Rabbits: What to do with them?
 

Hello

We just got given two rabbits and a hutch. As the winter is drawing nearer, what do you do with them (apart from 1.5 hours in the oven with some onions)?

Can you leave the hutch outside? Do you have to insulate it somehow?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

Used to have the hutch for my g.pigs in the garage, with plenty of hay / straw and on cold nights a small heater near by.

[blatent cut and paste mode on]

Rabbits, like many other animals, find winter tough. They do not hibernate and they will rely on their owners for survival. Even though Mother Nature will supply them with a warm winter coat, a little extra thought will be needed. These tips will help your readers help their pet rabbit, Britain's third most popular pet.

Bedding must be clean and dry at all times. Wet bedding could freeze!

Keep an old towel for your rabbit and gently dry him if he gets unexpectedly wet.

Rabbits do not like draughts, especially at night. If his hutch is outside, make sure it is fitted with a rain and wind proof cover for bad weather and night time. It should hang down over the front but it should allow a little air for ventilation. However, a rabbit will thrive with its hutch outside or in a garden shed, even in harsh conditions - no need to bring the hutch into the living room!

If the hutch has an outside run onto grass or concrete, close it off until spring arrives.

Rabbits like a little greenery in their diet but make sure that they are not frosted or frozen when given to your rabbit - this could easily result in a fatality. Best keep foodstuffs in your kitchen so they stay at room temperature.

Your rabbit's water should be kept free of ice at all times. Don't allow it to freeze.

Diet need not be necessarily altered but rabbits do like a little hay in the winter as an extra. Don't go mad or you may have a tubby rabbit to deal with in the spring! A handful will be plenty.

Even when winter seems very quiet for wildlife, foxes and vermin are still busy and extra hungry. Make sure that your rabbit's hutch is secure and safe.

If you are thinking about taking on a pet rabbit, springtime is probably better than winter as at is easier for you too. You will have your chores down to a fine art by the time bad weather arrives! The British Rabbit Council has a booklet called 'Getting Started in Rabbits' for £1 plus 50p p&p. Send your name, address and cheque or postal order to The British Rabbit Council, Purefoy House, 7 Kirkgate, Newark, Notts, NG24 1AD. (If you mention PetPlanet's website you will also be sent additional leaflets.)

For any advice on rabbits or where to find the breed of your choice, ring The British Rabbit Council on 01636 676042.

[blatent cut and paste mode off]

My girlfriend has a rabbit, it lives in a cage inside the house, personally i think it's way too cold for them to be kept outside in this weather, i can barely survive outside myself although i'm not covered in fur!

Winter stew.

I wonder where wild rabbits go when its cold!! ;)

I've already been told I can't do that :)

Thank you for the other responses. I will see what I can find to drape over the hutch that is warm and waterproof.

Steve

;)

:D

I only shoot them.

Home made remake of Watership Down? ;) :D

Ns "is it a kind of dream, floating through the night" 04

My freind leaves his in a hutch located outside all of the time.

We've got one of these:

Hutch Hugger for Parsley Den Guinea Pig and Rabbit Hutch by Scratch and Newton-Accessories-Pets at Home: Buy Pet Supplies from our Online UK Pet Shop

with a load of underlay underneath it for insulation, seems to do the trick

In our "kids with animals stage" I was instructed to bring Guinea Pig into hallway in a cold break although I think they live in the Andes?

Rabbit hutch was moved to car port and I folded a tarpaulin so it covered the sides and kept the wind off. Put some extra bedding in and she seemed fine. Must keep the hutch clean and dry as cold wet pee is not nice :) dl

Freudian slip...

We had a rabbit, little fella last for 12 years and he lived outside in his hutch. Make sure the wascally wabbits have plenty of hay to keep them warm and I'd also suggest putting a cover over the doors in the hutch at night to keep some heat in, we used a 6ft x 6ft tarpaulin for this and it worked very well.

There were a couple of times when it was seriously cold outside and we did move his hutch into the utility room, but for the main part he was outside and seemed more than happy.

Usually kept in the bedside cabinet below the underwear :D

So have we and rabbits fine

I always used to have rabbits when i was younger... But they were house rabbits, no cages... There the best rabbits ;)

We used to put the hutch in the garage over winter... and also the run so we could let them get out of the hutch and have a run around every so often...

I wouldnt keep them outside:(

I was going to post the same thing - a must for rabbit hutches in winter. Alternatively move them to the garage overnight. We have 3 house rabbits that live in cages indoors during the night and go out in runs during the day if the weather is dry or only light drizzle.