do rabbits need sun ?

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F

fishbone

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Location
SW Michigan
hi,
getting 3 rabbit big hutches this weekend, and going to start raising rabbits.
the best place i have to put the hutches, the sun will never shine on the rabbbits.
is this ok?

thx,
 
Direct sunlight is bad. It risks over heating and causes sunbleaching. For example chocolates will look like Mocha when I got him from an outdoor rabbitry
SANY2256.jpg

Blacks are even worse. Not so big of deal if your raising NZW or Californians.

Lots of indirect light is great for keeping them in breeding condition and show condition.
 
they will be on the north side of my garage. plenty of light, but not direct sunlight.
might get a some sun hitting the side of the hutch early mornings and evenings in the summer.
 
Your description of early morning and evening sun sounds good. North side of the garage should be okay for most of the year. I wonder about Michigan winters, though. Be certain they're protected from wind and weather.

Direct sun is not always good - for part of the day it's okay if they've got a place to get out of the sun if it gets too warm for them. Anyway, I always tell folks as much light as possible short of direct sunlight.

Welcome to Rabbit Talk. You'll find tons of good information here and people are most helpful. Best of luck with your new rabbits!
 
I assume they'll be on pellets, but if not then as long as they are outside and getting some UV exposure, even bounced off objects and not directly, they'll do fine.
 
Most people around here keep them in sheds or barns because of the cold winters and they do fine with that amount of light. Mine would even breed through winter without extra light and they were in the center of a large stable with no windows. Just a door at each end and one end is usually kept closed to prevent rain and snow blowing in. Even through the tiny crack between the doors on the north end we can end up with a 3' deep snow pile on the first concrete pad.

I do know a couple people who keep them outside and we see -30F for at least a day or 2 every winter. They just have hay or straw stuffed wood boxes in each cage. They don't breed during winter though.
 
i was planning on getting one buck and two does, to raise more.
will they not breed in the cold mich. winter month's ?

if not, i might as well wait till late winter to get them...
 
I actually breed in winter because my angoras would revolt if I asked them to raise a litter in the 100* heat of summer here. This winter is going to be colder than I've ever seen, were getting our Feb. lows now already, but I'll still be breeding.

Mommas should line the nest with plenty of fur to keep them warm (though it may take a first time doe a couple tries to get it right, expect to lose your first litters, then if they survive, you'll be pleasantly surprised), and if you still are worried about the cold, then you can bring the kits in the nest box inside, and only take them out to momma in her hutch for 15-20 minutes twice a day to nurse. A lot of people do that anyway to make the kits more social.
 
In the winter, I add a little fish oil, to the cooked potatoes I give them [after they cool]
to help with vit D [about 2 tbl spoons for 6 lbs of potatoes 2 x / week]
I have no idea if it helps, because I have allways done it, when Rabbits were fed a natural diet with no pellets. It started years ago, with an old book from 1942 "Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps" it was my "bible" when I started in 1967, and still is now--
 

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