HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[beans_mommy]

hey all i recently postedbout our new outside rabbit hutch that hubby built.............i havebeen takin them in and out for a few weeks now cause i am soscared that i will wake one morning and the weather had takenthemmy baby(my 1st rabbit beans) is outtherreanyway how do i know if they are stressing from thecold i think that maybe i ambeing over cautious but want to know from the peepsout there that have outdoorbunnieswehave mad the cage full of bedding and timhay and black oil seeds with therepellets and throw some into the house so they can nibble atnight they seem to enjoy being out thereand dont want to subject to in andoutsomeone give me some help whether they will survive on a 10 degreenight i will be upall night checking on them as they are the love of mylifei have tarped the front of the hutch as to not let the elementin plssomeone put my mind to rest



thanks and happy bunning

donna

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I've never had outside bunnies. I don't know.

 

[babybunnywrigley]

I've never had an outdoor bunny either.

Sorry, I can't answer your question. :?

 

[Jenniblu]

I'm not really sure either. When we hadNick years ago, we did the same things that you did to make himcomfortable outside. We would also cover the entire hutchwith a big blanket (leaving only a small ventilation hole) if it gotbelow freezing. If it got below 0, then all the pets cameindoors to the heated basement.

Oh, Nick also had a sleeping box stuffed full of hay inside the hutch in a corner.

 

[SLRabbits]

They will be fine. All my rabbits are outside,and during the winter it can get down in the teens. I know some peopleon here from Canada have their rabbits outside in negative weather. Asthey say, you can't kill a rabbit with cold.

Seems like you are taking the right procautions though by feeding the seeds, and having straw in there for them.

~Nichole

 

[rabbitgirl]

I've had outdoor rabbits for 12+ years, and I live in the frigid north, much colder than by you, so hope this helps.

It's not the best time to acclimate an outdoor rabbit, especially notby taking in and out, but it can be done. If a rabbit is outdoors as itgets gradually colder, he learns to adjust--conserve body heat, build anest, etc. etc. They actually need to learn how to build a snugburrow--something males don't do in the wild (see Watership Down).

If you possibly can, wait till spring. If you can't, try this:

An outdoor hutch should have two parts: a wire section(big)and a box section (not too big). The box area should bestuffed with hay or straw, then you make a little burrow in thestraw just big enough for them to turn around.They won't knowhow to do it themselves, most likely. Keep the door of the box just bigenough to get through (will reduce cold air). Don't forget to remakethe burrow until they learn not to smash it down. It may take a week ortwo to teach them.

The biggest problem is they make a mess to mark territory. Obviously,you don't want the box wet with pee. It may sound harsh, but I actuallylefta box messy and wetwhen training a young buckto keep warm in winter. It took two days, but he figured it out andhasn't messed since. He was a strong healthy young boy who'd alwaysbeen outside, but he was on his own for the first time and good habitsare vital.

Make sure not to put food in the nest area. They must know that theydo not eat or go to the bathroom in the nest--it's only forsleeping. The wire section is for food and bathroom and exercise.

A tarp is great,asit will cut down on wind, butmake sure they get some daylight for a little while in the sunny partof the day. You can throw old quilts, etc. over the top for insulation,and snow will help too.

All mine have survived many -20F days, and often without so much as achilly ear. I go out on cold mornings, shivering, to see them bouncingmerrily off the walls. An older sick animal may need to come in, but ahealthy rabbit doesn't necessarily feel the cold like we poor fragilehumans with no fur coats.

If your rabbits have always been inside, they will not have grown atrue winter coat. That's why I recommend waiting til spring, so theycan go through a natural cycle before next winter. They will be at adisadvantage without the heavy winter coat.

Good luck. I hope you can wait till spring, as that is the best time to introduce rabbits to outside.

Rose

 

[Dolores Lindvall]

All of my rabbits are outside in an old barn...inindividual cages...no sleeping boxes. They are free of mostdrafts, which I feel is the most important. It can get prettydarn cold here, too, and has been much colder than 10degrees. It sounds like your rabbits should be just fine withall the extra bedding you haveprovided.Thru the years, I have kindled many a kit thru all seasons of the yearunder these circumstances...only the nest box for thekits. They have always done just fine...unless the doekindled on the wire. But, you are not kindling, so yourrabbits should be okay. It just gets abit tricky to have water for them!!!

- Dolores

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

You really have to know the individual rabbit. I can tell if my rabbits are cold because I know them so well.

The obvious sign is shivering.

P.S.- All outside rabbits (unless in a barn) should have a hide-a-boxand it should havestrawin it if it's cold out. Youshould also ensure the cage is free of drafts but air can stillcirculate freely in and out of the cage.

 

[beans_mommy]

thank u all for urhelpis there any specific thing i should look for in a bunny thatis in trouble in the cold?????????? i have my alarmset to every hour to go check onthem im thinking they areok but wont feel right till i get thro sthenight tomorrow gonna warm till the mid30 which they aremore than used to

thank u again all and god bless u and all ur bunnies

 

[becc_boland]

ive never had a problem. Ive had more than oneoutside rabbit when i was little and now Lilly is an outside rabbit andshe loves it. aT night she gets covered with a blanket and a tarp so nocold weather will get in. She loves being outside and itz really cuteto see her hoppin around in the daisys

Becc

 

[Carolyn]

Beans_Mommy,

As stated, outdoor rabbits start growing their winter fur a month ortwo before the cold starts to change. It's really importantto be sure that they are protected from the elements - snow, wind, andrain. If you are to bring them in, it's best to bring theminto the coldest room in the house, like the basement so that they'renot going from a 10 degree temperature to a 70 degree house.As dixonsrabbitry said in the other post, it can cause stress and shocktheir systemsand troubles can begin.

If there's any way to keep them inside a few more weeks, I'd do so tobe on the safe side. If you can't, make sure they have plentyof hay to snuggle up to in case they do need to warmthemselves. Read through the post at the top of the forum:Keeping your rabbit warm in the winter months.

A couple of signs of stress would be shivering, not eating theirfood. The signs aren't necessarily obvious as rabbits aremasters at hiding their stress or ailments as they are preyanimals. Stress can have a negative impact on theirintestinal tract, their heart, and respiratory rates and patterns, andtheir immune system.

-Carolyn

 

[VNess2010]

SLRabbits wrote:

As they say, you can't kill a rabbit with cold.



~Nichole

Is this true? My friends aunt used to keep rabbits outside and they froze to death...soo...I'd be careful....

 

[SLRabbits]

VNess2010 wrote:

SLRabbits wrote:

As they say,you can't kill a rabbit with cold.



~Nichole

Is this true? My friends aunt used to keep rabbits outside and they froze to death...soo...I'd be careful....

With the proper housing they should never freeze to death. Although, ifthey were sick, or in a weakend state I can see them freezing, but thenagain, if that happens it should be obvious that something is wrong.

~Nichole

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Should baby rabbits be outside in the weather? (I might have missed this in a post already but.... )

I know several here have mentioned putting up some sort of materials (wood, plexiglass) to block wind.

 

[rabbitgirl]

beans_mommy wrote:

thank u all for urhelpis there any specific thing i should look for in a bunny thatis in trouble in the cold??????????

Some will whimper, and shiver. A healthy bun will puff up like a littlefur balloon, tuck all the feet in, close the eyes, and sleep til itwarms up or someone brings food.

 

[rabbitgirl]

Dolores Lindvall wrote:

All of my rabbits are outside in an old barn...in individualcages...no sleeping boxes.

Mine are freestanding and outside hutches, that's why I have a sleeping compartment.

Rose

 

[bojay]

My rabbits are in an unheated room off the garagewith plenty of extra straw when it's really cold. Generally Iworry when the water freezes. A few weeks this winter I movedthem into the storage room in the basement. I'minWI aka TheFrozen Tundra, it has to be comparableto NH, I think we're over the hump and the days will get warmer fromhere on out. Do your rabbits have sleeping boxes?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I know that sometimes if there is a drasticdifference in the temps it can be worse on them (like from out in thecold to inside with heat)...

 

[DaisyNBuster]

I have outdoor and indoor buns. Check this thatBuck posted. I was worried about the weather being too cold and this iswhat Buck researched for mehttp://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5440&forum_id=1.

When you say 10 degrees night, do you mean *C or *F? We are currentlyexpriencing temps of 10*C and mine are coping extremely well. Mine havea sleeping compartment filled with hay with an extra protective PVCcover to stop wind (when Daisy doesnt decide that she wants to chewthrough it).

It seems you have already had some good advice given, but I justthought I would add that post by Buck as it is very informative.

Vickie

 

[Pet_Bunny]

10 C = 50 F

British and Canadians use Celsius.

Americans have Fahrenheit.

Rainbows!