Rabbits- In or Out?

neris

Just wondering during this weather what people have dome with their rabbits? do you take them in or leave them outside? We had ours outside until Saturday and have taken her inside since then but havent had chance to get to a pet shop to get some sort of hutch so shes in a large cardboard box now

sarahw7

I bring my rabbit inside whenever the temperature outside drops below 0. People always tell me that he has fur and will be fine outside but I just wouldn't chance it. His hutch is too big to bring inside, so he takes over the bathroom instead. He is litter trained so it makes things a little easier. I had intended to buy a small indoor hutch/cage but don't need one now.

KoolKid

I keep mine in all during winter during the day.
He always stays in at night..
Spoilt I tell ya:D

godtabh

we have 2 of ours outside. Lots of straw and other stuff to keep them warm. Thinking of brining them into night. Will have to see

Jinxi

First frost in November, the hutch got moved into the shed.
Then put straw on cement under the bottom part of the hutch when their was frost during the day. The top part of the hutch has had straw always. It also has a blanket over it.
During the day they have access to the garden and the shed and the hutch(the buck ALWAYS wants to stay out, the doe always stays in)
If their water starts to freeze I'll move them in.

doctor evil

Rabbits do very well in cold weather, in the wild I doubt their burrows are waterproog;)

Before taking a rabbit inside for the winter work your fingers into the rabbits fur so you are feeling the skin, chances are the animal is warm and snug. They have a brilliant coat on them.

Jinxi

doctor evil wrote: »

Rabbits do very well in cold weather, in the wild I doubt their burrows are waterproog;)

Before taking a rabbit inside for the winter work your fingers into the rabbits fur so you are feeling the skin, chances are the animal is warm and snug. They have a brilliant coat on them.

Firstly burrows, are four feet + undergound where temps are rarely below freezing.
Secondly, they usually exist in families where there are 6+ rabbits so they have lots of body heat.

I hve had friends who's rabbits usually in pairs have frozen to death in their above ground hutches.

Rabbitandcavy

It isn't a good idea to bring rabbits in in the middle of the Winter if they have been out all along. Rabbits do much better in the cold than in the heat, and as the weather gets colder, the rabbits devolope a thick Winter coat. Bringing them into the house where you have the heating on is extremely uncomfortable for them with that coat. Much worse than being outside.

Some straw or a blanket to sit on, and making sure the hutch is not damp is enough. If you are still worried, put them in a garage or a place in your house with no heat.

Anymore, bring them in in October if you want to keep them in for Winter.

Jinxi, those rabbits must have not been sheltered and getting wet, or had health problems because rabbits can last up to -30 degrees.

Sigma Force

In this weather the minimum is in a hutch in a shed and with the hutch covered over at night but so many people still leave their rabbits to freeze in winter. Their bedding gets wet due to wee and condensation and it freezes over night and they can't stay warm. Vet bed and snuggle safe heat pads can help but snuggle safes cool down a lot quicker in this weather.

A dog crate is a cheaper alternative to an indoor hutch, the rabbit has more room to stretch and the door can be left open in a rabbit proof room, even a utility room once there's no cleaning stuff etc. or anything the rabbit can chew they climb too so as long as it's climb proof they do well running about indoors.

These are domestic rabbits we are talking about the wild rabbits have deep burrows and change their own bedding etc. Lots of domestic rabbits are badly bred and some can be prone to respiratory problems 'snuffles' which can lead to more serious health issues.

You can bring them in at this time of year but it's best since they've been out in the cold to put them in an unheated room and day by day gradually bring the temp up. What's not good for them is to keep changing the temperature, putting them somewhere warm then freezing regularly isn't good for them but bringing them in now into an unheated or cool room like a utility and then gradually putting them back outside around April/May for a few hours and building it up is fine.

Don't forget that because it gets dark earlier and it's cold out people don't tend to spend as much time outside with their rabbits so rabbits are left longer alone in hutches. If there's a lone rabbit then it's a must it's brought in it's unfair to leave a lone rabbit outside no1. No company during long dark winter days and no2. No other rabbit to snuggle up to and help keep each other warm.

Rabbits can survive outside in winter but it's difficult for people to manage the bedding and keep it dry and clean enough and lets face it loads of people (not talking about people on here just rabbit owners in general) don't even bother changing their rabbits daily they leave it for once a week which is not enough at any time of the year.

Jinxi

My rabbits have a litter tray. No wee near their bedding. That gets changed once a week. As long as its away from their bedding I think that is enough. Especially as they only use it at night. They pee and defecate in the garden during the day

Rabbitandcavy

Sigma Force- Domestic rabbits can survive in up to -30, I know people from other forums in Canada who keep bunnies outdoors in Winter. They are much more suited to cold weather then people think. It is the Summer and warm weather when people should be bringing them in by right.