# Have to move my rabbits outside, how do I make them safe and comfortable?



## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

I unfortunately have to move my two rabbits outside as my Nan believe's they stink too much. 
So I was hoping for everyone's tips and tricks on how to keep the rabbits healthy and comfortable.
Thanks to anyone who replies.


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## Hermelin (Mar 17, 2019)

The cage will need to be off the ground, at least 1 m up before the floor start. This is to protect them from predators and also protect a little from the cold. The cage won’t protect against humans but the rest will keep them safe. 

You can connect a pen to the hutch, so they can come out during the day to play. Make sure to have mesh over the pen to protect them from birds, jumping out and so on. 

Fill up the holes they dig after a while so they dosen’t dig out but still can dig as much they want. Some rabbits truly love digging. But have mesh near the edges off the pen, So if they are digging it won’t be easy to dig out from the pen. 

Have many hide places and tunnels to run into. Branches to chew and places to jump up on and sleep.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

Thank you 
I know one of my rabbits is a digging fanatic so he'll be happy. 
In regards to keeping them 1m off the ground, can I simply put in wooden planks or something. 
I was looking up online last night and people were saying wire flooring - however I was under the impression that it would hurt since the weight isn't evenly distributed over their feet.
I've attached the cage I will be using (sorry for the edited version, the seller of the cage only sent me pics with their kids next to it and I didn't want to post them)


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## button+banjo (Mar 17, 2019)

What is the weather like where you are? Make sure they don't get too hot, they can die easily from overheating, at high humidity and around 85F is when it starts too get too hot for them. In summer they need shade, ice blocks, cold water, fans, frozen water bottles, frozen tiles, etc.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

button+banjo said:


> What is the weather like where you are? Make sure they don't get too hot, they can die easily from overheating, at high humidity and around 85F is when it starts too get too hot for them. In summer they need shade, ice blocks, cold water, fans, frozen water bottles, frozen tiles, etc.


Currently it's moving into winter so it's getting pretty cold (never cold enough to snow though). However I plan on keeping their indoor cages for summer, it gets pretty hot where I am and don't think they'd do well outside during the heat, like you said.


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## Hermelin (Mar 17, 2019)

In my country wire floor aren’t allowed but so long it’s different flooring in the cage and they can rest on another flooring. Mesh won’t be a problem for them. If it only wire floor in the hutch put in planks and have mesh on the ground floor. 

Because you need to be able to lock them in during night with no animals being able to dig in. 

If you have rabbit disease in your area make sure to vaccinate your rabbits yearly.

Don’t move them out until it get a little warmer, if the indoor temperature and outdoor are to big different. You can’t move them out, because it might be too cold for them.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

Hermelin said:


> In my country wire floor aren’t allowed but so long it’s different flooring in the cage and they can rest on another flooring. Mesh won’t be a problem for them. If it only wire floor in the hutch put in planks and have mesh on the ground floor.
> 
> Because you need to be able to lock them in during night with no animals being able to dig in.
> 
> ...


The indoor and outdoor temperature isn't significantly better (it's an old house), the main concern I have is the wind. Will the nesting box be enough to protect them or should I put some sheet metal on the side of the cage too?


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## Hermelin (Mar 17, 2019)

The nest box will protect them, so long there’s no holes in it. It’s the cage big enough to house two rabbits in the nesting box. Enough floor space for them, if it too small, fights will easily start up.


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## Charlotteandbetty (Mar 17, 2019)

You could get a snuggle safe, it’s a little pad you heat in the microwave which keeps its heat overnight. They’re about £14 from Amazon and gives you peace of mind. You could also get a hutch cover? Your hutch is an unusual shape but have a look on eBay. It will give extra protections from wind and damp x


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

Charlotteandbetty said:


> You could get a snuggle safe, it’s a little pad you heat in the microwave which keeps its heat overnight. They’re about £14 from Amazon and gives you peace of mind. You could also get a hutch cover? Your hutch is an unusual shape but have a look on eBay. It will give extra protections from wind and damp x


That sounds like a great idea thanks 
I'll definitely invest in those!


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

Hermelin said:


> The nest box will protect them, so long there’s no holes in it. It’s the cage big enough to house two rabbits in the nesting box. Enough floor space for them, if it too small, fights will easily start up.


I believe that it's big enough, the previous owner had two rabbits living in there and never seemed to have any issues. I'll include a picture of the cage in comparison to an adult Husky as well as a toddler (who will be coloured over)


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## JBun (Mar 17, 2019)

If your nan will give your buns another chance being indoors, with some changes you may be able to make it so they no longer smell. I have 7 indoor rabbits and really the only smell from them is the smell of hay. Usually if you have the right litter box set up, it helps eliminate any odor problems. But having the right set up is essential. 

But you would need to decide right away. With your outdoor temps getting colder, your rabbits will need time to develop a winter coat before the temps get too cold, so you would need to get them moved soon. In fact if your outdoor temps at night are more than 20 degrees cooler than your indoor temps it might already be too late to transition your buns to outdoor temperatures.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

The indoor and outdoor temperatures aren't significantly different, it's an old house and she won't allow me to use a heater in their room. So pretty much all that happens inside is a slight temp increase and wind protection. 
I'm definitely open for suggestions on how to reduce smell, I use fleece and chance the cage daily. The main reason for the smell I feel is that my male rabbit refuses to use the litter tray (cat litter tray). He's a large rabbit and produces a lot of urine that I can't remove regularly throughout the day.


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## zuppa (Mar 17, 2019)

Chip and Dip said:


> The indoor and outdoor temperatures aren't significantly different, it's an old house and she won't allow me to use a heater in their room. So pretty much all that happens inside is a slight temp increase and wind protection.
> I'm definitely open for suggestions on how to reduce smell, I use fleece and chance the cage daily. The main reason for the smell I feel is that my male rabbit refuses to use the litter tray (cat litter tray). He's a large rabbit and produces a lot of urine that I can't remove regularly throughout the day.


Can you post some pics of your current setup?


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 17, 2019)

I'm currently at uni and don't have a current picture of the rabbit cage - I do have one of my guinea pig cage however which is pretty much the same set up if that'll work. 
So it's like the picture provided (the corner litter trays have been removed from the cage btw and I was pretty quickly informed they didn't work once I got the little piggies) except with a smaller third cage attached that has the tray in it. That third cage is pretty much solely used for their litter - is this a good or bad thing? 
Would it help if I completely knocked down the walls instead of using a ramp?


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## zuppa (Mar 18, 2019)

That's very cool I was thinking of joining two cages myself  
The question is why your male rabbit refuses to use the litter tray? Maybe litter box isn't big enough for him? If you have a little cage attached as a litter box maybe you want to use wood pellets as filling for it it absorbs smell of urine brilliantly even for a larger rabbit it could work for a couple days. My lop rabbit was very smelly too when i got her and wood pellets really helped.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 18, 2019)

Poopy Poo said:


> That's very cool I was thinking of joining two cages myself
> The question is why your male rabbit refuses to use the litter tray? Maybe litter box isn't big enough for him? If you have a little cage attached as a litter box maybe you want to use wood pellets as filling for it it absorbs smell of urine brilliantly even for a larger rabbit it could work for a couple days. My lop rabbit was very smelly too when i got her and wood pellets really helped.


That's a good idea  
I was using a litter tray inside the smaller cage, but if I simply use the entire extra cage it for sure would be big enough! 
Also I was simply using hay as a litter to change regularly, didn't even consider wooden pellet. 

Thank you for your input - I'll be sure to give this a try.


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## JBun (Mar 18, 2019)

I think your problem is the fleece. Also hay alone as litter won't control odor or absorb very well. Most rabbits LOVE to pee on soft things, even if they are litter trained. You really need the flooring to be a hard surface, at least for now. Rabbits tend not to like to pee on hard surfaces because they will get their feet wet.

If you want to see if it will work before moving them outdoors, then I would remove the fleece and just have the bottom of the cage bare. For the litter box, you want one large enough that they can move around comfortably and even stretch out and lay down in it, and with high enough sides that their bum doesn't hang over the edge when they pee having urine leak out over the edge. Then you want about a 1-1.5 inch layer of wood pellet litter in the litter box as it's the best at absorption and odor control. On top of that you want a thick enough layer of hay that the pellet litter won't shift around too much, with a pile of hay to eat in a non peeing corner, or in their hay rack if that's what they have. If you have a rabbit that's a digger, then you may also need a screen in between the litter and hay to prevent digging. Also thoroughly clean everything with white vinegar first to deodorize it all.

If that doesn't work you could always fill the whole cage with wood pellet litter as poopy poo suggested, and spot clean the wet spots as needed. That is if you prefer to have your buns indoors(which I sure do, especially in cold weather), and if your nan will agree.

So this is the set up I have and have used successfully for years. Only time it starts to smell is if I've waited too long to spot clean wet spots in the litter tray or to completely dump the ones that need a full clean. I do spot scooping every few days for the one bun that likes to pee in only one spot, and the other litter box where they spread their pee spots all over I usually clean out once a week.

Large litter box with 1-1.5 inch layer of wood pellet litter, and soft screen to prevent digging.






Wood pellet litter with hay spread over the top and hay in hay rack.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 18, 2019)

I am surprised that the fleece is a problem - glad you told me because I did not consider that. 
I have convinced my nan for 2 weeks to get the smell under control so I'll be sure to give this a try! 
My male rabbit has always had some form of bedding (hay from his old owner and fleece from me) and seems uncomfortable whenever he is in a cage without bedding - will he get over this or should I consider going back to hay as his old owner did?


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## JBun (Mar 18, 2019)

He should get used to it, but if he absolutely won't walk on the smooth surface of the cage bottom and starts staying put in the litter box because of it, you may just have to make the cage one big litter box filled with wood pellet litter until you can figure something else out. Some people use textured linoleum for their rabbits, so that may be something that could work for your bun, or he may hate that too. Rabbits are a trial and error experiment. You think something will work and you try it out, only to find that it doesn't and you have to find a different solution.

But definitely get the wood pellet litter and give it a try. It's great at odor control and absorbing the urine. I've tried several different litter types for my rabbits and found it works the best. Not sure what you will have available to you, but if you have farm stores near you, they may have the wood pellet equine bedding, which is what I use and is cheaper than buying the wood pellet litter for pets. If you can, also use the hay over the top. It also helps with keeping the odors down. Though you may need to clean out the old hay every few days as it gets wet with urine. I usually clean out the old wet hay every 3-4 days, but it just depends on your rabbits. You may be able to go longer than that with your buns. You just don't want mold or bacteria to start growing in there so changing more frequently is better than leaving it too long.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 18, 2019)

JBun said:


> He should get used to it, but if he absolutely won't walk on the smooth surface of the cage bottom and starts staying put in the litter box because of it, you may just have to make the cage one big litter box filled with wood pellet litter until you can figure something else out. Some people use textured linoleum for their rabbits, so that may be something that could work for your bun, or he may hate that too. Rabbits are a trial and error experiment. You think something will work and you try it out, only to find that it doesn't and you have to find a different solution.
> 
> But definitely get the wood pellet litter and give it a try. It's great at odor control and absorbing the urine. I've tried several different litter types for my rabbits and found it works the best. Not sure what you will have available to you, but if you have farm stores near you, they may have the wood pellet equine bedding, which is what I use and is cheaper than buying the wood pellet litter for pets. If you can, also use the hay over the top. It also helps with keeping the odors down. Though you may need to clean out the old hay every few days as it gets wet with urine. I usually clean out the old wet hay every 3-4 days, but it just depends on your rabbits. You may be able to go longer than that with your buns. You just don't want mold or bacteria to start growing in there so changing more frequently is better than leaving it too long.


Thank you, I feel like this will definitely improve the chance of me keeping them inside.
I'll see what works for my little guy and go from there


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## Augustus&HazelGrace (Mar 18, 2019)

Is he neutered? Unneutered rabbits are much harder to litter train, and they may be litter trained before hormones kick in and then after hormones kick in it's like they forget everything. Oh and just to add make sure the pellets are not Cedar, pine should be fine as long as they are kiln-dried and I think the pine pellets are.


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 18, 2019)

Augustus&HazelGrace said:


> Is he neutered? Unneutered rabbits are much harder to litter train, and they may be litter trained before hormones kick in and then after hormones kick in it's like they forget everything. Oh and just to add make sure the pellets are not Cedar, pine should be fine as long as they are kiln-dried and I think the pine pellets are.


Yeah he's neutered, but it is very recent 
So with any luck that'll help get him using the litter box


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## :)) (Mar 18, 2019)

Chip and Dip said:


> Thank you
> I know one of my rabbits is a digging fanatic so he'll be happy.
> In regards to keeping them 1m off the ground, can I simply put in wooden planks or something.
> I was looking up online last night and people were saying wire flooring - however I was under the impression that it would hurt since the weight isn't evenly distributed over their feet.
> I've attached the cage I will be using (sorry for the edited version, the seller of the cage only sent me pics with their kids next to it and I didn't want to post them)



My hutch has wire floors (that I cover)yet every time I cover the wire they uncover it. A human on wire above ground would be painful because we are heavy ,though it’s uncomfortable and can definitely cause problems for them... rabbits are light and as long as they have somewhere to escape from it the wire it’s fine..since I have lots of boxes in my garage ...I cut them up as covers they can chew and shred and replace them every two days.


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## Mariam+Theo (Mar 18, 2019)

If you end up having to put your rabbit outside it should be okay. My rabbit is outside in a hutch/playpen (located in our shed).

He stays cold in the summer because of the concrete floor (I have things over the floor in some areas so that he doesn't hurt his paws) and the frozen water bottles that I provide for him.

He stays warm in the winter because I have a sheet for him and a heated dog bed (which doesn't have to be plugged in).

He is litter trained and only goes to the bathroom on the top floor (he occasionally will poop on the bottom floor, but not on purpose). I also use wood pellets and they work great!

You can also put Window insulators on the hutch to keep them warm (check out the link). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...e=w61&tag=thcaco06-20&linkId=E3U5XPSN5FG6T4ZH

I hope you can convince Nan to let them stay inside! I'm working on bringing mine inside right now!


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## button+banjo (Mar 18, 2019)

JBun said:


> Most rabbits LOVE to pee on soft things, even if they are litter trained. You really need the flooring to be a hard surface, at least for now.



I agree with the above!

This website (@Blue eyes site) should help you a lot: https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/odor-free-home.html


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 19, 2019)

Theo said:


> If you end up having to put your rabbit outside it should be okay. My rabbit is outside in a hutch/playpen (located in our shed).
> 
> He stays cold in the summer because of the concrete floor (I have things over the floor in some areas so that he doesn't hurt his paws) and the frozen water bottles that I provide for him.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the advice, glad to know there are things I can do to ensure theit comfortable even outside. 
Also good luck with getting your rabbits inside


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 19, 2019)

button+banjo said:


> I agree with the above!
> 
> This website (@Blue eyes site) should help you a lot: https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/odor-free-home.html


Thank you  
I'll definitely give that a read, the more I can learn about it the better


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## Chip and Dip (Mar 19, 2019)

:)) said:


> My hutch has wire floors (that I cover)yet every time I cover the wire they uncover it. A human on wire above ground would be painful because we are heavy ,though it’s uncomfortable and can definitely cause problems for them... rabbits are light and as long as they have somewhere to escape from it the wire it’s fine..since I have lots of boxes in my garage ...I cut them up as covers they can chew and shred and replace them every two days.


Oh that's a good idea, if I can put wire on the bottom that would be best ad I know there are foxes where I live 
Thanks for that


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## Hermelin (Mar 19, 2019)

If you have foxes in your area, it's better to lock the rabbit in a hutch that are off the ground, during the night. Foxes are really smart predators and can easily break into cages. Myself have many foxes where I live. Even had neighbour get foxes walked into their homes.


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