hot/cold

[ae3]

its like 72 in here.. and its like.. i dont know.kind of cold outside.. and i really want to take my bunny, frankie..out in the snow. i was going to build him a cage out there.. more likea pen.. but before i attempt.. will the temperature changes hurt him?hes never been in the snow before...

 

[AnnaS]

I heard that a big temperature change can hurt a bunny, since bunnies prepare for winter in advance by gaining weight.

 

[sandhills_rabbits]

I've always wondered about the "optimum"temperature for rabbits.... I keep all my bunnies in my basement, wherethe temperature is more constant during winter AND summer. I stillworry about it though.... what temperatures are too hot for rabbits,and what temperatures are too cold? Is there a general temperature thatrabbits thrive best at?

 

[Carolyn]

Check out the posts: Cooling a rabbit in thesummertime and Warming a Rabbit in the Wintertime.Temperatures are listed in there.

Sudden drastic changes in temperatures can be trouble for rabbits. You have to be very careful.

-Carolyn

 

[mygrl2k3]

My bunnies are inside rabbits so i imagine anychange in the temp in the house isnt fast. in the summer i used sodabottles filled with water that had been frozen to keep the temp not sohot.. We now have centrel air for summer but will still keep somefrozen soda bottles in the freezer just in case the air breaks.

Cristy

 

[ae3]

:-/ oh. i decided maybe putting him outside isntthe best thing after all.. hes happy in here. he doesnt needthe snow. maybe in the spring he can run out there.

 

[JimD]

If you can't bring the bun to the snow....bring some snow to the bun?!?

~Jim

 

[Buck Jones]

sandhills_rabbits wrote:

I've always wondered about the "optimum" temperature forrabbits.... I keep all my bunnies in my basement, where the temperatureis more constant during winter AND summer. I still worry about itthough.... what temperatures are too hot for rabbits, and whattemperatures are too cold? Is there a general temperature that rabbitsthrive best at?

I've read that 50 -60 degrees F is supposed to be ideal, comfortabletemperatures for buns. Larger breeds can apparantly handledown to zero F or below if protected from drafts. Smallerbreeds have a more difficult time maintaing body temperatures becausethey have so little body mass. I don't know it that statementwould apply to kindling buns, though.

Depending upon the relative humidity, higher is more problematical,temperatures of 85 degrees F or more are dangerous for buns andsomething should be done to cool them down accordingly. Heatis more likely to kill them than cold as we can attest tobecausewe have lost two the heat and none to the cold.

One got "trapped" in our safe house and succumbed to hightemperatures. Another, who had handled the 85 degreetemperatures in previous years, developed weepy eye first, theneventually succumbed to pasturella. In hindsight,I had nottaken his advancing age (8 or more years old) into account and shouldhave brought him inside earlier, before his manifesting signs ofillness.

My point is, the above numbers are guidelines only and should not betaken as gospel. Better err on the conservative side and haveyour bun(s) survive, than to let them experience minimum and maximumtemperature extremes.

Buck

 

[Buck Jones]

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ae3 wrote:

its like 72 in here.. and its like.. i dont know. kind of coldoutside.. and i really want to take my bunny, frankie.. out in thesnow.... but... will the temperature changes hurt him? hes never beenin the snow before...






I've read that buns can handle temperature changes like coming insidefrom outside in the winter if you do not let them begin to "acclimate"to the higher inside temperature by keeping them inside for more thanan hour.

I imagine that could work the other way, too, in terms of letting themout after being inside full time in the winter. It wouldappear, therefore, that it is alright for them to experience thechange, but not for too long. If kept in the newenvironment too long, it apparently stresses their system to revertback to the old again.

Did that make sense to you? I'm not sure I was clear enough.

Buck

 

[ae3]

thank you.

 

[ariel]

JimD wrote:

If you can't bring the bun to the snow....bring some snow to the bun?!?

~Jim

What a good idea!

 

[blueyes65]

JimD wrote:

If you can't bring the bun to the snow....bring some snow to the bun?!?

~Jim

Jim I am trying this weekendwhat a great idea! from Canadahere and we have lot and lots of this stuff! Will post my pic's thisweekend to let you guys see how my experiment went....thank you

 

[ae3]

 

[JimD]

blueyes65 wrote:

JimD wrote:

If you can't bring the bun to the snow....bring some snow to the bun?!?

~Jim

Jim I am trying this weekendwhat a great idea! from Canadahere and we have lot and lots of this stuff! Will post my pic's thisweekend to let you guys see how my experiment went....thankyou

Don't forget to take plenty of pictures!!!!