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Tell me more about house buns....

bensonlola

Warren Veteran
Sorry to keep going on but I can't wait to get Benny and Lola in!!!

I was told though by the vets that rabbits are really built for cold rather than heat - dont pant, every mm covered in fur etc... so do you have to keep the heating down for your bun? Or do they just get used to the warmer temps in the house? What about fluctuations in temp like when the heating knocks off for the night and the house goes from being really warm to really cold? Does anyone have a prob with this or any other health issues? :?
 
Kind of depends on how warm you have your house - if its 17-19 (normal office temp) and reasonably insulated then the day to night difference isnt too great. If you like the "raging inferno" style central heating they'll need to be in a room with the window open all the time.

Flopping out a lot can be a sign they are too hot, so a good thing to watch out for when you first bring them in. If they have a winter coat now they will be too warm for a couple of weeks but will adapt.

Mine are outside buns but come into the house from 4-10pm. We have the heating on low and the french windows open a crack for fresh air and to keep it cool. They seem to be ok with that, but if it is too warm you can tell because they just flop out and won't run around etc.
 
I'd have a few practice runs first. I brought Dylan in as she is lonely & Rhia will not bond with her. She really hated it, turned into a different bun. She just sat by the back door morning, noon & night - she was seriously depressed & down. Was quite worried actually. She also ate a sofa :evil: But then I had Daniel who lived actually in my bedroom & he loved it - he was so like a puppy dog it was unreal! Also Dyl got worse sneezes indoors, but she is a pasteurella bun so dont know if this applies to yours :wave:
 
My two seem to cope really well with the heating situation.

When indoors, i think its important to have two areas;

a warm area

a cool area

In the warm area, have some fleeces etc to keep them warm

In the cool area, have some lino, or a ceramic tile or something along those lines that they can lie on to cool down.

In the summer, frozen water bottles are great and in winter, if they are in a room that could be very cold, a snuggle safe or two perhaps, or a electric blanket / pad thingy from Amazon, i was recommended these the other day by PrettyLupin.

Hope that helps :wave:
 
Hmmm thanks! Looks like a lot of thought will have to go into this!!

The idea is to keep them in a sun room (which will be in semi shade!!) in the winter and then when I'm in they can have the run of the house. The sun room will have a tiled floor and should be cooler than the rest of the house. Then in the summer I'll let them live outside in their shed/run combo and bring them in at night.

Does that sound like a plan? Does anyone let their buns out in the snow if they live in the house? Or on nice milder winter days, could they have a wee explore outside? Do you have to keep them in ALL winter? Is there any way of monitoring the temp inside and out and then letting them out if there isn't much difference?? :shock:

Oh I'm getting stressed and the sunroom isn't even built yet!!!
 
Not really, our house is generally cool..... in the winter we have the heating on, but its only storage heaters, so its quite pants :-/ to the extent that we use a duvet in the livingroom :p The buns always have their base, which is always the same, I never change it around (mostly for Wins sake, she has bad eyesight) and then they have a snuggle box, which often changes, sometimes because they decide to eat it....!! Its just a cardboard box with a fleece inside at the moment, sometimes they have things they can bed with as well, like old socks! They have had cat beds in the past but then Winter decided to knaw them so they went. They then have a water bowl AND a water bottle, a rug on the outside of their cage which has a pile of toys (changed about once a week to make things interesting).

In the summer, we have the windows open. We've never had a problem of them getting too hot. I keep a big 2 ltr bottle of water in the freezer and get it out and put it on their rug if it gets really hot, it gives off cool air, I dont know if its useful or not, lol! :)

:wave: Oh, and Rimmi pees on the sofa sometimes :roll:
 
I prefer cooler temperatures myself so my house isnt an oven most of the time. My two rabbits live in my dining room - the radiator is turned off and there are uncurtained patio doors adding to the general chill. The only heating is whatever flows from the adjoining living room and from the kitchen on the rare occasions I cook.

Their bed is vetbed with, in winter, layers of newspaper underneath for extra insulation. I think it's a bit nippy in there at night when it's been so cold lately, but I think that's more me worrying than them caring. When it's extra cold I do put a snugglesafe heat pad up against the wall next to their bed, but I've never actually seen them welcome this.

Incidentally, being a bit paranoid (.... :roll:), I have a few times lately left my heating on overnight but with the thermostat very low at 10C. I've rarely heard it come on, but if I leave it a bit higher (say 11-12C) it comes on a couple of times; so I assume that the overnight temperature isnt really that bad. I do live in a modern house though.

It's also worth saying that I let them out for a run in the garden every morning - no matter how cold it is they want to go out! I think they like frosty mornings: they seem more lively and seem to like crunching in the leaves :D I normally let them out in the evenings too, but not when it's as cold as it has been (I think they'd be fine, I just cant stand leaving the backdoor open that long!!) [They only go out for 30 mins or so in winter, not hours, so they're always moving about checking out the garden etc.]

Funnily enough in the summer the dining room can get a bit warm - south-ish facing, those patio doors, all a bit greenhousey. Fortunately the coolness of the north-ing facing lounge really brings the temperature down.
 
Hmmm thanks! Looks like a lot of thought will have to go into this!!

The idea is to keep them in a sun room (which will be in semi shade!!) in the winter and then when I'm in they can have the run of the house. The sun room will have a tiled floor and should be cooler than the rest of the house. Then in the summer I'll let them live outside in their shed/run combo and bring them in at night.

Does that sound like a plan? Does anyone let their buns out in the snow if they live in the house? Or on nice milder winter days, could they have a wee explore outside? Do you have to keep them in ALL winter? Is there any way of monitoring the temp inside and out and then letting them out if there isn't much difference?? :shock:

Oh I'm getting stressed and the sunroom isn't even built yet!!!

No. The buns stay in TOTALLY from late Autumn - Spring. Mainly because, its too cold, even if the diff isnt that big, what about wind chill? I dont want to risk it.

Mind you, I dont have a garden either..... but in the summer, they go to the cricket club or my mums house for a play in the run.
 
Hmmm. Thanks for all the good advice. Conflicting views about letting them out in winter though. All I know is how to keep them warm in the winter OUTSIDE - Straw, hay and boxes!! Anyone read any good books on the matter of keeping housebuns healthy and happy?
 
Just a question, if the RSPCA recommend 6ft, then why do manufacturers even bother making anything smaller? Lol. It would save kits of decision making on my part!

Yes this does seem a bit 'controversial'. Me and mine are happy with our routine though. I should point out that:

* whenever they are outside the backdoor is always open, so they are free to come in at any time. They do sometimes come in more quickly than usual (though I expect that's more due to feeding routine than the cold)

* the colder it is, the less time they are out - because the backdoor is open and I cant stand the cold either! (In warm weather the door is open most of the day when I'm home, they come and go as they please)

* they are always on the move in that short time. If I saw them settling down in a corner, I would chivvy them to come in. Running around is one thing, sitting down is another.

As I say, it works for us. Other people do feel differently though.
 
The idea is to keep them in a sun room (which will be in semi shade!!) in the winter and then when I'm in they can have the run of the house. The sun room will have a tiled floor and should be cooler than the rest of the house. Then in the summer I'll let them live outside in their shed/run combo and bring them in at night.

If it's anything like my mum's, it will be COLD in there at night, so I would think 'keeping warm' is fairly similar to fully-outdoor buns.

Also, just a word of warning, it will heat up surprisingly quickly early in the morning in summer so no more lie-ins - you'll need to be down early to let them out.
 
If it's anything like my mum's, it will be COLD in there at night, so I would think 'keeping warm' is fairly similar to fully-outdoor buns.

Also, just a word of warning, it will heat up surprisingly quickly early in the morning in summer so no more lie-ins - you'll need to be down early to let them out.

Oh no lie-ins in my house!! I have a dog who barks to go out to pee anywhere from 6.45 to 7.30!! Haven't had a lie in now for best part of 2 years!!! :roll: :lol:
 
Yep, conservatories can get very hot very quickly in summer - as in nearing 30 degrees by breakfast time. :shock:
 
Bungle has always lived inside and is in the kitchen. We have underfloor heating so make sure it isnt on in the kitchen as it would make him too warm.
 
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