At what temperature should I be concerned about my outside bunnies well being.(Cold)?

Question

i have a mated pair of rabbits. Last winter they lived indoors, since summer they have lived outside in a very latge fenced in garden. They do have protection from the cold ( a custom made insulated doghouse). Today was the first snow in central ny. When should i be concerned? The female is constantly nesting (false pregnancys) and has a rather warm looking nest, I have been providing them with extra food, hoping to build up winter weight, they have each other for warmth and i have been providing them with newspaper and cloth to create more bedding. I am putting athermometer outside and inside their house. What temperature is dangerous? i cant really move them in due to territory issues with my house rabbit

Answer 1

They can live outside all winter as long as they have a place to get out of the wind and weather. Inside the dog box you should put in a small nesting box filled with straw. The box should have all 6 sides with a hole in the front for her to get in and out of..I don't recommend keeping your male and female together....I would think they would be breeding all the time....maybe she's actually having babies and they're being eaten. I would keep them apart except when you want to breed. Get another hutch with a nesting box for your male.....Don't forget to give them water three times a day too !! Good luck !!!

Answer 2

Because of their fur coat, bunnies typically do much better in the winter cold than they do in the summer heat. There are however three key elements to keeping them safe when the weather gets real cold.

1. They need a draft free shelter. This would be some sort of structure they can go into that is free from the effects of the cold winter winds.

2. They need shelter that is free of precipitation. This area should be an area that is dry all the time, even when it is raining or snowing outside.

3. They must have fresh water at all times. The colder it gets outside the more frequently you must go out and change their water. I would recommend a small ceramic crock instead of a water bottle. The little tubes on water bottles tend to freeze up very quickly.

Now to answer your question directly, we actually start to pay very very close attention to our rabbits when the tempartures dip below 10 degrees farenheit. At temperatures this low we usually check on our bunnies about every hour or two, except through the night when we are sleeping. We have an article on our site about dealing with the cold weather.

Answer 3

You've already answered my first question which is why don't you bring them inside? We have a bonded pair and are fostering a male (neutered) and we can't let him get near our two so they live in the finished basement and he leaves upstairs and they do not get together at all.
Now to your question - cold weather isn't as dangerous to rabbits as heat - they are actually most comfortable at a temp from 50 - 70 degrees F. For the winter you want to make sure that they have adequate protection and that their water doesn't freeze.

Here is an excerpt from an article on "winter woes" that has some tips on keeping your bunny safe in the winter:
"Proper Housing
If you cannot bring your rabbit indoors, then provide him with a wooden or plastic box, stuffed with hay or straw to burrow in for warmth, inside of his cage. Make sure that the cage is sheltered or placed in a barn or shed. The hutch should be free of leaks, have a sturdy, solid roof, be sheltered from the wind and have a locked door (raccoons can be very clever!). To further guard against predators, enclose your rabbit's cage inside of a covered metal dog run, or even in a barn or shed. Remember to take advantage of daytime sun and place the hutch in an area that provides some sunlight for warmth."
Link to entire article:
http://www.ontariorabbits.org/hot_topics/winter_woes.html

Answer 4

Angie for the most part is right. Although watering three times a day is a little excessive (I recommend watering twice, with fresh water given at least once a day). Once the temperature gets down into the 50's you really need to start becoming concerned about providing shelter for the rabbits to get out of the wind. That means 3 of the 4 sides need to be enclosed. Rabbits do well in cold weather but they can't take a draft. It will give them pneumonia and in about 1-2 days they will be dead. As far as cold is concerned, they can take down to about -10 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets down to that temperature or lower, bring them inside because you risk their ears freezing or them freezing to death. I don't recommend using water bottles especially in the winter, nor do I recommend using ceramic bowls or ceramic crocks. Ceramic bowls are great in the summer because they are heavier and harder to turn over, but in the winter they will crack. Bottle waterers will freeze up very easily giving the rabbit nothing to drink. I recommend a sturdy plastic bowl or aluminum bowl for winter. Two plastic bowls can be banged together to bang the ice out and with an aluminum bowl you can dunk the bowl in a bucket of hot water and the ice will just fall out since the aluminum conducts heat very well and melts the ice at the surface of the bowl. Also, by using a bowl rabbits will often lick the ice to get the water they need when the water freezes quickly.

Answer 5

I wouldn't be confrontational about it, if you think she's going about learning about Wicca in the wrong way; definitely don't tell her you just think she's a "fluffy bunny". She may earnestly be trying to learn about Wicca and just not really know how to go about it. If you want to talk to her about it, I'm sure she'd listen to you and be understanding because she's your friend. Just talking to her about why she became Wiccan, and why you became Wiccan, etc. could really be an ice breaker and help her understand that you aren't wanting to be condescending, but helpful! One thing you could do, too, would help her get some books discussing the actual structure and belief system of the craft, not just the spells. Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham is an excellent book and might be something that could help her see that Wicca isn't just spells. I hope this helps!

Answer 6

We have three rabbits that we keep outside all year long. As long as they have a "house" to go into, lots of hay to snuggle in and fresh water daily, they should be okay. Also, make sure the hutch/cage is out of the wind.

Answer 7

A friend of mine used to breed dwarf lops, and during winter, she just used to make sure they were out of the wind, and she put a tarp over thier hutches at night to keep the damp off them. Plenty of straw bedding too.

Answer 8

unless they are new born dont bother they have a fur coat