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Scary stuff this big freeze..

I was just wondering if i should put carpet under the newspaper for extra insulation. I might have to get another snugglesafe as i only have one.
I'm going to put extra straw in tonight and cover the hutch with a blanket.

I hope it doesn't get too cold. Does anyone know how cold it has to be before it would freeze a rabbit to death? :?
 
I have two blankets over the hutch, vetbed and a snugglesafe in it but I'm going to get a load of straw to put in one of the bedroom compartments so they have somewhere more snuggly to go. I think I worry too much because its my first winter as a bunny owner. We got Charlie in February and he stayed in until it was milder and Poppy arrived in September. Does anyone let their rabbits put a bit of weight on for the winter to keep them warmer?
 
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I haven't done anything other than the usual rugs - I should have cleaned out Benny's hutch a couple of days ago but I've left it till the cold weather's over as it's so nice and cosy. Their water wasn't even frozen this morning, so I'm not worried - if their water's OK, they are OK :)

ETA - they live in the concrete run, so it's pretty chilly on concrete I imagine - they don't seem bothered as they have a nice big underbed box full of hay to snuggle into. In the shed the floor's also concrete, and the window's permanently open a crack due to the damp - the girls seem to like sitting on the concrete floor next to the draught under the door - although I think this morning they were actually in their cardboard box when I went in :)
 
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I have two blankets over the hutch, vetbed and a snugglesafe in it but I'm going to get a load of straw to put in one of the bedroom compartments so they have somewhere more snuggly to go. I think I worry too much because its my first winter as a bunny owner. We got Charlie in February and he stayed in until it was milder and Poppy arrived in September. Does anyone let their rabbits put a bit of weight on for the winter to keep them warmer?

If they put weight on there's a danger they won't be able to eat their caecal poops as easily. I do give my bunnies warm water to drink twice a day though - with a splash of boiling kettle water into their cold water - I thought it was a bit too hot this morning but Benny and Maa both loved it - Maa drank almost a whole bowl full :shock:

I put Maa outside in March a couple of years ago, after she'd had lots of surgery for an abscess in December. It seemed mild but then we had a sudden cold snap and snow :roll: She was totally fine, so don't worry - they suffer more from hot weather than cold :)
 
Thanks for the peace of mind,

I think mine are a little bit chubbier than they were in summer but their winter coats make them look fatter than they are, they aren't overweight though, the vet said that Charlie was on the chubby side of healthy but he doesn't need to go on a diet and eats all of his caecal poops (usually whilst sat on top of the hutch in full view:rolleyes:). Poppy is like a mini woolly mammoth with all her fur :lol:

I do the hot water thing too, ocassionally I drop some apple into it as a treat, one pureed apple filled a whole ice cube tray which is better than cutting a little slice off for them and then wasting the rest if I didn't want it, they don't get anymore than usual so it doesn't do them any harm.

I'll stop panicking about them being too cold then
 
Mine is insulated with some bubble wrap insulter stuff that is used for hot water tanks. It is covered completely back top and sides. The doors are open in the day but the insulator gets put on the front at night. I have a snuggle safe and a box i made filled with straw and vet bed if they want to go in that.
I also block the bottom section off at night ( its a three tier) so that they cant get close to the floor. Got some more vet bed at the weekend so that is going in to the bedroom later. They also have warm water morning and night.
 
Camping mats (the sort that you put under a sleeping bag) are great for insulating hutches: I pushed one underneath the hutch hugger and over the roof of Frankie and Jenny's hutch, and now it's always snug :thumb: They are only about £5 each from any camping or outdoor type shop.
 
I was just wondering if i should put carpet under the newspaper for extra insulation. I might have to get another snugglesafe as i only have one.
I'm going to put extra straw in tonight and cover the hutch with a blanket.

I hope it doesn't get too cold. Does anyone know how cold it has to be before it would freeze a rabbit to death? :?


They can stand it pretty cold if they are used to it but, I've known of 2 bunnies freeze to death and it wasnt as cold as its said to be soon.:evil::evil:
I think it was mainly due to the hutch being dirty and wet inside (wee), theres no way a bun can keep warm if its wet.

I have one outdoor bun at the mo, theres an old duvet over the top then a tarp, which also covers the front (theres always perspex over the wire window bit). If your worried I'd add a few layers of newspaper on the bottom and chuck an old blanket or rug over the top and front as heat rises, as a real emergency, sliced open bin liners stapled on work to keep a bit of extra heat in....and stuff it full with hay. My out door bun has a carrier inside the hutch to sleep in so theres a bit of extra protection, oh and put the Snugglesafe in as late as possible.
 
mine just have some bubble wrap over the hutch under the hutch cover. There's lots of straw in their compartment, but every morning i come down and all the straw has been dragged onto the top part of the hutch in front of the wire - they just don't like snuggly places!
Then I found an old carpet tile and I've put that on the bottom floor for while they eat their hay.
 
Mine have hutches full of straw in their enclosures, but never use them, preferring to sit on top of the hutches, so I've popped a lot of straw on the top for them to snuggle into.
They seem to prefer the cold weather. They do snuggle up together, but usually they're really active when I go to check on them before bedtime.
I really don't worry any more about them being too cold, as they have places to go if they need to. I more dislike it when it's wet.
 
I have about 4 old small hand towels in their bedroom and a warm woolly type picnic blanket but they still don't go in it:shock:

I have changed their bedroom everywhere which way with lots of variations and they still won't use it.

Last night I put their picnic blanket in the main top part of hutch and hurray they used it - found lots of bunny hairs on this morning:D
 
I got a double duvet free from freecycle.org which I am going to wrap over the piggies hutch seens as there a bit for fragile than bunnies and I am going to put a pet carrier and a duvet cover inside the bedroom area... not got money for snugglesafes :(
 
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