Rabbits and the cold...

[Flakes]

When I first got my little guy I read somewhere that Rabbits like the cold, that they prefer it to hot, and that too hot is dangerous and can kill them. I only keep Dortmund in my bedroom, so it isn’t cold like it would be outside. Hell, I sleep in my bedroom and I don’t like the cold.

However this winter Dortmund has begun laying down in front of a space heater I keep going most of the time. Not sure if he likes the hot air or the breeze, but these days I can find him in front of the heater more than I can find him hiding under the bed.

is this odd?

 

[JBun]

No. It seems like lots of our bun friends like to flop out in front of the fireplace/heater in the colder months. Rabbits do like to be warm, just not over heated and too hot, which is a health risk anyways. The difference of sitting in front of the heater when it's winter and being out in the hot summer heat, is that when they get too warm in front of the heater they can move away to cool off and maintain an ideal body temperature. Where as in the summer they stay hot and can struggle to cool down if they are kept in a hot environment.

So keeping rabbits in a cooler environment is always better, because overheating is a dangerous health risk and being in a cooler environment they can more easily maintain their body temp. Ideal environmental temp for rabbits is around 65-70 F, so just like us. They can handle cooler, but will just bun loaf more to maintain that body temp, and will grow a thicker coat in a cooler environment to help keep them warm as well.

 

[Flakes]

Thanks. I wasn’t worried, I just thought it was odd.

 

[nicolekline97]

When I first got my little guy I read somewhere that Rabbits like the cold, that they prefer it to hot, and that too hot is dangerous and can kill them. I only keep Dortmund in my bedroom, so it isn’t cold like it would be outside. Hell, I sleep in my bedroom and I don’t like the cold.

However this winter Dortmund has begun laying down in front of a space heater I keep going most of the time. Not sure if he likes the hot air or the breeze, but these days I can find him in front of the heater more than I can find him hiding under the bed.

is this odd?

Lucy likes to go out in the cold and loves to dig in the snow. She likes to lay on top of the heat vents and in front of our fake fireplace.

Nicole