Using a Rabbit Hutch Cover
Rabbit hutches should be checked before winter to ensure they are water and draught proof, then extra bedding should be provided to improve the insulation. In addition, a rabbit hutch cover provides extra protection from particularly bad weather, helping keep your rabbits warm and dry.
If it is cold outside you should line the rabbit hutch with plenty of newspapers or old towels and then fill it with lots of hay. Put a cover on the water bottle to stop it freezing; these can be bought in most pet shops along with rabbit hutch covers.
During the day make sure you leave the front open for ventilation. At night cover the majority of the rabbit hutch; still making sure you leave an opening for ventilation.
Rabbits that live outside in hutches throughout the year are particularly at risk during British winters. Rabbits may have fur coats but they offer limited protection; in the wild rabbits huddle together in burrows, sharing body warmth with the rest of the warren. When they're in a hutch at the end of the garden they don't have this luxury.
Improvising Rabbit Hutch Covers.
You don’t need to buy an expensive rabbit hutch cover to protect your rabbit. A tarpaulin, plastic sheet, carpet or even an old duvet or blanket over the whole rabbit hutch will keep out of the wind and the worst of the weather.
Plastic sheets over the front of the cage are particularly useful to prevent rain from driving into the cage, but again, make sure there is plenty of ventilation for your rabbit.
A thick piece of canvas can be attached to the roof and lowered over the front to create a rabbit hutch cover at night, keeping your rabbit warm and cosy.
Next: Outdoor Rabbit Hutch Constuction