Rabbits living outside

Question
I have just adopted a female rabbit who has been living outside in a hutch with no run for about 4/5 months.  The hutch has two compartments - feeding area and an enclosed area with straw for sleeping.  I am trying to erect a run for the rabbit so would appreciate any advice on that, but my main concern is that we live in Germany and the temperatures drop below zero.  Is the rabbit OK at these temperatures?
Also, I would appreciate any advice on a rabbit diet.  She isn't a big rabbit and I have been giving her carrots, beans and rabbit food from the pet shop.  She doesn't seem to eat much.
Thank you for your advice.


Answer
Hi,

I'm not a big outdoor hutch rabbit person, so I'd probably advocate an area for her inside the home.  You just cannot bond with her the same way if she is outdoors.  In my opinion you will be missing out on a lot if she is a hutch rabbit.  Rabbits live a lot longer indoors.  Generally a hutch rabbit lives about 5 years.  An indoor house rabbit (spayed female, neutered male) lives 10-12 years or even longer.

Rabbit diet.  She must have hay.  A grass hay, like a timothy grass, or orchard grass hay - not an alfalfa based hay, a grass hay.  I don't know the varieties by name in Germany, but if you can find a grass hay there, perhaps even Oxbow sells hay there, they absolutely need this to stay healthy.  They are designed to eat hay and low energy foods.  THeir stomachs are like little cows' stomachs.  The hay fiber is needed for gut health and to push ingested hair from grooming through so it doesn't form a blockage.

Be very careful how much carrots and beans you give her.  They are higher in sugars/carbs and can cause gut bacteria problems and cause gas, which can be painful and cause bunny to stop eating (a very bad thing!!).  Better small amounts of greens are romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, flat italian parsley.

Two great resources:

The House Rabbit Society web page:  www.rabbit.org   They have hundreds of articles on all aspects of rabbit care and behavior.  Search on "nutrition" and you will get a good number of articles to read, print out and save in a binder.

If you do not have a good rabbit vet yet, go here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and check the International Listings link to see if any rabbit vets in Germany are listed.

Also, pick up a copy of the House Rabbit Handbook.  It is a great resource to have around for reference.

Write back anytime.  I have relatives in Germany, too.  Lee