Rabbit hutch insulation is the best way to ensure your bunnies stay warm during cold winter seasons and avoid a heat stroke during hot summers. To do so, you need to create a barrier to help minimize heat transfer into and out of your outdoor rabbit shed or hutch.
Besides insulation, you need to buy good rabbit hutch covers to ensure it remains warm throughout as dampness is likely to increase the chances of illness to your furry friends.
Finally, the material used should be safe, and it should be placed in a way that your bunnies cannot access them easily. This is to avoid them chewing and ingesting them as they may cause blockages.
Do not forget to get water bottle covers or using heated water bottles and bowls to ensure drinking water does not freeze.
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DIY rabbit hutch insulation
If you are good with DIY, you need to get the right materials which include the following:
Foil-backed bubble wrap or foam
It has a foil that will help reflect heat as well as a bubble wrap or foam that will trap air. If you want to insulate the area with mesh such as the door and window, go for the bubble wrap since it allows some light to go through.
Also, cutting it is easy, you need a scissor or a knife, it is light in weight, and will be easy to install. The foam will cost you about £2.85 per sqm and bubble £3.75 per sqm
Wool
It is made from sheep’s wool, which is not toxic to your rabbits, and it comes in various thicknesses. It is relatively expensive where you will spend about £4 per sqm. It resembles what you see on lofts.
Polystyrene sheets
They are available in different thicknesses, are easy to use (cut them to the desired size). If you opt for polystyrene, expect to spend about £3.50 per sqm for those about 25mm in depth.
Finally, cardboard, straw, newspapers, blankets, duvets, among other materials, can also be used. Avoid mineral wool or glass insulation since they may be toxic and irritate your rabbits if they touch them.
Fitting it
You need to put the insulating material between frames on your hutch on the inner side before placing cardboard or plywood to cover them. While installing, you will be expected to cut them to correct sizes or join any small pieces using tape.
If you are a newbie, you can look for the various insulated rabbit hutch plans online and use them as your guideline. This video should give you a hint on how to go about the whole process.
Insulating rabbit hutch covers
The second option is going for hutch covers with insulation. These covers should be waterproof. Brands such as the single and Double Insulation Snuggle and Made to Measure will work well on your rabbit house.
Most of these covers are easy to fix as they feature velcro tapes, some are zippered or have points where you can tie them to your coop.
Before buying them, you need to ensure they are the correct sizes and will fit well for your hutch type. You have the option of going for custom sizes. Customized ones will cost you slightly more than the standard sizes.
Buying insulated rabbit hutches
Finally, you can save time and hustle by going for the readymade ones such as Trixie Natura Small Animal Hutch with Insulation or Outback All-Seasons Rabbit Hutch with Run and n. Most of them come with removable front size plastic covers.
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