My outdoor rabbits...

[Hyatt101]

Thanks! The sock idea with bag is really good! Here's what I think we'll do: the water bottles with sock insulation, bag, etc. AND put heavy bowls in there, perhaps with a wiffle ball or something

 

[Kipcha]

If you give a bowl, make sure it's secure. Wallaby has horrible frostbite on his ears from when they dipped in a water bowl, as well as scars on his feet from where he froze to his cage and ripped the flesh away when he tipped over his water bowl

 

[Thumperina]

james waller wrote:

Hyatt101 wrote:

So, my buns that are outside get the water bottles frozen every night, and i was wondering if anyone had any remedies to this? Also, anything to keep them warmer? We're at school throughout the day, so please keep that in mind!
Thanks!

--there are alot of health and predatory issues about having animals subject to hostile environments,,this being said i can only be tearse and will follow this entry,,--james waller--ray::lookaround

Do you think it is better for the rabbits, who are outdoor animals with fur, to be kept indoors?
There are water bottles with heating as I saw in farmer supplies store.
See Tractor supplies web site.

 

[tamsin]

What's the weather like in Maine? I know it's treated as a bit batty to keep rabbits outside in the US but here in the UK it's fairly common. So if you're looking for tips, try some UK sites. You can even buy bottle/hutch covers here with insulating foil and microwavable heatpads designed to go in the hutch. For small sheds we use polystyrene insulation boarded over to keep it warm, but 'barn' sounds a bit big for that to be practical.

What are they in inside the barn? Heat rises so if you can create a solid roof at 18"-2' (depending on bunny size) it stays warmer. If the cages are just mesh I've cover the top with a board - sides too maybe. Actually if it is a wire cage, what would work great is straw bales on three sides and a board over the top. It wouldn't matter if they chibbled the straw

Keeping the heat that their bodies generate in instead of letting it disperse up/out will help keep them warm. Wild rabbits would go underground and the ground would insulate them so what you want to do is replicate that with some sort of insulation.

 

[Thumperina]

tamsin wrote:

What's the weather like in Maine? I know it's treated as a bit batty to keep rabbits outside in the US

Unfortunately, a whole lifestyle in US is pretty much indoors. People are used to moving by cars, a lot of people don't even buy proper clothes for the winter. Where I live(Kansas) it is especially bad - children are not taken outside as soon as the weather gets colder. If it's in 40s and windy, they would most likely have an indoor recess and this drives me crazy. Otherwise, 30F with no wind (about 0...-1C) is a borderline for outdoor recess. They stay indoors if there is snow on the ground or it is snowing or raining (I understand about shower rain but little drizzling shouldn't be a problem)
Winters in Maine are pretty cold.

 

[Kipcha]

Thumperina wrote:

Do you think it is better for the rabbits, who are outdoor animals with fur, to be kept indoors?

Why should they only be outdoor animals? Rabbits make great indoor pets, not to mention they tend to live longer and are safer. Having fur has nothing to do with being incapable of living in the house.

Rabbits are prey animals and living outside (Not in a barn, such as the rabbits in this scenario are, where they are safe) is always a hostile environment for them. Everything wants to eat rabbits, so there is nothing wrong with keeping them inside. Just because "they have fur" doesn't mean it's best to throw them out.

 

[Thumperina]

Kipcha wrote:

Thumperina wrote:

Do you think it is better for the rabbits, who are outdoor animals with fur, to be kept indoors?

Why should they only be outdoor animals? Rabbits make great indoor pets, not to mention they tend to live longer and are safer. Having fur has nothing to do with being incapable of living in the house. Rabbits are prey animals and living outside (Not in a barn, such as the rabbits in this scenario are, where they are safe) is always a hostile environment for them. Everything wants to eat rabbits, so there is nothing wrong with keeping them inside. Just because "they have fur" doesn't mean it's best to throw them out.

All I meant was that being outdoors (VS. indoors, not speaking about barns, hutches etc) is certainly more NATURAL for them (I don't suggest to keep them without any kind of protection). That's it. Sure we can make environment less "hostile" but we shouldn't forget and ignore rabbits' nature. IMHO and probably not for discussion.

 

[Hyatt101]

I think Thumperina was misunderstood. I would take my rabbit inside in a heartbeat, but we have a dog who would attack them. He's the most friendly, lovable thing, but when he sees rabbits his instincts take over.

To answer your question, winters are veryyy cold in Maine, which is why we provide extra insulation for the buns, it's just the water bottle that's a problem.

 

[Hyatt101]

The lifestyle in Maine in the winter is very much diffferent to what you said. Children DO go outside with snow on the ground; they play in it! We love the snow (most of us anyway), and since we live in Maine, it's one of those things you have to get used to.

 

[Thumperina]

Hyatt101 wrote:

The lifestyle in Maine in the winter is very much diffferent to what you said. Children DO go outside with snow on the ground; they play in it! We love the snow (most of us anyway), and since we live in Maine, it's one of those things you have to get used to.

Good to know! The weird thing is that in warmer states (like KS) peoplehardly tolerate weather that is a little bit colder.States and placesthat are always cold in winter (for example MN or Chicagoland) have to buy winter clothes sothey actually are much more used (and enjoying) the colder weather. We should definetely move!

We have a saying in Russia: There is no bad weather, there are people not dressed for the weather.

 

[Hyatt101]

That's a cool saying, I like that! Yeah, it makes sense that people in the warmer states won't like it so much; for us Mainers, it's second nature!

 

[1357bunnylover]

I wouldn't change to a bowl. I tried to do that and because my bunnies are so used to bottles they had no clue what to do to with a bowl and i didn't realise they hadn't drank anything then when i put their bottle back after only a day they were drinking it and drinking it. My bunnies are outside, in the winter i fill the hutches with straw because straw is a much better insulator than hay, but obviously always make sure they have access to hay. I also put tarp around their cages. To make the bottles not freeze you can buy bottle warmer things but they are quite dear so i just get bubble wrap and cover the bottles with that and then a thermal sock, they work great.

 

[Hyatt101]

Thanks Charlotte!