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Its so dark! what do people who work full time do with their buns in the winter?

beki

Mama Doe
Last winter I had reggie in from early October after his neuter and Ruby in from December for bonding so as i want to keep them out all winter this will be my first one.

Last year Ruby got to come in every night and play in the hall and reggie got to play in the bedroom. When they were both bonded they were both out every night in the bedroom. Since being outdoors they get to play in their run (which isn't attached to the hutch as my patio is a funny shape) all afternoon until it is dark on Saturday and Sunday but as i don't get home until 6.45 most nights it is now getting too dark for their night time play (in the summer i was leaving them out until about 9.30)

What do people do who don't have attached runs? my plans on building my aviary aren't actually going anywhere at the moment as it is going to involve lifting and relaying a section of patio to get it flat.

I am worried about the changes in temp of bringing them indoors for a play at night. I do wonder though, my kitchen has a tile floor which keeps the temperature down a bit in there so would it be OK for them to play in there for a few hours a night do you think? i could turn the radiator off in there too. Obviously it will be quite a bit warmer than outside but not as warm as the rest of the house. I will need to hurry and get my kickboards on under my kitchen units though as i can just see ruby crawling under and eating the cable running to my cooker!
 
Can you keep the kitchen door open and fence off some of the garden around the door? I let mine in to the kitchen and hall in the winter but I leave the kitchen door open. I freeze/they enjoy themselves!!
 
Humm, well my boyfriend moans when i do this for the cats but it could be a possibility. We have a little bit outside the back door that is about 12 foot by 2 foot and it is walled off on three sides, then there are steps up to the patio and the side gate. If i can block off the steps and the gate (which has a gap in it) this could work, but i wouldn't be able to cover the top of the area if i did do this because although one side is a wall the other is my dining room window!!!

I could keep a kitchen window open to make it cooler? i have a small window that we often leave open a little bit when we are home for the cats to come in and out of, but this gets closed when it is really cold.
 
Humm, well my boyfriend moans when i do this for the cats but it could be a possibility. We have a little bit outside the back door that is about 12 foot by 2 foot and it is walled off on three sides, then there are steps up to the patio and the side gate. If i can block off the steps and the gate (which has a gap in it) this could work, but i wouldn't be able to cover the top of the area if i did do this because although one side is a wall the other is my dining room window!!!

I could keep a kitchen window open to make it cooler? i have a small window that we often leave open a little bit when we are home for the cats to come in and out of, but this gets closed when it is really cold.

Could be a plan!
 
why cant they go in thier run in the dark?

because i am scared of the foxes. We have a lot of foxes round here. I know foxes can come out in the day but if the rabbits are in their run in the day i am usually either outside or have the door or windows open and i can see them. I never have them out if i am not at home. My patio is very dimly lit and i cant see them in the dark so can't just check them out the window like i do in the day time. I have solar lights round the edges but they are not very strong.

I suppose if the run was bolted to the hutch i wouldn't worry but i am worried about foxes flattening the run.
 
i will be happier when i get my aviary built becasue i can then leave them out in the day and they can be just shut away when i go to bed :)
 
because i am scared of the foxes. We have a lot of foxes round here. I know foxes can come out in the day but if the rabbits are in their run in the day i am usually either outside or have the door or windows open and i can see them. I never have them out if i am not at home. My patio is very dimly lit and i cant see them in the dark so can't just check them out the window like i do in the day time. I have solar lights round the edges but they are not very strong.

I suppose if the run was bolted to the hutch i wouldn't worry but i am worried about foxes flattening the run.

ah ok. I dont have foxes round here. and if they didnt go out in the dark the wouldnt get out in the winter :lol:
 
Maybe keeping the kitchen cold and bringing them in for an hour or two is the lesser of two evils if you know what I mean, rather than risk the foxes. What about asking the vets opinion?
 
i didn'lt have this problem last year as they were both indoors.

I will see what the vet says thanks :) they have got to go see the vet for jabs soon anyway
 
You asked what people do with their buns in winter for those of us who work full time. I can tell you what I do, but bear in mind this is just my experience not advice. I have always brought my buns indoors every evening that I am around even in winter. If I didn't, I would never be able to see them and socialise with them for months on end. I have never found that to have been a problem for my buns. But every bun is different and the risks may be higher for a sick or elderly bun. They have the option to stay downstairs where it is cooler, but often they would prefer to be with me upstairs where it could get pretty hot with the heating on. If the weather was really bad, I would heat up a snuggglesafe and put it in the hutch with them just so as to take the edge of the temperature difference.

We haven't got room to keep them in the house without putting them in a much smaller cage so I don't feel like I have much choice if I want to spend time with them.
 
Hi

I bring mine indoors. Whilst its still light they'll go outside in there run so they may be get an hour before I bring them inside. I have an oustide light but I dont feel comfortable about them being out in their run when its dark. I have to keep my buns separated so one goes upstairs and one goes downstairs.

When they go back to their hutch I too put a snuggle safe in with them but I dont think they use it.

I've done this for three winters and they've always been fine. Every bunny is different but I think as long as they're not in roasting heat for hours and hours and then chucked back in to freezingness then it should be ok.

Last winter it got to -9 at one point and I thought no way am I leaving them outside. So they ended up coming in overnight.
 
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