Mary Allen
In nature, small animals like rabbits spend the whole day exploring their surroundings and looking for food: The fast metabolism means that the animals are almost constantly mumbling to themselves. It goes without saying that keeping a cage in the apartment does not do justice to the rabbits’ urge to move around and their curiosity. If you have the opportunity, you should give your animals an outdoor enclosure in which they have the necessary exercise and enough environmental stimuli.
What Does the Ideal Outdoor Rabbit Enclosure Look Like?
An outdoor rabbit enclosure essentially consists of two elements: a shelter and a rabbit-proof fence. The hut must be designed in such a way that the rabbit can visit it at will at any time. A waterproof roof is a prerequisite for providing protection when it rains. Please do not set up the hut with direct contact with the ground, but a little higher and easy for the animals to reach via a ramp.
The outdoor enclosure itself must offer enough space to hobble and stretch out: six square meters is the minimum for a pair of rabbits; for each additional animal in the enclosure, the area must be expanded by at least 20%. A cage (at least 150 x 60 x 50 cm) is suitable as a retreat, but it must be open at all times. Sand and lawn are suitable as a base for the enclosure so that the animals can dig and move on soft ground – pure stone surfaces or floor tiles are not good for the sensitive paws.
Please make sure that the enclosure is not in full sun all day. The rabbits must always have the opportunity to find a shady place that is large enough for all animals. You should also provide stimulating play opportunities. Raschel tunnels, for example, are popular with rabbits; Ramps, seesaws, and tubes made of natural materials also provide variety in the enclosure.
What Do I Have to Consider When Keeping Rabbits Outside?
If you build the outdoor enclosure for your rabbits yourself, you can ensure the best possible enclosure safety when choosing the material and location.
You should consider that:
- Weather protection: Put wind protection on two sides of the outdoor enclosure facing the weather side.
- Grating: The grating must be rabbit-proof. Spot-welded galvanized aviary wire is available by the meter. Make sure that the mesh size is sufficient. The grid or the wire must withstand the gnawing drive of the enclosure residents and also be stable and firmly mounted so that no outside burglary by cats, dogs, or martens can occur. Two centimeters between the grids or meshes are ideal. Regardless of the product description, the so-called rabbit wire is not suitable for permanent enclosure fencing: this material is usually too thin and, due to its mesh structure, is quickly gnawed through.
- Securing upwards: If possible, you should also grill the upper area of the enclosure or at least cover it with a tightly stretched poultry net to keep birds of prey away.
- Down the line: Rabbits are busy diggers and can dig under fences in an astonishingly short time. To thwart this, you can lay rabbit wire a few centimeters deep in the ground in front of the construction of a self-built outdoor enclosure and sink the outer grilles a bit or create a border made of stones along the fence, which makes it difficult for the animals to dig in these places.
- Safe terrain: The rabbits should be able to move around safely within the enclosure. When digging, make sure that the animals do not come across hoses or pipes laid underground and that there are no plants that are dangerous to rabbits within reach.
- Safe location: For the safety of the animals, the rabbit enclosure should, if possible, be in your field of vision at all times (for example from the window), but if possible not visible from the street, so that the presence of rabbits on the property is not immediately accessible to unauthorized persons is obvious and does not arouse the interest of passing dogs.
If the rabbits are to move into the outdoor enclosure for the first time – for example after purchasing a new one or after moving – it is important that this happens in frost-free weather, preferably in spring or summer. In advance, you should give the animals fresh grass and herbs to make it easier to switch to fresh forage from the meadow.
How Can I Isolate the Rabbit Hutch?
If the rabbit house in the outdoor enclosure is not only intended as summer accommodation and the animals are to be kept outdoors all year round, adequate protection from the weather and cold must be guaranteed. Create a false floor in the rabbit hutch. Place insulating material, such as a styrofoam sheet, between the floor panels. Caution: The material must be inaccessible to the rabbits. In the upper area of the refuge, ventilation openings ensure pleasant air conditioning. The unimpeded circulation of air is important to counteract the formation of condensation.
Important: Get the animals used to live in the open-air enclosure in the warm season, not in autumn or even winter.
How Do Rabbits React to Heat in Summer?
In nature, wild rabbits are active at twilight and avoid the blazing sun. Rabbits cannot sweat and hardly give off any heat due to their fur. The ears play an important role in regulating body temperature. Rabbits do not tolerate heat well and must always have the opportunity to move to a shady area of the enclosure. A sun canopy or a small awning provides shade; Conventional parasols are suitable for mobile shading.
Stone or wooden caves are also popular hideaways in the heat. You can also provide rabbits with cooling on hot days with the right diet: In addition to the usual roughage, you can enrich the menu with fresh, moisture-rich fruit and vegetables. However, it is important to serve this food in the evening, not in the morning. Since the animals and their digestion are slower when it is hot, metabolic problems can arise due to the fermentation of the green fodder in the stomach. Carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli are great vegetables after a hot day. In addition, the rabbits must have access to freshwater throughout the day. Fill the bowls more often.