Outdoor Greenhouse for bunnies?

[mrsberger]

 Right now, my rabbits live indoors, but I will be moving to a house with a big backyard, so I thought it would be nice to try building a place for them to live in my backyard.  I don’t want them to actually BE outside, so I thought it would be a good idea to get a large greenhouse so that they would have access to running around on the grass without being vulnerable to predators and things like that.  I am planning getting a green house that is large enough to fit a pretty big hutch/run for them, as well as have some space to put their supplies and possibly grow some vegetables for them to eat.  I live in California, so the greenhouse will not only have to be heated, but also have to be air conditioned.  I’ve been looking online for more information about this, but I can’t really find anything too detailed.  Has anyone ever done anything like this before?  Like I said, this is just a plan that I thought would be a good idea for them.  I haven’t really done anything concrete about it yet.  I would appreciate any suggestions/tips for this type of plan before I actually go through with it.  Thanks

[Deleted User]

You need to know your predator situation to determine what to focus on in terms of security. I have large  and small carnivores in my yard as well as birds of orey. I tried several fene types before switching to this type of metal-sided pen. This has served my rabbits well and kept them safe.

Definitely you want a roof and line the ground with mesh to prevent digging out.

Another consideration is mosquitoes and other bugs that may transmit diseases. If you have myxomatosis in your area, get your rabbits vaccinated or keep them indoors.

[mocha200]

I wouldn’t suggest keeping them outside unsupervised or overnight. There are to many things that can happen and rabbits are very happy inside. But i think a safe area the them to play in during the day would be cool! just like all animals they should be able to have fresh air.

[Beka27]

I agree with Mocha. A safe play area for daytime sounds like a good idea, but it’s really best to house them indoors at night and when it’s too hot (above 80-85 degrees) and too cold (below 35-40 degrees). You could look into a heated and air-conditioned space, but that sounds like a really big project and very expensive. Might as well just build them a nice space indoors. Plus, indoor rabbits tend to get more interaction and it’s easier to tell when something might be wrong.

[mrsberger]

It’s a lot to think about. If I did undertake this project, I definitely would need to do some careful planning to see how expensive it would be. I’m not even sure they make air conditioned greenhouses, but I’ll be sure to do some more research on this before I actually put in motion. For now, they’re staying indoors.

[Bren]

I have had some thoughts on this topic as well. I got discouraged a while back because I was given so much negative advice about ever letting them outdoors. i take my bun camping with me and she absolutely loves it! I bring a pen and she is only in it when I am there watching her. (there are crows, etc.) and I put up a set up tent over her pen area so no birds can see her from overhead. My thought I have been wanting to accomplish is some sort of an outdoor “run” if you will. Something that would be constructed from an open window or pet door that would give limited access to the outdoors but would be a starting point from indoors. (does that even make sense?) I haven’t figured out how to do this yet. But it is rattling up there in my ole head! 

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