I have two Netherland Dwarf rabbits, i've had them for about five or six months one is six months and a female and the other is a male and two years old. Is it okay to leave them in their cages outside in the winter? I live in Michigan and we get a lot of snow, but theyre in a barn. The barn isnt very insulated but my parents think they'll be okay. question number 2- the six month old female broke one of her claws off, its her left foot, and the claw farthest to the left, not the dew claw. Her foot bled a lot when it came off but it doesnt seem to hurt her as much anymore. What do I do to try to fix it? Should she see a vet or do I just let it grow back on its own, or will it even grow back? Please HELP!!!
2007-12-24 04:19:14 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
i've had dwarfs since i was little and they lived through new englands winters.. you just have to make sure they have a place in their cage thats not open.. i had the standard steel cage and i built a wooden box on the back of it they could go into and filled it up with hay so they could be insulated.. you just have to make sure you clean it more often because it will start to smell.. they will make a little nest in the hay and they'll be fine.. as for the nail.. if you're worried about it i'd ask a vet to check it out.. better safe than sorry..
2007-12-24 04:30:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I do not believe it is a good idea to leave them out on a very cold day or in the snow. They can stand a LITTLE cold but definitely not a Michigan winter. If you are worried about the "mess" of having them indoors, you can litterbox train them.
Also, bunny bones are very, very fragile. This may be beyond reapir. He/she should've been taken to a vet IMMEDIATELY, but now is as good a time as any. A good website to check-out is thebunnybasics.com for these common issues. Also, Hop To It is a great book that teaches you to actually TRAIN your bunnies!
2007-12-24 04:29:38 · answer #2 · answered by devastey 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You CANNOT leave them outside during the winter, especially in a known to be bad climate!! Domesticated rabbits do not have the same defenses as wild rabbits, and are bred as pets. They cannot survive in a harsh environment. You need to bring them into the house, even if it's the basement. Give them towels to use as blankets, and plenty of hay and fresh water.
2007-12-24 04:27:55 · answer #3 · answered by cyn99di 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
IF they are in cages and have nothing to make a den in then I would not leave them outside. The broken nail that you talk about is from not trimming them. You have to trim the nails on pet rabbits. They have no way to wear them down. The nails have blood vessels in them just like dogs and they bleed when they break or get cut short.
2007-12-24 04:30:09 · answer #4 · answered by eyecue_two 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
my bunny is very well looked after and house trained so he is no problem in the house. if i stay at home, he stays in my bedroom and for about 2 minutes he investigates while i'm busy typing away on my pc and when i look at him again, he is stretched out under my chair asleep. every 5 minutes he goes to his potty to poop and pee
he has very thick fur and only spends the night outside and in the morning he usually comes back in again. everytime i check him outside he is really warm and very happy!!
but netherland dwarfs dont have as thick fur as lionhead bunnies so i suggest you toilet train them and bring them inside.
how to toilet train bunnies ;D
my pebbles spent many days on my floor when it was very bad weather outside and i was constantly picking up his poop with a bit of newspaper. i got him a cat litter tray and put some wet hay in (which he peed on) and a few poops and placed it inside his cage where he normally peed. and the next morning there was more wet bedding and poos in the tray!! i cleaned it out but wasnt sure if he would use it once it was clean but he did. so i put the tray on the floor inside and he pooped and peed in it!! alleluya!!
as for the paw, i suggest going to the vet just to be on the safe side.
pebbles is right now stretched out sleeping under my chair making little squeeky noises (he is a very vocal rabbit!!)
here is a picture of pebbles http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c321/dog123_/?action=view¤t=Picture032.jpg
gd luck, merry christmas and i hope ur bunnies paw gets better!!
from david tennant lover, pebbles the rabbit and cookie the hamster
2007-12-24 04:55:56 · answer #5 · answered by xchocolate-rainbowsx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would take your rabbit to the vet to get it checked out - just in case of infection.
whilst you're there, you should ask them about whether or not you should keep them outside in winter! They will give you the best possible answer as they have experience.
2007-12-24 04:34:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't have technical answer to your question but i believe that God has created everything in this world to serve humanbeings. All these trees, animals, birds, sky, moon, stars etc. are assisting humanbeings one or the other way. God has created everyone free, free to live and free to eat. We humanbeings make slave to humans and animals sometime. An animal can not look after humans properly, similarly, animals can not be looked after properly by humans despite knowing about them. I would suggest, u should leave ur rabbits independently and free in jungle and love to humanbeings and especially to your mother and father. The time u spend to look after ur rabbits should be spent on your mother and father in the same way when u were small and your parents used to leave everything and used to care for ur everything. Thanks, pz dont mind if could not answer it properly.
2007-12-24 04:34:14 · answer #7 · answered by gfar929 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
do not leave them out is the cold because they will freeze and may die but in the wild they will burrow
go and see a vet immediatly in case it gets infected
2007-12-24 04:25:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋