Outdoor rabbits- hutch for night?

[tekielir]

Hello, I have a question about my two bunnies. They are males and approximately two years old. They are littermates And get along wonderfully. I have them living outside in a fenced in area that has a cover on top. They’re very well protected as far as not being able to dig out. We have taken care of that. They are range free inside their area which is a very large area like 12 x 12. I have their hutch inside there and I also have a thick wooden box that is covered on top with a hole in front so they can go into it. Both are filled with hay. Now, getting down to the real question. Will they put themselves to bed in their hutch, or the wooden box at night to go to sleep, or do I have to physically put them in their hutch at night? It’s starting to get cold and I Want to make sure that I’m doing the right thing. As of now I don’t put them in their hutch at night. When I go to feed them in the morning they’re out and about hopping around.

 

[Preitler]

If safety from predators is not a concern they are perfectly capable of chosing a comfortable spot.Digging out is, in my experience, less of a problem, it happens by accident but not so much on purpose. Depending on your local wildlife I would worry more about critters digging in. Cold isn't much of a problem for rabbits, heat is. What do you refer to as "cold"? The main concern down to -10°C is water supply - I use heated crocks - , below that I start to put screens on their hutches and add lots of hay.

 

[Blue eyes]

[changed your title to be more subject-specific. A specific title helps encourage more views and more responses.]

 

[tekielir]

If safety from predators is not a concern they are perfectly capable of chosing a comfortable spot.Digging out is, in my experience, less of a problem, it happens by accident but not so much on purpose. Depending on your local wildlife I would worry more about critters digging in. Cold isn't much of a problem for rabbits, heat is. What do you refer to as "cold"? The main concern down to -10°C is water supply - I use heated crocks - , below that I start to put screens on their hutches and add lots of hay.

Its getting down to 36 tonight. It’s not cold enough for the water to freeze yet. But, that is definitely something I’m buying this week. I’ve never seen a heated crock. I’ve seen a heated water bottle, and I’ve seen like heated waterers for chickens.

 

[tekielir]

If safety from predators is not a concern they are perfectly capable of chosing a comfortable spot.Digging out is, in my experience, less of a problem, it happens by accident but not so much on purpose. Depending on your local wildlife I would worry more about critters digging in. Cold isn't much of a problem for rabbits, heat is. What do you refer to as "cold"? The main concern down to -10°C is water supply - I use heated crocks - , below that I start to put screens on their hutches and add lots of hay.

It’s not cold enough for the water to freeze yet. But, that is definitely something I’m buying this week. I’ve never seen a heated crock. I’ve seen a heated water bottle, and I’ve seen like heated waterers for chickens.

Its getting down to 36 tonight. It’s not cold enough for the water to freeze yet. But, a heated crock is definitely something I’m buying this week. Thank you so much for your input. It makes me feel better knowing that they will choose a place to stay warm.