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rabbits - robust or not

Georgeypudding

Wise Old Thumper
Triggered by Emmies thread...

a young health pair/group of rabbits in MY opinion don't need to be "kept" warm, wild rabbits burrow below the earth which will keep them slightly warmer than sitting out in the open but at the same time they don't get comfy beds, and hutches stuffed with hay/straw or snuggle safes. I think we do these things mainly for ourselves (except in young, weak, sick or elderly rabbits who may need help) so we feel better about it (and yes I'm gulity of doing it, just incase :oops:)

my pair will choose to sit in the run or on bare floor rather than beds/hay/straw :)

What is your opinion? Do healthy rabbits need this extra care or are we just "babying" them as it were?


Discuss ;)
 
Each to their own but I think when its cold they should be given the option (at least) of having lots hay/straw to snuggle/burrow into...then they can choose depending on how they feel. Yes it can be messy and a pain in the bum to clean up loads of messy hay but surley thats just part of having bunnies?? :? Wild rabbits would seek out somewhere warm as they have the option to do so...bunnies kept in hutches/sheds DONT have that option :?
 
Burrows stay at around seven degrees all year so a lot if the temperatures above ground vary wildly from that. So I do believd it's our duty to give them the best protection we can from elements wild rabbits would not normally experience. I also believe its my duty to give my bunnies the most comfortable life possible so even if they could tolerate harsher or more natural conditions, why should they if I can make them more comfortable.
 
but how much warmth do they actually need? I've observed my 2 shunning snuggly things but I continue to offer them just incase when it gets colder, how much of it is actual need and how much is us projecting our feelings onto the rabbits?
 
Mine enjoy having lots of hay so they get it.
I'd rather the option was there should they happen to need it.
My bunnies are in an insulated shed, but I would say rabbits in a basic hutch set up do need it.
 
Mine ignore their heat pads which i think are usless anyway but they always burrow into their hay :love: Even rosey bun who is indoors has a huge pile of hay in her underbed storage box that she can snuggle into...and the heating on...and fleece blankets :lol:
 
I have tried everything.

Bedroom full of straw = ignored until digging it out was fun.
Bedroom full of hay = eaten but ignored when it was dug out again.
Blankets/towels = dug out and put in the water bowl where the water was soaked up.
Litter tray with hay in bedroom= dug out:roll:

I give them houses and shelters but they never use them unless they are playing. I give them heat pads and nice cosy things but they either rip them up or ignore them completely.

I still give them things like that just in case but :? They like their litter tray with hay and hay racks which they are very good at eating :thumb:

I wish mine would burrow and snuggle into hay but they don't.. They're odd rabbits :roll::p but they're happy rabbits :thumb:
 
As Sky-O said, it stays about 7 degrees in burrows all year round, so wild rabbits just arent exposed to the extremes of temperatures our pet ones are, so they arent adapted to live in such cold and hot temps as it becomes above ground. We cant ensure their hutches stay at that temperature, but we can give them the option of warming themselves up if they like. It also depends what you mean by 'old', we must remember that rabbits arent designed to last more than 2-3 years in the wild, whereas most of us wouldnt consider our pet rabbits 'old' until at least 6 years old, often older.
 
Mine have two hutches: single storey hutch with litter trays filled with hay and a double storey hutch which either has no bedding or straw in if it's cold out. They sit in their hay filled hutch for eating hay and for toileting, never sleeping. They have three favourite sleeping locations: at the end of their run, downstairs in the sheltered corner of the double storey or upstairs on the unsheltered side (their favourite place even in cold weather). They choose to kick all straw out of the hutch :roll: I really don't think they care for extra bedding, they don't seem to mind the cold. BUT I think it's bunny-dependent and all bunnies should have to option of somewhere to snuggle up a bit warmer (like mine have their hutch with hay in, and then will have straw sometimes too) but some may not require as much as others, for example mine can get a bit annoyed when I try to fill their bed up with straw :lol: and opt to not sleep in either their hay or straw despite it being provided, whereas others might choose to sleep in it if they have the option.

I don't think it's cruel to not provide extra bedding if the bunnies' attitudes suggest they don't want it, but regardless if they have plenty of hay for eating then they have the option to use that as bedding to snuggle in anyway wouldn't they?

I do think the new snuggle safe I've got is more for me though :p I think Harvey will shun it, Lilly will hopefully like it but I can imagine she'll just try to remove it from her hutch :roll: hopefully it'll give them the option of being a bit cosier though, it's hard to tell whether they actually do like the cold when they can't just tell me!

Right I'm off to wind Lilly up by messing up her beautiful home with straw as we're all talking about cold bunnies :lol:
 
Whether indoors or out, bunnies should be offered the choice of somewhere cooler or somewhere warmer throughout the year.

Mine all seem to like their comfort....

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Bunnies should be given the option. I have always given my buns heaps of hay in the colder months especially when they have just been put outside from being used to a house.

Not only does the hay keep them warm but it's a great play area. Rabbits love to burrow and throw the hay around.

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I think buns are rather hardy, it's their guts that are delicate. I know i'm soft with mine and give them all sorts so they are nice and warm but they have the option. Ollie will be found sitting downstairs in the run in all weathers! Thye knoe where the warm areas are so let them get on with it.
 
I don't bother with a snugglesafe because mine sit in the run when it's freezing anyway when they have a nice bed full of hay lol

Elvis does however like the comfort of a blanket to sit on and Joey just ignores it or wees all over it for some reason, whereas if there's not one in his hutch he only wees in the litter tray, so he doesn't get one! Lol
 
Oh Blackberry.. Why can't mine be like that?! :( :lol:

The Boys are soooo tidy! They do everything in their litter tray apart from a few odd stray poops, so their hay stays clean for ages :)

And Lady.....well, she does love to trash her blankies :roll: but she keeps them clean (they just have lots of lacy patterns :lol:)
 
As we bring bunnies into our world and our environment its up to us to provide for them the comforts they need. Without a warren it would be unfair to have them in an overheated house or exposed to freezing condtions.

We all probably over fed them, so they exercise less and become used to what we give them. Blankets, piles of hay, etc. We can never provide what they have in the wild. Then again, domestic rabbits will evolve like cats and dogs and expect to be spoilt.;)

Wonders if they appreciate fairy stickers in their summerhouse. :shock:
 
We domesticate our pets..... so in my opinion we should give them every choice....

I would never dream of letting my dog live as a "wild dog" hes my pet....... he has all the home comforts
My cat hates the cold and wont go out if its raining..... so I would never force her
My horse is out during the day and stabled in a snug warm rug now the nights are getting colder
Why should I treat my bunnies any different???
They too have and deserve the choice.....
 
Its about freezing up here in Glasgow and Floppy is sitting on the cold slab floor of the run with his wee tail against the exposed edge of the run. He has a lovely snuggle heatpad in his hutch mounds of hay to burrow in and a lovely cosy thick cardboard tunnel made out of three layers of cardboard,, Why oh why.. He is just torturing me.....:lol:
 
Its about freezing up here in Glasgow and Floppy is sitting on the cold slab floor of the run with his wee tail against the exposed edge of the run. He has a lovely snuggle heatpad in his hutch mounds of hay to burrow in and a lovely cosy thick cardboard tunnel made out of three layers of cardboard,, Why oh why.. He is just torturing me.....:lol:

But he has been given the choice - that makes all the difference :D
 
Its about freezing up here in Glasgow and Floppy is sitting on the cold slab floor of the run with his wee tail against the exposed edge of the run. He has a lovely snuggle heatpad in his hutch mounds of hay to burrow in and a lovely cosy thick cardboard tunnel made out of three layers of cardboard,, Why oh why.. He is just torturing me.....:lol:

Donny and Lola are currently pressed up against the part of the run that is uncovered :roll: the run is totally covered, but they choose the one part I don't want them to be :roll::lol:
 
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