lionhead feeding, and housing

Question
i have a new lionhead (my first rabbit)...14 week old buck who is absolutely gorgeous!  litterbox training is going very well, as is socialization.  i have 2 questions.  First, based on my earlier readings, i know that his diet should be unlimited timothy hay, and no more than 1/4 cup of pellets.  but i've noticed that the pellets i got are timothy pellets (rather than alfalfa pellets, so why should i have to limit the pellets?
next question...it was my understanding that lionheads are very tolerant of the cold, and become lethargic and unhappy in the heat.  i live in MA.  we have an unheated screen porch off of the kitchen....very convenient place to keep his cage...when i let him out for exercise, sometimes i let him run on the porch, othertimes i bring him into the living room.  i just read another post that suggested winters in Minnesota were too harsh to leave rabbits outside, even in a protected hutch.  by having his cage on the screen porch, i think that's no better than a protected hutch?  any comments?

Answer
First, congratulations! Lionheads are awesome little bunnies :-)

Limiting their pellets is a good idea because they don't provide as much fiber as hay does, and they don't do as good a job filing down bunny's molars (which is critically important). Free feeding pellets can also lead to excessive weight gain. By limiting pellets it encourages your bunny to eat more hay.

As far as the screen porch, my only concern is that he is not yet acclimated to the already falling Minnesota temperatures. Rabbits can do okay in the cold weather, but they need to be able to adjust by building up a thick winter coat. It may take too much out of him to have to adjust at this point to chilly weather.

Your best bet is to keep him in the house and, if you would like to keep his cage on the porch next winter, have him living out there once the temperature has warmed up so that he can properly acclimate once summer begins to die down.

Good luck!