Update about getting a rabbit.... hutches?

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horselvrkc

horselvrkc

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, Pennsylvania, USA
Ok, so another question to answer. Are rabbits smelly? I have had mice and rats, the mice smelled horrible, and the rat had a smell, but not that bad. My dad says "I really do not want to go on with the smells again!" I know they are messy, but does that make them smell? I told him that you can keep them outside in hutches. We have a screened porch that maybe we could keep a hutch in, and then put the rabbit inside the house for about 4 hours a day. Would that work out well? IS it true that they can even stay outside in the winter? What would you do to make it warmer for them? I need tips!!!

THANKS EVERYONE!
 
Yes they are smelly. Every animal is smelly if they aren't cleaned up after properly. As long as you keep the cage and litter box clean you should have no problems. I have never had a problem with smell.

I can't help with the hutch/living outside question. Our bun is alwaysinside. I would think the porch would be perfect.
 
I'm not going to lie, rabbits are smelly. Although, not too terrible. Although it really depends on how often the litterbox is cleaned, and cage cleaned out and whatnot. Just as a forwarning, if you plan on getting more than one rabbit, it's very hard to find an outdoor hutch large enough to hold both of them. If you put the them inside the screened porch, I would highly suggest a NIC cage. :)

Some rabbits can stay outside during the winter, but I wouldn't recommend it. If they're outside in the winter, make sure they have lots and lots of hay.
 
I've never had a problem with a rabbit being smelly, though I am a bit obsessive about keeping litter trays clean.

Rabbits can do fine outside, depending on your climate. Two of my rabbits are outside in a large, wooden playhouse, they have a lot of space, and come inside often. Though I would far prefer for them to be living indoors full time like my other rabbit, you can become a lot closer to them (my parents won't allow me to bring them inside full time).

I know that in the US people have a hard time finding decent hutches, over here it's easy - there are quite a lot ofgood ones on the market, but unfortunately it's not the same there. I would recommend nothing smaller than 6x2x2, bigger if you can. Is there anyone who could make you a hutch? Home made ones tend to be much better.

ButI would recommend inside housing overall. :)
 
Yes, i agree that living indoors is better. But if i brought it in 4 hours a day it might be ok. Does this hutch look good?
 
An NIC cage is a very very inexpensive way to build a cage. Mine cost me around 40 dollars.

They're so much more larger than regular storebought cages, and cost exactly the same, depending on where you live. Here's a picture of Maggie's:

DSC00481.jpg


I still have to get out to the store to get the flooring for Belle's. She's defintally getting jelous, even though she's out of her cage from eight in the morning if not earlier, until midnight. Silly rabbit. :)
 
OK, yes rabbits can live outside in the winter. But only with proper care. Quite honestly there is more to worry about in the summer with the heat than in the winter with the cold.

I'm going to be honest. I am really against most people housing their rabbits outdoors. Housing them outside doubles the work load. Cages need to be kept extra clean and hutches are harder to clean than inside cages. Water is another big problem. It freezes fast and rabbits really need access to water at all times. I have yet to find a rabbit safe heated water bowl so I change water upwards of 10 times a day and that's when I'm in school full time. I get up every 2-3 hours at night to go give them fresh water which means I may snag 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I'm not sure how cold it gets there so I'm just sharing my experience. It takes commitment from everyone to keep an outside animal. My parents will feed/water my animals if they are home before I can get home from school. These rabbits are 100% my responsibility but I still have to rely on others to help sometimes.

A large hutch is a must and I have yet to find a store bought hutch that is meant for outside use in cold climates. All the ones in stores are not very good and they are FAR too small. The only solution I've come up with is to build my own hutches. Now I have no idea what your climate is like so I can't really say much directly to you.

Unfortunately, it's really easy to forget about outside animals. If you don't feel like going outside or just don't want to get up to give them fresh water, it means the rabbit suffers but since the rabbit isn't sitting there staring at you, it's easy to think 'ah, they'll be okay' and not think another moment on it.

So I'll say again,I do not recommend to anyone to house their animals outside, especially first time owners. If the only reason is that they might smell a little, I really do not think that is a good enough reason to keep a rabbit outside.

P.S.- Out of curiousity, what will happen to the bunny in a few years if you go to college? I've yet to find a single dorm that allows pets and finding housing near by that allows it is also very hard. Your parents don't sound like they really would want to take care of it for you if you left.
 
Yes i know if i went to college I would probably find a way to take it with me or i might even give it to my animal loving sister, who is already married.
 
and about a rabbit staying outside, in winter always make sure the rabbit has a lot of hay to make a burrow in, you may need to change the water bottle or bowl, whichever you use about 3 times a day as it will freeze if it gets cold enough, i prefer to fill my water bottles with warm water. as for keeping the cage warm, there is plastic that you can buy from home depot or lowes, it is kind of thick and you take what ever size you need to cover the sides of the cage, you should use a staple gun to apply the plastic, and you dont have to cover the bottom of the cage. you also may need to acclimate the bunny to the outdoors if he is indoors. also, very important... if you want to take your bunny inside when it is very cold, you dont have to worry about the bunny being cold, but if you do take him in only do that for about a half of an hour maximum. if you take your bunny inside when it is cold you have to keep him inside until it warms up again because the temperature difference could make him get sick. so it really isn't a good idea to take him in during winter but you can take him in during the other months. also when it starts to et warm again you can pull the platic right off the cage and throw it out or keep it depending on its position. also if you pull it off sometimes there are staples still in the wood of the cage to limit that possibility you can put duct tabe on the plastic where you are going to put a staple, this keeps the staples from staying in the plastic.

you may or maynot already know this but during the hotter summer months bunnies can get heat stroke, so if you see that the bun is all stretched out or breathing heavy you can freeze regular water bottles and put them in the bunnies cage to help him cool off. when you give him his drinking water bottle you should put very cold water in it and if possible you can put ice cubes in it too. dont give too much hay in the summer, just enough to lay on and have some in a rack hat he can eat. you can also buy salt licks from the petstore and the bunny will chew on it.

trust me about this information because i have had many rabbits outside year round and have done this many times. if you have any questions PLEASE ask.

ani-lover
 
Water bottles in the winter are a no-no. The tips are often metal and will freeze long before the bulk of the water does meaning a rabbit will be without water for most of the time. And bowls need to be changed a lot more than 3 times... at least if it gets anywhere neardecently cold where you are.
 
Thanks!!! Yea here in PA, it can go up in the 90's in the summer and sometimes (not usually) go to about 15 degrees in the winter, usually it stays in the 20s or 30s.
 
i have has water bottles and they are unfrozen for about 4-5 hours. and bowls freeze faster but it depends what water you put in it. if you put warm water in it it will freeze slower then cold water but it depends on the outside temp. cooler water will guarantee freeze faster but it doesn't matter what you use. to the bottles or bowl runn them under warm water but dont drop the as ice causes pressure and dropping it will make it shatter.
 
My rabbits aren't smelly at all! The cat litter tray smells worse
after 20 minutes than the rabbit ones after 2 days. The sweet
smell of hay actually leaves my house smelling fresh and
outdoors-ey, I love it.

Neither my indoor nor outdoor rabbits 'smell'.
 
Rabbits smell less than a well-kept cat. They really don't smell much at all provided they are spayed/neutered, you use vinegar to clean up any urine accidents etc., and you clean the litterboxes regularly. For the most part you just smell hay and, if you use it, wood pellet litter.

I do think that NIC cages indoors are the best option. You can build them to suit your circumstances, for example to fit in a corner, and you can easily rebuild them to a different shape. They are also inexpensive and can be made much larger than any other pre-made option out there. If you do want an outside hutch, you will need to build it yourself or pay a carpenter to do it for you because they simply aren't appropriate. Not large enough, not warm enough for winter, and might not have enough air flow in summer. Keep in mind that rabbits can get heat stroke in temps over 90 and require a lot of care in warm temps. They are also more prone to fly strike (maggots infesting the flesh), so you need to be extra careful about keeping the hutch clean and the rabbit healthy.
 
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but I would be somewhat concerned about the temp change of bringing a bun in and out during the day.

I haven't had any problems with odor, other than the smell of hay.

That said, I do scoop out my litterboxes 2-3 times a day, more than most, but not all that difficult to do if you put your mind to it.
 
Do not bring a rabbit in and out continuously in the winter. It is an unnecessary stress on a rabbits system. Bring them in an out is going to make your rabbits normal cycle get a little screwed up -- s/he wont know whether to shed out the winter coat or grow a thicker one! Since the outside temperatures can be so different from inside, you may actually give your rabbit heat stroke by bringing them in. The bottom line is an outside rabbit should stay out all the time. If they have to come in for really cold spells -- only bring them into a cool space like a garage. While it may not seem like much, often times protection from the wind is what helps the most.
 
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