Rabbit Winter Care ??

[RoosterML]

Wondering what you guys do for your winter rabbit care. Do you do anything different for housing? I am new to Rabbits this year.
I have two female rabbits housed together in the barn. They are bonded and are in the same hutch/cage. The bottom of the cage is 1/2"x3/4" hardware cloth. Total cage length is roughly 10' x24"deepx24"high , back is solid, tops solid,front doors are hardware cloth. On each end there is a closed in area roughly 16"x24" with a small 7"x7" opening for them to get into it. I feed Poulin Grain 16% maintenance pellet along with Timothy hay given morning and night. Fresh water daily. I gave them extra hay in the cage when the weather started turning cold which at times they took and stuck in the closed area.
The closed in area they have the hay stack about 6" deep.
Questions are is there anything I should be doing different especially in cold weather? Do you guys supplement heat of some kind at certain temps? It's my understanding that rabbits are very cold hardy and don't need anything.
Any tips you have to offer would be great.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Rabbits are very cold hardy. I might put a big stack of hay in the enclosed nest box areas for insulation in case they get cold during inclimate weather, but they may start using it as a litter box. Personally, I hate wire bottom cages for the cold especially, because they allow so much heat to just get pulled away and provide a fat lotta nothing for their toes. Feet and face (esp. ears) are the most vulnerable to the cold.

My rabbits each get vegetable shipping boxes from our local grocery to hide in. They're just cardboard boxes about 1'x2' turned over so there's an entrance for them to crawl into the box with. If you're worried about the weather any cardboard box can be turned on it's side and lined with hay to provide an extra cozy shelter. You may find that they chew on it - that's fine. Most cardboard glues are pretty non-toxic and brown cardboard is harmless. If they pee in it you can also just throw it out or compost it when you're done. The box will also give them a spot in the main wire cage to get off of the wire.

The hay will give them some extra self-generated heat (more calories) as well as insulation. (This is assuming you don't free-feed your rabbits. Most free-fed rabbits are overweight and could stand to eat some low-calorie hay anyhow.)

A good quality feed with a good amount of fat or protein will also keep them in good condition in the winter. A 16% protein feed is best even for non breeding rabbits in the winter. But watch their weight.

But all this may be superfluous for you. If their area is not drafty (though open floors are VERY drafty!), if they are otherwise healthy, if they have a good fur coat, and their area is dry, they shouldn't have any problems with most winters.

 

[RoosterML]

@ChocolateMouse Thanks for the response.
I have a 10" Sono tube about 36" long in the cage that they go into, along with a piece of 2x10 on the bottom for them to get up off the wire. They also have some spots with hay laid down to go on. Do you mean I need to add more hay in the cubby/closed in area? They already have about a 6" deep hay floor in there. It is not drafty as it is located within the barn and everything is dry also. I do free feed the pellets. They both chow down on the hay when I put it in.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Ok, it sounds like they have plenty of dry and insulated areas with no drafts and a good feeding routine and places to tuck themselves into. The 6" of hay is plenty. The only thing I would add is make sure they're healthy with plenty of water (ie don't let it freeze if you can). You don't need anything else. Most rabbits are super cold hardy and grow in a thick winter coat each year. As long as they have dry, secure, insulated area with good food and water they will be absolutely fine.

Don't even consider supplemental heat. They're safe and snug with what you have.

 

[RoosterML]

What do you do to keep your water from freezing if anything? I have my bottle wrapped with a heating pad which works great for keeping the bottle thawed but the darn tip that is only 2" away freezes.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I change my water multiple times a day. I have enough bottles for 2 per cage, so I bring out warm (not hot) water in the morning and at night if the weather is cold enough.

 

[chickens really]

Hello. My Rabbit has straw up in her house and I have horses so I put in a flake of hay in her Run plus her pellets. She gets a carrot each morning. I use a bowl and water her twice a day. Mine uses a litter pan with shavings in it to poop and pee. I'm in Alberta, Canada and my Rabbit does just fine. I also wrapped her pen in vapour barrier plastic to block out the wind and snow.

 

[RoosterML]

Just adding some pictures I took of my setup, notice the heating pad wrapped around the water bottle to keep it thawed, the tip freezes but you can use the warm water in the bottle to work it free. See any issues? So far temps have been down into the teens.

You can see the opening on the left of the feeder to get into the closed in area behind the door.

They have the hay stacked inside behind the door but I have yet to see them snuggle up in there. Maybe not cold enough yet, has been in the teens.

They really enjoy the sonotube to play with and chew on.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Nope, that looks cozy and warm. My only concern would be rabbits chewing on the heating pad. They probably won't hunker down much because they're indoors. My bunnies who are in a hutch outdoors, only hunker into their boxes of hay if it's a blowing storm. Otherwise they're very chill. Rabbits are super cold hardy. Their fur+hay is such good insulation that mine frequently have successful litters in the winter in the teens in an outdoor hutch. Your rabbits are A-OK.

 

[RoosterML]

Nope, that looks cozy and warm. My only concern would be rabbits chewing on the heating pad. They probably won't hunker down much because they're indoors. My bunnies who are in a hutch outdoors, only hunker into their boxes of hay if it's a blowing storm. Otherwise they're very chill. Rabbits are super cold hardy. Their fur+hay is such good insulation that mine frequently have successful litters in the winter in the teens in an outdoor hutch. Your rabbits are A-OK.

So far I have not noticed any chewing of the heat pad, been on for maybe a couple months now. It is 1/2x3/4 hardware cloth so I am not sure if that's keeping them away or they have no interest. I'll be watching it. Thanks