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Rabbit water bottles freezing over- no covers - any advice?

Ambience

Warren Veteran
I currently have six bottles out in this weather and they are freezing up pretty quick. I keep changing them, and i don't want to put down bowls of water incase they end up all over and cause the buns to freeze.

Does bubble wrap really work?- i think i may have some. Do Socks work? - the spouts are freezing too.

Normally I'm prepared with covers for the bottles but i have the litre bottle kind and i can't get anything from the pet stores to cover these.

Any advice to keep the buns happy? What is everyone else doing about water in this weather?

p.s I did give extra veg because of the water content. I'm guessing this will help also.
 
I've got one bottle with a bottle snug on and it's freezing just as much as the naked bottles. I'm just defrosting when they start freezing, tricky tho as the water looks ok but the spout is guaranteed to be frozen. It's just non stop at the moment!

I'm just making sure they have lots of hay to snuggle in, and I'm giving them extra nuggets and veg - nothing wrong with a bit of winter plump!
 
At the moment we have socks, then snugglesafes on our bottles, and it seems to be doing the trick. Bubble wrap would work just as well I would say.
The bowls aren't freezing at the moment either, and I top these up with boiling water twice a day, which Salt and Pepper love!
 
Are they in hutches?

In this weather I still leave most of the front of my hutches covered with insulation and tarps and just give them enough to see outside.

I don't use bottles, but the bowls are managing to stay unfrozen behind the covers.
 
I have that silver insulation stuff. Spacefoil or something wrapped round my water bottles and they aren't freezing.
 
I've cut up my son's school rugby socks and put those over the bottles - not frozen yet :D

I pull clear plastic over the front of the hutches too
 
Think i will try the fluffy sock thing after the bubble wrap or maybe both. I don't have any sheeting to put over until tomorrow. My landlord has said he will get me some though. Better get on it. I'm getting bored of filling up bottles constantly.
 
i put a thinsulate glove over the bottle and put masking tape round half of the spout.

it hasnt frozen yet! (well ive only been doing it for 2 days, and its not too cold here)
 
Its getting to the stage that i'm not even bothering with prevention. I just defrost them whenever necessary. I have seen my rabbits eating the snow though so I think they're keeping themselves well hydrated.

Helen xx
 
I have the bottle snugs from scratch and newton and they are working for me but, we are only -3 the one in the shed was fine this morning.

I am filling half with cold water and half with lukewarm water from the kettle so the water is warmer than cold water from the tap, with a bowl I'd do the same and float a ping pong ball in it to stop freezing.

You can heat dry rice apparently and surround the bottle in the sock (ensuring it doesn't fall out) with that or even push straw into the sock round the bottle??? Haven't tried it but, could work.
 
I'm getting bored of filling up bottles constantly.

Good luck with rescuing then if you're bored of defrosting water just for your own bunnies after a couple of days!

Personally I'm afraid I think that bowls and frequent checking and changing of bowls/bottles is the best option, simply because however well you insulate the bottle, the spout will still freeze - and it's pretty hard to insulate effectively right down to the bottom of the spout. You can probably help to slow it down through some of the methods suggested but it's always worth bearing in mind that the spout will always freeze more quickly because it is metal and therefore conducts the cold more effectively.
 
Good luck with rescuing then if you're bored of defrosting water just for your own bunnies after a couple of days!

Personally I'm afraid I think that bowls and frequent checking and changing of bowls/bottles is the best option, simply because however well you insulate the bottle, the spout will still freeze - and it's pretty hard to insulate effectively right down to the bottom of the spout. You can probably help to slow it down through some of the methods suggested but it's always worth bearing in mind that the spout will always freeze more quickly because it is metal and therefore conducts the cold more effectively.

I've done the bubble wrap option, a little concerned that the buns may chew on the bubble wrap though as it is accessible to some degree as i only have the white wire that came with the bottle to hold it on. So it is pressed up quite close against the hutch.

Yes, perhaps bored isn't the right word :) tired might be a better expression. I'm tired tonight of doing the water bottles. The main reason is the heating in our house has broken down and we are waiting for it to be fixed, so it's like coming out of the freezer into the fridge. Not particularly pleasant and quite tiring.

Anyways. Back out to do the evening feeds.
Thankyou for all the help.
 
Spenser's water freezes very quickly, even under his cover (hopefully the new one will be more effective). He will only drink from a bowl, which of course freezes quicker. I change his water before I go to bed at midnight, and get up at 6am to sort him out again. I go back to bed with a cup of tea though, and I do only have one bunny to look after. I warm the bowl with water from the kettle before I re-fill it, in the hope it will stay liquid for longer. I'd be more worried about this were it not for the fact that Spenser doesn't drink much.
 
I saw that someone earlier suggested adding a few drops of liquid glycerin since it's just sugar and changes the freezing temp from 0 to -10, haven't tried it myself though.
 
I've been placing the snugglesafe under their water bowl (big dog bowl) ushered in a corner so they just drink from one side of the bowl, to prevent them jumping over it etc and spilling it...so far so good.
 
I've been placing the snugglesafe under their water bowl (big dog bowl) ushered in a corner so they just drink from one side of the bowl, to prevent them jumping over it etc and spilling it...so far so good.

This is what I am doing, nice large bowl of water which covers the snugglesafe. Like everything with this weather you have to put a little bit more in to achieve the same results ;)
 
I'm SOOOOO glad Blue and Marnie live inside....the thought of having to go outside to have bunny loving :shock: *brrrrrrr*
They seem to be spending all their time in the kitchen though....which is the coldest room in the house :?
 
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