Bunny in the pouring rain?..

Hi

It is bucketing it down up here just now and Floppy is sitting in the only corner of the run that is NOT covered by tarpaulin. He's soaking wet and looks like a mad punk with a mohawk...

The run is on slabs..

Will this do him any harm...??? I had put in his hutch a lovely snugglesafe pad as its to be -1 later

Should I shut him in his hutch tonight or is this normal bunny behaviour? I do like him to hve free range in his run overnight. Is he just being a bunny or doing it out of spite to worry me senseless.......

Advice is welcome as I dont want him to get chills or respiratory infections..

Many thanks
Fee

If he is actually getting wet then I would move him - does he have a companion to snuggle up against and stay warm?

I don't think it's good for rabbits to get soaked through. Although they can cope with fairly cold conditions they will feel much colder if they are wet and it's supposed to be a freezing night. If it was my bunny I'd bring him in, dry him in a warm towel then close him in the undercover part of his hutch overnight.

You'll never get any sleep for worrying if you don't!

Is it possible to completly cover the run with tarp? Mine are completly covered becuase If i dont then they do the same! :roll: Make sure he has plenty of hay to dig into if he is feeling a bit cold!!

Thanks folks...

I have checked again and he now appears to have moved back into the dry part of his run.

I have a lovely bunny companion identified from Fairly Beloved and she is being spayed so in a few weeks after bonding.. He'll have a cuddly bunnny to snuggle up to. I am so excited about that.

I will check again shortly and if he's still being thrawn, I will move him into his hutch which should be lovely and cosy....

Its true, I feel like a new mum again. I have worried myself senseless the past 3 weeks.. He is just so precious!!,!

Aww, who is it that is lined up?

Bunnies can be quite twisted when it comes to sitting in the rain, even when there is shelter on offer. :roll: I agree it's not good for them to get soaked though. Spenser was never one to sit in the rain when he was an outdoor bun - didn't even like getting his paws wet in the dew, never mind being rained on!

Hope all goes well with the prospective ladybun for Floppy. :wave:

its one of the ladies in the Team GB squad with Fairly Beloved. I have a picture of her but again, cant figure how to post it.. My photobucket account is gubbed.

David says it'll be 3 weeks at least till she get 'sorted' then ready for LURVE,!,!!

Oooooh, i do so hope it works out..... He is a wee soul and you're right Susie Bun he is a little twisted. When we went out to check the tarpaulin, my son climbed into the run to enure all was ok and Floppy decided that the time was right for playing and grabbed the green play tube and swung it round knocking my sons nose!!,!

Ironic, after doing all that - its stopped raining!,,

Woohoo! It worked... Here she is. We hope to call her WILLOW. She is absolutely gorgeous

My rabbits sit can sit on the lawn in the pouring rain for ages. When they see fit, they seek shelter. That is their 'lifestyle' choice and they have never come to any harm. It's what wild rabbits do - it's their will if you like.

Having said that, if rabbits are not outdoor(sy) kind of rabbits then they may not be as hardy.

So long as shelter is available then my personal opinion, is let them decide.

Maybe he's just taking a shower? lol.

It was a power shower last night. He's asleep now. Just checked.. Bless !!!

aliduncan1 said:

Aww, who is it that is lined up?

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You ready for this love match Ali?????
:lol: Fee xxxx

Willow suits her.

Mine often stay out in the rain, when the hutch dooe is open, but if it gets too heavy and they are still out I get them in as think it is not only bad for them, but particularly as my lawn gets boggy i think that if their feet get wet they make all their bedding wet in their hutch :S

He's sunbathing just now... I agree about the boggy mess if hes on wet grass but because we have had hardly any dry days. His hutch and run are on slabs..... He gets a daily run about on the grass though, whts left of it, that is!,!,!

Don't laugh, but I asked the vet about giving our wee bun a bath as he was a bit smelly. The vet said there was no problem with that & but that it would be impossible to get his skin wet and that their hair is designed to keep the important bits dry.

I dont believe it ........ i posted on another thread tha I had got an old plastic sledge and filled it with hay, stuffed it in his run and hoped he would sit in it when it was cold....

What is he doing??? ... sitting in the run , on the cold SODDEN WET slabs and is sleeping...

I give up...... i've decided, he truly is nuts!

If he is so precious I would certainly be taking better care of him!! He definately needs to be in his hutch at night unless you want to take the risk of finding him ripped to bits in the morning by a fox or some other predator. I wish people would stop referring to how rabbits are in the wild, because he is NOT a wild rabbit, he is domesticated. Do you honestly think that if he were released into the wild he would survive, because you are kidding yourself if you do, because again he is NOT wild rabbit, and so any reference to them is irrelevant. Rabbits should not be left to get soaking wet, as they are very prone to respiratory diseases and pneumonia, and by the time these conditions actually come to light it is usually too late. If that had been my rabbit, I would have gone and got him immediately and towel dried him, and kept him in the house until he was warm and dry thoroughly, and then put him back in his hutch to settle down. Yes I am sure many rabbits have had soakings and been ok, but then equally many rabbits will have soakings, developed pneumonia, and died, and it is up to you if you are happy to take the chance. My rabbit Dipsy, really is very precious though, because I don't take chances with him, because if he became ill and died then that would be my fault entirely, as yours would be your fault as well.

:wave: Hello RogerRabbit999 and welcome to the forum

RogerRabbit999 said:

If he is so precious I would certainly be taking better care of him!! He definately needs to be in his hutch at night unless you want to take the risk of finding him ripped to bits in the morning by a fox or some other predator.

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I would argue that in fact if he is so precious it is fantastic that he is provided with a foxproof hutch/run 24/7 so that he can enjoy the choice of when to come and go and not be restricted to an artificial time construct of being let in/out which does not correlate to his natural body rhythms. Sure, a bunny getting soaking wet is ideally avoided and there are perhaps modifications that can be made to keep him from getting wet in future, but letting him have 24/7 access does not make him any less precious or at risk. Indeed foxes are just as active during the day, so as long as the run is predator proof in any case, shutting him away at night doesn't solve anything. Runs don't magically become any less safe at night than they are during the day.

If that had been my rabbit, I would have gone and got him immediately and towel dried him, and kept him in the house until he was warm and dry thoroughly, and then put him back in his hutch to settle down. Yes I am sure many rabbits have had soakings and been ok, but then equally many rabbits will have soakings, developed pneumonia, and died, and it is up to you if you are happy to take the chance. My rabbit Dipsy, really is very precious though, because I don't take chances with him, because if he became ill and died then that would be my fault entirely, as yours would be your fault as well.

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Actually, bringing him indoors to dry off is one of the worst things you can do and adds to the chance of him developing pneumonia! The sudden change in temperature from outdoor to indoor and then back outdoors again at this time of year is a recipe for a poorly bunny. Of course the ideal would be to not let him get soaking in the first place, but if he is, personally I would dry him off as best as I could with a microfibre towel and then provide lots of warm, dry bedding for him to snuggle into. If he is properly soaking and it is bitterly cold, then an unheated room/outhouse might be suitable for overnight, but not into a heated house and then back out again.

This thread was from a couple of weeks ago in any case so hopefully the OP's bunny is just fine and the run might be fully covered by now

RogerRabbit999 said:

If he is so precious I would certainly be taking better care of him!! He definately needs to be in his hutch at night unless you want to take the risk of finding him ripped to bits in the morning by a fox or some other predator. I wish people would stop referring to how rabbits are in the wild, because he is NOT a wild rabbit, he is domesticated. Do you honestly think that if he were released into the wild he would survive, because you are kidding yourself if you do, because again he is NOT wild rabbit, and so any reference to them is irrelevant. Rabbits should not be left to get soaking wet, as they are very prone to respiratory diseases and pneumonia, and by the time these conditions actually come to light it is usually too late. If that had been my rabbit, I would have gone and got him immediately and towel dried him, and kept him in the house until he was warm and dry thoroughly, and then put him back in his hutch to settle down. Yes I am sure many rabbits have had soakings and been ok, but then equally many rabbits will have soakings, developed pneumonia, and died, and it is up to you if you are happy to take the chance. My rabbit Dipsy, really is very precious though, because I don't take chances with him, because if he became ill and died then that would be my fault entirely, as yours would be your fault as well.

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Yes I agree with this.