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!
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!