# Rabbits in a greenhouse?



## bourbonred (Feb 27, 2008)

I'm getting ready to build a little greenhouse 20 X 12ft with pvc hoops in order to have fresh greens in non-growing seasons. It will encase 2 raised beds. My thoughts are to put a buck and a doe or two in there also, in cages. I would catch their waste and use it immediately in the beds. I also thought maybe they would help to keep the greenhouse a little warmer. All I really need is to keep the greenhouse from freezing in order to keep the greens growing, and the rabbits would get all the extras and trimmings. The nice thing is that if I can keep it from freezing, then taking care of rabbit's water in the winter just became a whole lot easier. What do you think? I've done meat rabbits in the past but the winter is so hard up at the barn without electricity. Of course they will need food other than my vege scraps, but it's free easy food. BTW, I've really enjoyed reading the natural feeding sticky for ideas. BBR


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## mysticklobo (Feb 24, 2008)

It would be ok during the winter, but I would worry about them getting to hot in the summer.


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Where is Pelenaka? She has bunnies in her greenhouse. If she comes on, I'm sure she'll chime in here.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

In a sealed structure that size you may have problems with condensation, humidity, and ammonia levels. Your going to need some ventilation, rabbits have to have fresh circulating air, high humidity plus high ammonia and stagnant air is going to cause breathing problems and eventual pnuemonia. Now if it was 40x12 it would of course work better, or if it had good ventilation and you grew your vegs in cold frames. Chickens are actually worse than rabbits, they put out a lot of humidity during respiration. Just thought I'd mention that in case you wanted to throw a few chickens in there too.


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## KEW_Farms (Nov 25, 2011)

Are you putting up a hoop house or green house? If you are putting up a greenhouse, I would shy away from putting rabbits in there. It only takes one clear sunny day to cook your rabbits. My dad owns a greenhouse and garden center and has lost entire stocks when it was 35-40 degrees outside because the greenhouse topped out over 100 degrees. I would proceed very cautiously.


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

Why not have the rabbit cages on the outside, with a gutter system that takes the droppings into the greenhouse?


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

I would worry about ventilation


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## scpankow (Mar 31, 2011)

Closed area + no ventilation = dead rabbits. They would be better in the open air than inside a greenhouse.


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

Most of the year my rabbits are out in rabbit tractors but they are overwintered in a 50'x20' hoop house. They are in the back half and the front half has all my gardening stuff. I dont know about 2 rabbits but i have 12 and they generated alot of condensation. The condensation drips down onto the rabbits and the straw in the cages. Dampness and cold is a ripe set up for pneumonia. With trial and error over the years i've corrected it by putting them in cages instead getting them off the floor because the ground was frozen. I put down 12" of deep bedding on the floor which has retained the heat really well usually keeping it 15 degrees higher than outside so their water bottles dont freeze. I converted the hoophouse ends to wooden walls and put in a small fan at the top back wall and a small rectangular wooden window opening over the top of the front door to provide cross ventilation which has cut down the condensation to almost zero. The fan is not on in winter but it moves enough on its own with the mild cross ventilation to wick the condensation out. I hang about 20 one gallon milk jugs filled with water from the hoops and they absorb the heat from the sun during the day and release the heat at night. I built a chicken bridge from the coop into the hoophouse so during the day the chickens come in and scratch up the deep bedding so the rabbit poop and ammonia is no longer a problem. I throw scratch into the deep bedding to get the chickies going in the morning to till the bedding for me. I put cut up cardboard over the top 3/4's of the cages to give the rabbits some shade and to stop the occasional drop of condensation from dropping on them. Hope this helps.


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

The deep bedding is from all the leaves raked up in the fall along with the final grass cuttings. My first year i built a huge compost pile of fresh horse manure covered it with a tarp and put a pipe from the pile into the hoophouse. It generated ALOT of heat but turned the place into a sauna with so much condensation. The water was literally dripping down the poly. It was great for keeping veggies growing through winter but not for the buns.


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## birdman1 (Oct 3, 2011)

yes on a sunny day it might git to hot for the rabbits so watch it and better have way to open the plastic or door-window .an old fachoned hutch at the door sounds good with the house as a wind break


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

for $70 you can buy one of those greenhouse windows with a self adjusting arm that opens the window when it becomes over 80 in the greenhouse. I do not know to much about the details, but they do not need electricity to work.

Would charcoal help to suck some of the humidity?


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

There was a gal who lived in Elk City Idaho who heated her greenhouse successfully with rabbits.

I have an article somewhere about Cynthia's greenhouse. Found it! But that place doesnt have the pictures.

Mrs Whodunit


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

cool, whodu


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## PulpFaction (Jul 23, 2009)

I use my "greenhouse" for winter housing, but even though I live in Alaska, the panels are so old as to be almost completely opaque, and I have a large building blocking direct afternoon sunlight, AND I leave the door open, it STILL gets too hot in there somedays for rabbits in the summer.

It is convenient to move them inside in the winter, though. Mostly for my own comfort in feeding and watering.


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## bourbonred (Feb 27, 2008)

Thanks for the imput. Lots of things to think about and work out.


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