Hot water bottles??

Luna has been neutered today and because she is an outdoor bunny the vet has said i should put a hot water bottle under the newspaper in the hutch and then with the hay on top she'll be nice and warm and she should be safe with it in the cage, just wondered if anyone else uses hot water bottles for their bunnies? Thanks x


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Not sure about a hot water bottle? A 'Snuggle Safe' is purpose made and more suitable

No, hot water bottles are dangerous.

They can burst
They can be chewed and then burst
They don't stay warm/hot for long and then go really cold if outside (it ends up being full of cold water after all)
They have the potential for being made too hot
Without stating the obvious, water isn't solid and if your bunny decides that the floor of his bed is moving in an alarming manner he won't go there

As already mentioned, you are much better off buying a Snugglesafe heat pad as these are especially designed for animals and usually have a cover. Yes, they generally are quite hot to the touch but the cover is amazing and brings the whole thing to a lovely temperature. Even when these have gone cold, they are not stone cold like cold water in a water bottle would be.

Don't buy the first one you see as they vary quite a lot in price (but take into account p&p too) so have a look around the various websites before committing.

Personally I would bring your bunny indoors for a good few days (mine were indoors for almost 2 weeks after their spay and that was on the advice of my vet and they were done in November too) and I had no problems at all with them. You have to make sure she can't stretch as she risks ripping open her wound and being outside in her normal shed/hutch/etc she runs that risk quite highly. Bring her in if you can. If you can't, then make sure she can't get upstairs in her hutch as even using the ladders will put pressure on her wound and cause it to re-open. It was a right nuisance having my 2 girls indoors, but well worth it.

I hope Luna heals well and quickly

Thanks for the replies, i didn't think a hot water bottle would be suitable, i'll look for a heat pad now as I'm going to pets at home.
With regards to keeping her indoors I've only got her carry box, we don't have an indoor cage. I do want to keep her inside but was worried the box wouldn't be big enough?


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The pets at home price for a snugglesafe is shocking, they're like £22! £14 off amazon with free delivery and a little less of viovet but not sure on delivery from them.

A carrier isn't suitable at all I afraid, if you are going to p@h you can pick up a puppy pen for about £40 I think, cheaper and suitable as opposed to their cages which aren't big enough for rabbits, just glorified litter trays.

i dont use hot water bottles because my bunnies like to dig their newspaper-but the snuggle safe from pets at home,they sell a cheaper one on viovet,but you'll have to wait for delivery which sucks but if you need one soon id suggest paying the extra money from pets at home-it will last you forever as well (aslong as your bunnys not destructive )

Thanks for the replies. I didnt think a hot water bottle was a good idea so thought i'd see what others thought, i had a look online but decided i couldn't wait so bought a heat pad from PAH, luckily i had a 20% off voucher to use so it wasn't too bad on price and at least i knew she was warm


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Any outdoor bun who's had a GA must be brought indoors for 24hrs as they cannot regulate their temperature post op. A good vet should of told you this - I'm worried if you've been told otherwise.

glad you had the 20% voucher then:lol: its worth the extra money as you needed it urgently to keep your bunny warm,hope she heals fast

I am worry your vet told you to use a hot water bottle maybe when you take her back for her after op check up you could talk to them about the dangers of a hot water bottle. Can she go in your bathroom with the case in there filled with hay? Please remember to keep the tolit seat down. Also rabbits after a ga are sleeply if she is confined to a carry case with a heat pad in she wouldnt be able to get away from the heat if she needed to or felt to hot. I would keep her in the bathroom if you can.

I kept her indoors for the first night, leaving the carry case open with hay and towels and letting her roam around the living room whilst i slept downstairs, i didn't sleep well but she was ok, slept on the rug for the first half of the night then ended up in her case. Shes now back outside with her heat pad and seems very happy, certainly a lot more lively now, so fingers crossed shes on the road to recovery.


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