Outdoor Heating

I'm preparing for winter so it doesn't sneak up on me this year and I'm trying to decide what to do with the bunnies.

The upper portion of the aviary will have a permanent rain cover stapled to it, the lower portion will only be covered during rain/snow/really harsh winds. The shed will have a tubular heater in it and a new cat flap fitted so the door can be shut. I also want something to keep the worst of the cold off in the run but I don't know what would work best.

Halogen Patio Heaters don't heat up the air so that's not going to work.

A bathroom downflow fan heater

Electric Panel Heater

Or another tubular heater.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

I honestly wouldn't bother. Most bunnies love to sit out in the cold air during winter. The tubular heater in the shed will give them somewhere to go when it's bitter and it will keep their water from freezing. Other than keeping the worst of the rain off, I'd leave the run as it is.

I don't want to risk Imogen getting another chest infection, keeping that chill off is really important for her (and for me, the colder it is out there the more painful it will be to clean them out!)

we heat our bunny boarding house and use an oil filled plug in radiator connected to a thermostat plug from bq, the thermostat is set at 10 degrees so only comes on when its really cold. the oil radiayor is safe if it falls over

any idea what the running costs are for oil radiators? I've never used one before :wave: it needs to be wall mounted really but I bet there are oil radiators out there that can be

Georgeypudding said:

I don't want to risk Imogen getting another chest infection, keeping that chill off is really important for her (and for me, the colder it is out there the more painful it will be to clean them out!)

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I am wondering whether a heater will actually cause condensation which could potentially make a chest infection worse? :?

The tubular heaters don't Liz as it's such a low level heat - just keeps the ambient temperature above freezing.

Georgeypudding said:

any idea what the running costs are for oil radiators? I've never used one before :wave: it needs to be wall mounted really but I bet there are oil radiators out there that can be

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I think you'd be wasting money. Unless you completely enclose the run and effectively make it 'indoors', no heater would keep it warm. You'd have to have a patio heater on 24/7 to keep the area warm but I wouldn't leave one of those going anywhere near animals as they run off gas bottles.

it shouldn't do no I'm looking at electric ones rather than gas as I have power out there. I think I'll probably go with another tubular heater

Actually thinking about it we have a fan heater that could go outside that has a cut off if it's knocked over, worth giving that a go first rather than buying another heater