Winter-proofing

Just wondered if anyone with outdoor buns had any tips for winter-proofing their set up a bit as we come into our first winter with outdoor pets.

We have a good solid hutch which has a run (on paving slabs) permanently attached to it and accessed via a catflap which gets locked at night.

We get some strong winds up here so I have a tarp which I can loosely pull over the front of the hutch to insulate them a bit and protect them from horizontal rain, but with winter approaching I was wondering what the best way is to protect them a bit more. With the run being attached we can't fit anything over the whole hutch, but I can't afford a hutch hugger anyway!

I'd also like to find some way of protecting the run a bit from the elements so they can still hang out if the weather is super grim. Something that some wind could pass through a little would be good as any covers we've got for BBQs and furniture always take off like kites!

I've found the buns tend to like being out in all weather bar heavy rain and although I don't bribe them back into the hutch until gone 11pm, they're almost always still outside then, and bound straight out when we open it up first thing in the morning. The run is very secure (I double meshed it with a smaller mesh when we had some teeny babies I was worried might be able to get through the original mesh!) and on slabs so they can't dig out. But is it still best to put them away at night when no one will be around, rather than just leaving them to be able to access it 24/7? I was thinking of it in terms of if we're having to cover the hutch more, it'd be good for them to be able to access full light and fresh air if they want to. But obviously I don't want to compromise their safety in any way if that's not considered as safe.

We will of course protect the water bottles from freezing.

It is worth considering screwing the run down to the slabs so any cover you put on won't lift the run.
If you are attaching tarp to the top of a run then consider putting something underneath it to prevent pooling of rain.
For night time a piece of wood with a couple of airholes in to sit in the front of the wire panel of the hutch thus keep it warmer would be welcomed.
You can buy rolls of the foil insulation used in hutch huggers for about £12 which is much cheaper and if you tack it tightly to the outside of the hutch you are going to be less likely to get hibernating snails between the layers.
Cheap duvets wrapped in plastic also work well for insulation.
With the guinea pigs (when they were outside) I put a smaller wooden nesting box in the hutch for them in the sleeping area then packed around it with old pillows wrapped in bin liners which kept them toasty.
Vet bed is a good winter investment as it reflects back body heat and wicks away moisture.
Don't forget that the ground is the coldest area so make sure that the hutch is raised a good distance off it in the winter - this really made a huge difference with the guinea pigs. Tack some of the insulation under the hutch floor as well as on the sides. As long as the buns can't get to it, old bits of polystyrene packing also insulates under hutches well.
Use straw under hay in hutches for bedding as it is warmer than hay alone.
Wrap water bottles in leftover foil insulation or a couple of old socks (but the insulation works better) in order to prevent freezing.

Lots of great tips there, thanks! The hutch is quite a bit off the ground and we store plastic tubs filled with newspaper, hay, bedding and pellets in, so although I can't fit anything else underneath as it's a tight squeeze, they probably act as a good buffer from the frozen ground?

Don't like the idea of hibernating snails between layers...

I'd also be grateful for some ideas for weather-proof things to do as so far I have relied a lot on creations involving cardboard, boxes and hay which won't be any good if it's damp. I have little plastic stools, some good branches and balls, all of which are popular but I like to have a bit of rotation.

I'm thinking the same thing I'd like to put some new things in the run but water resistant is a must. I cover it with clear plastic but it's not impossible for the water to get in!

I was thinking I might get one of those waste pipe T junctions (unused!) and possibly some small segments of pipe - should be pretty resilient to the weather and easy to clean. A shame I didn't think ahead a couple of years ago when we had a downstairs loo plumbed in as I could have got the plumber to get it cheaper and pinched a few pipe offcuts too!

The buns I have now are a bit bigger than average so I'm not sure it'll be wide enough for them, but they do always surprise me with what they can squeeze through!

It is making me laugh that I'm cosying up the hutch from the wind, rain and cold and they're just choosing to sit outside anyway!

If you are in the Midlands or the M5 corridor north of Bristol, I could let you have some ex-conservatory roof polycarbonate sheets to weather proof the run. In exchange for a cuppa I'll even cut and fit them

GreenBean wrote:I was thinking I might get one of those waste pipe T junctions (unused!) and possibly some small segments of pipe - should be pretty resilient to the weather and easy to clean.  A shame I didn't think ahead a couple of years ago when we had a downstairs loo plumbed in as I could have got the plumber to get it cheaper and pinched a few pipe offcuts too!

Normal soil pipe won't be big enough for buns

You need the 6" pipe for buns beware it's very expensive though

Ah I need to go back in time 15 years as I lived in Birmingham then - Yorkshire now though, but thank you so much for the kind offer.

I was looking at the soil pipe wondering how big it was - I can't tell without an open end... We do get some diddy young foster buns but would rather have something more versatile. A shame it's so much more expensive to get the wider stuff, I'll brace myself when I ask for the price at the local plumbers' merchant.

Have a look at the runaround system much cheaper than soil pipe

The RWAF have some good tips

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/RWAFtoptipsforwintercare.pdf