Hi guys,
Being new to bunnies, I have no idea what to do in regards to winter proofing my hutch! I'll be painting it with weather proof paint at the weekend, have some tarpaulin but not sure what else to do! Could I put carpet inside the sleeping area of the hutch to insulate more or would they eat this? Towels? The hutch I have was made for me so a shop bought cover is out of the question..
I have water bottle covers in case of really cold weather. We have a small side entrance that runs the length of the house (all covered by a roof!) so I could move them in there if the weather gets really bad.
What should I get to be prepared?
Thanks!
Carpet or towels might be a good idea but it depends - your bunnies might nibble them, some are little ******* like that! Bunnies cope very well in the winter though as long as they've been able to grow a winter coat (which yours will do as long as they stay outside from now on). It also helps when you have multiple bunnies as they keep each other warm. Most people tend to give more hay than normal so they can snuggle up inside it if necessary, and cloth beds are a good idea if your bunnies aren't chewers. A cardboard, plastic or wooden box filled with hay will be nice and snuggly too. Generally as long as your bunnies are healthy and there's dry places to retreat to they'll be totally fine.
Tarp is good, although I would definitely recommend the clear totally waterproof type for any roof areas as the blue type will let water in if it settles on top of it. Other options are roofing sheets - the corrugated ones are fine, as are the polycarbonate twin walled sheet type. I prefer the twin walled sheet type because I find it easier to screw down etc. I always cover the roof of my run, and in winter I also cover one or two sides with polycarbonate twin walled sheet to prevent the driving rain and terrible winds from blowing straight through the run.
There is a guy on eBay who makes custom hutch covers, but I'm not sure of his name. Some people use duvets or bubblewrap tied around the hutch (around the back and top etc, not where the doors are) and that helps keep the warmth in, although you definitely need something waterproof to cover these in as if the insulation gets wet it doesn't insulate well at all.
Water bottle covers are quite good but I don't find them effective enough. Personally I like to have two water bottles so that I can have one prepared for the morning to put out, and I can bring the new one in and bung it in a bowl of hot water and then head off to work or whatever. Saves frozen fingers and it's a lot easier in the morning! Ping pong balls or anything floating in the water will help stop ice forming in bottles and bowls, but normal bottles tend to be too small to fit them in. I also find the normal water bottles a bit pants as the water freezes in the nozzle, so even though the bottle itself isn't frozen the bunnies can't get their water.
http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/default.asp?template=productdetail.page.xml&productid=22 this is a great bottle which you can fit in some floating balls and the nozzle doesn't freeze as easily. Water bowls are also great and tend not to freeze as easily if they're big enough, and again a ping pong ball is a good option. With bottles and bowls, the bigger the amount of water the longer it takes to freeze so the bigger the better really!
Snugglesafe microwave heat pads are a good option for cold nights.
If you have a pic of your setup we could probably advise a little more closely to your setup needs
The sheltered area sounds like it'd be very handy if it does get very bad, and if it doesn't cause any problems for you or the bunnies I'd be tempted to move them in as soon as the weather gets a little worse. Then you won't have to worry so much with the waterproofing etc, and it's easier for you to clean them out in the rain!
