tterster wrote:
...We keep her outside. I worry about her being cold but theother night she was in the other section of the cage where there isn'tstraw and her food and water are. Go figure. Now how long did it takeyour bunnies to stop pooping and peeing on her hay and sleep area? Shepoops all in the hay /sleep area. Please email me anytime. I would loveto hear from anyone who could offer me any kind of advice on bunnies.Orif you have a good rabbit book suggestion that you couldgiveme. Thanks so much for your time.
We live in Point Pleasant and we have five rabbits inhutches. They, too, spend most their time in the "opensection" of the hutch, as opposed to the sleeping/feeding/hay/strawarea, so I think your assumption that she is not too cold might be acorrect one. Mine have retreated to the sleeping area duringreally bad inclement weather, like snowstorms, though.
Due to their propensity to spend a majority of their time in the opensection, I have produced plexiglas and/or wooden panels to insert inthe screened in portions of the hutch, "storm" windows, or panels, ifyou will. I don't know if they really need them, but it suremakes me feel better for them when they are out in the backyard! LOL
I start to get concerned when temperatures approach zero degrees, andmight then bring them inside, although breeders in other parts of thecountry and Canada certainly have their buns experience conditions muchmore severe. We have lost two buns in the past to heatrelated incidents, as opposed to none to the cold, if that gives you arelative idea of temperature induced problems?
Straw(hollow) tends to be a better insulator than hay. Besure to check water bottles, the tubes of which freeze very easily, andsubstitute water crocks, if necessary. You may have to changeout water crocks two, three times a day.
Buns need water. It is critical. If they cannotdrink, they will not eat. They need to eat to maintain bodytemperature out in the cold. I give each of ours about a tsp of BlackSunflower Seeds daily when temperatures are low. BlackSunflower Seeds are considered a "hot feed,"(contrindicated, therefore,in the summer) and serve to readily convert calories into body heat.
With reference to your other questions, I would suggest reading thepost/thread entitled
A Cheat Sheet for Rabbit Care created byour moderator, Carolyn. It will cover many areas, not onlythose you have asked about, but some that may not have even occurred toyou, yet.
Welcome to the Forum!
From another New Jersyan,
Buck Jones
