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bunnies n cold!

kimd6200

Banned
ok might be a strange question but how do rabbits cope with such coldness?thumper is in a shed but it is still freezing in there n his waterbottle was frozen!!!hes got loads of hay to keep warm but jusst keep worryin.x:)
 
If they have a thick winter coat, they should be fine. My girls were out last night and their water froze, even with the cover over it. They were happy and bouncy though, so it doesn't really affect them. But their coat is VERY thick.
 
Our outdoor buns cope well with it, in fact I think it's makes them hardier. As long as they've been outdoors all winter so they've grown a winter coat they'll be fine. Just give them lots of hay and straw to keep warm. They live outdoors in the wild, even their warrens will no doubt freeze.
 
I was looking at Maa's fur when it was windy and even though it was really blowing hard, her fur parted but you still couldn't see skin - it's that thick! And they have thick fur on their feet too, so they don't really mind the cold as much as they mind being too hot in summer really - Only time mine look miserable is when it's really windy, which they hate, or really hot.
 
My buns water was froze this morning. They live in a playhosue, but they have got a snugglesafe, and plenty of hay, straw and bedding. Their fur is quite thick, so they should be ok!:?
 
Our outdoor buns cope well with it, in fact I think it's makes them hardier. As long as they've been outdoors all winter so they've grown a winter coat they'll be fine. Just give them lots of hay and straw to keep warm. They live outdoors in the wild, even their warrens will no doubt freeze.

I have heard that it's a constant 4 degrees C underground, and I'm sure heat will build up in the burrows from body heat - it's probably very cosy underground even when it freezes, which is why mozzies overwinter in rabbit burrows I believe
 
As long as they have lots of bedding and are protected from the elements they will be fine.:D Rabbits can actually handle very cold temperatures providing they are protected from wind/rain etc.
 
Wow I would be concerned too. But it sounds like buns can cope as long as they have had a chance to grow their winter coat. It's semi-tropical in Auckland and I can't remember the last time we had a frost let alone frozen water outside.
 
Just make sure they have a constant supply of water as they drink a lot more in the cold to keep regualting heat. At least mine do anyway. They drink more in winter than they do in summer!
 
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