rabbits - robust or not

[William]

Ive beome very confused with this thread
In my opinion - no one is arguing about keeping buns in kennels / sheds / wendy houses etc etc... that is up to the individual owner... not everyone can keep indoor bunnies. However people arguing about giving them an abundance of hay to snuggle into on cold winter nights is a bit beyond me :?
So what if the bunny doesnt snuggle in it???? thats his choice - I have one bunny that doesnt drink much water but it doesnt mean as he doesnt drink much I dont bother filling his bowl.
At the end of the day - hay is not that expensive, especially this year

It's an odd thing to argue about because all rabbits are different. Some people use snugglesafes, some don't.

It isn't just about not wanting to waste expensive hay, there are other reasons. My buns are indoors but I can't give them a huge pile of hay because once it's more than a few hours old they don't want it. If I don't take the 'old' hay out and i just throw fresh hay on top they don't eat enough because apparently they don't like to pick through the hay to find the fresh pieces. So for mine what's best is giving them a large handful of hay every few hours.

 

[littleboots]

It's an odd thing to argue about because all rabbits are different. Some people use snugglesafes, some don't.

It isn't just about not wanting to waste expensive hay, there are other reasons. My buns are indoors but I can't give them a huge pile of hay because once it's more than a few hours old they don't want it. If I don't take the 'old' hay out and i just throw fresh hay on top they don't eat enough because apparently they don't like to pick through the hay to find the fresh pieces. So for mine what's best is giving them a large handful of hay every few hours.

Totally agree with you giving hay like that as yours are indoors and the hay isnt being used as any kind of heat sosurce..
My indoor bunnies have hay in their litter trays and thats it.... Like you I give fresh a few times a day :wave:

 

[LittleEskimo]

I never use expensive hay for bedding :lol: they get the cheapest stuff I can find for that. Then I give them some more tasty hay in their hay rack and stuff

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

I never use expensive hay for bedding :lol: they get the cheapest stuff I can find for that. Then I give them some more tasty hay in their hay rack and stuff

Yeah mine have garden centre hay or Asda hay in their litter tray with a few handfuls of hay for pets hay on top :lol: the rest in hay racks. There was a time when they would only eat Asda hay & the garden centre hay and at £4 and £6 a bag I wasn't complaining! :lol: they had loads.. But now they won't so it's £16 a month for 2 bags and I can't afford any more than that :lol: they still get plenty of cheap hay though

 

[LittleEskimo]

I think they will eat anything :lol: I have seen them eating the cheap stuff before eating the nicer stuff and I have even found Rosie eating straw at one point. They just like to nibble at whatever lol

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

I think they will eat anything :lol: I have seen them eating the cheap stuff before eating the nicer stuff and I have even found Rosie eating straw at one point. They just like to nibble at whatever lol

I wish mine would! They just went off meadow hay completely.. I tried hay4pets meadow hay, they ate it for a few days but that was it! :roll: they like the wilkos meadow hay, I think because its soft, but any other hay HAS to be nice and expensive :roll::lol:

 

[LittleEskimo]

Expensive taste

 

[Jaysmonkey]

Mine have farm bales, burns green oat, redigrass, ings hay, orchard grass and timothy and rye hay. This goes in hay racks and litter trays since they love to chew and poo :lol::lol:

 

[Georgeypudding]

this wasn't an argument thread, nor a thread about moving indoor rabbits outside

I found it very interesting to see differing opinions and the reasoning behind them :thumb: I think I'm going to get a max/min temp thermometer to go inside the shed so I can see what temperature it gets to in the winter :thumb:

very interesting point from someone who mentioned that what we thinking of as young isn't the same as young is in the wild, I forgot about that!

 

[sparklefairy]

My buns are indoor buns in their own room. They have vetbed and each other to snuggle on but I never have the heat turned on in their room. I'll probably get flamed for this, but they only go out on nice days. I never put them out in the garden if it's really wet or cold, simply because I never have and they are not used to it. Gypsy and Storm are very used to being pampered house bunnies. They seem happy enough.

My buns struggle with the heat in the summer so they do have an air con in their room, but I try not to make a sudden huge change to the temperature. I only use a snuggle safe if a bun is ill, or sometimes in the pet carrier in freezing weather.

 

[Jaysmonkey]

My buns are indoor buns in their own room. They have vetbed and each other to snuggle on but I never have the heat turned on in their room. I'll probably get flamed for this, but they only go out on nice days. I never put them out in the garden if it's really wet or cold, simply because I never have and they are not used to it. Gypsy and Storm are very used to being pampered house bunnies. They seem happy enough.

My buns struggle with the heat in the summer so they do have an air con in their room, but I try not to make a sudden huge change to the temperature. I only use a snuggle safe if a bun is ill, or sometimes in the pet carrier in freezing weather.

I'm exactly the same with bolded. Jay is worse than me though, even if its a warm, dry day and there's a little dew on the grass he won't let them out and of course this is only in Summer that they can go out. Otherwise I worry

 

[Angie65]

I don't really go overboard - I want to be able to stand in their area for a decent length of time without feeling absolutely freezing. I only provide snugglesafes if the inside of the playhouse freezes - approx -6degrees outside temperature. They have deep boxes & pet carriers & hutches filed with hay all year round - that's just how I feed hay. They still have mesh with no covers, but when there's overnight frost these will have sacking on overnight. When the air is freezing
during the day, these will all remain covered bar one (for light).

I have a few buns that are knocking on - a bad winter does concern me, & I have already upped the feed of a few of my buns due to one losing weight enough that I noticed it.

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

When my shed is done would it be worth buying a 2 or 3 bags of cheap Asda hay and covering the floor with them?
The shed is obviously human height, but their hutch is shorter so not as much cold air will be in there.
They're really good with their litter tray ..poos I can handle but if they start weeing it will just start to smell, however they don't eat that hay at all so maybe they won't..

I don't know, would that be a good idea for over winter so the floors a bit warmer?
And if I did this, how long do you think it would be okay to leave?

 

[lucy24]

well honey and charlie(mostly charlie) like there home comforts. theyve never like the snugglesafe but love their red blanket that i got from Tracy on here! also charlie will snuggle in his yes HIS box:roll: but the girls shred everything in site, blankets the lot so ive given up. when they get there new setup this month i will likely get saome straw and fill the bedroom with it though. at least they can snuggle!

 

[Georgeypudding]

When my shed is done would it be worth buying a 2 or 3 bags of cheap Asda hay and covering the floor with them?
The shed is obviously human height, but their hutch is shorter so not as much cold air will be in there.
They're really good with their litter tray ..poos I can handle but if they start weeing it will just start to smell, however they don't eat that hay at all so maybe they won't..

I don't know, would that be a good idea for over winter so the floors a bit warmer?
And if I did this, how long do you think it would be okay to leave?

I don't think just 2 or 3 bags will do much, if you're covering the floor use a bale :thumb: if not stuff cardboard/wooden boxes with hay/straw :wave:

 

[Fee]

Today I had a Eureka moment and in Floppys run, I put an old plastic sledge in the run and filled it with hay... He's been digging in it and furthermore, i figured if he insists on sitting out overnight, his wee tootsies and bum wont get cold on the slab as the sledge is slightly off the slab...

I am delighted that he's taken to it and I'm a little less stressed..

He used his snugglepad last night too. .. Phew. all is well with Flopster, a happy bunny today and licked my sons hand for the first time too!!, He thinks that because he loves him ( probably the taste of parsley more like!!)

 

[Georgeypudding]

wonder if my brother will give up his sled :lol: thats a lovely idea! I bet my 2 would still sit next to it not on it though :lol:

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

I don't think just 2 or 3 bags will do much, if you're covering the floor use a bale :thumb: if not stuff cardboard/wooden boxes with hay/straw :wave:

They're pretty compact, I'll probably just leave it:lol: or give them some blankets to dig into to give them something to do, but well away from their water bowl!

I can't get bales the farmer who sells them uses a pesticide but he doesn't tell people.. I only know because my bf's mom got told by his wife when they were drunk:roll: some of their sheep died and they found that was the cause but they are still using it:?

 

[Fifibutton]

5 of my buns live outdoors in runs 24 as this is what they have been used to for years (10 years in one case!) and I feel it would be cruel to take them away from the environment they clearly thrive in. So they have insulated hutches with the bedroom part decorated in heat reflective foil (some of it has been chewed sadly). I have built false walls around the hutches and lined them with boiler lagging and bubble wrap, every hutch has carpet tiles on the floor, every hutch is raised off the ground and standing upon foam mats which themselves are on concrete slabs. Every hutch has lots and lots of farm hay inside. The top of each hutch has carpet tiles and hay which probably is a further layer of insulation and each hutch is fitted with a catflap so the bunnies have the choice to come and go. Then in the run there is essential a carpet of hay. I'm really lucky that the buns poo and pee in their trays and not on the ground which keeps the hay on the ground nice and clean. They also get heatpads in the temperature drops below minus 8. Minus 15 and they come indoors. Maybe it is babying but they are all getting very old and I live in Scottish foothills so its often colder here than in the capital city because of the altitude. I get piece of mind and my buns eat their hay, snuggle into it and burrow into it. they make tunnels under the hay and pull it round themselves like its a blanket. I think that is the beauty of thick hay though, it wouldn't be so possible with finer hay.

7 of my other rabbits live in my garage which atm is chilly. I used to put radiators in but this aggravated my two snuffles sufferers condition so I stopped. They all get tons of hay as standard and they love it for eating and playing. I recently posted a couple of threads about Frodo and Orla making a hay burrow. They also get heatpads on the chilliest days though these are generally ignored. They also have different levels and surfaces to jump on and these are made soft and cosy with blankets and towels. They also have carpeted floors.

I like my buns to have the choice. And on a different note my heat pads are generally ignored by my buns in cold weather however its when they are ill, usually tum related that they become popular.

 

[hurricanhoney]

Diego has an insulated playhouse with a double decker hutch which the top layer is filled with straw and hay. He has vetbed on the bottom layer. He has carpet tiles, a room with a view with a blanket. Curtains on some of the windows to keep out the draft. He spends a lot of his time sleeping in the top part of the hutch or on the carpet tile. My pair have an insulated hutch, two litter trays filled with straw and hay, have carpet tiles and on really frosty nights a snuggle safe. They love nothing more than snuggling on the carpet tiles or hay. I would not feel happy giving them anything less. At least they have the option.