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How cold is too cold?

Wellington

Wellington

Young Bun
We have two outdoor rabbits. They’re nine months old so this is their first winter.

They spend most of their time outdoors, but are very sociable and love coming indoors so they tend to spend a few hours each day lounging around inside. They always sleep in their hutch at night though, and as I say, spend the majority of their time outside so I’m confident that they’ve got their winter coats and can cope with the cold nights. We live in the south east of England so it rarely gets really, really cold, but on cold nights we give the bunnies snugglesafes and put shutters on their hutch. Obviously they’ve got loads of hay. Not blankets or towels though because they object to them :rolleyes:

It’s going to be -4 later this week and I’m worried that’s too cold for them to be outdoors. Should we bring them inside on those nights? Or would that just cause problems when we put them back outside once it’s not quite so cold?
 
As long as you keep doing what you are doing, the Bunnies will be ok. The problem can be going from a warm house back outside as this can upset their Respiratory system giving them Snuffles etc. Has their hutch got a cover?
 
Try and add some straw to their hutch rather than just hay, it's hollow and warmer bedding than hay. If you fill the bedroom box loosely they can snuggle into it.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Their hutch doesn’t have a cover. We made a sort of awning for it to keep the wind and rain from blowing straight into their hutch, but I’ll get a proper cover for it. And years ago I read somewhere that rabbits shouldn’t have straw because it is too prickly for them, but for ages I’ve been wondering if that’s actually true, and it clearly isn’t :roll:so I’ll get some straw today as well. Thank goodness pet shops are classed as essential!
 
i would maybe put the straw under hay so the straw insulates the buns from the ground & the hay will be more comfortable.
 
They should be ok with what you are doing. I only start to worry when water bowls in the hutches freeze up - then I put extra covers on.

You could get a cheap tarpaulin to cover the hutch - it will keep the worst of the wind and wet out. I use cup hooks along the top of the hutch to loop the eyelets on. Bungee straps and hay bale string work wonders to tie it down.

Straw is technically warmer than hay, but has no nutritional value if they eat it. I would only use it as a base under hay, or just lots of hay (that's pretty insulating anyway). It depends on what your rabbits do with it. They also have each other for warmth, which makes a huge difference.
 
My two are outside 24/7 and they came out in the blizzard this morning to see what was new in the run (very little :lol: the OH was kind and put it in the playhouse for them!) then went back inside. I've provided them with their carrier full of hay, put more hay than i normally would in their litter trays in the house and put a window in their hutch (which leaves the playhouse with only 5) to stop snow blowing in. We've put a snugglesafe in their carrier so it's a bit warmer but when I was in there cleaning out yesterday, it was about -5 in the wind outside and it was pretty nice in their house :lol: The OH was jealous because I'd forced him to saw some wood up so I can have a warmer lounge this week and he was sat in the wind XD They've got a big choice of places to go in our setup and we try and keep one place warm and some places cooler. I wil pop out and check their indoor water later (outdoor has snow on the bowl XD) but it wasn't cold enough earlier to freeze it, but when that happens priority goes to defrosting their big dog water bowl with a snugglesafe rather than gving them a warmer place.
 
keletkezes said:
My two are outside 24/7 and they came out in the blizzard this morning to see what was new in the run (very little :lol: the OH was kind and put it in the playhouse for them!) then went back inside. I've provided them with their carrier full of hay, put more hay than i normally would in their litter trays in the house and put a window in their hutch (which leaves the playhouse with only 5) to stop snow blowing in. We've put a snugglesafe in their carrier so it's a bit warmer but when I was in there cleaning out yesterday, it was about -5 in the wind outside and it was pretty nice in their house :lol: The OH was jealous because I'd forced him to saw some wood up so I can have a warmer lounge this week and he was sat in the wind XD They've got a big choice of places to go in our setup and we try and keep one place warm and some places cooler. I wil pop out and check their indoor water later (outdoor has snow on the bowl XD) but it wasn't cold enough earlier to freeze it, but when that happens priority goes to defrosting their big dog water bowl with a snugglesafe rather than gving them a warmer place.
Click to expand...

Sorry to jump on. I’m new here. No idea if I’m relying on the correct way 🤷*♀️
But we are adopting two bunnies. We have built the hutch ourselves 8ft x 2ft. I have put Perspex on two doors to prevent a breeze, with a cat flap to access their 8ft x 6ft run , small ventilation holes at the top of the door, third door is boarded with wood. I plan to line their hutch with Lino, then newspaper and hay. I was looking at getting some sort of house/dome kind of thing to put into the sleeping compartment and stuff with hay, for them to sleep in. Could I use flannels too? To add a big more warmth or will they get cold and damp? I’m so nervous they will be cold. I saw online about using bubble wrap and tarpaulin over the outside to insulate a bit? I’m so nervous about them being outside but being inside is just not an option.
 
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