im currently keeping my rabbits outside in a fenced off area although they are living on mud. this means they are still able to dig out. although this is ok for them it is making a mess of my garden.

can anyone tell me what alternative surface they could live on ?

If your rabbits have any chance of digging out please fix your enclosure so that they don't.
Trust me I am speaking from experience.
Mud really isn't good for them to be on, it can rot their nails and cause fungal infections on their feet, they need to be on a dry surface.

Do you have a roof over your pen? Or at least a way to make sure predators cannot get into it?

I am currently relocating my rabbit onto concrete and putting linoleum down with fresh hay on top of it.

If your rabbits can dig out then they are at risk, not only of escaping, getting lost, but of being eaten by a predator.

I know you're thinking "predator? There aren't any predators near my home", well, the neighbours cat or dog are predators. Wild birds are predators, most everything bigger then a rabbit is a predator to a rabbit.

Shaz is right, mud is not rabbit friendly and they shouldn't be in those conditions, it's not healthy for them.

Try building a base for your enclosure, either out of wood, plastic, or mesh. Hay is great as a pen base for rabbits, as is paper or wood products (make sure the wood is treated properly, no special weather resistant sprays or anything as your bunnies will nibble and weather treated wood is toxic).

If you choose mesh or wire as your base do not leave it bare. Bunnies feet will get sores, blisters, etc. etc. if forced to walk on bare mesh. Lay the mesh down, connect to the enclosure then cover. You can sod over it, put lino or wood over it, but do cover it so that the bunnies feet are kept safe.

I do have plans for a outdoor bunny enclosure. I'm not a big fan of permanent outdoor living for bunnies, but I do think it's important to have some type of set up so that they can spend nice days outside.

Safety is the first concern, then comfort.

I think that you should get a cage for them with wood or something I don't know a lot about bunnys

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Regan5457

I think that you should get a cage for them with wood or something I don't know alot about bunnys

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Then why answer a question about bunnies?

This is a help desk, not a guess desk.

I've tried a wood bottom... it will be chewed to splinters in about a week.
I agree with Alty, if you don't know the answer don't bother guessing, it's not fair on the person asking the question to have to try and figure out who is right and who is merely taking a stab in the dark.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Regan5457

I think that you should get a cage for them with wood or something I don't know alot about bunnys

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Regan, how old are you? Should you be on an adult board?

Rabbits chew wood; that's very often the problem with rabbits in a house or rabbits in a hutch.

Did you read the site I posted for you?

Just wanted to put this out there:

An outdoor bunny has a life expectancy of 1-3yrs.

An indoor bunny 6-9 yrs.

Just something to think about...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rex123

Just wanted to put this out there:

An outdoor bunny has a life expectancy of 1-3yrs.

An indoor bunny 6-9 yrs.

Just something to think about...

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Exactly right.
Not to mention the threat of predators and shifty people.

I had a bunny years ago, a white Angora named Spike (must post a picture at some point)

He was about 3 years old when he was stolen. No, he didn't run away we knew exactly who stole him too but they denied it, they just happened to buy a white angora rabbit and buy a new hutch the day after mine went missing :rolleyes:

Another of my old bunnes got myxomatosis, very very nasty disease carried by mosquitos, they can carry it for 2 weeks before showing symptoms.
2 Days after symptoms showed we had to have him put to sleep.

Spaying/neutering adds on average an extra 5 years to a rabbits life as well as being indoors.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shazamataz

Exactly right.
Not to mention the threat of predators and shifty people.

I had a bunny years ago, a white Angora named Spike (must post a picture at some point)

He was about 3 years old when he was stolen. No, he didn't run away we knew exactly who stole him too but they denied it, they just happened to buy a white angora rabbit and buy a new hutch the day after mine went missing :rolleyes:

Another of my old bunnes got myxomatosis, very very nasty disease carried by mosquitos, they can carry it for 2 weeks before showing symptoms.
2 Days after symptoms showed we had to have him put to sleep.

Spaying/neutering adds on average an extra 5 years to a rabbits life as well as being indoors.

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Sorry to hear that shazamataz :(. I know what its like to have a pet stolen(my cat was stolen, luckily I got her back). You want to talk about shifty people. My prents had a Golden Retriever(before I was born) one day it wandered off, and never came back. A few days later my neighbour(were pretty close with our neighbours) went to a bar and overheard a guy talking about a golden retriever coming into his yard and he shot it. He laughed it up with his buddies. But my neighbour who knew this guy and knew he lived close to us walked up to him and puched him in the face. My parents often spoke of that dog. They said it one day saved my oldest brother. He was about 3 and wandered to the road, there was a car coming and by the time my mom spotted him there wasn't enough time to grab him. The dog ran up to him grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him back away from the speedin car!