Rabbits who are normally kept outdoors can really suffer in the winter if the temperature suddenly dips. Even if your rabbit is an indoor bunny you will need to make sure their cage is situated somewhere which is not too cold.
If your rabbit is outdoors:
- Make sure their hutch is waterproofed on both the top and sides. This stops damp penetrating into the hutch. Hutches should also be raised off the floor which can be done on bricks if there are no legs. Turn the front of the hutch away from the wind.
- You need to provide a warm snuggly bed for your rabbit and ideally give an extra layer of bedding during cold times.
- The mesh on the front of the door can be covered with perspex to prevent wind and rain. You need to leave enough room for ventilation.
- Water bottles need to be checked at least twice a day to make sure they haven’t frozen. It is possible to buy insulating covers for water bottles but if the temperature is low enough the water may still freeze underneath the cover.
- Lastly, at night you need to cover the whole hutch with blankets and a tarpaulin to maintain the heat. Again you need to make sure you leave gaps for ventilation.
- You may want to consider purchasing your rabbit an indoor cage for the winter. Even with the tips above, many outdoor kept rabbits do freeze to death in the winter months each year. We have a brilliant range of indoor rabbit cages suitable for this purpose some of which even come with runs to make sure your rabbit is getting enough exercise.
If your rabbit is indoors:
Make sure the cage is away from direct sunlight and somewhere that a relatively constant temperature is maintained. If your rabbit is kept in a garage or room without heating during the cold spells you will need to provide extra bedding and check their water regularly to make sure it hasn’t frozen.
How do you keep your rabbit warm during winter? Do you have any tips for other rabbit owners? Let us know via our Facebook page.
