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Really worried about the buns being outside now!

Bitzy

Mama Doe
I know I know, I've droned on about this before but its really worrying me now.

They live in an aviary with a double decker hutch at one end. Last night it was cold so I put them a fleece in their bedroom topped with loads of hay, I also put their 'igloo' in their day room and put their snugglesafe in it. I put some treats in their bedroom to tempt them to go in ..... I went out this morning and they hadn't even been in it!! They'd sat out in the aviary all night. It was reeeaaally cold last night, so cold in fact that their water bowl froze over!! :shock:

We've been looking into getting some perspex sheets for the aviary to try and make it a bit warmer but its just sooo expensive.

They've got to have their mixy jabs on Sat and I really don't want to put them outside after they've had them as its forecast snow!

I'm seriously considering bringing them indoors into the spare bedroom for the winter now! That room is hardly ever used so it doesn't matter if they chew the wallpaper or the carpet etc!

Only drawbacks are:

a) the room is smaller than their aviary (aviary is 15ft x 6ft - bedroom is 8ft x 7ft) so they wouldn't have as much room in the day but could come and freerange in the lounge when we're home!

b) OH isn't keen on the idea at all but says if I feel they should come in then to just do it!!

Its my own fault that the aviary isn't really winter-proofed, we're just not prepared enough - plus I thought that once it got cold they'd use their hutch more!!

The other plus point to them coming indoors is that it may help with my bond with them, since they were bonded together they've totally 'gone off' any human contact at all and I feel that having them indoors may improve that as they'll always be 'around'!

What do you think??

Jo x
 
mine are in a shed and i feel so guilty they look so cold esp in the morning
i make a comfy bed but as yours do they dont use it :roll:
 
Yes, you'd think they would want to go into their warm bit wouldn't you. In fact, mine rarely go into their hutch but prefer to stay in their run even on the coldest of days/nights (and in the snow). I'm sure you'll get some good advice soon.
 
Spenser's was water was frozen when I said good night. I changed it and it was frozen when I checked him at 6.30am. It was frozen again at 9.30am. At the moment I'm not to worried about him - he's a farily large rabbit and doesn't have access to his run overnight. If he did I wouldn't be at all surprise to look out of the window in the middle of the night and see a big white cushion lookalike plodged in the middle of it.

It is a worry, but I do think they feel the cold less than we think they do.
 
If they have the option, then its a choice. They are far more comfortable in the cold than in the warm.

Could you find other ways to protect their aviary? instead of perspedx, what about tarpaulin you could roll up and roll down the sides depending on the weather? And also something over the hutch too? Then its double protection.
 
Bramble sits out in his run most of the time, so he probably really doesn't feel the cold. He has a snugglesafe, but I'm not sure he really uses it. I'm tempted to bring him in for company more than anything, as we are not outside as much at the moment.
 
Mine have lots of snuggly warm places in their aviary, but rarely use them. I cover the front up (3 sides have been boarded in) with tarpaulin etc at night, and make sure they plenty of hay. I think mine would hate it indoors - if they ever come in for a visit they are so happy when I put them back home.
 
Thanks for your replies so far guys :)

Thought about tarp but as one side of their aviary is against a wall, thought it would make it too dark for them in the day.

OH is gonna see if he can come up with some other ideas today, the hutch is lined with lino but we thought about adding carpet to the walls to warm it up a bit and maybe perspex over their meshed door (air would still be able to get in via the hole for their ramps.

What else could I cover the hutch with? its in a really sheltered part of the aviary so doesn't really get affected by wind/rain etc.

Might be easier to show you a pic of the set up eh?

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Photo1216.jpg
 
Thanks for your replies so far guys :)

Thought about tarp but as one side of their aviary is against a wall, thought it would make it too dark for them in the day.

OH is gonna see if he can come up with some other ideas today, the hutch is lined with lino but we thought about adding carpet to the walls to warm it up a bit and maybe perspex over their meshed door (air would still be able to get in via the hole for their ramps.

What else could I cover the hutch with? its in a really sheltered part of the aviary so doesn't really get affected by wind/rain etc.

Might be easier to show you a pic of the set up eh?

Photo1215.jpg


Photo1216.jpg

They probably won't need the tarp during the day, just at night when the temp really drops.

Also, you have a clear roof, so having the tarp up if necessary during the day it would still be light in there (I have the same type of roof - lets in lots of light)
 
Oh and this is them when they came in on Bonfire night ........ they seem quite chilled indoors, it doesn't seem to bother them!!

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IF they did come in ..... when would it be ok for them to go back out again?? March/April time??

Clarebear, I'm the same, would love to have my bunnies indoors with me, I think it would really help them to bond with me as well as each other. :love:
 
I agree that you have a clear roof, so they will get light that way. I use beach mats on the side of my enclosure and they work a treat. I think have a tarp would be sensible. At worst their world will be a bit blue (if its a blue tarp) for a while.

It might be possible to set up a source of electricity. My enclosure has a light inside (so if I do have to close it all up they can still have light during light hours). Maybe that is something worth looking into? Or maybe boarding up some of the sides and just leaving one open for the winter?

Last year the bunnies couldn't go out until May because the temps were so low so it will all depend on the temps to be honest.
 
Awww thanks :D

How do you all attach your tarps if they're only used at night?? I was thinking some sort of roller system so I could roll them up in the day and roll them down and attach them to the bottom of the aviary at night.

We looked at lights in B&Q last night funnily enough, and perspex and tarp and insulation stuff! Thought about getting some lights and putting them on a timer so they could come on in daylight hours and I could turn them off at bedtime, so they're not plunged into darkness at 4.30pm then I put the light on when I get home from work at like 6-ish ........ thought it might confuse them!! :lol:
 
i am like that with mine, just put lots of hay in and if they wish they will snuggle.

tif and bo stay in there run all night, even though theres a hutch full of hay..... i wouldnt worry too much
 
Do they snuggle together when they are out in the aviary? That will provide extra heat and comfort.

I'd say about 50/50 - sometimes they do but they seem to like to sit at opposite ends of the aviary too!

I put their carry case in there for them last week with a towel and loads of hay in thinking that if they didn't want to go in the hutch, they could go in that instead but they ended up having a fight and as that was the only thing that had changed, I took it out again in case that was the cause of it! (I found some fur in there - as well as all over the aviary but didn't see what happened)!
 
I'm certainly not ruling bringing Spenser in if the weather gets more severe, but I wonder if bunnies who have grown a winter coat by now might be too warm indoors? Spenser would be OK, as he would be in our unheated conservatory which is only marginally less Baltic than outside!
 
I'm certainly not ruling bringing Spenser in if the weather gets more severe, but I wonder if bunnies who have grown a winter coat by now might be too warm indoors? Spenser would be OK, as he would be in our unheated conservatory which is only marginally less Baltic than outside!

I wondered about that too but I'd defo turn the heating off in that bedroom and could leave the window open a tad - the heating isn't on in any of the house during the day cos we're both out at work.

Would they just moult again if they were too warm?? :?
 
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