DanzaDanza
Member
I love rabbits but my mom is alergic to them. Isthere a bunny I can keep out side in a hutch, even in michigan winter?I'm in the lower part of MI.
My mom is alergic to bunnies
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Pipp
Well-Known Member
The bigger rabbits do fine in cold weather aslong as you keep them dry and out of the wind. The dwarfs andother small breeds don't hold their body heat very well, so they'reindoor bunnies.
My dwarf, Pipp, won't go outside if the temp dips below 60. :disgust:
And it makes sense that the furrier bunnies would be warmer, too, but I don't know for sure about that.
One big problem is thatbunniesneed LOTSofattention to make sure they stay healthy. You have to handlethem and watch them closely because they can get sick sofast. Not noticing small poos or an abscess foraday or twocould be a death sentence.
Anotherproblem will be boredom -- bunnies like companionship,human or otherwise. Maybe a bonded pair might be better.
SAS
and PIPP :bunnydance:
My dwarf, Pipp, won't go outside if the temp dips below 60. :disgust:
And it makes sense that the furrier bunnies would be warmer, too, but I don't know for sure about that.
One big problem is thatbunniesneed LOTSofattention to make sure they stay healthy. You have to handlethem and watch them closely because they can get sick sofast. Not noticing small poos or an abscess foraday or twocould be a death sentence.
Anotherproblem will be boredom -- bunnies like companionship,human or otherwise. Maybe a bonded pair might be better.
SAS
and PIPP :bunnydance:DanzaDanza
Member
Attention is no problem. I was glued to my bunny when I was little.
We use to have a netherland dwarf when I was little. My mom becamealergic after we had had him for 2 years. We gave him away to a friendof the family. It was heart breaking. That was one of the best petsI've ever had. I've always wanted another bunny since.
We use to have a netherland dwarf when I was little. My mom becamealergic after we had had him for 2 years. We gave him away to a friendof the family. It was heart breaking. That was one of the best petsI've ever had. I've always wanted another bunny since.
Pipp
Well-Known Member
DanzaDanza wrote:
As noted, I wouldn't get a dwarf, but there are lots ofbunnesout there looking for a caring home.
Hope you find each other soon!
SASand PIPP :bunnydance:
Awww, that's so sweet! And I know what you mean.I'd move into the hutch with mine, we're a bonded pair. :love:
As noted, I wouldn't get a dwarf, but there are lots ofbunnesout there looking for a caring home.
Hope you find each other soon!
SAS
and PIPP :bunnydance:DanzaDanza
Member
Pipp wrote:
That's fine. No dwarf. Big or small they are still basically the same thing.DanzaDanza wrote:Awww, that's so sweet! And I know what you mean.I'd move into the hutch with mine, we're a bonded pair. :love:
As noted, I wouldn't get a dwarf, but there are lots ofbunnesout there looking for a caring home.
Hope you find each other soon!
SAS
rabbitgirl
Well-Known Member
Hi and welcome,
May I put in a good word for Palominos here (see avatar)? 8-11 lbs.,friendly, hardy, happy, very few health problems. I have had at leastone for the past 10 yrs., and they do extremely well in winter! Not tomention being just plain fun. The size and general bounciness makesthem need the special handling any large breed requires (avoidinginjuries from picking them up wrong, etc.) but are overall pretty easy.
Good luck choosing! Many of us in the Northwest keep our fuzzy crittersoutside and they usually do just fine with a little extra TLC and lotsof straw. Having a good hutch design is the most important.
Rose
May I put in a good word for Palominos here (see avatar)? 8-11 lbs.,friendly, hardy, happy, very few health problems. I have had at leastone for the past 10 yrs., and they do extremely well in winter! Not tomention being just plain fun. The size and general bounciness makesthem need the special handling any large breed requires (avoidinginjuries from picking them up wrong, etc.) but are overall pretty easy.
Good luck choosing! Many of us in the Northwest keep our fuzzy crittersoutside and they usually do just fine with a little extra TLC and lotsof straw. Having a good hutch design is the most important.
Rose
DanzaDanza
Member
Thanks. So exactly what breed is your bunny? Did I miss that part?
FlopsnWills
Well-Known Member
are you sure your mother is allergic to theactual buns? it may very well be the hay your rabbits eat. test itout.. if it is the hay they're eating, you could try switching todifferent types of hay, or keeping their hay in a room where she willnever be.
if worst comes to worst, a rabbit indoors without hay is going to live longer than a rabbit outdoors with hay.
if worst comes to worst, a rabbit indoors without hay is going to live longer than a rabbit outdoors with hay.
Boricua_bunny
Well-Known Member
wl wrote:
What are you talking about?:X They don't have to put it down! They canfind many other ways of dealing with it, and if at the end, they cannotkeep it, they can put it up for adoption or give it to someone who theyknow will take good care of him. Putting it down is definitely NOT thesolution!
~Josh
What are you talking about?:X They don't have to put it down! They canfind many other ways of dealing with it, and if at the end, they cannotkeep it, they can put it up for adoption or give it to someone who theyknow will take good care of him. Putting it down is definitely NOT thesolution!
~Josh
Boricua_bunny
Well-Known Member
I didn't really find it very funny!
alfie and angel
Well-Known Member
don't feed it :disgust:we're fine without
DanzaDanza
Member
I think some of you missed the part where I saidthat the original bunny I had was when I was little 8 years old. Thatwas 11 years ago. That bunny went to live with friends of our familythat had a young daughter who wanted him.
Yes, we were sure it was the bunny she was alergic to, not the hay. Ihave guinea pigs right now that require hay and it doesn't bother her.It's too bad because she hated my guinea pigs and she loved the bunny.
Yes, we were sure it was the bunny she was alergic to, not the hay. Ihave guinea pigs right now that require hay and it doesn't bother her.It's too bad because she hated my guinea pigs and she loved the bunny.
Bassetluv
Well-Known Member
When I was younger I lived in Nova Scotia, wheretemps in the wintertime ranged around -15 to -20 deg. C (I think thatconverts to around 4 deg to -5 deg Farenheit) in the winter. I raisedPolish and kept them outdoors all winter long, in a hutch that was notheated. It was insulated, however, (two sheets of 1/2" plywood withfoam insulation sandwiched in between for the outside walls) and theywere protected from the draft (NS is famous for its winds). I had atarp attached to the front of the cage that I pulled down every night,and whenever we were having extreme weather.
I think the key in keeping a rabbit outdoors is as rabbitgirl said...tohave a good hutch design. Make sure it ensures clean, dry livingconditions, away from draft, and that the rabbit has a well-shelteredsmall hutch or box to go in that is also insulated. If he has a spacethat's just roomy enough to burrow into (pack plenty of straw insidethe box), his body heat will keep him cozy. I remember on bitter winternights going out to feed the rabbits and putting my hand into theirsleeping quarters...it was almost like putting my hand in a heatedroom. Start the rabbit outdoors in warmer temps, so he can adjust tothe seasons changing and have a chance to grow a good thick wintercoat. Another thing about keeping a rabbit outdoors in the winter isbeing able to ensure that the water crocks are kept free of ice. SinceI didn't have a heated watering system (it being just a simple outdoorhutch) I had to tap ice out of my rabbits' crocks 2-3 times a day andrefill them with fresh water. Putting snow in another dish is also agood idea, so they can eat that if the water does freeze over and youhaven't had time to go out and change it right away. And it is somewhatharder to notice if the rabbit is feeling *off* when he is housedoutdoors and away from you, so he would need lots of attention andhandling. Preferably, if you could get two rabbits and bond them, itwould help as well.
It's not fun when someone has allergies like that...but there are waysaround it. I hope you are able to get a bunny and enjoy him!
I think the key in keeping a rabbit outdoors is as rabbitgirl said...tohave a good hutch design. Make sure it ensures clean, dry livingconditions, away from draft, and that the rabbit has a well-shelteredsmall hutch or box to go in that is also insulated. If he has a spacethat's just roomy enough to burrow into (pack plenty of straw insidethe box), his body heat will keep him cozy. I remember on bitter winternights going out to feed the rabbits and putting my hand into theirsleeping quarters...it was almost like putting my hand in a heatedroom. Start the rabbit outdoors in warmer temps, so he can adjust tothe seasons changing and have a chance to grow a good thick wintercoat. Another thing about keeping a rabbit outdoors in the winter isbeing able to ensure that the water crocks are kept free of ice. SinceI didn't have a heated watering system (it being just a simple outdoorhutch) I had to tap ice out of my rabbits' crocks 2-3 times a day andrefill them with fresh water. Putting snow in another dish is also agood idea, so they can eat that if the water does freeze over and youhaven't had time to go out and change it right away. And it is somewhatharder to notice if the rabbit is feeling *off* when he is housedoutdoors and away from you, so he would need lots of attention andhandling. Preferably, if you could get two rabbits and bond them, itwould help as well.
It's not fun when someone has allergies like that...but there are waysaround it. I hope you are able to get a bunny and enjoy him!
juicyjuicee
Well-Known Member
DanzaDanza wrote:
The breed Rabbitgirl is talking about are thePalominos ( I think she stated that but its okay!)
rabbitgirl
Well-Known Member
Correct. Not to be confused with the horse color/breed.
Palominos are a rare large breed very similar to New Zealands.
Rose
Palominos are a rare large breed very similar to New Zealands.
Rose
dootsmom
Well-Known Member
Danza, My concern is that therabbit/rabbits will be outside, in the cold, withoutsocialization.....for months! You're also going to have to goout there, in the cold, when it's snowing, sleeting, raining, hailing,with the wind blowing.......everyday!!! In the winter, youhave to go out there more often to give them unfrozen water.Those water bottles freeze up pretty fast and have to be changed atleast 3 times a day. I'll tell you,
the first time I went outside to feed my "hutch buns" & thewind was blowing the freezing rain so hard that it felt like needleswere hitting my face, that I wanted to cry, that the next day, I builtindoor cages for them!!!! Now they come in late fall and goback out in the early spring. In the heat of summer, when thetemps rise above 85 degrees, they come back inside so that they don'tsuffer from heat stroke. There's more to consider here thanyour Mothers allergies. You have to think about the quality of
life you are going to give the rabbit.
the first time I went outside to feed my "hutch buns" & thewind was blowing the freezing rain so hard that it felt like needleswere hitting my face, that I wanted to cry, that the next day, I builtindoor cages for them!!!! Now they come in late fall and goback out in the early spring. In the heat of summer, when thetemps rise above 85 degrees, they come back inside so that they don'tsuffer from heat stroke. There's more to consider here thanyour Mothers allergies. You have to think about the quality of
life you are going to give the rabbit.
DanzaDanza
Member
Well what other choice do I have? Put them in the basement?
Putting them in the basement, might be a betterchoice than outside.. That way you don't have to be so uncomfortabletrying to take care of him or her and play with her or her.If you have space you could make your own little hang out for bunny andyou.
Cristy
Cristy
DanzaDanza
Member
But will the bunny being inside the house still effect my mom, even if its in the basement?
