• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Another idea for warming hutches

parsnipbun

Wise Old Thumper
OK - so with the shortage of snugglesafes and not everyone wanting to put housebricks in their oven to warm alongside their dinner . . . (wonder why not:lol::lol:)

Try using normal rubber hot water bottles but SEALED INSIDE solid plastic containers (ie VERY large sandwich/food storage boxes) - so that the bun cannot puncture the hot water bottle.

As long as you take any fluffy wrapping off the hot water bottle, and use really really hot water, then the heat gradually warms the plastic storage box and the air inside the box, and gives out a low heat for several hours.

Its not as good as a snuggle safe - but you can buy a hot water bottle without a cover for about £6 from a lot of places (I got 4 in John Lewis' today). Or you could sacrifice your own!!

We did this last year (along with the housebricks) and then last night we used it again (without bricks) and it worked well - kept the water bowls from freezing so the hutches must have been above freezing..

Its easy to re-fill them as well so you can nip out last thing at night and collect them in and re-fill (DON"T carry boiling water up and down the garden!!!).
 
I just use a normal hot water bottle in a felt cover, then wrapped up in a blanket. It's been ok the past few days, which is the first time I've done it, so fingers crossed they continue to leave it alone.
 
oooh - whats b&m ?????? That sounds cheap!!

I wouldn't trust mine not to nip the hot water bottle if it wasn't in plastic box -

just one nip and there would be water all over the hutch and rabbit - and if it happened at night they would freeze before I found out. Hence the plastic boxes. But some people's buns may be less likely to nibble it than mine would be. Guess its up to you how much you trust your bun!
 
I don't trust Faline a jot, but it's velcro sealed and then wrapped over and over in a blanket. :lol:

If b & m is the same as we have here it's a bit like a wilkos, we call it bargain madness but I've no idea what it actually means.
 
that's a very good idea :)

I wouldn't trust apache in the slightest with a hot water bottle as he absolutely adores to munch on anythign rubbery :lol:
 
I was using hot water bottles but stopped as I thought they would just freeze???

Oh and I got my hot water bottles from the pound shop ;)

Becky :D
 
Last edited:
once it cools down do they not freeze??? then it would be like having a icecube in the hutch??

my OH mentioned this the other day and i laughed at him (oops!):lol:
if he saw me doing it then he'd prob laugh at me.........

I am trying not to worry cause they dont seem to go in the bed area anyway!!
 
Be careful if you just wrap the hot water bottles in blankets etc. I used my new snugglesafe for the first time the other night and in one night Pickle had ripped the cover to shreds :roll::shock:

Twinke and Sparkle's snugglesafe cover is still in perfect condition tho so I suspect it depends on the bunny :lol:
 
once it cools down do they not freeze??? then it would be like having a icecube in the hutch??

my OH mentioned this the other day and i laughed at him (oops!):lol:
if he saw me doing it then he'd prob laugh at me.........

I am trying not to worry cause they dont seem to go in the bed area anyway!!

Well they never have here (but then it was only down to minus 7) - I think the rubber retains the heat and gives it out slowly - and then what with warming the air in the plastic and the plastic it would take a long while to freeze.

I used the screw top bottle in socks in the past as well! which is excellently cheap and easy, and pretty good for a couple of hours but don't think it lasts for as long. Maybe it varies with the type of bottle???
 
pop bottles dont last long unfortunatly .. and i wouldnt use overnight ...but ok for a quick boost in daytime when they can be changed every few hoyurs .. i usevthem as an extra for heat pads for older/ poorly buns alongside heatpads . :)
 
I think the hot water bottle/container idea is great and would definitely have a go if their beloved Snugglesafe died:)
 
Back
Top