Do rabbits hibernate?

Hello all,

We haven't had our bun during winter yet (I believe we got him last March?) and I was just curious if bunnies experience any kind of slow down during the winter months? I know my reptiles can hibernate given the right circumstances, squirrels outside slow down in the chilly times, but does my bun who operates at my work/bedtime hours? Does the fact that it stays dark later into the morning and gets dark earlier in the evening effect him?

I am asking simply because something very strange happened this morning...my bun did not eat all his pellets at once. I get up eary for work, and nowadays it's still pitch black when I make it into work. When i get up, first thing bun gets his pellets, then i take care of his water and hay, then I go get the reptiles dishes, prepare all the greens for everyone and serve. Well, this morning by the time I came back with his water dish, he was sprawled out in his pen with half of his pellets in his dish. Should this be concerning or did he just over fill himself on hay overnight? By the time I came back with the greens, pellets had been demolished and he was crunching on his greens as I left the house.

Does anyone know if their little bunny metabolisms slow down during winter? If so should I adjust his pellet and greens servings to compensate?

I tend to be an overly concerned pet owner, and i'm basing this on one experience this morning, so if I'm just being silly please let me know!

Thank you!

No. Rabbits do not hibernate. How old is your rabbit and how much pellets do you offer per day? They need fewer pellets as they become adults.

If their environment is cooler, they actually eat more to keep warm.

I know sometimes if I catch my buns at a different time than I usually feed, that they may not eat as much because they either just ate or it's their nap time and they are tired. As long as they eat normally and act normally later on, I just figure I caught them at the wrong time and they are still doing ok. If they aren't eating or acting normally later on, then I start to worry about an upset tummy and continue to monitor for the next few hours. Or possibly a vet visit later if I can't get them feeling better and eating normally again.

We don't know how old he is for sure, we got him from a pet expo and the woman getting rid of him was less than helpful when we took him home. But the vet told us he was likely 3-4 when we got him, so we're closer to 4-5 now we think. He gets 1/4 cup of pellets for breakfast and 1/4 cup in the evening. Last night he threw his pellets around and inhaled them like normal, so I think all is well, but I'll keep monitoring him. He's behaving normally otherwise.

Thank you!

When rabbits are kept outside they do eat more pellets during the winter. Inside rabbits may be a little different.