Outdoors

Hello,

When keeps their rabbit/rabbits out all year?
Any tips on keeping them warm?

I have a large hutch, new this year from Welfare Hutch Co which is fab, but I'm worried about making it warm enough outside. I have snuggles, vetbed, Hutch snuggle and cover with a duvet on the roof and a duvet to go down the front when it gets really cold.

I suspect bunny has arthritis also, not diagnosed yet as I need to wait until the better vet is back from holiday in 2 weeks.

Thank you as ever for your help.


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Do you have snuggle safes? They are good and you can put them under a large water bowl to stop it from freezing :thumb: some people make shutters for the mesh part of the hutch to help keep draughts out :thumb:

Rabbits cope well during the cold weather, even with a bit of arthritis. I do feel sorry for them out there but we've come through 18 winters and never lost one due to the cold. :thumb:

My 4 rabbits don't seem to feel the cold, and despite having a lovely purpose built shed, they often stay in their outside enclosure all night (fully enclosed and secure). Having said that, I live in Cornwall so it's quite mild. Does your bunny have a companion to snuggle up to?

My bridge bun Charlie was out all weathers, on his own, from the age of 6 until he died of some sort of seizure (on a snowy day but it had been snowy a while!) when he was almost 11 (in 1998 ). He still spent all day out in his run, daft little soul We rammed his hutch with hay and overnight put a thick piece of carpet over the hutch , and had a couple of layers of carpet on top as well for insulation. He was a little Nethie Bunnies cope really well with the cold!

My two now are proper spoiled: they have a playhouse which we took the perspex windows out of and meshed over, and we put those back in as it gets colder. We use snugglesafes in their playhouse but if they get too warm they can go to their run or the tiny hutch attached to the other end of a tunnel. They're spending most of their evenings now in the hutch, as I think it's warmer (it's not cold enough for snugglesafes for me yet: I'm into tough love ;P). Aboleth's proper fluffy now though, her face shape has changed and everything! We do have a carpet we can hang over the front of the playhouse as well, and when it starts to stay cold we put a box in or the carrycase so they can have somewhere insulated to snuggle We try and keep the hutch and run temperate so they always have somewhere to go if they get too hot.

A thick bed of hay is the most important thing, and keeping them dry. Make sure runs are covered with a tarpaulin or similar. Make sure the duvets don't get wet, as that will make it worse.
Snuggle safes are a god-send in cold weather. Most bunnies will also snuggle up to their friend if theyre cold.
I would also switch to a bowl if you usually use a bottle, as bottle spouts freeze easily without you noticing.