Inside/outside temp difference - does it really matter?

[Hugo's There]

If that is the case, I guess the trouble is that bunnies are very good at hiding illnesses and something might be sub-clinical and would be triggered by such an event. And you wouldn't know whether you had a bun in that category until you'd let them out and then they'd become ill.

Exactly this. As I said above rabbits are good at hiding underlying problems so why do something that potentialy put them at risk when there really is no need.

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

I have wondered about this because surely wild rabbits live in nice, warm, cosy holes and come out into the cold to graze? Wouldn't this mean they are used to differences in temperatures?

My friend brings her rabbit in every evening from the outside to spend time with her and let her have a run around. She goes in the kitchen and it's warmer than outside but not very warm. She is the most extraordinary rabbit I have ever met and actually happy flops when you stroke her right. :lol: I have warned her about the side effects of this but she makes her up a snuggle safe when she goes back out to her hutch and pvc covering the front of the hutch and a cover over the hutch so it is nice and warm for her. The bun is very happy and healthy and obviously the interaction is way more beneficial for the bun than the risks...but again, I wasn't sure exactly WHY it was bad for them and if it was possible to reduce the risks as much as poss.

My buns will sit by my open window in the winter and it does make me wonder if they'd like to go outside for a bit but I don't think putting an indoor bunny outside in a run for any length of time is very fair.

 

[Hugo's There]

But wild rabbit burrows are only around 7 degrees and still outside so not the same as a heated home which I assume is what we are talking about here.

Guinea pigs can't go out in the garden in winter. Neither can other indoor animals like rats or hamsters. So why should house rabbits be any different. I know they aren't rodents but a house rabbit is more like them than a cat dog or human!

 

[dumblepaws]

My friend brings her rabbit in every evening from the outside to spend time with her and let her have a run around. She goes in the kitchen and it's warmer than outside but not very warm. She is the most extraordinary rabbit I have ever met and actually happy flops when you stroke her right. :lol: I have warned her about the side effects of this but she makes her up a snuggle safe when she goes back out to her hutch and pvc covering the front of the hutch and a cover over the hutch so it is nice and warm for her. The bun is very happy and healthy and obviously the interaction is way more beneficial for the bun than the risks...but again, I wasn't sure exactly WHY it was bad for them and if it was possible to reduce the risks as much as poss.

I do this, and the excited binkies and licking I get makes me feel it's the right things for the bunnies. They come into the unheated conservatory, so I'm usually shivering in my onesie but I think they like the change of environment and spending time with me. I wouldn't have them a permanent house bunnies as OH has lots of wires, I'd hate compromising my home so much to bunny proof it for them and they've got stupid mini rex paws so are better off on grass anyway. So I know bringing them in isn't ideal and I'd never recommend it, but it's the right balance for us.

 

[Mackers]

But wild rabbit burrows are only around 7 degrees and still outside so not the same as a heated home which I assume is what we are talking about here.

Guinea pigs can't go out in the garden in winter. Neither can other indoor animals like rats or hamsters. So why should house rabbits be any different. I know they aren't rodents but a house rabbit is more like them than a cat dog or human!

Yes, I was talking about a centrally heated house. In my case, the bunnies are in an unheated conservatory and I've started to to open the french doors and let them run around the garden as they wish for a couple of hours. Sometimes they stay out, digging, binkying, grazing, doing laps of the garden at breakneck speed etc for ages, other times, they nip out for 20 minutes and then decide to come back in.

The choice is always theirs and they're always lined up at the door as soon as they hear me get the keys. If I could see some concrete evidence that it was likely to cause them health issues, I wouldn't do it and would make them wait until Spring had really sprung before they went out. But they seem to love it and I've seen no signs, even minute signs, that it's causing health issues. In fact, their mental health seems greatly improved.

I'm very open to seeing concrete evidence though so if someone has anything, please do share.

 

[*lily*]

Yes, I was talking about a centrally heated house. In my case, the bunnies are in an unheated conservatory and I've started to to open the french doors and let them run around the garden as they wish for a couple of hours. Sometimes they stay out, digging, binkying, grazing, doing laps of the garden at breakneck speed etc for ages, other times, they nip out for 20 minutes and then decide to come back in.

The choice is always theirs and they're always lined up at the door as soon as they hear me get the keys. If I could see some concrete evidence that it was likely to cause them health issues, I wouldn't do it and would make them wait until Spring had really sprung before they went out. But they seem to love it and I've seen no signs, even minute signs, that it's causing health issues. In fact, their mental health seems greatly improved.

I'm very open to seeing concrete evidence though so if someone has anything, please do share.

Louie was in a centrally heated house and he had no health issues.

 

[MightyMax]

I can understand a little better how it's not so good to bring an outside bunny indoors for several hours every evening into a very warm house, only to shove them back outside into freezing temps. I wouldn't like being shoved out into the cold when I'd got all cozy indoors. But the other way around? Stay out until you feel cold, then come back inside?

Bunny Buddy - I agree that the advice you were given sounds very sensible. And yet I know I've said to newbies not to subject their buns to big temperature differences as it's bad for them JUST because I've read it on RU :?. Now that doesn't sound sensible to me! I need evidence to prove that what I've blindly told people is actually right!

When I began boarding bunnies about 20 years ago I looked after a wonderful, young, healthy New Zealand White. The owner told me that she lived outdoors (on her own ) but they brought her in each evening for the children to play with her. Then she went back out to her hutch.

A few months later I heard she had died. I asked the cause, and they said they were told by their vet that the only reason was that the immune system of the bunny couldn't cope with - as you point out above - being put out into the cold after having been warmed up.

Since then I am careful with bringing outdoor buns in.

My own house rabbits though go out in this weather (and colder) on a daily basis if they want to. The door is always open for them to come back in. I have never had a problem with this.

 

[Hugo's There]

I am sure there isn't a problem putting a rabbit out in a garden on nice days that lives in an unheated conservatory. If I was lucky enough to have a conservatory I would do the same.

My argument is for sudden temp changes in either direction.

 

[Santa]

Although I would argue that an unheated conservatory possibly has greater extremes of temperature anyway, because it will warm up massively on a sunny day regardless of how cold it is outside, and then drop like a stone overnight!

 

[SarahP]

Although I would argue that an unheated conservatory possibly has greater extremes of temperature anyway, because it will warm up massively on a sunny day regardless of how cold it is outside, and then drop like a stone overnight!

I agree with this. Although it would depend on which direction the conservatory faces as to how boiling hot it might get.

 

[madcatwoman]

I brought the boys in from their shed about 7 weeks ago. They've been in my lounge which has heating. I feel that this winter they just didn't get the thick coats that they have had on previous winters, once they were inside they didn't really moult much which to my mind confirmed that they hadn't much winter fluff on them.

I brought them in because Ozzie stopped eating, maybe coincidence but once warmed up he ate again.

The thermometer in the hutch shows the coldest temp this winter of -1 degrees. On previous winters its been -6 and -7 and they've been out and been fine, but had a good winter fluff on them. Maybe this winters weather wasn't good for growing a winter coat.

My rabbits sulk when they are in the house, they just sit in the dog crates even though their cage is open at least 16 hours a day.

So I decided last week to put them out during the day and bring them in on a night. They are much happier, bounding round the patio running in and out of their shed. Then they race into the house for tea realise they are in till tomorrow and sulk.

 

[William]

I think it's good to challenge it, even if it turns out that there is concrete evidence...blindly believing things usually isn't a good thing.

I stupidly believed it to be true just because I read it on RU and it resulted in my rabbit Raven dying For my whole life we'd always brought the outdoor rabbits in on cold nights and never experienced any issues with it but then after reading on here that that's really bad to do I decided not to on a cold night or two. He had never had any health problems before so I don't think it was a coincidence. It was stupid of me to not think about how different my climate is compared to the UK, how it would be an even more massive temp change if he stayed outside and that rabbits here don't get thick enough coats to withstand the cold, but somehow that didn't cross my mind...I was a very naive 16 year old

 

[Hugo's There]

Although I would argue that an unheated conservatory possibly has greater extremes of temperature anyway, because it will warm up massively on a sunny day regardless of how cold it is outside, and then drop like a stone overnight!

Ooh I don't know I've never been posh enough to have a conservatory

 

[Mackers]

Although I would argue that an unheated conservatory possibly has greater extremes of temperature anyway, because it will warm up massively on a sunny day regardless of how cold it is outside, and then drop like a stone overnight!

Depends which way it faces . Ours faces North East so gets only the early morning sun on it. Plus it's open to the (unheated) kitchen so heat can't get trapped in there. Anyway, my bunnies normally live outside - they only came in for the winter because Pea and Pod died and Benji was left alone. He came indoors but will be going back out to the shed with his new friend, Imogen, in Spring.

 

[ripminnie]

Daisy lives inside now, but goes out voluntarily most days, unless it's raining. If it's really cold she doesn't stay out long. But I have to open the door to give her the option, she just scratches at it otherwise! She hasn't had any problems whatsoever with this. I personally think it's more of an issue bringing outside buns in... Or if the indoor bun going out cannot come back in when they want to...

 

[Suzi Wong]

Oscar lived indoors in a central heated house, he did have the utility room with his food, drink, toilet etc which was quite cold, he could choose to be in there or with us in the warmth of the living room, most of the time he chose to be with us. We opened the back door everyday come rain or shine to let him go out, he would NEVER go if it was raining, but other days would go out in full sun or even freezing fog or snow, it was his choice. Sometimes he would pop out for 10 minutes, others he would stay out for hours on end! Not sure if this proves anything but he did as he chose and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from it
Edited to add....we had Oscar for 10 years, he could have been 12 - 14 yrs we just don't know

 

[mabels mum]

My first rabbit Bertie lived outdoors in a hutch and was put in his run every day. On a night he was put back in his hutch but would stamp his feet all night. We used to bring him inside and let him free range all night in the bathroom. This was years ago before I was educated enough to know how much space buns need 24/7 and he obviously objected to being in his hutch all night. It was pretty small too, probably 4ft Max.

Anyhow, we did this for years, outside all day and in all night, through summers and winters and he had a long happy, healthy life, dying just before his 10th birthday.

I would not do this again as I'm now more educated on how buns need to develop a winter coat and the respiratory problems they could suffer. For Bertie though, it didn't seem to affect him.

 

[Bess&George]

My rabbits live indoors (for now) and go out most days unless it's really cold or raining. I leave the door open and sometimes they only pop out for a few minutes or just to drink some water - they love to drink the rain water - other times they stay out a bit longer. They can come and go as they please when the door is open, and I never lock them out of the flat.

 

[MightyMax]

Oscar lived indoors in a central heated house, he did have the utility room with his food, drink, toilet etc which was quite cold, he could choose to be in there or with us in the warmth of the living room, most of the time he chose to be with us. We opened the back door everyday come rain or shine to let him go out, he would NEVER go if it was raining, but other days would go out in full sun or even freezing fog or snow, it was his choice. Sometimes he would pop out for 10 minutes, others he would stay out for hours on end! Not sure if this proves anything but he did as he chose and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from it
Edited to add....we had Oscar for 10 years, he could have been 12 - 14 yrs we just don't know

Nice to see you here Suzi :wave:

I second all of this, it's exactly what my bunnies have always done for the past 20+ years. Letting them do as they choose and not suffering any ill effects from it just about sums it up for me :thumb:

 

[tulsi]

I think that the fact that they can choose when to go out or stay in is the crucial point here.