Drafts

[mochajoe]

With the frigid temperatures that have taken over New England ( I am in NH)...I have question about drafts. Our house was built in the 1870's and we heat with wood! Because of our old house and these frigid temps...our house is draftier than normal. The bunnies are fine and safe when they are in their cages. I have not let them out of their cages however and they think they are being punished!!! Do I need to worry about drafts when they are loose and running around the house like I do when they are in their cage?

 

[lagomorph]

You just answered mine, so I will take a stab at your question! I would say no you do not need to worry! Mine will sometimes sit out in his enclosure, fully exposed to severe winds and falling snow, even though he has constant access to his shed and his burrow. Your house cannot possibly be anywhere near as drafty as my rabbit's outdoor enclosure, but if you think they would like to retreat into a draft free area on occasion, why not provide a box with some hay in it, on the floor in some room that they like to hang out in? Then they can take refuge from the drafts whenever they want.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our rule of thumb is if we're comfy, the bunnies are fine. They can handle cooler weather better than we can.

 

[ldoerr]

I have herd that rabbits can not handle drafts. Then again when I had my rabbitry and housed my rabbits outside, I had fans going all the time to cool the rabbits off. The fans were often blowing directly at the rabbits (Texas summers are HOT).

 

[wendymac]

I think when everyone says to keep them out of drafts, they're referring more to a rabbit that's outside. Being in the cold AND wind is the kicker. Being inside, even if not super warm in there they should be fine. Plus the entire house isn't a big wind tunnel, so they're free to move where they are comfortable. Our house was built around then. Big old brick house, wood furnace...and drafts like crazy. If you're even close to a window and the wind is blowing it's actually strong enough to blow your hair around. LOL

 

[mochajoe]

I think when everyone says to keep them out of drafts, they're referring more to a rabbit that's outside. Being in the cold AND wind is the kicker. Being inside, even if not super warm in there they should be fine. Plus the entire house isn't a big wind tunnel, so they're free to move where they are comfortable. Our house was built around then. Big old brick house, wood furnace...and drafts like crazy. If you're even close to a window and the wind is blowing it's actually strong enough to blow your hair around. LOL

Thank you! Sounds about like our house...only ours is all wood with a stone foundation and minimal insulation in places!!! We have never been able to have bunnies loose in the house this much.....so I just want them to be safe! I figured it was mostly outdoor bunnies....just wanted support from other bunny people!

 

[wendymac]

We at least lucked out and have brick..although NO insulation, anywhere. The HUGE fireplace in the basement is now closed in, but I keep looking at all the fireplaces and thinking, "darn, am I glad I didn't live back in the 1800s". There's no way they kept the house toasty, either, plus a lot of work. We did install an outdoor furnace a few years ago and that's been nice. Before that it was just a small wood furnace in the basement. I had to keep doing the fire every hour when it was cold out, all night long. Plus keep it going all day, until hubby got home from work. It stunk!

Rabbits are smart...if they're laying somewhere and are getting cold they'll hop to somewhere where it's warmer. Next winter everyone is coming into the basement. We have 4 finished rooms down there, but nobody even goes down except to do laundry. Bunnies can have half, and I won't have to keep going down to the barn to change out water bottles/crocks every few hours.

 

[whitelop]

I'm gad to know I'm not the only one who lives in a drafty old house! haha. Our house was built in like 1930 and its not insulated AT ALL. So I can feel the wind blow through the house on a regular basis. I can also see my curtains blow, even when the windows are shut. hahaha. Thats some serious draft. We heat with a wood stove and it is a little hard to keep it warm, sometimes.
I usually keep the kitchen blocked off at night, to keep the heat in the rest of the house. Poor little Ellie is in the kitchen. I've started leaving her out of the cage at night, because I figure she can find her own warm comfortable spot in the kitchen on her own, rather than be trapped in a cage and possible cold/uncomfortable. I also put a rice heater down for her in case she wants to lay on it.
But I think they sort of know whats comfortable, and if they're in the house with you and you have some sort of heat source; they'll probably be fine. I'm sure they'll like to be able to get out of the cages and once they run around they'll work up some body heat.