Breeder of Mini lop & Netherland Dwarf Rabbits based in Ayrshire, Scotland

For an outdoor rabbit the ideal home is a wooden hutch made of a heavy wood with a waterproof roof which is raised off the ground. All rabbits must have an adequate exercise area, whether it is an outside run or an enclosed area in the house. All our rabbits are kept inside our custom built shed with attached run. Each day I let them out into the communal play area where they can have a proper run and jump.

We use wood shavings for the floor of the hutches. Fine sawdust can cause eye irritations so this should be avoided. Bedding material should be provided especially in cold and wet weather for the outdoor rabbit. The best thing to use is straw on top of a layer of the wood shavings in the sleeping compartment. The rabbit home should be cleaned out weekly and any old food removed. If it is necessary to wash the home then only use a cleaner specifically designed for cleaning rabbit hutches. DO NOT use newspaper on the floor of your rabbits hutch as the print can be toxic. When cleaning out our hutches I spray a rabbit friendly insecticide which prevents midges etc.

We have in the past bought our outdoor hutches from  Zooplus. We find the delivery to be very quick and the hutches to be more than adequate for our purpose. There are a lot of hutch sites on the internet so its a good idea to take a bit of time and compare prices before buying a hutch.