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What do you do with your buns in the winter?

B

**Bonnie**

Mama Doe
As we all know winter is fast approaching.

I just wondered what you all did with your buns in the winter?

Currently my bun is out in his run all day, but when winter is here it will be dark by the time i get home. Can i still leave him in his run??

he doesn't have a hutch attached to his run, although i am thinking of getting just a small one to fit in there. At the mo he has his pet carrier a box full of hay and litter trays full of hay toys etc.

In the winter i was thinking about having his run near the back door on the patio as the grass will get frosty and wet so cannot leave him on there. Fill the run full of straw and hay and cover it with a waterproof cover.

Will i need to put a rug over as well??

What do you all do??

Also at night when he is in his hutch - any tips for him to keep warm??

Thanks all!!
 
you can buy snugglesafes that you heat in a microwave and they keep them warm for so many hours,

I cover mine up everynight with old bed sheets and other stuff to keep the wind out and hopefully i should have all mine paired up so they can snuggle up together in the winter,
 
What about during the day - do you leave them in their runs and what can you do to keep when warm during the day?

Thanks again
 
HI, mine are in a permanent run
run.jpg

and re exactly the same summer and winter. In winter I give extra hay, but they still sleep on top of the hutches. They snuggle together to keep warm, but I've known them sit out when it's been snowing!
As long as they're sheltered from the wind, i think they're ok.
 
Thanks HS,

I have only had Alfie for 2 months. Was worrying that it will be dark by the time i get home and he'll be cold, etc....so over-protective!!

I think i will fill the run with loads of hay and straw and stuff to keep the little man warm!
 
He should be fine like that, lots to snuggle into. I know when I first got mine, I kept running outside to make sure they were ok, bought an extra big hutch for them to snuggle in, but they just prefer to be outside (they're nosy blighters I think! Like tosee what's going on.)
 
Mine are indoors so doesn't make a difference really. However, this winter I'll probably have my bunnyshed up, so will have to think about insulating and that. They were going to move into a heated brick shed with the rest of my animals, but now I'm planning on converting one of our wooden sheds into a bunny shed so they get more room. I'm sure they'll be fine, I'm hoping to have bonded my lone ones so they'll have someone to snuggle with and keep warm, but if it gets too cold I'll probably move them back indoors or into the heated shed.
 
Previous winters i was bringing my Guinea pigs in. But we have just had new hutches built for both Bindi and the girlie guinea pigs. They are great!!! (The boy piggies hutch is some years old and has to be the best £30 my mum has ever spent!!) We had two nasty storms since getting them and they survived both. And not a drop of rain gets in them.

When we move i will be getting an animal shed. Just incase the weather gets really nasty!!! Like thge snow, we had in Kent, in March.

Gracie and animals x
 
I always wonder about this, what is a comfy temperature that they are happy with outdoor? And for that matter, indoor as well?
 
Mine are kept out all year round in a covered run...obviously in the winter I give them more bedding in their hutch and cover it over but 99% of the time whatever the weather they will sleep together on top of their hutch. The cold really doesn't seem to bother my two at all.
 
My buns are outside all year round in winter they get big thick coats and extra bedding and the temp can drop to -5 up here XX
 
Okay, this is what happened. My rabbit is still new to my house, and I kept her in her room at night time because that's the only way she pee in the right spots.

The other day, it was raining, and the indoor temp. dropped to 15 - 16 degree C.

It's still quite warm, but she is now an indoor rabbit who is quite used to indoor temperature.

The next morning, I notice her ear is cool, so I put her to my bed and her ear warms up w/i minutes.

So I thought, could 15 - 16 C be not good enough for her?
 
hi

My bunnies spent a chilly spring in a concrete shed with no insulation or heating, although they did have carpet - they were fine and have suffered far more with the heat we've had this summer. Cheryl kept her rabbit shed at 10degrees C with a heater, but my 2 seemed fine in February with going into a cold shed.

Really I stopped worrying when Phill in Scotland (pretty chilly) said she gives her bunnies loads of hay in snuggly boxes but half of them spend the night on the roofs of the boxes, in the winter chill :?

What is bad for bunnies is to go from a warm house to a cold garden just like that - it's best to put them out permanently when it's still mild so they have time to adjust. And obviously one bunny will feel the cold more than a snuggled up pair.
 
My rabbits stay outside in their hutches, with covers and insulation over them and plenty of bedding. They go out in their pens during the daylight as usual - they can still access their hutches if they want to, unless the weather is severe and wet. They still go out however cold it is. I think there were only two or three days last winter that they didn't go out, but then we didn't even have one snowfall :? They all have companions to snuggle up to, I wouldn't leave a single bun outside.

My guineas get moved into the shed in November and stay in until it starts to dry out a bit, usually in March. The shed isn't heated, but again they are in groups with plenty of bedding. If I have one on his own I would bring him inside.

Any unwell animals spend the winter in the house. And I keep any pairs of male guineas I happen to have indoors to keep them away from the girlie pigs.
 
I suppose you have tp remember that bunny's do have a think coat on & can tolerate the winter much more than hot summer's!

I have a large run but it is not big enough to put my other hutch in unfortunately, I am going to have to get a much smaller (3 foot hutch) just to put in the run in the winter with loads of hay to keep him warm.

At bed time he will go into his normal hutch!
 
Hi Alfie - glad you made it over here from handbag!

Just make sure in the winter he has plenty of hay to keep him warm and some enclosed box/hutch (filled with hay/straw) to snuggle into.

You can get heatpads especially for animals too - we used these through winter last year and might be handy for you.
 
Alfie kennedy said:
I suppose you have tp remember that bunny's do have a think coat on & can tolerate the winter much more than hot summer's!

I have a large run but it is not big enough to put my other hutch in unfortunately, I am going to have to get a much smaller (3 foot hutch) just to put in the run in the winter with loads of hay to keep him warm.

At bed time he will go into his normal hutch!
Click to expand...

mine have a 3ft hutch inside the run and they're quite happy with it. :D
 
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