Where my buns live.

[Laura]

The rabbitat is 10×15.  Hardware cloth goes 2 feet down.  Nothing can get in or out.  There are 2 doors, both have locks.  One pic is me and the other his my husband.  The floor is covered in tile, with lots of straw.  They do have litter pans, though they don’t really use them.  They have blankets and places to hide in.  These pics were taken just before we got the buns (last year).

~Laura

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[Gravehearted]

wow that’s an impressive bunny compound!

[Hedi]

HI Laura and Welcome!

That is a very large pen for your buns. Have you always had outside buns?

Here is a great article regarding bunnies who live outside. Is there a reason your buns do not live inside with you? Many people are not aware of all the things that can happen to buns who live outside. Even though it may be solid just having a hawk or large animal charge the cage is enough to give your rabbits a heart attack causing them instant death. 

Almost everyone on this site has house rabbits. Some occassionaly allow their buns outside. I am copying this letter I was emailed and we offer copies of this at our local humane society when we adopt out rabbits. PLEASE do not consider this post to be mean or hurtful. Just trying to make sure that you are aware of all the ugly things that can occur with keeping your rabbit outside.

Very long-sorry!

Keep your bunny inside where they’re safe and warm!

Life Outdoors: Cruel And High-Risk
by Nancy J. LaRoche
Copyright 2001 – All Rights Reserved
(May be copied for free distribution)

Because it has been traditional to keep rabbits in outside hutches, some people do it without thinking – not intending to be cruel. The facts are:
Rabbits are intelligent creatures. Keeping them where they receive little mental stimulation is cruel.

Rabbits are one of the world’s most social creatures. Allowing them little interaction with a live companion is cruel.

Rabbits are delicate in some respects. Keeping them where multiple dangers abound is cruel.

People get little pleasure from rabbits in hutches. Feeding and caring for them soon becomes a chore with no reward. Many people, realizing they made a mistake getting rabbits, dump their responsibility onto shelters or other people. Some simply forget to feed and water them regularly, whether accidently or more or less deliberately.

On the other hand, when people who have gotten information about how to successfully live with rabbits in the house, they find them to be among the most delightful companion animals they’ve ever had. Unfortunately, people who bring them into the house without good information may encounter a variety of problems and find rabbits to be destructive and possibly uncontrollable.

In general, before getting any kind of house companion, you should learn what behaviors to expect (e.g., puppies chew, cats claw upholstery) and make a commitment:

to meet the animal’s needs (rabbits can be given chew-toys; dogs can be given bones; cats can be given scratching posts) to learn the training techniques unique to the species of animal you are getting to spend the necessary time and effort training the animal so your needs are also met. Our article "Training Rabbits" can help you with this. Besides being here on the site, this article is included in our "Adoption Packet".

High Risk The reason many people offer when they keep a rabbit outside is, "They love being outside!" or "They really don’t like being in the house." A two-year old may love playing in the street, or may not like taking a nap, but that doesn’t mean that we let him have his way, with no regard for his safety and well-being.

We’re great fans of rabbits having time outdoors. However, an adult should be with them every minute that they there! When you adopt from the Colorado House Rabbit Society, you sign a legal contract, promising that they will not be left outside without an adult present. We take this contract very seriously and expect our adopters to do so, too.

We have kept a record of how outdoor rabbits died, based on the calls received from the people who lost them. Some of these rabbits were kept in hutches or pens only during the day for fresh air. Others resided in them permanently. From the following list, you can see for yourself the many, many dangers:

a dog scratched determinedly at the hutch, causing the rabbits to go into shock and die

a dog (or some other predator) broke into the hutch, killing one rabbit and maiming another

a raccoon reached through the wire of a hutch and tore a rabbit apart (raccoons are everywhere, including downtown Denver – you may never see them because they are nocturnal)

a neighbor sprayed insecticide which then drifted into the rabbits’ hutch

a rabbit cut her foot and no one noticed until blood poisoning occurred – it was too late to save the rabbit

a rabbit chewed and clawed his way out of a hutch; his body was found three blocks away

a woman was delayed by a minor car accident – when she returned, she found the pen was no longer in the shade and the rabbits had died from heat stroke

a rabbit suffered fly-strike (maggots burrow through the skin and eat the flesh) and no one noticed until it was too late

a rabbit was sacrificed one night by someone apparently associated with the occult

neighbor children accidentally let a rabbit escape when they opened the hutch door to visit the bunny – he was never seen again

a rabbit allowed to run in a fenced yard apparently became ill and went underground where no one could get to him to treat him

another rabbit allowed to run in a fenced yard was degloved (skin pulled over the head) by a "friendly" neighborhood cat

a hawk landed on an unsuspecting rabbit, although the hawk couldn’t carry the rabbit away, he tore him to shreds and ate him on the ground

An additional danger is outdoor rabbits are likely to be infested with either maggots or cuterebra. Flies (any fly – the larval stage of which is a maggot) lay eggs on the droppings in litter boxes or on any wound on a rabbit, including a surgical incision. Maggots hatch, dig through the rabbit’s skin, and proceed to eat the flesh. They also produce a neuro-toxin which paralyzes the rabbit.

The cuterebra fly, common in Colorado, has an unusual life cycle, but the larvae end up under the skin of the rabbit (in a nostril, or even in the brain in some cases, where it is deadly). Under the skin, it creates a small breathing hole which then that becomes crusted with the waste from the larva. The larva absorbs nourishment without destroying it’s host and eventually leaves through the breathing hole. There are three dangers from the cuterebra:

the larva may work its way into the brain

infections can occur in the pocket the cuterebra larva created

the rabbit may go into anaphylactic shock if the larva’s body is damaged

As you can see, there are an incredible number of very serious or fatal dangers to rabbits outdoors. As caretaker to any rabbits you bring into your life, it is your responsibilty to protect them and to ensure their emotional needs are met.

 

[MooBunnay]

Hello Laura! That is quite an impressive Rabittat right there! My buns are probably giving me the stink eye right now when they see that place, their pen is probably looking pretty shabby compared to the mini mansion you have! How many bunnies do you have now? And what types?

If you want some help working with their litterbox habits you can try the page on this site related to litterbox training, it helps a lot if their hay is in their litterboxes, is that how its set up? That could be useful training in case you ever have a strike of hot or cold weather that the buns can’t handle if they need to go inside.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

That’s bigger than my last bedroom! Haha!

[Gravehearted]

Hedi – I believe her bunnies were part of that huge Reno rescue and all the people who rescued them have been recommended to keep them outdoors.  Since they lived outdoors the idea was to adopt them out in small groups, much like mini-warrens. Wendyski posted about it on another thread. https://www.binkybunny.com/Default.aspx

[BinkyBunny]

The rent for that place would be around $1200/month here! I also like to have buns inside with us. But I have seen set-ups like this beautiful one you all made and it’s actually attached to the house and the rabbit has free run to go in and out when there is someone around, and locked in the house at night.

[Hedi]

These were the bunnies who lived outside and were caught? The ones the city had planned to kill?

That makes sense!

Im sorry! Im just so used to people buying cute litte house rabbits and sticking them into a hutch outside unaware of the issues.

That article is kinda brutal but it does at least hit on the things that can happen to outside buns that people just dont realize could happen.

It’s sad though that all these buns ended up living outside and can possibly never be able to be house rabbits.

 

[Gravehearted]

Hedi, I’m with you! Just yesterday I was ranting on someone on myspace about keeping buns outdoors. I think that article is right on, but this is a special exception. Yes, these buns are part of that HUGE rescue of outdoor only buns.

[Laura]

Hi,

I appreciate everyones concern.  I am very animal savvy and know that it is best to keep all animals indoors (my cats are indoor only cats!). 

I wouldn’t recommend having any pet live outdoors.  It’s stressful on the owners, and a lot of work!

I feed the rabbits twice a day, give everyone a good look and feel over to be sure they are okay. I have read many rabbit books and have learned lots on line. 

What you don’t see in the picture is the fenced backyard, except along the back, which is barbed wire and thorny blackberry bushes. The fence is 6 feet and wood, so you can’t see through it (like chain link fencing). I use only organic products in my home and in the yard.

My main concern right now is the bugs.  Flies, bees, mosquitos, etc.

I am also on the lookout for some outdoor fans.

I have had them for a few months.  I have no idea what they are, or how old they are.  There are 4, I got paperwork on 3.  One of them had surgery on his ear, another is missing part of her eyelid. Probably from fighting.

I also just installed a thermometer in the rabbitat.

They used to live by the airport in Reno.  When I picked up the buns the truck drivers for Best Friends said that the woman who "took care of them" was a hoarder, and she did this before.  The first time it happened the City of Reno put 500 buns to "sleep".  Best Friends was able to step in the second time because they got so many donations when Hurricane Katrina hit.  If the woman does it again Best Friends is not sure if they can help.  When Best Friends was looking for homes for over 1000 rabbits, I figure I had a big enough back yard I could share.

~Laura

[ubergoober]

That is one snazzy bunny house! I am sure you know what you are doing under the circumstances that you came to have your bunnies. I commend you for what you did by saving that many of them.

[BinkyBunny]

Now hearing the whole story, all I can say is WOW. And how wonderful of you to take them in. Such a heart breaking story, but it looks like you are able to provide a happy ending for these four. Big kudos to you and your husband.

Regarding the flies and bugs. I know there are commercial type of strips or strings (used in breeder facilities) that catch the flies,   The strings hang up high where the rabbits can’t get to, and one end has a roll of clean fly catcher string, while the other has an roller that  coils up the string that is full of bugs and flies.

I don’t know if your bunnies would use a covered litterbox with a flap on the entrance (many bunnies don’t like to feel trapped, but maybe you could use cloth or ?? so it’s no so easy for flies to get too.  I know at one place we put a litterbox under a small side table, and coverd the sides with cloth.  The rabbits could still come and go from all sides, but it wasn’t as accessible for flies.   Of course that won’t stop one or two determined little guys. 

Fans will also not only help keep your bunnies cool, but are also good for keeping away flies.

You could try smaller oscillating fans tied to the upper corners.   And even the smaller ones may be battery operated or you could also check for solar powered fans. 

Swamp coolers are good for really really hot weather, but I don’t know how well that would work outside.

Misters might be another way to go.   Keep us updated on what you find works best for your set-up.

 

[BunMumTiff]

YAY wonderfl rabbitat. What a kind heart you and ur hubby have to take in four bunnis and give them a good life

[MooBunnay]

DId you ever keep any plans of the habitat? I was hoping one day when I get a house to build a habitat like that in case one of those Reno events hapen and I can house some more ferrel outdoor rabbits. I remember also someone posted the “Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary” video – and they had an excellent outdoor set up as well.

[Lucy]

it might be expensive, but couldn’t you enclose the entire habitat with mosquito netting? I have no idea how much that would cost, or if it would be worth it-

btw, amazing structure! do you have problems with the bunnies chewing on it?

[Laura]

I believe I kept everything.  I will have to check when I get home.  I got the basic idea from the shelter.  One thing that is different from the shelter plans is that most of it is raised, it because our back yard floods in the winter (so basically you just make a deck).  We also added shingles to the roof so it would last longer.  The one thing I don’t like is that we couldn’t make it over 5 feet tall because of the Home Owners Association.  So by the time we raised it, it’s about 4 feet inside, which is very hard on your back when cleaning.  It takes an hour to hour and a half to clean every week.

~Laura

[Laura]

There are too many little cracks and crevaces that bugs can get into, so netting won’t help much.

They have only chewed on it a little bit.  I have most of the rabbit reachable areas covered in hardware cloth that we had left over.

~Laura

[Author]

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