This was our first version of our colony. Three years later we're still going, but we've made great improvements (most important, a roof!). New video to come.

I know, right?

We only put them together when we want babies. Once the does are bred, we let the buck remain with them for the month (for cuddles), and remove him just prior to the new litters' arrival. However, there are social considerations. When the buck is available to the does, the alpha doe sometimes gets more aggressive with the others. Some does can be moody, depending if they want to be bred, if they're about to give birth, or if they have a fresh litter.

We now have a roof over the colony, so it doesn't get entirely wet in the rainy seasons. So they only toilet in the corners. We no longer put straw down everywhere, just in the corners. When I feed & water daily, I also rake around on the ground to get all poop into the toilet corners. Every few days I throw a bit more clean straw on top of the dirty toilet corners. When the piles are big (depends on rabbit traffic) we scoop the dirty piles into a wheelbarrow. The cleanout takes a couple of hours, but only happens every few months.

We don't get cold winters, just lots of snow. The coldest it gets here is -15C, and that's in a cold snap. Since this video, we have built a roof over the colony. As long as the rabbits have break from the wind (walls, tubs to hide in,) straw for insulating nests of babies, and friends to cuddle with, they are fine in the winter. Our summer heat is more of a danger to their health.

Hi thanks for asking! I know it was a hawk because I went out to check on them in the evening and the hawk swept down over me from the woodshed and flew away...

ReDX Brown leafblower or rake.

rake! we no longer cover the entire space in straw, just the corners where they toilet. we rake it out.

We breed them by putting them on the other side with the buck. They have their young in a variety of places. Sometimes they have a favourite hidey-hole (upside down tub) or they dig out a hole in a bale of hay, or they build a nest in a hutch. Depends on their mood :)

The wire was a few inches down, not much. They dig around edges, so the attachment between the 'wall' and the 'floor' is the most vulnerable spot. I have now moved away from this style of colony ground, I have them on a concrete pad now.

@@bellilint where are you located in the country? I am in Iowa and think they might not mind/like it in the summer, but I wonder about the concrete being any colder than the regular earth in the winter. It's probably great for cleaning though. Plans on making another update video? I'm thinking if I get to colony that I'd make some kind of (enclosed in winter) greenhouse area over at least part of it for wintertime.

@@germanbini I am in the interior mountains of British Columbia. The concrete is SUPERB for cleaning, I love it. I am going to snuggle things down for winter with straw bales. In the spring I"m planning to start up with more content and I'll share my rabbitat 3.0 that I LOVE.

Do you not have problems with them chewing things inside?

We don't get cold winters, just lots of snow. The coldest it gets here is -15C, and that's in a cold snap. Since this video, we have built a roof over the colony. As long as the rabbits have break from the wind (walls, tubs to hide in,) straw for insulating nests of babies, and friends to cuddle with, they are fine in the winter. Our summer heat is more of a danger to their health.

@@bellilint Thank you! 5 degrees Fahrenheit is still pretty cold, and Iowa USA sometimes gets that low also, but like you said for a real cold snap. I like the idea of them cuddling together. :)

Ours are mixed breeds (New Zealand & Flemish Giant mix). We only keep one buck at a time, for social purposes. Bucks won't tolerate another buck.

bellilint Thanks for the information. My sister and I are going to be taking over our Dad's old farm homestead. Chickens and Rabbits are first on the list. I like this colony style of housing the rabbits as opposed to several small cages to clean. Much easier to do one big rake up...

I understand chickens & rabbits do well together. Also, I don't lay straw out over the entire colony anymore. See here for updated rabbitat 2.0: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kNupdbCYmdzIdH0.html

Lots of changes in the rabbitat! Update video to come when the snow melts.

bellilint awesome. I look forward to it.

yay finally! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kNupdbCYmdzIdH0.html

They are meat rabbits. The breeders get names and we love them all like pets. Except the ones named "meat rabbit" that we cuddle but don't get attached to.

We only have garter snakes. We're in the Selkirk mountains in British Columbia.

Sorry I was so slow. Update to come!

yay finally! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kNupdbCYmdzIdH0.html

yay finally! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kNupdbCYmdzIdH0.html