Hi everyone,
We have a gorgeous, very friendly lop-eared mini dwarf rabbit called Lilac. She is five months old. Sadly, her sister Toast died from stasis six weeks ago. We hope to get a new rabbit for her to bond with and have recently had her neutered as this will make her more docile and more likely to accept a new rabbit. The vet advised us to wait a month for her hormones to settle down before getting another rabbit. This would take us to early December.
Lilac lives in an enormous hutch in the garden, insulated with carpet and then covered with a bespoke insulated cover. She has loads of hay and straw and is given hot water bottles (wrapped to prevent scalding) each night. She has full range of our small, walled garden during the day and also comes into the kitchen after school and spends the afternoon there with my children. We have a few questions that I'm hoping you knowledgeable rabbit-keepers can advise on:
Will Lilac be ok outside during the winter months? Would love to hear about rabbits who happily live outside in frost and snow!
Googling has revealed that rabbits can die in extreme changes of temperature, so is it ok for Lilac to come inside our kitchen on a freezing day, spend a few hours there and then be returned to her very cosy hutch at night?
How would you recommend bonding the two rabbits if we got another one? I understand the best match would be a neutered male but how would a young rabbit cope on his own outside in the winter months if they don't bond immediately? We would need another hutch? Should he be kept inside?
Would it be best to wait until Spring or would that reduce the chance of Lilac bonding with the new rabbit because she's got used to being on her own?
Thanks so much in advance, we're feeling quite anxious after the devastating loss of Lilac's sister so any advice is gratefully received.
We have a gorgeous, very friendly lop-eared mini dwarf rabbit called Lilac. She is five months old. Sadly, her sister Toast died from stasis six weeks ago. We hope to get a new rabbit for her to bond with and have recently had her neutered as this will make her more docile and more likely to accept a new rabbit. The vet advised us to wait a month for her hormones to settle down before getting another rabbit. This would take us to early December.
Lilac lives in an enormous hutch in the garden, insulated with carpet and then covered with a bespoke insulated cover. She has loads of hay and straw and is given hot water bottles (wrapped to prevent scalding) each night. She has full range of our small, walled garden during the day and also comes into the kitchen after school and spends the afternoon there with my children. We have a few questions that I'm hoping you knowledgeable rabbit-keepers can advise on:
Will Lilac be ok outside during the winter months? Would love to hear about rabbits who happily live outside in frost and snow!
Googling has revealed that rabbits can die in extreme changes of temperature, so is it ok for Lilac to come inside our kitchen on a freezing day, spend a few hours there and then be returned to her very cosy hutch at night?
How would you recommend bonding the two rabbits if we got another one? I understand the best match would be a neutered male but how would a young rabbit cope on his own outside in the winter months if they don't bond immediately? We would need another hutch? Should he be kept inside?
Would it be best to wait until Spring or would that reduce the chance of Lilac bonding with the new rabbit because she's got used to being on her own?
Thanks so much in advance, we're feeling quite anxious after the devastating loss of Lilac's sister so any advice is gratefully received.
