Keep your outdoor pet rabbit safe from predators, such as hawks, by keeping it in a sturdy wooden hutch.

If you’ve decided to house your pet rabbits outdoors, then your No. 1 concern is for their safety and well-being. This means that they must have ample protection from predators and the elements. 

Dealing with Rabbit Predators
When you think of predators, you probably think of wild animals: Raccoons, weasels and coyotes. While all of these animals prey on your rabbits, you must also be aware that dogs (either your own or your neighbors’) can be very harmful if they attempt to “play” with your rabbits. Birds—such as hawks or eagles—can also be potential predators, as can snakes and rats. With all of these possible dangers, keep your pet rabbits safe outdoors by providing them with proper outdoor housing.

Sturdy wooden hutches offer the best form of protection. Wire cages, which are popular for indoor rabbits, usually are not strong enough to protect your pet rabbits when they’re kept outdoors. A predator trying to attack your pet rabbit could easily break into a wire cage. It would have a much harder time entering a hutch reinforced with wood, even if the hutch’s sides and floor are made of wire mesh. (For wooden hutch floors, 1/2-inch-by-1-inch welded wire works well).

It’s best to securely attach the wooden rabbit hutch to a building, such as your house or barn. The added stability helps to prevent other animals from knocking over the rabbit hutch. You should not keep your rabbit hutch directly on the ground. Instead, raise the hutch up at least 2 to 3 feet off the ground. This is important for the safety of your pet rabbits. 

Shade for Pet Rabbits
Believe it or not, the sun is one of the biggest dangers when it comes to keeping pet rabbits outdoors. Rabbits are sensitive to heat, and keeping their hutches in direct sunlight is potentially hazardous to rabbits’ health. For this reason, you should always keep your rabbit hutch in a shaded area where it’s protected from the sun.

While cold weather is not as dangerous for rabbits, you’ll still want to minimize its effects. Placing your rabbit hutch in a protected area—out of the wind—will help keep your rabbits comfortable. If the sides of your hutches are made of wire, consider placing “curtains” around the outside of the hutch during inclement weather. You can make curtains from any heavy material or plastic, but take care to keep them out of reach of your pet rabbits to prevent chewing. Remember to keep at least one side of your rabbit hutch uncovered for ventilation. Fresh air is essential for rabbits.

Daily Rabbit Checks 
Pay close attention to your outdoor rabbits. Check on them at least twice a day to evaluate their appetites, appearance, condition and attitude. By regularly checking on your pet rabbits, you’ll be more likely to notice any problems that may be brewing. You’ll also be quick to notice if any of your rabbits appear to be suffering from adverse weather conditions.

About the Author: Samantha Johnson is the author of The Field Guide to Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2008) and How to Raise Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2009). She has been a rabbit enthusiast for nearly 20 years, and resides in northern Wisconsin.

Allow your pet dog, cat or rabbit to live inside during cold weather so it doesn’t contract frostbite.

Cold weather can be a challenge for animals that spend time outside; barn cats, farm dogs and pet rabbits kept outdoors are especially susceptible to the effects of frostbite when the air is chilly.

Frostbite happens when a cat, dog or rabbit spends an extended period of time outside in very cold weather. When the animal’s body becomes too cold, blood is redirected to the internal organs to protect them from damage. The result is that the animal’s extremities are deprived of heat, and the tissue is prone to freezing.

Dogs, cats and rabbits tend to suffer frostbite on their ears, faces and toes. Male dogs’ genitals may also be at risk for frostbite. Once the tissue becomes severely damaged and dies, the animal may actually lose this part of the body.

Signs of frostbite include shivering, ice anywhere on the body and bright-red tissue that eventually becomes pale. Without treatment, it may turn black.

If you believe your cat, dog or rabbit has frostbite, get the animal indoors. If the ears or face are affected, soak a towel in warm water and apply it to the area. If the paws are affected, soak them in a bowl of warm water. Be sure to dry the area gently after you have warmed it up, taking care not to rub it. Don’t put your pet in a tub of warm water because this will raise his body temperature too quickly.

Next, take your pet to the veterinarian for emergency treatment to help save the frostbitten area(s). Be sure to keep the animal warm while you are transporting him.

Preventing frostbite is simple. When the temperature drops very low, keep your pet indoors where it can stay warm and dry.

About the Author: Audrey Pavia shares her home in southern California with four cats, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and a Rex rabbit. You can read more about farm pets and other animals in her “Animal Talk” column in Hobby Farm Home magazine.

This article first appeared in the January/February 2009 Hobby Farm Home.

Your barn cat may enjoy independent farm life, but you can keep your cat healthy by spending time with it weekly and performing an easy exam.

Barn cats are wonderful pets. They help keep the property free from vermin while adding to the homey ambience of the farm.

Because barn cats live outdoors, they sometimes take on the life of a feral cat. Even though you feed them and make sure they have water, they might not be handled very often. If you want to keep your barn cat healthy, perform a simple exam on it once a week. On a day when your chores are light, sit outside and call your barn cat to you. Have it stand beside you or in your lap as you give it the following once over:

• Run your hands along the cat’s sides, under its tummy and around its head. You’re looking for lumps, bumps and abscesses, as well as ticks and embedded burrs and foxtails.
• Gently lift the cat’s paws and examine them for cuts or foreign objects between the pads.
• Look inside the cat’s ears. They should be clean and odorless. If you see dirt or waxy discharge, your barn cat may be suffering from ear mites.
• Using your first and second fingers, part the hair near the base of the cat’s tail to look for signs of fleas. If you see tiny black or brown specks on his skin, pick up a few and put them on a paper towel. Wet the spot and wait a few minutes. If the dark spots turn into small, diluted drops of blood, your barn cat has fleas.

If you find anything suspicious on your cat during this exam, contact your vet. Even though your barn cat is a tough, outdoor kitty, he still needs help staying healthy now and then.

About the Author: Audrey Pavia shares her home in southern California with four cats, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and a Rex rabbit. You can read more about farm pets and other animals in her “Animal Talk” column in Hobby Farm Home magazine.

This article first appeared in the January/February 2009 Hobby Farm Home.

Outfit your outdoor rabbit hutch with all the necessities to make your pet rabbits comfortable, including a nesting box, resting board, feeder and water.

It’s not difficult to prepare outdoor housing for your pet rabbits, but you’ll want to do everything you can to make your rabbits safe and comfortable. Here are some items that will keep your pet rabbits happy and healthy in their outdoor abode.

Rabbit Hutch
If you’re handy with tools, you can make a rabbit hutch from scratch, but you may find it easier to purchase a rabbit-hutch kit. In either case, the rabbit hutch will need to be sturdy and secure, with a wooden frame and solid roof.

The sides and floor ideally should be made of wire mesh. The wire sides allow for ample ventilation, while the wire floor allows your rabbit’s droppings and urine to fall directly through the hutch floor. This not only keeps the hutch sanitary, but also makes for easy clean-up, especially if you use plastic trays underneath.

Once you’ve established the hutch best-suited to your needs, it’s time to prepare the other necessary items that your outdoor rabbits will need.

Nest Box
For outdoor rabbits, a nest box is a must. While many breeders provide only a nest box for female rabbits when a litter of kits is due, most rabbits enjoy the comfort of a nest box year-round. For a rabbit that is kept outdoors, a nest box inside the hutch provides a warm, cozy place to hide or relax. If you fill the nest box with hay or straw, your rabbit will burrow inside, which help it keep warm during the winter months.

Resting Board
You can purchase plastic resting boards, also known as floor mats, that nap onto the wire of the hutch floor. They allow your rabbit to have a comfortable place to sit, while still allowing the droppings and urine to fall through the hutch floor.

Feeder
Your rabbit hutch will need to be outfitted with a feeder. Generally speaking, you can choose between a feeder that mounts on the exterior of your hutch or a feed pan. For an outdoor hutch, a feed pan is probably the safest option. There have been incidents (though rare) of predators entering rabbit hutches via the opening in an exterior feeder. If you do opt to go the exterior-feeder route, be sure to select a feeder with a lid to minimize predatory risk and keep other animals out of the food.

If you feed hay to your rabbits on a regular basis, a hay rack can also be a helpful item.

Water
Many rabbit owners provide water bottles for their rabbits. While these can work well in outdoor situations, they are not the best choice in northern climates during the winter months. If you live where the temperature drops below freezing during the winter, you should probably switch to water cups or crocks for your rabbits. When frozen, cups and crocks break less often than water bottles, which are prone to cracking.

By following this simple list, you’ll be well on your way to providing your pet rabbits with a pleasant home outfitted with all the essentials.

About the Author: Samantha Johnson is the author of The Field Guide to Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2008) and How to Raise Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2009). She has been a rabbit enthusiast for nearly 20 years and resides in northern Wisconsin.

Put your pet rabbit’s manure to use by composting it into organic fertilizer for your farm garden.

If there’s one thing that most pet rabbit owners have in abundance, it’s rabbit manure. Let’s face it—those adorable bunnies produce their fair share of droppings, so look on the bright side and make a positive impact on your hobby farm by utilizing rabbit manure in beneficial ways.

In terms of organic fertilizer for your garden, it’s hard to top the quality of rabbit manure. Some gardeners go so far as to say that it’s the best fertilizer you can find. Rabbit manure is extremely high in nitrogen and phosphorus, both of which are necessary in your garden soil. Many other types of manure are also high in nitrogen, but not all are good sources of phosphorus.

Composting Rabbit Manure
The No. 1 rule of using rabbit manure: Compost it before use. While some individuals might tell you that rabbit manure can be used fresh, it’s always best to fully compost any manure before adding it to your garden to avoid contamination.  So let it sit, let it rot, and then wait to be amazed by the results in your garden.

To compost your rabbit manure, you’ll first need to prepare a compost bin or select a site for a compost heap. Mix the rabbit manure you’ve collected from underneath your rabbit hutches with other organic material such as hay, grass clippings or straw. If you regularly feed hay to your pet rabbits, you may already have plenty of hay intermixed with the manure. In this case, you might not need to add much in the way of additional organic matter.

As with any type of composting, you’ll need to regularly stir the compost pile, and you may need to add water on occasion. When the rabbit manure has fully disintegrated, you can proceed to use it for your garden. Autumn is a great time to add compost. Wait until your garden is finished for the year, and then add your composted rabbit manure, tilling it into the soil before winter. When spring arrives, your soil is fertilized and ready to produce bumper crops.

Earthworms, Anyone?
You might also consider the possibility of using your rabbit manure to raise earthworms as you make compost. Some pet rabbit owners begin raising earthworms on the ground directly underneath their rabbit hutches, but you may prefer to raise the earthworms in a compost bin. The earthworms are helpful in the composting process, and they can also be harvested and sold. By raising and selling earthworms, you are tapping into another potential source of income from your hobby farm, and the income comes as a direct result of your rabbit manure. Does it get any better than that?

About the Author: Samantha Johnson is the author of The Field Guide to Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2008) and How to Raise Rabbits (Voyageur Press, 2009). She has been a rabbit enthusiast for nearly 20 years and resides in northern Wisconsin.

Take care when introducing an adopted barn cat to its new home. Feed it well and have it checked out by a vet.

For a cat not suited to indoor living, barn life might be its best option for receiving adequate food and shelter. Farmers who have room to spare in the barn can consider adopting a barn cat to give it a welcome home.

The Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield, Mass., operates a Barn Cat Program for the placement of homeless cats. Spokesperson Candy Lash says the cats they adopt out fall into two main categories: Those that are too rough and independent for house living and those that don’t properly use a litter box.

While barn cats might live more independently, they need the same basic care a house cat receives. When deciding whether to adopt a barn cat, make sure you can provide it some sort of shelter—whether it be a barn, garage or other structure—food and veterinary care.

“As with all of our adoptions, we recommend that new adopters establish a relationship or schedule an appointment with their vet within two weeks of adoption and yearly thereafter,” Lash says.

Once you adopt the barn cat and introduce it to its new surroundings, set up a feeding schedule.

“We recommend that people feed their barn cat at night so that it becomes accustomed to that schedule and can be confined at night,” Lash says.

Caretakers can feed the cat whatever cat food is age appropriate for the cat, says Chris Montgomery, a volunteer for  the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition who runs the website Texas Barn Cats.

“We actually encourage feeding canned food to relocated cats … at least until the cats are released after their confinement period,” he says. “Feeding canned food will tend to keep the cats around while getting used to their new environment.”

Confinement, while it may seem harsh, is important to get a cat accustomed to its surroundings. 

“They should be confined for two to three weeks before being let out of the barn to learn that their new surroundings are their food source,” Lash says.

Montgomery also recommends monitoring the cat’s behavior, especially in cases where it’s not used to being around humans.

“The caretaker should expect to be hissed at and spit at by the cat in the cage, accompanied by swipes from the cat as it lashes out with its claws if the person gets too close to the cat,” he says. “This isn’t always a sign of aggression, but is more of a warning to get the person to stay away and is defensive in nature.”

Other behaviors and signs that could indicate a medical condition include twitching or spasms, drooling, sneezing or coughing, loose bowels or blood in urine, and lethargy. If you notice these symptoms in your barn cat, take it to the veterinarian.

Adopting a barn cat can add an interesting element to your farm. Find information on cat adoption at CatChannel.com.