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HEAT lamps......

TeflonsShadow

Wise Old Thumper
Anyone else use one for outdoor buns ??

If so, what bulbs do you use, and how often do you have it on?

I have a simple reflector bulb at the moment, it doesn't give off tonnes of heat, the buns have it for 40-60 min in the morning (when I get up at 5:45am til 6:30/7ish) and then again in the evening - often later evening... say 8-10ish. Its very handy for cleaning them out and feeding etc!

Am thinking of upgrading to a ceramic bulb soon but unknowing of which one to go for as there are so many!!!
 
Personally I wouldn't advise it, It sounds like a lovely idea, but I honestly think you risk doing more harm than good. By keep on giving them short bursts of heat at certain times of the day, it's not going to allow them to acclimatise properly. Imagine getting yourself all snug next to a heater just for an hour in the morning then from 8-10pm every day but then without being able to put extra clothes on when the heater goes off - you'd just be cold for the rest of the day and all night, whereas if you never had the heater on you would dress appropriately for the weather and wouldn't get a sudden shock. I would only consider a form of outdoor heating for bunnies in the absolute bitterest if midwinter temperatures, and then I would use a low level emitting heat like a snugglesafe which doesn't suddenly go on/off.

Remember bunnies only have one coat, they can't go taking jumpers off and putting coats on all the time so it's better to keep their temperature relatively consistent rather than have heating going on/off at various times of the day. That way they can grow their coat to suit the general temperatures they face. While it sounds like a great idea, it's actually far more of a recipe for unhappy and unhealthy buns IMO.
 
The heat lamp is attached to the roof of the wendy house, it doesn't get warm or toasty, but it doesnt freeze and thats my intention..... I want the buns to be provided with less of a temperature dip at the colder pointed of the day. They are only small.... I worry about them. They cant get any closer than 4ft to the lamp so cant bathe in it either.
 
I'd agree with Santa that, if you're planning on providing some sort of heat, it would be better if it was a very low form of heat that was on all the time. Temperatures are more likely to drop dramatically overnight, much later than 8-10 pm so the evening heat wouldn't help with that and, by morning, it would have already started warming up.

It's natural to worry but them being small shouldn't mean they need extra heat than larger bunnies as long as they're in good health and a good weight for their size (and have had a chance to start moulting into a lovely thick winter coat). Have you looked at the winter care section of the outdoor housing sticky? You might find some ideas that you hadn't thought of. :D
 
I want the buns to be provided with less of a temperature dip at the colder pointed of the day.

But it wouldn't achieve that. Heat rises, so if you're providing a heat lamp on the ceiling which is 4ft above them and doesn't have the power to get them warm, all you're doing is heating up the ceiling. Tenperatures drop waaaaay off overnight, any residual heat would have dissipated way before the coldest time by having it on for an hour or so morning or evening, it won't make a jot of difference to their comfort during the coldest part of the day, and like I say, if it does anything at all, it's therefore more likely to do harm overall than good. Far better to use snuggle safes which for one thing don't have a risk of fire and will provide a gentle low level heat all through the night and not just for an hour or two.

As Karen says though, the fact that they're small isn't really anything extra to worry about, they still have the same body temperature regulation systems, proportion of body fat and amount of fur than any other size bunny, plus if they are small it is easier to provide them with hidey boxes stuffed with straw, hay and maybe a snuggle safe, where they can snuggle down and get cosy.
 
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