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What have I done?!

Angie B

Wise Old Thumper
Thumper, we have decided, as you may or may not have read, has taken an aversion to the noise of the wind at night. This is the only explanation we can think of as to why she seems to get colic/stasis after a windy night. So we have been bringing them both into the utility room when the forecast has been for high winds.

This last week they have been indoors, an unheated and cool room, for about 4 nights. They have been going back into the shed/run during the day, just coming into the house at about 8.30pm. Last night the forecast was for little or no wind, so out they went in the morning, where they belong and frankly are most happy, and stayed there.

However, the temperature dropped. I knew it was going to drop but thought they'd be fine in their fur coats, hay on the floor, straw in the bed chamber of the hutch and 3 heat pads, and of course each other.

Went out to check them this morning and do the usual cleaning, only to find Thumper shaking like a leaf all over. Literally. She wasn't stretching herself out and pressing her tummy to the floor though, and was moving about, but still refused her morning pellets, but I still didn't think it was colic somehow. Booked to see the vet though just in case but there's only one vet on given that it's Sunday and she was snowed under, including an emergency which had just come in, until 1pm.

I don't give metacam anymore as have been advised against it, so gave her a dose of ranitadine (sorry if that's spelled wrong) instead. Also heated a snugglesafe and put that in, in the corner where Thumper seemed to be favouring. She went straight onto it, snuggled down and didn't move!

After tidying up the litter trays, I did the breakfast. Thumper came over for that quite enthusiastically - obviously not colic then! Had a couple of mouthfuls but then went back to the heat pad. Mmm. I scooped the food into a food bowl and gave it to her so she could eat while sat on the heat pad - and eat she did!

She's cold! In fact, she's frozen! (behind her ears, the fluffy bit, is warm, but she's obviously still feeling cold)

What have I done?!

In an effort to stop them (Thumper) being frightened and stressed by the wind to the point it literally makes her ill (3 times we've been to the vet this month alone), I've now made her like being indoors to the point that she got cold last night.

I can't do right for doing wrong :(.

We have 2 choices for tonight.

a) Stick a shed load of hay down for them to snuggle into and make sure a heat pad and extra hay goes into what appears to be Thumper's favoured corner and hope for the best; or

b) Bring them in.

I'm torn.

I can't have them as indoor bunnies in the winter, they've got to live outside as they're bored brainless indoors - there's nothing for them to do.

I've driving myself nuts here.

Oh, and the "oh ruddy hell" side of it, we're supposed to be getting very high winds again tomorrow, in excess of 50mph. Ordinarily I'd have brought them in but now I'm like :? what do I do? :?
 
Sorry to hear you're in a dilemma :( I don't know what advice to offer really but didn't want to not reply, I was a bit stuck as my two love being out in their run and watching the world go by at their shed door but when I moved to uni last year I was moving into a flat where they had to be indoor bunnies. I wasn't sure whether to leave them where they are settled and my parents care for them but I knew they wouldn't pick up on illness like I can and wouldn't take them to the vet anyway and are busy so would literally feed and clean so brought them with me. I still think they would be happier outdoors, at least in the summer day time, but they soon settled to indoor life and in a few months I will be moving into a house with a garden for them. So I think if it was me I would bring them in, and provide extra toys/bits for them to help prevent boredom but you know what is best for your bunnies
 
Am I right in thinking Rexes feel the cold more so than "normal" bunnies? Anyway, if you can't have them indoors permanently I think the best thing to do is keep them outside with plenty of bedding. The shivvering and the bouts of stasis may be related to something else and not the wind. It isn't that they are in a hutch so they have more protection from the elements. But it is a bit of a mystery.
 
My outdoor buns have cold ears. They have a snugglesafe and in cold weather I stuff a cardboard box with hay and place it on top of a layer of hay in the shed. They normally ignore it and sit outside. Only you can judge, but if they've been outdoors all winter up to now I would have thought they'd be fine.
 
Thank you for all of your replies :).

They've been outdoor bunnies all their lives and are nearly 5 years old now, so it's not like this is their first winter, so should be used to the cold, which is why I was surprised to see Thumper so cold.

I've just been to check on them/her and she's still sat on the heat pad :lol:

However, when she realised the shed door was open, she came out and shot down the garden, flicking her feet as the ground is wet and then sat in her normal favourite spot, even though it is raining :roll:.

And all her breakfast is gone, I'm assuming she's eaten it and not Coco.

When back in the shed, straight back onto the heat pad she went and started eating some hay. This rabbit evidently likes her home comforts!

While they were both out in the garden for all of 2 minutes, I did indeed put a load of extra hay down and have banked quite a bit around Thumper's current corner so as you can see I'm edging towards leaving them out again tonight. The only reason for this is, it's raining so it must have warmed up and to be honest, it doesn't feel as cold as it did yesterday - and believe me, I feel the cold and I don't think it's as cold as it was yesterday.

I'll have a chat with my husband when he comes in from work later, about 7.30, and of course I'll check the weather forecast. If it's not going to be too cold I think I might risk it and leave them out.

It is a dreadful dilemma though and probably one that could have been avoided had I not molly-coddled them over the wind issue!

On that note, we've ordered a solid wooden gate for the alleyway and are hoping that once that's up (it's on its way within the next few days hopefully) it'll stop some of the wind hitting the shed directly, which in theory should help. Only time will tell on that score. As for the high winds tomorrow - I think she's going to just have to tough it out Monday night. I can't have them confused and/or ill being brought in and out of the house. It's obviously upsetting them just as bad as leaving them out and listening to the wind howling around :(.

tonibun - the vets are completely baffled as to what is causing these regular bouts of stasis, even the specialist vet who our vet phoned in York doesn't have a clue. Teeth will need seeing to in due course but are okay at the moment, but other than that they are totally stumped. In our vet's words "she's a mystery"!
 
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re the stasis - random thought but as she is Rex and the ones I have had have had kidney issues - have you thought of kidneys? Thats can be intermittent pain which gives rise to stasis.

My vet has a 'theory' that rexes have much more difficulty regulating heat and therefore also regulating hydration levels.
 
It's odd, like you said, with fluffy coats, straw and heatpads and used to living outside it really shouldn't have been a problem. Maybe whatever the issue is with behind the stasis episodes has contributed. Has she had problems in winter before? Presumably she's used to wind and weather noises.
 
Thank you for your thoughts on the stasis, parsnipbun, I'll mention it to our vet the next time we go. She has had x-rays during an episode but whether the x-ray caught that part of her internally I don't know. It's certainly worth a mention though.

Not sure on the heat regulation theory, but then I'm no vet! Her sister's fine though? But I accept that siblings can differ quite a bit. Again, I'll mention it to my vet the next time we go x
 
She's had problems all year round, Tamsin, for the last 3 years.

For the last 6 months though they seem to be triggered by stress and the wind (and once when it absolutely hammered down with rain) is the only connecting factor that we can see. Other than one spat she and her sister had whilst indoors last week - I found some fur and Thumper wasn't well; she had nowhere to escape to in the utility. Luckily after having a run around the garden for 45 minutes to burn off some energy, she was fine with no need for a vet visit and I didn't give her any meds either.

The only thing we can think of is that now they've hit middle age - they'll be 5yrs in June - she's suddenly become frightened of the wind. People get more scared of things as they get older, so why not animals?

But you'd think that rabbits would naturally be used to it as by nature they live outside and ours have lived outside since we've had them - storms and all. The only times we have ever brought them indoors in the past is when they were spayed. Other than that, they've lived outdoors through snow, hail, gales, high winds and of course full on storms and it's not bothered them one iota.

It's very bizarre. And quite frankly it's doing my head in.
 
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Hope all will be well,sadly there is another storm predicted in the next 24/48 hours high winds and rain etc.I only ever had house bunnies even though I had large garden.Rio rabbit didn't like being outside at all.We built a run and covered area etc every time we took him out for free ranging etc,he just sat under the run cover and didn't move at all. We tried for a few months ..nope,he wasn't for it.He was a indoor bunny and carpet slob and that was it.His wifey bun Cleo,whom we got a year later, we didn't even try,no point with him slobbing on the carpet.All that wood etc and wire..sigh.Oh well it protected my veg from the pigeons etc.:)
 
Thank you, kattymieoww, I did get the warning about Storm Henry (I mentioned it in one of my posts actually) but I braved it and left the girls outside last night. I put in a load of extra hay, especially in Thumper's favoured corner and on the floor in front of the shed, and they were both this morning even though the storm blew in during the early hours. Hopefully with it blowing around all day too, they should be okay staying outside tonight, fingers crossed. I can't keep bringing them in and out, it's obviously not doing them any good. Roll on the gate being delivered this week, hopefully, so that my husband can put it up.
 
I've got no real insight beyond empathising with you! Trying to do you best but it all going a bit weird! It's definitely a Thumper thing, as Coco seems OK though: hope you can get to the bottom of it safely and with the least upheaval for all involved!
 
You're dead right there, keletkezes, it is weird indeed!

The good news is that the gate's just been delivered so once my husband has finished his night shifts, he can make a start and get it up. So all being well it will be in situ by the end of this week - weather permitting (ironically if it's too windy he won't be able to do it :lol:).

I'm just about to go out and check on the girlies actually, make sure they're okay and not up to mischief!
 
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