Mary Allen
In the warm season, you are drawn to the garden – even as a rabbit. Long-eared ears let off steam in outdoor enclosures, dig holes, and nibble on fresh greens. The possibilities for freewheels range from a simple garden fence to a summer residence.
Lying in the sun and enjoying a gentle breeze, feeling the earth under their legs and digging a hole – rabbits obviously feel at home in the outdoor enclosure: the animals dart into the air, again and again, swinging their hind legs exuberantly. Then they race around or stand on their hind legs and look around curiously. Young animals particularly benefit from such “holidays” in the run, the additional exercise strengthens their muscles and stimulates digestion. In certified rabbit facilities, regular free-range is mandatory if the rabbits do not live in double pens.
So that the joy remains undiminished, the enclosure must be well thought out. The Animal Welfare Ordinance also prescribes a place to retreat when roaming freely: weatherproof wooden structures, tubes, or a shelter made of garden slabs serve as hiding places and protection from the weather. In group housing, shelters must have several entrances so that the animals can avoid each other. A grid or net over the enclosure protects against cats and birds of prey, it is indispensable for young animals and dwarf rabbits. A generously dimensioned shaded area is also important – around the clock.
Martens Hatch Through Openings No Larger Than a Hen’s Egg
The fence has the seemingly simple task of keeping rabbits in and uninvited guests out. Young animals are able to slip through astonishingly small openings, for which they need close-meshed gratings. Outdoor grates, such as those offered in pet shops, are often too wide-meshed for this. The fence height needs to be higher than the rabbit can jump – and that’s often more than you think. Beware of shelters that stand close to the fence and form a launchpad to jump over.
An enclosure that is to be inhabited day and night must meet special requirements. Rabbits are particularly active at dusk, but unfortunately so are foxes and martens. Where a hen’s egg fits through, a marten can slip through. Foxes can leap over high barriers, burrow under fences, and even open doors that aren’t securely bolted. Only an aviary that is closed all around and made of stable lattice offers sufficient protection. Live wires provide some safety if they cannot be jumped over. In any case, an electric wire running close to the ground makes it clear to foxes that it is better not to dig in the rabbit enclosure. It is still safer if the rabbits spend the night in the stable.
Heavy Soil Favors Pathogens Such as the Dreaded Coccidia
The underground requires special attention; heavy wet soils are unsuitable because they promote disease. The problem can be easily solved with a mobile outdoor enclosure: every few days it is pushed a little further, so the long-eared bat always has fresh green fodder and the pressure of infection from coccidia remains low. This system is particularly recommended for young rabbits, as they are very sensitive to coccidia. But even in fixed enclosures, animals remain in good health with appropriate precautions. Hare breeder and expert Emil Buser from Matzendorf SO have been keeping young animals outdoors for years. He uses wood chips as bedding, which he scatters about twenty centimeters high. Every one to two months he cleans the area and sprinkles some more. The entire litter is renewed once a year. So far, diseases have never occurred, although rabbits from the age of about seven weeks live in these runs for a long time.
A ground made of hardened sand is also suitable. The certified Feh breeders Lilli and Guido Meier from Schneisingen AG have built a nice example. The stall construction is amazingly simple: logs support a pent roof made of corrugated Eternit. Three sides of the barn are planked about one meter high to protect against wind and weather. Large folding doors at the front allow good access to the manure, the small folding doors next to them are open during the day and connect the stable with the exercise enclosure. The sandy bottom is so firm that it can be cleaned with a broom but still allows the rabbits to dig.
However, even on sandy soil, coccidia pressure can become high after a few years. If you want to be on the safe side, have the gardener treat sandy soil with a flame device once a year. The high temperature destroys pathogens along with their robust permanent stages.