shows and
the climates of winter time and cold days. But your set-up is awesome.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. I normally just receive cold stares before I can even explain myself when I tell customers about my outdoor bunnies.

 

[massie777]

Love your setup, your bunnies have the life. Wish I could have my setups as good as yours.

 

[irishbunny]

I love your setup!
I have outdoor bunnies too. I know on a lot of other forums there seems to be just one way to keep rabbits, indoors, if you do anything different then your cruel and they jump on you.
Outdoor rabbits love being outside, especially if they have been living outdoors for a long time and are used to it.
I am thinking of building a large pen like we have for our chickens and releasing all my buns into bar Henry, since he would get matted too easy.

 

[minilop lover]

I also love the set up. I wish I had the space for such an awesome outdoor house for them. Carpet and all WOW! My mini lops are outdoor bunnies in a 2 storey hutch. We also let them roam our house. When hubby washes the hutch they come in and the weather right now is 40 degrees (Australia) and they're in. Blacky is roaming doing circles around the hutch because Big foot has just had a litter and needs to stay where she is

 

[Katmais_mommy]

I agree. The setup cost me an arm and a leg, overall. I dont make a lot of money, but pretty much every paycheck goes towards them. Luckily, I have a large yard, and their pen only takes up a small part of it. The way it works is that i pay for all of my supplies, I designed the destup, and my dad pretty much put it all together.

Also, 3 of my 4 bunnies were born outside, so the 4 seasons come naturally to them.