Yes, you can use paper to line your rabbit cage. Brown paper bags, in particular, make a good liner. Newspaper, whether shredded or laid flat, can also work. You can use paper as is or shred it.
Straw is warmer than hay because it's hollow and provides more insulation. Buy good-quality soft straw that's not spiky or dusty, such as barley straw. Placing a cardboard box filled with straw in the hutch makes a super-warm and insulated sleeping area and is easy to replace.
Straw bedding
We recommend a good quality soft straw as the ideal bedding for warmth and comfort, particularly for outdoor rabbits. It's warm because the hollow strands trap warm air and it's also absorbent. It's important to understand the difference between hay and straw.
Rabbits with enclosures on concrete, slabs or decking (or in grass runs with a wire mesh skirt around the perimeter) will not be able to dig out, making them more secure.
It's important to ensure your rabbit hutch is free from draughts, but at the same time well ventilated. Placing the hutch in an area sheltered from the elements is the best way to keep your rabbits warm and safe. You should also insulate the hutch with newspaper and hay and remember to change this regularly.
Give your Rabbit Plenty of Shade
Placing your hutch in a shaded area of your garden is ideal, preferably under a tree or large bush in order to allow some light to shine through, whilst protecting your rabbits from intense heat. If you are unable to move your hutch, then try placing a large sun umbrella close by.
Most untreated wood is fine for example pine, for sheets - plywood is fairly commonly used to build outdoor rabbit housing. MDF is quite toxic if ingested/the dust is inhaled, so unless the wood if where your rabbit can't touch it then its best avoided.
Insulating you rabbit's hutch will help your rabbit stay warm throughout the cold winter weather. Insulation works by creating a barrier to trap heat so that the warmth from your rabbits stays trapped inside - like snuggling under a duvet.
For indoor pet rabbits, bedding is not necessary to include in your rabbit's habitat as long as your rabbit has access to soft flooring. Outdoor rabbits will require bedding for insulation to help them stay warm in the night and during the cold months of the year.
It is fine to cover more of the hutch during the night but you should still leave a small area open for ventilation. Add extra bedding for your bunny to snuggle into. This can be lined underneath with newspaper for increased insulation.
MDF boards contain a formaldehyde and is toxic to rabbits if they chew on it or if they even inhale the dust particles from the wood.
Twigs from safe trees (apple, pear) that have not been treated with pesticides can be given to the rabbit to chew on.
Move the hutch into a garden shed, summer house or garage if you have the space. This will offer ample protection in the icy weather and give them somewhere to play as well. Just be sure that the areas are well ventilated. Varnish or paint your rabbit hutch to add a little more protection to the exterior.
Raise your hutch by placing bricks underneath, or by attaching legs. This will help to stop damp rising from the ground and affecting the bottom of the hutch, it will also stop ground frost freezing the base.
Wood Treatment
For example, Shed & Fence Paint will give you a coloured opaque finish for your rabbit hutch in a range of colours. Tropitech will be a semi-transparent wood finish with amazing longevity. Or Textrol or Textrol HES will provide a saturating wood oil finish to show off the natural beauty of the wood.
Very young or old rabbits, or those with medical conditions, should be kept indoors because they may not be able to tolerate cold temperatures even with modifications to their hutches and diets. Temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit may be too cold even for healthy adult rabbits.
Symptoms include shivering (although this will suddenly stop when their temperature reaches dangerously low levels), pale lips and gums, low energy and a loss of coordination. Hypothermia is an emergency, so if you spot any of these symptoms, bring them into the warm and contact your vet immediately.
The hutch should be raised off the ground on legs to repel predators and prevent the base becoming sodden wet. The roof should be sloping to allow rain run off and covered with roofing felt to keep the hutch watertight.
Rabbits like to play and need plenty of exercise to stay healthy and happy. Ideally you want to provide them with up to 4 hours daily of supervised time out of their cage. Rabbits are subject to depression and poor health if they're not provided with daily interaction and mental stimulation.
Rabbits stand up on their back legs to check their environment is safe, and your rabbit's hutch/cage should be tall enough to allow this without your rabbit being hunched over or folding its ears against the roof. A height of 2' (60cm) is usually adequate for small rabbits but large breeds may need closer to 3' (90cm).