Can i put rabbit into the coop at night?

[KranK]

Hi, I'm going to have a rabbit (one female). I've got 4 rabbit cages near the chicken coop, so she'd live in one, but as there wouldn't be any other rabbits for now i was thinking about putting her in some kind of cage in the coop at night, so nobody would steal her, nor she'd feel alone/scared. Would mites or chickens bother her? Or the heat (there is warm in the coop with 20 chickens i think?) Gotta buy a padlock for the cage. Btw everybody says that rabbits can handle being in cages outside in winter, as they prefer cold than warm. I'm talking about those mixed breeds rabbits that people keep for food, etc.

 

[EverythingDucks]

What breed of rabbit is it? For a pet or for meat? I wouldn't keep her outside, they can handle cold well because of their thick coats but it makes them overheat in the summer really bad.
Some chicken are scared of rabbits, and some could hurt a rabbit.

As a pet I would recommend keeping them inside in a large playpen so she can get proper exercise she needs to be happy and healthy. A lot of people don't do this because they say rabbits smell but that's not true. They are very clean as they groom themselves more than cats, and you can easily litter train them. As long as you clean the litter box they won't smell any.
When rabbits are inside you can bond with them more and they won't be lonely, especially if you don't currently have another rabbit.

 

[KranK]

What breed of rabbit is it? For a pet or for meat? I wouldn't keep her outside, they can handle cold well because of their thick coats but it makes them overheat in the summer really bad.
Some chicken are scared of rabbits, and some could hurt a rabbit.

As a pet I would recommend keeping them inside in a large playpen so she can get proper exercise she needs to be happy and healthy. A lot of people don't do this because they say rabbits smell but that's not true. They are very clean as they groom themselves more than cats, and you can easily litter train them. As long as you clean the litter box they won't smell any.
When rabbits are inside you can bond with them more and they won't be lonely, especially if you don't currently have another rabbit.

Well, currently it'll be pet, but in the next year i'll think about buying a male, or asking someone for his male to mate my female so i could sell childrens (i'm too soft for killing them and selling for meat :/). We've got a dog, and mom says the rabbits smell (if it was my choice, the one i'd keep in house would be probably old lol). I'd let her on the garden (not the chicken run) so she wouldn't have to sit in the cage whole time. Grandpa had some rabbits which he selled for meat so he'll help me with all of this and advise me. As I spend much time with chickens, I'd spend with rabbit too. What about bringing her in basement or garage for the night? Perhaps the chicken coop? Btw the cage is lifted so chickens couldn't hurt her.

 

[EverythingDucks]

Well, currently it'll be pet, but in the next year i'll think about buying a male, or asking someone for his male to mate my female so i could sell childrens (i'm too soft for killing them and selling for meat :/). We've got a dog, and mom says the rabbits smell (if it was my choice, the one i'd keep in house would be probably old lol). I'd let her on the garden (not the chicken run) so she wouldn't have to sit in the cage whole time. Grandpa had some rabbits which he selled for meat so he'll help me with all of this and advise me. As I spend much time with chickens, I'd spend with rabbit too. What about bringing her in basement or garage for the night? Perhaps the chicken coop? Btw the cage is lifted so chickens couldn't hurt her.

Be sure its doesn't have any wire on the bottom. That can hurt her feet.

And always supervise her when outside. A hawk could pick her up in a heartbeat and you wouldn't notice.

If you just wanted to keep her as a pet I would get her spayed, that way she won't be aggressive or stink. There is also a high chance of her having some health issues from not spaying. If you wanted to make some money off her you could sell her poo. I know, its sounds gross. But, it's very dry and makes great fertilizer. It doesn't smell too. And you don't have to compost it. If you litter train them (which is easier to do when they're spayed or neutered), you can get it right out of the litter box for easy pickup. People can make quite a bit of money off rabbit poo.
And sadly a lot of times when people buy baby rabbits it's for Easter and they get dumped because they give it to some toddler then realize how much work they are. And sometimes they'll give it to pet snakes as live food.

I would definitely keep her in the basement at night too. I wouldn't put her in the garage because it could get really really hot. Is it possible that you could just setup a playpen in the basement for her? Cages are really too small for rabbits and they have a lot of energy, just like a puppy.

Dogs and rabbits can get along if the dog doesn't have a high prey drive and they are introduced properly. And you could always keep her blacked off the your doggo.

Tell your mom what I said about rabbits not stinking any too.

If I were you, I would just setup a playpen in the basement that she could stay in at night, in bad weather, or really hot or cold days. You could let her hang out with you outside during the day, so long as she's supervised. She won't smell at all, and you could spay her and teach her to use a litter box. You could still make money off her by selling her waste. I would also bunny proof the basement so she could get some free roaming exercise time.

Free roaming is much easier, and so much cheaper than a hutch or cage. She'll be so much happier and healthier too. And you'll get to bond with her more. All it takes is a bit of inexpensive bunny proofing. I bet once you have her for a while your mom will get really attached and see how great having a rabbit in the house is and let her stay inside.

I'm current;y writing an article all about rabbit care. It will have everything you need to know about them. It's almost finished, but for now I would watch Lennon The Bunny's videos on YouTube.

 

[EverythingDucks]

As for care of her you'll need to groom her at least once a week, more during molts. You can use a bunny hair buster to get out the old fur that can make her overheat. You could also use a flea comb.
And her nails will need to be trimmed too.
She'll need plenty of chew toys to stimulate her brain and help wear her teeth down. Rabbits teeth are constantly growing and if they don't have toys they'll chew everything up.
As for food their diet is 70% Timothy hay, 20% greens and veggies, 5% pellets, and 5% treats. She should have an unlimited amount of hay to help wear down her teeth, and it's also necessary for her digestive system. If rabbits dont have food in their stomachs they go into GI stasis and they can die within 24 hours.

 

[KranK]

I meant those special rabbit cages that people use to farm rabbits. My grandpa used to so we have them. Gotta try convince my mom for buying a playpen for her for night and I hope you are right about her attaching to the rabbit . Otherwise, she'll sleep in the rabit cage (with a padlock on as soon as possible).If however i'd have more of them i'd just keep them in the cages like other rabbit farmers.

 

[KranK]

I hope it wouldn't be shock for her if i'd keep her in the basement at night and suddenly starting keeping her in the cages at night like other rabbit's i'd buy.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I wouldn't use the cages that rabbit farmers have. They usually are wire bottomed which are very painful to rabbits as they dont have paw pads and it could cause bumble foot which is expensive to fix.
Instead I would suggest having an outdoor run where they'd be safe from predators and they would be much happier.
And if you can convince your mom after 5he first rabbit you could make a section of the basement a rabbit area. Do you have a lot of space in there? Do you have a bunch of furniture or anything? Just wondering about how much space they could have

 

[EverythingDucks]

Something like this would work well for an outdoor run during the day

 

[KranK]

No no no, i meant this kind of rabbit cage (attached). I'd go with her to the garden and supervise her. Don't have a lot space in the basement but a playpen could fit in if I could convince them. Gotta try.