My rabbit's water freezes...?

Question

What can I do?

Answer 1

You don't need to bring your rabbit inside like some people said. People that recommend that don't really know a lot about rabbits. If you have only a few rabbits there are two options that I would recommend. The first that I would recommend is getting some plastic crocks to place the water in. That's the way my dad and I have done it for years. The plastic crocks are durable and you can take the crock and bang it against something to knock the ice out. I normally either bang them against a 2"x4" board or I bang two of the crocks against each other. Ceramic crocks will crack if you use them to water in come winter. For a small number of rabbits I think plastic crocks are the best option. You will have one break now and then when you bang the crock, especially if you don't hit the bowl flat against the board. But normally they will last for at least 3-4 years or so.

I recommend against using water bottles. Water bottles have several disadvantages compared to a bowl in the winter time. Water bottles all have that metal nozzle at the end. That metal nozzle is prone to freezing quickly because it is thin and metal conducts the cold much quicker. And once that nozzle freezes the rabbit has no water to drink whatsoever. With a bowl, the rabbit can still lick the ice to get some water. If you use bowls you may notice lick spots on the ice.

Another option is to use a casted aluminum bowl. A casted aluminum water bowl can be dunked in a bucket of hot water and the ice will just slide out of the bowl. Aluminum conducts the heat from the hot water quickly allowing the edges of the ice to melt easily. Aluminum casted bowls will last for years, but their is one disadvantage to them. Metal does conduct heat quicker, but it also conducts the cool quicker too. So the water will probably freeze a little faster than in a plastic bowl. And the bowl does tend to gather mineral deposits in it a little if you have hard water.

If you have a lot of rabbits, then an automatic watering system is the best option. There are heating wires that can be ran through the plastic tubing. And there are watering systems that utilize a water heater in a five gallon bucket with a pump that circulates the water through the pipes keeping the water in the pipes warm. If running an automatic watering system it is a good idea to keep the watering nipples on the direct pipeline and not on a drop-down T so that the warm water circulates past them and the watering nipple doesn't freeze up. Good automatic watering systems for rabbits can be bought at Bass Equipment

http://www.bassequipment.com

The plastic crocks can be found at most department stores such as Walmart in the pet section. However there are some rabbit supply companies that carry them and other rabbit equipment that you can order:

http://www.klubertanz.com
http://www.kwcages.com
http://www.bassequipment.com

As I said before, rabbits can take the cold. They just can't take a draft. So make sure that you have your hutch enclosed on three of the four sides so that a draft doesn't go through the cage. A draft can give your rabbit pneumonia. If the temperature gets down to -10F or below, then bring your rabbits indoors or into someplace warmer.

Answer 2

It is a complete fallacy that hot water freezes faster than normal temp water. Hot or warm water has more btu's that have to be used before freezing can occur, therefore it will take longer then room temp water. On the other hand water that is boiled and then returned to room temperature before being placed out doors may freeze faster because much of the air is removed which slows down the freezing process. A good shelter and a heating source should solve your problem

Answer 3

Have 2 water bottles>
I raise rabbits and have around 30 of them at any given time. It gets cold here in the winter and my rabbits live in an unheated barn. I remove all bottles in the evening, bring them in the house, clean and refill them with lukewarm water. In the morning I put the bottles on the cages. the rabbits actually learn to drink when you bring the bottles to them. rabbits don't sit and drink from a bottle all day long. They basically need the water there when they are fed. I only feed my rabbits once a day and not unlimited feed.(Free feeding is a very unhealthy practice). My rabbits are Mini Rex and they get 1/2 cup of feed per day.

Rabbits do not have to be in a heated environment, they like the cooler weather much better and have better coats in the colder weather.

Answer 4

Rabbit Watering System

Answer 5

you must have a water bottle outside yet. I insulated my rabbit hutch for the winter. It gets -40 + colder here some days. I had that thick plastic that ppl used for a clear tablecloth. Amazing enough with all the insulation I had everywhere else in the hutch, the bottle never froze until it hit December !! What you could do is, remove the water bottle + offer them is an ice cube during the freezing weather instead. People say it isn't good for them, but it doesnt hurt them at all, even in summer. Mine love to crunch it up, my oldest rabbit lived to be 13 + he had frozen icecubes given to him for quite a few yrs. I would never suggest it if I wasn't successful with it.

Answer 6

I have the exact same promblem, so I keep two waterbottles hooked up one on the inside of their hutch on one on the outside, so one stays good for a little while longer. I have to change them every few hours when I am home though.

PS. DO NOT USE HOT WATER, IT FREEZES MUCH FASTER THEN COLD, USE NORMAL WATER.

Answer 7

I give ours hot water 3x a day. It still freezes but I know that they have plenty of time to get what they need and I can tell exactly how much they are drinking.

Answer 8

move your rabbit inside the house

or get a heated bowl, or a bowl with a pump in it that keeps the water moving so it cant freeze

Answer 9

What I do is keep one or two extra water bottles and when one freezes I rotate them.

Answer 10

just put some antifreeze in the water. jk thats probably the last thing you should do. if its cold enough that its water freezes, the bunny needs to be taken inside or it will be more than it's water that is frozen in the morning.