How are you keeping your Bunnies warm?

[Hoolahoophop]

I have two outdoor rescue Rabbits (1 and 2 years). They came to live with us in October and have settled in well. They have the large Chartwell double hutch, as well as a connected 10ft run. We are just constructing some more outdoor space for them to use large enough to house people too for better interaction. The hutch is in a sheltered spot with in a 'courtyard' space close to the house with fencing on two sides and the house on the third the courtyard is also open to the rest of the garden on one side. But its in a dip so very sheltered from wind and rain.

They are shut into their hutch at night with a thermal cover over the top. We have given them extra straw in the bed area, as well as a fleece blanket which they seem very attached to (and so far have not chewed). Today I have put blankets over the top half of the hutch so that they have an entire flaw that has a bit more insulation as well as the downstairs that is open and the run.

Is there anything else I should be doing? Their water bottle has its own thermal cover to stop it from freezing while out on the run.

Thanks

[bunnygeek]

My two have 24/7 access to their 6ft x 4ft shed and 10ft aviary - the shed is a custom made bunny shed which, while it doesn't have insulation, it is still pretty snug and they have a thick bed of hay and straw to snuggle in, a litter tray stuffed with more hay and straw and blankets elsewhere. I also offer up a Snugglesafe heat pad for them to sit on.

Their aviary is roofed and has clear plastic sheets on the exposed sides to keep the worst of the wind/rain/sleet out. It's on paving with foam mats on top (my boy gets sore hocks). They have various boxes to hide in, one is stuffed with hay and straw. They also have a litter tray out there with more hay and straw and spend most of the day sleeping in that one!

I don't use water bottles, they have three water bowls, two in the shed and one in the run. The one in the run is the most likely to freeze and if freezing is a big risk, I can stick an extra snugglesafe under one of the bowls in the shed.

Be careful with water bottles - the metal spout can freeze solid too.

Also be careful shutting them into the hutch, it seems like a way to keep them warm but movement is as important to keeping warm as sitting still and snug. If their run is also covered and secure, it's good to offer that space 24/7 with some extra straw/hay stuffed hiding places. Hutches don't offer much space for movement for rabbits. One or two hops at best.

[TeenLifeMum]

We have ours in a 6foot run in the dining room and let them hop around the house when we’re home. They’ll move to their outside hutch in the spring (dc old playhouse converted with aviary attached). One is only 14 weeks and the other 9 years old so I was worried about them being in the cold.

[LardoBurrows]

When I kept rabbits, in the winter I used to attach clear plastic to one end of the hutch, which was the end they used to like to sit when not out in their run. The plastic only covered about a third, the rest of the hutch was open. They loved it as they could sit there looking out at us and the garden, but it provided shelter from the rain and wind and still let in the light.

[Hoolahoophop]

Thank you, they have a water bowl as well, will keep an eye on the spout of the water bottle, maybe just leave that in the hutch which is covered at night when its coldest.

We cant keep ours indoors unfortunately, and their run is not covered (yet) so we have shut off access during the night. They are 'let out' at 6.30 most mornings and shut up at 9.30 is in the evening. But hopefully we can improve on that as time goes on.

I'll look for a snuggle safe mat. Had been looking at the little fleece tent/burrow, type beds for them and wondering if they were any good. They do have extra boxes in the run filled with straw to hide in if needed.

I'd love a set up like your @bunnygeek we are looking to move in the near future to a place with more land and I am very much looking forward to creating bunny world. One of the houses I have my eye on at the moment has attached brick built stables which I think could be brilliantly converted into rabbit housing and could have an adjoining door added to the house.

[bunnygeek]

Sounds like a plan with the house upgrade for you and them!! I wish I had more space for mine but my garden is a long narrow one (I'm in a Victorian terrace) so I'm limited with what I can do.

With fleece, I recommend Vet Bed type fleece, it's robust and designed to be wee'd on. Fleece tunnels/beds ARE going to be wee'd on 😉

[Mel2023]

We have our two fluffs in a large Wendy house shed with an attached run. The Wendy house is fully insulated on all walls, roof and floor. We also have a small shed heater in there (up a height so they can’t reach it) and that keeps the chill at bay. I only turn it on on a night time. We also use the snuggle safe heat pods. This is their first year outdoors (previously house rabbits) so I’m being overly cautious I think! We have two heat pods and put them on their “balcony”, the second level where they sleep which we have lined with vet bed (great for keeping them warm!) and fleece blankets. You can also put their water bowl on top or a heat pod to stop it freezing. We did have carpet lining the lower level but I had to get rid of it as they spilled their water and I didn’t realise so it went mouldy, so until I can get more they just have Lino flooring, which was under the carpet, and rugs. The run is raised off the floor with an insulated floor with lino over it and has a plastic cover on it which I made to fit with and it securely fastens to keep the wind and chill out, but if it’s extra freezing I will close the door to it on an night so they are only in the shed.

[coffeeisthebest]

I was coming on here to mention wee as it doesn't seem to matter what I do, our rabbits wee everywhere. They live in a shed with their hutch in there and aside from lots of hay I haven't done much more than that as they just wee on all my attempts to make things warmer!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I haven’t kept rabbits but had guineapigs who had a wooden playhouse and came indoors for winter to an unsheathed bedroom.

they loved to chew things and found cardboard much to their liking. Cardboard is cheap ,available and insulates. Our older boar had a wicker hedgehog house which we put inside a rubber rug with a door cut for the tunnel, filled the gap with soft straw ( they don’t eat straw or sleep on it , it’s just to insulate)
The main hay box was made from an old wooden cupboard with the door as a lid. They did sleep in the hay box but sometimes the old boy needed peace from his pesky new stepson 😉