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URGENT!! Need to find a hutch cover!!

Kerryyyy

Mama Doe
I am having a massive panic about Pop and Sam cause their water bowl was frozen this morning. So if the water froze then it's obvious they could feel the cold. Where would I find a hutch cover that would fit a Happy Hutch Sykes hutch??
 
I have Perspex sheets on the front of mine but before I got those fitted I used a clear tarpaulin sheet :wave:
 
It doesnt need to be a hutch cover does it? Can you use old blankets, duvets, anything for insulation??

Make sure the hutch is packed with plenty of hay for warmth too.

As for stopping the water freezing, i heard putting a ping pong ball in the bowl would help.
 
They have hay and covers in the hutch now and a duvet on the front with tarpauline over the top. But I am still having a panic worrying about it being too cold for them. so I really wanted to get a hutch cover.
 
That will be fine :wave: my pair are in their shed and their water was slightly frozen on top so they have a ping pong ball in it now.

Rabbits are hardier than you think :thumb:
 
I'm having the same thing re frozen water bowls. I have Perspex on the front of the hutch, but it won't stop the temperature from dropping inside. You just need to ensure that they have a warm snuggly place to go to when it gets cold. I have put a box in the bed part, and stuffed it with hay. And I put snuggle safes in there at night. I just ordered a couple more to put under water bowls to see if that stops them freezing.

They should be fine in the cold as long as they are healthy and have a snuggly insulated space to hide in if they want to :)
 
You can make homemade covers or get them especially made or get scratch and newton ones\other premade ones although they're really designed to keep wind and rain out, no matter what cover you get I very much doubt it will stop bottles freezing. Think of how well insulated houses are and how cold it still is inside with no heating on. I wouldn't advise putting towels/blankets under plastic covers because they'll just get damp and make the rabbits colder

All you can do really is give them lots of straw (proper hay not the shredded flat pet shop stuff), and unless they use the bedroom bit as a toilet, pack it as much as you can, to the roof if you have enough and they'll flatten it and make a cosy bed, and most importantly make sure the wind and rain/snow is kept out especially at night

For water bottles, my advice would be to feed the rabbits early on (rabbits drink the most after eating). If I feed mine early on then they don't drink a thing through the night. There's no point putting insulators round the bottle or a ball in it because its the spout the rabbit drinks from, and being made of metal it freezes easier than anywhere else. Food grade glycerol can lower the freezing point a bit. If you want to try bowls then you can try putting a floating ball in to break up any ice, or put it on a snugglesafe
 
I'm having the same thing re frozen water bowls. I have Perspex on the front of the hutch, but it won't stop the temperature from dropping inside. You just need to ensure that they have a warm snuggly place to go to when it gets cold. I have put a box in the bed part, and stuffed it with hay. And I put snuggle safes in there at night. I just ordered a couple more to put under water bowls to see if that stops them freezing.

They should be fine in the cold as long as they are healthy and have a snuggly insulated space to hide in if they want to :)

Mine have two snuggly compartments stuffed to the hilt with hay & straw but do they use them...NO...they sit in the other compartment which is just lined with newspaper!! :lol: They obviously dont feel the cold as much as i assume (& worry) that they must be!!

I have a hutch cover on one of my cages but have noticed tht it isnt waterproof in the downpours we have been having so they now have huge tarpaulin covers over them. I toyed with the idea of putting blankets or duvets underneath but as someone has already said on here they get damp, which is no good.

I have noticed both my bunnies already have lovely thicker coats but the cold weather is a worry i must admit. :(
 
Mine have two snuggly compartments stuffed to the hilt with hay & straw but do they use them...NO...they sit in the other compartment which is just lined with newspaper!! :lol: They obviously dont feel the cold as much as i assume (& worry) that they must be!!
:(

:lol: Mine do this too. I put fleece blankets into the part where there is no straw...........you should see the look of disgust that I get:shock: When I go out in the morning I find they have moved the blankets out the way:roll:

I try reminding myself that I have had the buns for five winters now so I must be doing something right.........but I still worry:roll:

they get extra straw, blankets, snuggle pad things and I dont think they bother withy any of them but its peace of mind for us. They do seem to like the warm nuggets I give them at lunch time though:)
 
:lol: Mine do this too. I put fleece blankets into the part where there is no straw...........you should see the look of disgust that I get:shock: When I go out in the morning I find they have moved the blankets out the way:roll:

I try reminding myself that I have had the buns for five winters now so I must be doing something right.........but I still worry:roll:

they get extra straw, blankets, snuggle pad things and I dont think they bother withy any of them but its peace of mind for us. They do seem to like the warm nuggets I give them at lunch time though:)

Glad its not just mine then!!:lol:
 
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