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Frozen water bowls!!

megansmummy

Mama Doe
The last three mornings the water bowl has been a solid lump of frozen ice when I go out in the morning...It always sits on a wicker mat but I have also tried putting a heat pad under it and putting a little ball into it...is there any obvious way that im missing to keep it thawed? I have a bottle with a thermal cover but they wont drink from the bottle at all since I started using the bowl! Im worried that they have nothing to drink overnight...will licking the ice keepy them hydrated enough untill I change it in the morning? or ese I think im going to end up going out at random times through the night :roll:

They are moving into their shed today though so perhaps that will help! :?
 
Our bowl has been frozen too (but they will use the bottle which is ok). Is your bowl ceramic? I've noticed the bowl itself gets really cold, so the water freezes really quickly, so I've been warming it with hot water before filling (like you would a teapot!) it seems to help. At the moment I'm refilling everything before I go to bed. It's meant to get warmer again by Wednesday, night temps will be above freezing again.
 
When Lucky moves into his hutch I'm going to make shutters for the hutch doors.
With aluminium taped on the shutters facing inwards, it'll reflect the heat back inside. In the summer I'm going to switch the position of the shutters so they face outside, they'll reflect the heat off back out wards.

:D

Science - Physics, it comes in handy :lol:
 
OH got up before me today and went to check and he told me the water had completely frozen in their bottles too! :shock: I may put a sock over the cover that's already there and maybe a bowl with a ball in too. OH gave them some water but they didn't have it when he gave it to them so don't think they were thirsty

Ruthie xxx
 
Our water was sort of half frozen this morning, its in a shed, it was fine at 10pm last night, I have a bowl and a bottle but they much prefer the garden water feature :evil:

Think the sock idea is worth a go, my oh will think Ive totally lost the plot but hey thats nowt new:lol:

I have one of those max/min thermometers and its lowest overnight reading was -1.7 deg, the bunnies were fine snuggled in the hutch at the back of the shed with about a tonne of straw and hay, the shed is insulated too which helps
 
Our bunnies were fine too it was just teh water bottles I already have one of those covers on them but may try a sock over that if I can fit it with the wire

Ruthie xxx
 
mind hasnt today and neither have the bottles :)
the bowl had a thin layer on yesterday but i just cracked it and it was fine
 
Hot water actually freezes/cools down faster than cold or room temperature water (the "Mpemba effect"), so I believe that putting warm water in the bowls could actually freeze faster. ;)

I've encountered this problem too, so I've had to use a water bottle instead and I bought an insulating cover for it.
 
Hot water actually freezes/cools down faster than cold or room temperature water (the "Mpemba effect"), so I believe that putting warm water in the bowls could actually freeze faster. ;)

I've encountered this problem too, so I've had to use a water bottle instead and I bought an insulating cover for it.

Yep, you're absolutely right, that's why I try and take the chill off the bowl a bit (so it's not like filling an ice block!) but fill it with cold water.
 
If you put a sock over the bottle, don't get lulled into a false sense of security - remember the nip is metal and that will still freeze solid even if the water in the bottle is still liquid, so try and wrap the insulation as far down to the end of the nib as you can to keep it liquid for as long as possible.

Interesting point about the ceramic bowls, I hadn't considered that. Mine are plastic and don't seem to freeze that easily, so maybe using a material which doesn't conduct heat/cold as easily can also help to slow down the freezing process? (although admittedly plastic isn't so good if you have bunnies who have a tendency to chuck the bowls around :lol: )
 
Last night was first night mine have frozen this year.

Tap too - but only cos forgot to wrap it - duh!
 
So I walked past my husband whilst putting one sock inside another, told him what I was doing and why and yes I got 'that look':oops:

My daughter has just got home so wont know what ive done yet......

Think I might try a plastic bowl tonight see if it makes a difference, might try and wedge it in the corner with something to try and stop them tipping it.
 
That's what my bunnies would do too tip it over if i gave them a bowl or I know Bumble would anyway

Our hose outside the water in the tap has frozen :(

Ruthie xxx
 
Mine hasn't frozen yet, i dont know if it makes any difference, but their water is in a thick ceramic oven bowl (long story, but i bought them a self filling bowl that just spilled everywhere when i first got them, so binned it, and had improvise with what i had in the cupboard, and its just stayed :lol: cos its a good size) and i put it under their ramp on the floor of their shed - i think it doesnt freeze cos the middle shelf is the warmest one and right above it. or it may just not be that cold here :lol:
 
Last year I went out to the hutch in the middle of the night to change Spenser's bowl, even although last year he hardly ever drank. He does now, but is inside.
 
My outdoor two had frozen bottles so I made some bubble wrap covers and put an old sock over, and then just in case they froze up again I put their plastic dog bowls out with a ping pong ball in each and they are fine :) :)
 
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