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Rabbits & winter/cold weather experiences

gareth_mattey

Warren Scout
Hi,

Recently heard a couple of stories about rabbits dieing outside in the cold winter weather.

My mum knew someone who's rabbit froze to death outside and the person who came to power wash our garden said he'd been to quite a few homes where peoples rabbits have frozen to death also.

My four rabbits, 2 recent ones have been outdoor buns and the other 2, well one was an outdoor bun and the other kept in a garage, not directly outside but still cold. The later 2 have been housed indoors the past 2 months though.

There new hutch and run im building tomorrow and covering the fronts with this heavy duty plastic.

Im getting a thermal lined hutch cover hand made which will take a few weeks and will keep them warm once received.

Would they be ok if i started putting them outside tomorrow? Theyve all experienced colder weather than this before, have started moulting recently though a bit.

The days have been 10-12°c and the nights about 5-7°c recently.

Thanks
 
Well, mine are inside for now, but due to go out when it gets warmer. I do let them out on warm days for a run around, but I'm not going to house them outside yet - we're still getting frosts, so its not warm enough as far as I'm concerned yet (my hutch is housed inside garage too, but this is opened up for them all day when I'm home). It will soon warm up, as we're nearly in April.

I'm aiming for May I think - that's when you're safe to hang your hanging baskets out, so that's when my bunnies will be safe :lol:
 
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I thought in your other threads you were happy to wait until April or when it is more consistently warmer and warmer at night? :?

As you've also heard stories of bunnies freezing, I'm not sure why you would want to take the risk?

Your new hutch and run and hutch hugger sound good though and hopefully you'll be able to post some pics of your buns in it once it has got warm enough.

I know its hard to stay patient - I am the worst at it - but honestly if people have advised to wait til its warmer, then you are only doing right by your rabbits :)
 
I am happy to wait, just i've only spoke to a couple of people about it, was wondering on other peoples opinions too.

A couple of my buns have been housed outside until the weekend just gone, they've only been indoors for a couple of days so used to being outside and the other is a big furry thing who's been inside for about a month and half, outdoors previous. Theres only really one i'd be more worried about as she's been in a garage with previous owner and inside since christmas with me.

I just feel a bit bad on them as probably a bit cramped indoors, i let them out when im around but when im at work they have to stay in the hutch incase they chew threw things.

They'll have much more room outdoors and at the moment the big buns are really noisy at night, the males humping the hell out of the other big female so noisy when two big buns are bouncing around!
 
I'm sure they'll be really grateful when they do get to go outdoors. Sounds like you will have a good set-up for them when they do go outside.

I see why you are so keen to get them outdoors. But its still really chilly at night (and sometimes during the day) so I would really wait a while longer. Its hard even with the ones who have only been indoors for a few days as they may have got used to the warmth of the house in that time, even if they havent moulted. My indoor buns are moulting but the outdoor ones havent started to yet, I think because the nighttime temps are still on the low side they are keeping hold of their winter coats a little longer.

Are they really cramped up at the moment, is there any way you could make it a litle bigger for them or give them more free-range time in the meantime? Could you get some puppy pens or NIC cubes to make a safe area for them to exercise in while you are at work?
 
Well the NIC cubes i've seen pictures of before and can be made into any shapes i believe but not sure how much or where you can get them from?

If they are expensive and im only going to use them for a month or two then would it be worth it?

Could either get some NIC cubes and put two buns in there and the other two stay in the hutch and have both floors? They'd have more room then.

I think the dutch and the lop are ok as it is as only small but the other is an agouti butterfly/french lop cross (i think) she is big and the other ive no idea, guessing a dutch crossed with another breed of lop (his breed is unknown) and he's very big. More them two that need the room.

Thanks
 
IA couple of my buns have been housed outside until the weekend just gone, they've only been indoors for a couple of days so used to being outside

If they really have only been indoors a couple of days, they won't have moulted dramatically in those few days and, as long as they are completely healthy should be ok to go back outdoors - I've had to keep Alfie and Bubbles in for a couple of days at a time if they've been unwell.

Have they been kept in an unheated room since arriving with you? If so, then they would be ok to go back outside - choose a nice warm day and put them out in the morning so they have all day to adjust to the temperature difference (don't stick them out last thing at night for example, when it's going to be much colder than inside).

If the room they're in has been heated, then they could still go out but I would spend a couple of days acclimatising them by turning the heating off in that room for a day, and opening a window slightly.

The other two I would still advise to keep inside until it's a fair bit warmer. The night-time temps still drop dramatically and can do for at least a month or so.
 
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