Set up for a rabbit outside

[momofonly]

Hi All,

I just joined this forum because I'm considering getting an angora rabbit. I do have a lot of experience with pet rabbits, but my other rabbits were indoors. This one would be outdoors in a rabbit hutch. If anyone who raises rabbits outdoors has any feedback to this plan that would be great.


I have an enclosed 6 foot high privacy fence for a good part of our backyard. There is a spot in our backyard within the fence near the house which is always in the shade. That's where we would locate the hutch. In fact it's 95 degrees outside here today and that shady spot isn't too bad.

I'm looking at the type of hutch that's elevated, with a wire bottom and a ramp going down to an enclosed wire run. There's a pullout tray on the bottom. This is it:

http://www.rabbitcagesource.com/rabbit-hutches/rabbit-hutches/wareredtownhouse.cfm


Here's my plan for setup and I'd like to know what people who raise outdoor rabbits think of it.

To start with, I was going to ask my husband to attach plexiglas to the inside sides of the hutch sleeping area to be a urine guard that can be cleaned. In my experience, rabbit urine sticks to everything, including metal.

In the spring, summer and fall, I'd keep the hutch outside. When I had my indoor bunnies, everyone preached about wire bottoms hurting the bunnies feet. Someone said I should put cardboard down on the wire. I tried it with one, and even though the bunny was litter box trained I ended up with poop smeared cardboard in less than a day. Instead of covering the wire, I was going to put in a big litterbox filled with hay in the covered sleeping/nesting area. With my indoor bunnies, I gave them a big box of hay that they used as a "litterbox" and hung out in as well. I was also going to leave out the pullout tray when it's outside, and let all the droppings fall to the ground. I was thinking of putting hay over the bottom of the enclosed wire run.

In the winter, as in right before snow starts to fall, I was going to bring the hutch inside our three season porch. It's not heated, but it's sheltered from the wind, rain, and snow. I would put the pullout tray back and line it with puppy training pads. (That's what I did for my indoor bunnies when I figured out the urine stained the trays and I never could wash it off.) I would probably also have to have a tarp or something on the floor of the porch because my bunnies often "missed" the litter box, no matter where it was or how the cage was designed. I would also get a heated dog dish for water and hope the bunny didn't pee and poop in it.

In the summer, I would shear the fur off the angoras to help keep them from overheating.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bellasrabbitry]

I breed and show Jersey Woolies, they are kinda like a small angora. Keeping rabbits on a wire bottom cage is just fine, it does not hurt their feet if the rabbit has thick foot pads, and angoras do. I also breed and show Mini Rex, they are one of the breeds that has thinner foot pads, so I give them resting boards in their cages. I keep all my woolies in wire floored cages because if I were to put them in a solid floored cage they would get mats and be covered in shavings and hay. I personally think that it's healthier to keep rabbits on wire floored cages, they are also sooo much easier to clean. I would also recommend keeping outdoor rabbits in a building(garage/shed/barn) so that they are not exposed to the elements, they are also much safer because they are not out were a dog or wild animal can get to them. Another thing about hutches is that in the summer they get very warm.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I think much of it is going to depend on your rabbits. I raise nzw and calis. When my breeders get hay or lawn plants they are fine. But in a cage with kits it ends up matted up and covered in poop. Too risky for me in attracting maggots. Also I'd worry the kits might still try to eat it. I can't leave wooden boxes with hay for the same reason, once the kits can hop in/out.

I prefer wire floors too. I give mine wooden squares to lie on and chew, and frozen ceramic tile (I read that suggestion here). They do get dirty sometimes, especially with kits.

That hutch looks like it might be so low as to be hard to clean under without the tray?

Will you have trouble accessing the rabbits in them? Especially since they can go up and down?

And if you are planning on a run, will the rabbits dig out of it? I SO want to keep mine on the ground, but I'm pretty sure they'd all burrow in given a chance. I still might someday fill in the area under the cages to give them a burrowing space (still enclosed in wire) but I may not. If I do I'll have to worry about catching mine.

And hopefully shaved Angoras will be cool enough. I did have to put a fan on mine 24/7 even though I give them forzen 2-liter bottles up to several a day and keep cool water for them too. If just got too hot this year.

Not trying to be all negative, just looking for possible issues I'd want to think about in advance. I usually try to plan everything out and then still end up hitting snags and reworking my plans.

Good luck with them! And

 

[momofonly]

Thank you both for the helpful advice. I should have clarified that I won't be breeding rabbits, and I was planning to get just one angora rabbit.

I'm actually trying to decide between keeping a rabbit and a few chickens- so I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

LOL Can't you do both?

But ... I understand limitations of time, money, or whatever.

I keep my rabbits and chickens in the same large yard. The chickens keep the rabbit waste turned and scratched through (though one insists on laying eggs there sometimes!). The only "problem" I have is the chickens trying to get in the rabbits' hopper feeders, so I put tops on them.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[Citylife]

I have mine outside in a large yard with 4 chickens also and it works out great. I use all wire cages and love how easy it is to keep them clean.
I agree with Shiloh, it looks like it will be hard to clean under. I am soon to be adding 5 more cages and I need the easiest set-up I can find.
Good luck to you on your venture. You can see some pics of my set up on my page.

The lady w/ 4 dogs, 4 city chickens, 5 meat rabbits, their kits and a lizard

 

[Suburban Farmer]

I just wanted to throw out there that I've raised Angoras and I had a couple that had surprisingly very little fur on their feet (and subsequently got sore hocks). I would add those hard plastic feet pads that secure to the floor wire to be certain.

Enjoy! Angoras were one of my favorite breeds.

 

[momofonly]

I ended up buying one of those plastic rest mats, because that's what the breeder had for hers. Right now, I have a grass mat in her hutch for resting. When it gets dirty or torn up, I will probably install the plastic one.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Our chinchilla rabbit is outside all the time. He is at the side of the house on a concrete pad with 6 foot high chain link fence around his enclosure. I stacked crates up to support a piece of plywood to provide additional shelter for the rabbit. I also stack wooden boxes to resemble burrows. These are easy to change around depending on the season and for cleaning. He can watch us work in the field and the cat can visit with him. He and the dog also play on opposite sides of the fence. We have an old umbrella in there as well, which we cover with a tarp. This provides additional protection from the sun and from hawks. He mostly goes to the bathroom in a litter box, which we line with hay. He seems to like running around in his pen and it is easy for us to sit in there with him. Sometimes we even find a chicken visiting with him.
I provide a raised surface for him in the winter to make sure he can stay dry. I use bricks for this. In the sumer he stays nice and cool on the shaded concrete. We also provide him with ice blocks in the summer on very hot day. Once in a great while we have to bring him in the house, when the temperatures go really way up to like 107. the rabbit's area gets around 100, but not the concrete. But we prefer to bring him inside on those days.

 

[BeccaB00]

our bunny used to be an outdoor bunny, but after it became a chore to keep him safe from all the weather and heat we brought him in. Now he is an indoor bunny throughout the winters and summers but an outdoor bunny in the fall and spring. Wire bottum cages are totally fine to use as long as the rabbit has somwhere to get away from the wire and you were talking about having a big litter pan filled with hay, so it would be fine. :] shaving their hair in the summer WILL def. keep them cooler but you can also freeze water bottles and put them in their cages. They like to lay on them. LOL you can also spray the back of their ears with cold water which will keep them cool also.