Comments on: Outdoor Rabbits http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk Care for house rabbits and pet rabbits Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:05:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Susie Stone http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-6045 Susie Stone Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:05:28 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-6045 Hi Richard, Thank you for your last reply it was very helpful. As I said before we are new rabbit owners and our baby lop Tipsy is 9 weeks old and she seems to eat all the time! We are feeding her in the morning but by lunch time she has nothing left, we are also giving her hay to eat as well as fresh water each day – is this nornal, we were told to fill her bowl (normal rabbit bowl) half full with the food the breeder give us which seems to be a mixture of pellets and muesli ( we could only get nuggets from Pets at home, what would you recommend?) We have been letting her out every day for half and hour to an hour for exercise, do you recommend this my daughter is afraid she will get wild as she loves this and does not want to go back into her hutch, she is jumping and having appears to be having great fun. We have also noticed she seems to be eating her hay. I am cleaning her cage out every 2nd day and using compressed wood shavings on the bottom and then staw and hay. The breeder we bought her from only used hay, could this be the reason she appears to be eating the straw. Thank you for your help, we are really enjoying our new rabbit but it is a bit daunting we just want to make sure we are doing this best for her and dont have anyone to ask Susie Reply Leave a Reply Hi Richard, Thank you for your last reply it was very helpful. As I said before we are new rabbit owners and our baby lop Tipsy is 9 weeks old and she seems to eat all the time! We are feeding her in the morning but by lunch time she has nothing left, we are also giving her hay to eat as well as fresh water each day – is this nornal, we were told to fill her bowl (normal rabbit bowl) half full with the food the breeder give us which seems to be a mixture of pellets and muesli ( we could only get nuggets from Pets at home, what would you recommend?) We have been letting her out every day for half and hour to an hour for exercise, do you recommend this my daughter is afraid she will get wild as she loves this and does not want to go back into her hutch, she is jumping and having appears to be having great fun. We have also noticed she seems to be eating her hay. I am cleaning her cage out every 2nd day and using compressed wood shavings on the bottom and then staw and hay. The breeder we bought her from only used hay, could this be the reason she appears to be eating the straw. Thank you for your help, we are really enjoying our new rabbit but it is a bit daunting we just want to make sure we are doing this best for her and dont have anyone to ask Susie

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]]> By: Richard Lord http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-5819 Richard Lord Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:33:26 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-5819 Hi Susie I always say that the best place to keep rabbits is inside the house, however keeping your rabbits in a hut during the winter months will protect them from the weather better than having a hutch outside. Make sure that plenty of daylight can get into the hut, as rabbits routines are regulated by daylight, and they can become depressed if kept in a dark environment all the time. Also, ensure that the ventilation is sufficient. You could use wood on the bottom of the run, or if the hut's floor is level you could just use the floor of the hut. Adding a separate bottom to the run will protect your hut's floor from digging, scratching and nibbling! You are correct that rabbits should have large amounts of hay in their diet, and also that the diet for a young rabbit is different to an adult rabbit. Have a look at my page about <a href="http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/food.html" rel="nofollow">feeding rabbits</a> for more information. There is some discussion in the comments section at the bottom of the page about changing diet through a young rabbit's development. Richard Hi Susie
I always say that the best place to keep rabbits is inside the house, however keeping your rabbits in a hut during the winter months will protect them from the weather better than having a hutch outside. Make sure that plenty of daylight can get into the hut, as rabbits routines are regulated by daylight, and they can become depressed if kept in a dark environment all the time. Also, ensure that the ventilation is sufficient.
You could use wood on the bottom of the run, or if the hut’s floor is level you could just use the floor of the hut. Adding a separate bottom to the run will protect your hut’s floor from digging, scratching and nibbling!
You are correct that rabbits should have large amounts of hay in their diet, and also that the diet for a young rabbit is different to an adult rabbit. Have a look at my page about feeding rabbits for more information. There is some discussion in the comments section at the bottom of the page about changing diet through a young rabbit’s development.
Richard

]]> By: Susie Stone http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-5808 Susie Stone Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:20:33 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-5808 Hi, We have just purchased a female lop eared rabbit, we are new to keeping a rabbit and have quite a few questions. We bought the rabbit from a breeder and it was housed outside in a hut with its mother, brothers and sisters. We have set up a hutch in our hut outside. The hutch is in 2 tiers and the bottom is like a run, although not very big, it has no bottom - we were wondering if we should put a bottom on this and is the hut the best place to keep the rabbit during the winter months. We also have a question on straw and hay, do we use both and should we include both in the bottom of the hutch as well which is the run? We have read that the rabbit uses hay as food. We have been advised to feed our rabbit pellets and not to give carrots etc until over a year old is this correct. Any other tips would be much appreciated Hi,
We have just purchased a female lop eared rabbit, we are new to keeping a rabbit and have quite a few questions. We bought the rabbit from a breeder and it was housed outside in a hut with its mother, brothers and sisters. We have set up a hutch in our hut outside. The hutch is in 2 tiers and the bottom is like a run, although not very big, it has no bottom – we were wondering if we should put a bottom on this and is the hut the best place to keep the rabbit during the winter months. We also have a question on straw and hay, do we use both and should we include both in the bottom of the hutch as well which is the run? We have read that the rabbit uses hay as food. We have been advised to feed our rabbit pellets and not to give carrots etc until over a year old is this correct. Any other tips would be much appreciated

]]> By: Richard Lord http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-1367 Richard Lord Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:25:29 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-1367 Hi Jane It is always possible that two rabbits may fight wehn they are first introduced to each other. Having both neutered before introducing them is a good way to reduce this risk. I would suggest waiting a few weeks after having them neutered to allow their hormone levels to reach a the new balanced level. When you do introduce them, do it in an area that is neutral to both rabbits, and stay with them until you are sure they won't fight. You can probably expect a small amount of chasing each other, or even mounting each other to affirm which rabbit is the dominant one. Any more aggressive behaviour than this could risk an injury to one or the other. Some people like to have the two rabbits separated, but able to get close to each other. This can be done by having one rabbit in a cage and the other free in the room with the cage. Good luck! Richard Hi Jane
It is always possible that two rabbits may fight wehn they are first introduced to each other. Having both neutered before introducing them is a good way to reduce this risk. I would suggest waiting a few weeks after having them neutered to allow their hormone levels to reach a the new balanced level.
When you do introduce them, do it in an area that is neutral to both rabbits, and stay with them until you are sure they won’t fight. You can probably expect a small amount of chasing each other, or even mounting each other to affirm which rabbit is the dominant one. Any more aggressive behaviour than this could risk an injury to one or the other.
Some people like to have the two rabbits separated, but able to get close to each other. This can be done by having one rabbit in a cage and the other free in the room with the cage.
Good luck!
Richard

]]> By: janeparker http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-1279 janeparker Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:49:16 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-1279 Hi,we have a 10 month old male lop eared rabbit and also a 4 month old female lop we have had the male neutered and the female is being done next week im just a bit worried when there first introduced to each other they may fight had you any advice that may help thankyou. Hi,we have a 10 month old male lop eared rabbit and also a 4 month old female lop we have had the male neutered and the female is being done next week im just a bit worried when there first introduced to each other they may fight had you any advice that may help thankyou.

]]> By: Stephanie Patterson http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-128 Stephanie Patterson Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:16:35 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-128 Thanks alot yea it really does help ! If it was up to me ad keep him in all the time but my husbands not too keen hehe . I've just bought an indoor cage aswell just for the really cold nites , a little compomise :) Thanks again Thanks alot yea it really does help ! If it was up to me ad keep him in all the time but my husbands not too keen hehe . I’ve just bought an indoor cage aswell just for the really cold nites , a little compomise :)
Thanks again

]]> By: Richard Lord http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-124 Richard Lord Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:47:37 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-124 Hi Stephanie, Thanks for your question. It is safe for an outdoor pet rabbit to remain outdoors during winter, as long as you take care with his living environment. Some people bring their rabbit's hutch into the house or garage during winter to protect the rabbit from the weather, but you can provide this protection by preparing his living area properly. You will need to make sure that the rabbit's bedding is always kept clean and dry, as damp bedding can cause health problems, and could even freeze in very cold conditions. Also, make sure that his water does not freeze, as rabbits need to have constant access to water. His living area should have a section that is enclosed so that he can get out of drafty, wet conditions. In wet and windy weather, it is best to cover the whole hutch to protect the rabbit from the weather, but ensure that there is still enough ventilation. Make sure that your rabbit has plenty of hay, as some rabbits eat a little more in winter. And finally, even though you might not always feel like it on cold, wet days, make sure that you go to see him every day to cuddle and stroke him so that he does not feel lonely. Hope this helps Richard Hi Stephanie, Thanks for your question.
It is safe for an outdoor pet rabbit to remain outdoors during winter, as long as you take care with his living environment. Some people bring their rabbit’s hutch into the house or garage during winter to protect the rabbit from the weather, but you can provide this protection by preparing his living area properly.
You will need to make sure that the rabbit’s bedding is always kept clean and dry, as damp bedding can cause health problems, and could even freeze in very cold conditions. Also, make sure that his water does not freeze, as rabbits need to have constant access to water.
His living area should have a section that is enclosed so that he can get out of drafty, wet conditions. In wet and windy weather, it is best to cover the whole hutch to protect the rabbit from the weather, but ensure that there is still enough ventilation.
Make sure that your rabbit has plenty of hay, as some rabbits eat a little more in winter. And finally, even though you might not always feel like it on cold, wet days, make sure that you go to see him every day to cuddle and stroke him so that he does not feel lonely.
Hope this helps
Richard

]]> By: Stephanie Patterson http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-120 Stephanie Patterson Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:42:52 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-120 Hi , we have recently gotten ourselfs a lop eared bunny , he will b 8 weeks on sunday. We have a proper hutch for him and all the proper bedding but i was wondering if it is safe to keep him outside, or does he need to be kept inside because of the cold. Thank you Hi , we have recently gotten ourselfs a lop eared bunny , he will b 8 weeks on sunday. We have a proper hutch for him and all the proper bedding but i was wondering if it is safe to keep him outside, or does he need to be kept inside because of the cold.
Thank you

]]> By: Richard Lord http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-102 Richard Lord Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:33:20 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-102 Hi Paul Rabbits should have an area that they can access any time that is out of the wind and rain. Most rabbit hutches have a small enclosed section with a small entrance that the rabbit can go into to keep dry and out of the wind. If a rabbit does not have access to an enclosed space like this, it will be more susceptible to illness, as rabbits can get ill easily if they are in a damp, drafty environment. If you suspect that an animal is being treated cruelly or is in distress, you can contact the <a href="http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/helpandadvice/reportinganimalsindistress/crueltychecklist" rel="nofollow">RSPCA</a> (if you are in the UK). There are similar organisations in other parts of the world. Hi Paul
Rabbits should have an area that they can access any time that is out of the wind and rain. Most rabbit hutches have a small enclosed section with a small entrance that the rabbit can go into to keep dry and out of the wind.
If a rabbit does not have access to an enclosed space like this, it will be more susceptible to illness, as rabbits can get ill easily if they are in a damp, drafty environment.
If you suspect that an animal is being treated cruelly or is in distress, you can contact the RSPCA (if you are in the UK). There are similar organisations in other parts of the world.

]]> By: paul evans http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/care/outdoor.html#comment-101 paul evans Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:22:19 +0000 http://www.barneyandjemima.co.uk/.html#comment-101 I am worried about a local rabbit . They are keeping it outside on a grass floor and it is now getting cold.Its in a temporary hut- with no floor- it looks like it is the type of thing you may use as a exercise hut while you clean out the proper hutch. Will it survive? What should i do? best wishes Paul Evans I am worried about a local rabbit . They are keeping it outside on a grass floor and it is now getting cold.Its in a temporary hut- with no floor- it looks like it is the type of thing you may use as a exercise hut while you clean out the proper hutch.

Will it survive? What should i do?

best wishes

Paul Evans

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