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The Weather and Buns

PixieRabbit

Mama Doe
I'm sooo happy next week my bunnies are coming indoors. 2 degrees this morning, possibly lower when I first got up 6:30am. I spent all morning cleaning out and tending to bunnies and they were all so cold :(

So just a gentle reminder to those who've not had a car telling them the temperature. It's REALLY cold, not that you need a temperature for that. So lets try and come up with a few hints and tips for each other in keeping your outdoor buns warm this winter.

I suggest bubblewrap on water bottles, because it insulates just the same and is very cheap.

Snuggle safe heat pads really are worth every penny too!
 
My bunny lives inside anyway but I think u can get those hutch covers that are really thick and can keep the draft out for your buns.
Lots of extra bedding and possibly even a little blanket for them to snuggle up in??
 
I worry about mine and have been filling them up with hay but they still insist on chucking all their bedding out of the bedroom every night :roll: Their fur feels cold but their actual bodies are always toasty. Are their ears a good way of telling if they are too hot or cold, or will their ears get cold just because they are so big and pointy?
does anyone have a way of insulating a water bowl - I ahve recently swapped as they seem to prefer it. They have a water bottle aswell just in case but I wonder if they would have the sense to drink from the bottle if the bowl was frozen?
 
I think the ears are what they use to control there own body temperatures, when they are cold they are trying to keep as much heat in as they can and when they are warm it is when they are spreading the heat out as they are too hot
 
I found a cute peter rabbit baby duvet in a charity shop, put it down for the bunnies to snuggle on, they just pee'd on it instead. Thanks guys!

They have pet blankets down on the paving slabs, and a ton of straw plus blanket underneath in the hutch, snuggle safe at night, and a thicker pet blanket down over the hutch with a hutch hugger water proof thingy over the top of that! Thinking about getting some of that radiator insulation backing stuff to go under the hutch hugger, anyone think that it's worth it?

They have cool ears, but are warm at the base of their ears. And when I let them out into their grass run and they bound about, they have toasty ears after that!
 
Spenser's water bowl was frozen when I said goodnight to him last night just before midnight. I changed it and got up at 6 to find it frozen again. He's gettinga proper hutch hugger soon - will be a delay as I need to have it made to measure. To be honest, I think he actually prefers the colder weather, although I barely slept a wink last night with worrying about him. :oops:
 
I've been really worried about my two as they just point blank refuse to go inside their hutch at night!! Instead they spend most of the day in there snoozing then come out at night and sit in the run!!

We're going to get some clear perspex to put round the bottom of the aviary (about 2ft high) so they can still see out then fix some tarp onto a frame over the rest of the aviary to keep the wind out, I can then roll the tarp back in the day and cover them over with it at night!! I've been putting one of those heat thingies in their bedroom (are they called snugglesafes?) at night but as they never go in there, its a bloomin waste of time!

OH is also going to build a 'mini hutch' to put in the aviary so if they don't want to go into the big hutch they may just nip in there a bit!! I could put the snugglesafe in there then instead and fill it with hay!

This morning when I gave them a little fuss they felt cold, but that was just their fur, they didn't stay still long enough for me to check if their little bodies were cold ..... however, they were binkying all over the gaff so they must be happy ..... and all that binkying should keep them warm for a bit!!

I have thought about bringing them indoors for the winter but they love it sooo much outside, and they wouldn't have as much room if they came in ....... will definitely see how it goes with the weather tho, I've heard we're in for a very long cold winter (although not sure how accurate that is)!
 
Bless! It really is getting terrible out there.

And Susie try bubble wrap cheap and easy. :)

I have no idea about the water bowl other than put warm water into it?
 
Bless! It really is getting terrible out there.

And Susie try bubble wrap cheap and easy. :)

I have no idea about the water bowl other than put warm water into it?

I've done that, well not warm warm but just tepid. I don't think we're getting it as bad as some places tho, their water bowl certainly hasn't frozen, although I did have to de-ice my car this morning. :roll:
 
I put a blanket over the front of the hutch at night. I use extra hay. On really cold nights I will put a snuggsafe in the bedroom area too.

Also I find it very time effective to double up on water bottles so you can just quickly change them over rather than having to defrost them when you've in a rush to get to work!

Other than that my bunnies seem happy, cope with the cold far better than I do...

Hannah :D
 
I worry terribly about my two, but they made it through last winter when it was sub zero here for nearly a whole month. In fact, I used to find them lying up against the only exposed part of the kennel. Typical. :roll: :)

The 4 x 10 feet kennel is insulated from underneath with an inch of polystyrene and there is only the bottom half of the door with open mesh, the rest being well insulated on one way or another. If it's really cold I loosely cover the mesh with an old towel and blanket so they can still breathe and that stops the bottle freezing too. They have lots of hay, hidey holes, litter trays a banana box and a piece of vetbed in their favourite flop zone.

Always check the water bottles even if you think they are insulated as he bit that freezes first is the bit you can't insulate. I put a spare in their 'bedroom' which usually stays unfrozen.
 
Yesterday my OH put some bubble wrap all round the bottom of the run and around the hutch, then put some polythene down accross the front of the meshed area of the hutch that also goes accross half of the "lid" of the run thats sticks out at the front.

We left half the lid free because Jessikins likes to sit out in the rain and it also lets some air in so they don't smothercate in all that plastic!

I then put a foil backed picnic blanket over the hutch bit at night.

I'm getting one of those made to measure ones this month but it might be a few weeks before it arrives so hopefully our bubblewrap efforts will tide them over until we get the proper all-seasons one.
 
usually i just use lots of hay and when it gets really cold i place a blanket over the front of the hutch.

a couple of years ago i was told on a different forum that if you heat up a brick in the oven then place it in the bed area of the hutch it will produce heat all night
 
usually i just use lots of hay and when it gets really cold i place a blanket over the front of the hutch.

a couple of years ago i was told on a different forum that if you heat up a brick in the oven then place it in the bed area of the hutch it will produce heat all night

That'll be a fun one to try ;)
 
I've come to the conclusion (again :roll:) that I am fussing too much.
Will cover over their hutch (on top of the hucth cover they already have) when it gets really cold, but i like them being able to see out - how silly am i? :oops:
 
Its getting very cold!!! :(

Lucky my buns are snuggle safe in the garage :lol:
We have small heaters either side of the indoor bird area (Above the hutch) which comes on when it gets below a certain temp.

Bubblewrap is a very good idea! We use it on the indoor bird area.

Try and keep out any wind/draft as much as possible and make sure they have plenty of bedding! It also helps when they have a friend or two... or three to snuggle up with :love:
 
Actually warm water freezes quicker than cold water as odd as it sounds. I'm sure someone on here puts a snugglesafe under the water bowl to stop it freezing. I use bottles and bubble wrap as already mentioned. I think I also read you could add glycerine to the water to stop it freezing but not sure if its safe for bunnies.

Silver loft insulation is a cheap alternative to a hutch snuggle. You can get it in DIY shops reasonably priced.
 
Blimey I'm really worried about them now ...... they just never seem to go in the hutch at night, they sit out right in the middle of the aviary ...... maybe I should bring them indoors into the spare bedroom!! :? :? :?
 
Blimey I'm really worried about them now ...... they just never seem to go in the hutch at night, they sit out right in the middle of the aviary ...... maybe I should bring them indoors into the spare bedroom!! :? :? :?

Try not to worry to much, bunnies know best, as long as you offer them a nice place to snuggle into - can't force them to go where it's warmest if they don't want to...

Hannah :)
 
Blimey I'm really worried about them now ...... they just never seem to go in the hutch at night, they sit out right in the middle of the aviary ...... maybe I should bring them indoors into the spare bedroom!! :? :? :?

Remember rabbits are outdoor animals... Your buns should have their winter fur and should cope with the cold weather. As long as you provide everything you can to make sure they are warm they should be fine. It is their choice whether they want to sit outside or go inside the warm hutch ;) as along as the option of going in is there they should be fine.
 
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