out door rabbits

[mouses]

hello,

ive fostered a couple of house rabbits before. now i have a out doors id like to keep an out door rabbit. i have a patio rather then a garden. i used to take my foster rabbits for a run over the fields

could google til hearts content but would like some first hand experiences on looking after them.

i know about diet, bedding etc its more keeping them healthy outside. i know that flies can be troublesome, fly strike? is that right? so how can i prevent this.

other questions.
what sort of hutch? bigger the better yes - which type theres so many? and do i need a cover over winter or more then just a cover?

any other info i need to know will be a great help.

Please get 2 as they need company especially if they're outdoors. As big an enclosure and run as you can. They need vaccinations and just check them regularly and you should avoid fly strike. Also get them neutered - essential for health.

thanks for replying.

what is the best pair, same sex or male / female?

are the rain and wind proof covers ok for winter? ive seen thermal looking ones, well they look thermal (silver colour?)

Generally, a neutered male/female pair is best, although 2 females can also work well. Don?t even think about 2 males! Go to a rescue where they will have bonded pairs looking for homes or have single rabbits which they will bond for you. As you are an experienced bunny fosterer, I?m sure they would love to help you find your new long-eared family members.

My Current Bun is an indoor bun as was my previous bun so I?m not clued up on covers, but you will need something for wet days/winter. Rabbit Rehome has a lot of advice on it and links to rescue centres all over the UK.

You should also think about checking that rabbits can?t escape from your garden and that predators can?t access the rabbits (foxes, dogs, cats etc)

You sound like you?re doing lots of research and will be an excellent rabbit mum. Just for fun, check out Language of Lagomorphs!

thats a great help, thanks for the links too

Hutches, of any size, aren't really that ideal for rabbits. For the same or similar price you can get a wendy house/shed and a run attached. The absolute minimum recommended size for one or two rabbits is 44sq ft with a minimum height of 2ft to allow natural behaviour such as stretching. If you want a hutch, that translates to a 6ft x2ft x2ft hutch with permanent access to a run of at least 8ft x 4ft. Obviously ideally you should give them as much space as possible. A wendy house/shed/kennel and run set up has the added advantage that you can clean it out without getting wet in the winter and it provides more head room for your bunnies, so you can add tables/levels for them to climb on too.

Whatever accommodation you get needs to be fox proofed, which ideally means padlocks or proper bolts, foxes can open most things and strong weld mesh needs to be used instead of chicken wire, which has been securely fixed and can't be broken down by a determined and hungry fox. Paving slabs can be used underneath or if you want grass in the run area you can bury a layer of weldmesh underground and turf over it. Grass soon gets eaten though.

I would absolutely suggest using a reputable rescue to get your bunnies from. It's more cost effective, as your rabbit will already be vaccinated, neutered and vet checked, but you will be able to get an adult bonded pair that are unlikely to fall out later on. (young rabbits often do this) You will also have help/back up from the rescue if you need it after you take your rabbits home. A bonded pair can be any gender, male/female pairs are generally easier to bond initially, but you get male/male and female/female pairs too. You won't really have to worry too much if you get an already neutered, bonded adult pair.

Flies and heat are a bigger problem than the cold. (The Rabbit Welfare Association Facebook page has some good tips for keeping bunnies cool in summer) Using litter trays and cleaning daily helps keep flies down, as can fly papers if your accommodation is tall enough. You should check bottoms daily for fly strike. The bunnies will grow a thick winter coat and you can give them snugglesafes in winter, especially overnight and give plenty of hay/bedding. You can also insulate their accommodation if you like or use covers.

The Rabbit Rehome forum is really good in terms of advice and there are some crazy rabbit ladies really experienced owners on there too. Lots of pictures of accommodation in the housing section to give you ideas too.

thats great advice thank you, shed idea sounds good.

my back garden/yard is enclosed so i have no worries about foxes. building is 4 flights high and only access to garden is through my back door

thanks for your help

My garden is fully enclosed too, a fox still got two of mine. They can scale high fences easily. Please don't underestimate them!

midori1999's advice is excellent. Rabbit do need a ton of space and are surprisingly expensive. I had a trio and the health bills alone were £30 a month - on dd for a pet plan to cover vaccinations, check ups, etc and one for insurance. A status attack can easily run into hundreds of £s in vets bills.