Out side in the cold!

[jupiterannette]

i am taking care of a friends birds wile she isout of town for the week, and i just noticed there is a bun in the backyard! she didnt say anything about the care of the bun, and im worried,he is in a wires hutch and has a little corner that is boxed in on theback and top but the bottom and sides are WIDE OPEN! and it isfreeezing out here! I would never personaly have a bun outside in this weather, and it is a beautifull little lop! she justlooked at me going in the house, shaking and cold! her water bottle isfrozen, and she has no hey or anything to cuddle with!

i have a bag of straw from hunny nesting, and a bag of hay im gonnaputing there so she has something to warm up in, and im gonna put abowl of water in the cage so even if it freezes she can lick the icefor moister, and im gonna give her some of my buns food, cause i dontknow where hers is....

im scared for the bun, we have a lot of foxes, and cyotes here, and she is totaly exposed to them and the elements!

i havea spare hutch and am very tempted to bring her in the house.....

what should i do!!!!!!

i dont want to upset my friend, but this isnt right, the poorlittlegirl is gonna dehudrate, starve and freeze to death if i dont doanything!

any ideas....

please help!

 

[jil101ca]

If the bun is used to being outside bringing itin may cause it to get sick. A box stuffed with straw would be good.Lots of food and hay andyou will have to give it water acouple of times a day if it is freezing, licking the ice is notenough.the bun will eat more if it's cold. Maybe you couldcover the top and sides up with something? perhaps a trap or someplastic so it doesn't get wet? or move the hutch to a more shelteredarea.

 

[JimD]

Yikes!!!:shock:

I probably would bunnynap that poor little thing....well maybe bunnie-borrow.

At very least a windproof tarp over the hutch...(still thinking I would bunnieborrow).

NEEDS WATER!!!! you'll need to keep checking it and/or changing it out.....(or I would justbunnieborrow her).
If the water freezes in the bowl, I'd be afraid that she lick it and her tongue would stick to it.

Black oil sunflower seeds are a "hot" food for buns. It helps themgenerate body heat when they eat them. Give her a handful in a bowl.

If I were to borrow her I would make sure I aclimated her to the tempchange so she doesn't go shocky with the drastic change. Like maybe toa enclosed porch or garage for a while before going into the warm.

I would also do something right now and not wait.

This is all just my opinion....okay.

~Jim

 

[jupiterannette]

the hutch is far to big and frozen in the groundto move... if i cover it with plastic, wont the pun pull it in and eatit and get sick?

at this point it has been freezing out for a week, and the bottle isfroxen to the cage! so the bun hasnt had water in days! i putout some water in a thermal bowl, like for soup and i put it out warm(not hot) and she started drinking like crazy! i dont want her to getsick, drinking too much at once...

and she doesnt seem to have a food bowl!!!!!!!!!!

im freaking out here! i havent run home yet, im on my laptopher her house.. so i havent got the hey yet.. i think im gonna go getit, (im 2 mins down the road)

and im gonna grab some food and a bowl...

whay the heck!!!!! no food no water, no shelter.....

its a good thing she isnt a close friend!!!!

im so diss-owning her after this!

i dont even know what ot do about the chickens! they have a coup, and feed, but there water is frozen too!

GRRRRRR!!!!!

i think im gonna put her ina small cage i have in my car..just for now... the poor thing is shaking..... and her eyes arecrusty! i think she is sick!

at least in my car she will be out of the wind...

still cold, but alot better then in the open... wild buns have shelet,and food, and each other... she has a bord to lean against, and wire tostand on and a freaking metal waterbottle to get her tounge stuckto!!!!!

 

[JimD]

Can you get someone to give you a hand for right now?

Good idea to put her in the car....but make sure it's not too warm.
If she doesn't have water to drink she won't eat.

If you take her home make sure she quarantined from the other animals. And wash up good before and after handling her.

~Jim


imo....i'd take her home in a flash.....imo

 

[JimD]

***trying to wait patiently while poor natalie runs around like crazy*** :waiting:

I took the time to go back and read your intro. Sounds like you can handle this.

We're around all day for support and advice.
Wish I were closer or I'd be on my way!

~Jim

 

[TinysMom]

WOW...well - here is what I would do - but I don't live where there is cold weather.

If you have a spare hutch - I'd grab her NOW and take her home.

My concern is - if you bring her in the house - it will be more than a40 degree difference and could cause problems for her. Do you havesomeplace you could put her that has some sort of structure around it(old barn, garage, something like that)? Could you move thehutch to something like that?

From what I understand - we don't want to change her temperature bymore than 40 degrees right now for where she is living....I'm not sure- could she live in a garage for a day and then transition inside fromthere? As I said - I don't live in cold climates.

If you can't put her in an enclosed structure - at least take her hometo YOUR hutch..put her in it - put tarps or something around it and hayand straw and all that - and also I would add some pedialyte orsomething to her water to get electrolytes in her.....

If you have any Nutrical (I got it from a vet for less than $10 here inTexas)....I'd give her some of that to make her want to start eatingtoo.

Remember - if she can't drink or isn't drinking - she can't/won't eat and can't process the food.

So getting her warmer - and able to drink and eat are probably your main concerns right now.

Peg

P.S. I'll try to check int throughout the day - I'm hoping folks who are used to cold weather can help you more!

 

[JimD]

:yeahthat

Thanks for popping in Peg!!!

It's COLD here in NJ...with the windchills it's well below zero.
And we just had that storm rip through here, too.

It's got to be much worse in MA.
I can't imagine what that poor little bun has gone through in the last couple of days.

I've got to go for a bit, but I'll be checking back in.

~Jim

 

[jupiterannette]

ok im back....

i put a ton of straw in her cage, in the corner, so she has somethingto bunker down on.... and i put an elctrolyte stabalizer in herwater... (from vet for all birds and mammles) so her waterwas frozen in the dish by the time i got back...! only ... anhour! im gonna grab my spare cage, and put her in it in mycar for now.. and try to get a hold of the owner... this just isntright..

is is 20 f here with 13 mph wids, so it feels like 4 degrees F!

it got down to -1 F last night! im surprised she isnt dead!

I dont know weather she is cruel or dumb!... I vote BOTH!

bunny napping in progress!

 

[JimD]

jupiterannette wrote:

...and try to get a hold of the owner...

If it were me..I wouldn't bother.

act now ... 'splain later!

Remember to be very careful of temp changes in her environment....

keep us updated!

Jim

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

JimD wrote:

Ifthe water freezes in the bowl, I'd be afraid that she lick it and hertongue would stick to it.

Since bunnies have very dry tounges (very little saliva) their tongueswill not stick to the ice. Mine rarely go very long with ice in theirbowls but a few days wen I've gone out to change water after school,they are licking the ice and I've never seen them have a problem.

I haven't read the whole thread but definitely do not bring the bunnyinside. It is probably way too different of a temperature and the bunnycould die of heat stroke very easily by doing that. Just put a box ofstraw in for it to snuggle in. Is it possible to stick a couple piecesof wood on the floor to keep the bottom blocked off a bit? If you coverthe cage with a tarp, be careful to not cover the whole thing. It needsto have an open part for ventilation.

But mine are all outside and I know you have to keep changing thewater. I probably change my bunnies' water every hour or 2 when I'mhome so anywhere from 9-18 times a day! So just leaving a bowl of wateris not good enough. It needs to constantly be changed.

Good luck with the bunny and I'm so glad you found the little one out there! Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

 

[JimD]

jupiterannette wrote:

i havea spare hutch and am very tempted to bring her in the house.....

Is the huch you have suitable for outside?

If so maybe you could move her to your place in a more protected area?

 

[Haley]

Oh Wow! I cant believe how cruel some people can be. Bless you for taking care of this little one.

Everyone else has given you great advice. I would get the bunny safeand explain later. I doubt they even care if they were heartless enoughto leave her like this.

I would put her in a cage or hutch in an enclosed area, like a shed orgarage if you can. That should offer her protection without changingthe temp too much all at once.

Good job getting her some water and hay, I would offer her some pellets too if you can.

Keep up the good work and let us know if you need any help!

 

[JimD]

jupiterannette wrote:

... the poor thing is shaking..... and her eyes arecrusty! i think she is sick!

I hope not.

 

[JimD]

Haley wrote:

Iwould put her in a cage or hutch in an enclosed area, like a shed orgarage if you can. That should offer her protection without changingthe temp too much all at once.

Hi Haley!
I'm thinking the same.
It will make dealing with any other issues easier if she's at least safe and out of the elements.



Haley wrote:

Keep up the good work and let us know if you need any help!

Ditto!! Especially the "help" part.

~Jim

...gotta go for a while...but I'll be back.

 

[JadeIcing]

I would do what Peg said. No way I would leave her.

 

[naturestee]

Poor little bun. The straw shouldhelp, and it would also be good to get her into a garage, etc. or atleast move the hutch against the side of a building so the wind won'thit the hutch directly.

Like MBB said, do not move her inside. The temperature is so different that she could get really sick.

I hope everything works out.ray:

 

[Pipp]

I think you can bring the bunny in, just do itgradually, move her ontoporch or into a cool room atfirst.

I think it's more of a concern when you go to move her back, that has to be done even more gradually.

Right now if she looks sick, she has to be monitored.

Also,be careful with the tarp idea, they really need ventilation.



sas ray:

 

[rabbits valley]

hope everything works out for the bun keep in touch

 

[Pipp]

Here's a bit of info from an agricultural site:

Small animals such as rabbits[/b] or poultry may
need supplemental heat or protection, as will
very young animals to prevent too much heat
loss and even frostbite. Any animal that is
shivering needs additional warmth, but very
hypothermic (cold) animals will often stop
shivering and need immediate attention. Avoid
large temperature changes (from very cold to
very warm) as these conditions can cause
pneumonia.
[/b][/b]