Winter in October?!

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iLuvMyLilBuns

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Location
MN, Minnesota, USA
I just looked at the weather and it's supposed to snow here tomorrow!! Ugh! I wasn't planning on this until atleast november.. The high for tomorrow is in the 30's F and the low is in the 20's. The rest of the week the high is in the 50/40's F and the low in the 30/20's F.

I have asked questions like this one before but I'm asking again cause im really concerned. I keep my bunny Lila and her 2 kits outside. Is this too cold for the kits?? They are currently 2 days old. The nest box is filled with bedding and hay and I have a cover on the hutch. What temps can the babies survive in?

Sorry for being so paranoid but I want my bunnies to be comfy :) Thanks everyone!!
 
iLuvMyLilBuns wrote:
I just looked at the weather and it's supposed to snow here tomorrow!! Ugh! I wasn't planning on this until atleast november.. The high for tomorrow is in the 30's F and the low is in the 20's. The rest of the week the high is in the 50/40's F and the low in the 30/20's F.

I have asked questions like this one before but I'm asking again cause im really concerned. I keep my bunny Lila and her 2 kits outside. Is this too cold for the kits?? They are currently 2 days old. The nest box is filled with bedding and hay and I have a cover on the hutch. What temps can the babies survive in?

Sorry for being so paranoid but I want my bunnies to be comfy :) Thanks everyone!!
---oh,dear-please say this isnot true,--their environment is conducive to good health--they(babies) and mom cannot be out there--please understand i am not scolding and i have heard of alot worse,-the rol library should help or try medirabbit.com---sincerely james waller
 
Well I went out there this morning and they are all alive and healthy. The babies are warm in the nest and they have big round bellies. I think they will be fine lol
 
I think I will just keep checking on them and as long as they are warm I will leave them. If they feel cold I will bring them in right away! I just checked on them and their bodies are warm. They are buried in the nest. I think they are safe as long as they are warm?
 
If they feel cold I will bring them in right away!
If they feel cold? If they feel cold they are dead! They should be brought in BEFORE they "feel cold". Please do your babies a favour and bring them inside.
 
One of the kits was born on the wire and it was cold but wasn't dead. I put the kit in the nest and it's warm and alive. They arn't necessarly dead if they are are a little cold.

I will not be bringing the kits inside unless it's an emergency, they don't seem comfortable, or they are getting cool. The reason I posted this is for advice for keeping the kits outside.

If any of you are worried about this I have taken precations: they are protected from the wind and rain with a tight hutch cover. They are burried deep in the nest box in bedding and hay covered with fur. They don't seem cold at all.

Is there any reason why I need to bring them in? Please let me know, I don't want them to get cold. Like I said they are very warm in the nest but if any of you actually have experience and suggestions with kits outside IN 20/30 degrees F let me know! :)

Thanks everyone!
 
I have some experience with kits and cold weather. If the night temps are in the 20's all nightand the high during the day will stay below freezing then during those temps I would certainly consider bringing the kits inside...maybe even the Mom. That being said, anything higher than freezing would be okay as long as you feel sure the babies will stay well covered. Does themom cover them well after nursing them?You may want to put a layer of hay down on the floorso the doe can sit on it to help stay warm, too. Just curious...is there any way you could put a thermometer in the cage to see how much warmer it is there than the outside temp?

We have only lost one kit to cold. He was less than a week old and stayed latched onto Mom as she was leaving the nest. He was dragged out and died from exposure, and it wasn't even freezing. Since then, I always check on kits before I go to bed to make sure nothing like that happens again. I've saved a few that way!
 
Majorv: Thanks so much for the reply! It's 11 pm right now and I just checked on the kits. They are burried deep in the hay covered in the fur. The temp outside is about 37 F and the low tonight is like 25 F. They feel pretty warm. Is anything 20 F or above safe for the kits? Or what is the temps that they can survive in? It's supposed to be in the 20's as the low for the next few nights and i'm just wondering if anyone with experience knows this is safe or not. They are currently outside but if you think they will freeze please let me know and I will move them inside asap. But right now they are warm so I think they will be alright. I'll check on them again before I go to bed :)

Thanks!
 
Someone further north might be able to help here. It's gotten into the 20's at night around here, and I've brought the whole nestbox inside and taken it back out in the morning. You need to keep in mind that kits can't tolerate coldwell until they have a coat of fur on them. If you opt to leave them outside, then you may want to make sure the kits are snuggled in the back of the nestbox...if Mom gets cold enough she may decide to"share" the nestbox with them.If they're in the back then she won't accidentally step on them.


 
I decided to keep the kits outside tonight. They are buried deep in the corner with fur over them and I put a heavy blanket over the hutch and this hutch cover is on the hutch:

http://www.fleetfarm.com/mff/detail/ware-premium-hutch-cover-large/0000000065006

I felt in the nest and it was toasty warm :D They are in a small area and im sure it's warm :)

I'll update you all in the morning, hopefully they will be fine! :)
 

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