do cold rabbits need more calories?

[deenaxnicole]

Winter has been rough this year and my bedroom and family room are the coldest rooms in the house, both with house my buns. The last month they’ve consumed more than double their normal hay intake. They get unlimited hay and 1/4c oxbow pellets a day. Should I increase their pellets? Do they need more calories to stay warm and if so, how much? They each have igloos and cat beds they enjoy sleeping on, is there any more ideas on keeping them warm? I can’t move them and the rooms are just farthest from the furnace. The space heater is on when I’m home, but for fire precaution it’s off when I leave.

[Bam]

If they haven’t lost weight I should think the extra hay is sufficient to meet their need of extra calories. Rabbits housed outdoors in cold climates are generally given more food during the cold season, often with additions of high-energy food like sunflower-seeds, but then were talking about temps around and below 0 degrees C. How cold is the room they’re in? Are your bunnies bonded? If they are, they can snuggle up togeather if they are feeling cold.

Rabbits have good tolerance to cold, heat or very rapid changes in temp (more than 10 degrees C up or down) are much worse.

My bunnies have fleece-blankets to snuggle with should they want to. They seldom want to but they like to drag the blankets around.

[deenaxnicole]

On the few days it was sub zero temps outside it got probably around low 50°F unless I had the space heater on. On normal cold days it’s probably high 50’s-low 60’s, unless I’m here. They’re not bonded yet. I’m waiting on my male, Socks, to get neutered (next week) and heal up then I’ll begin that process. My female, Daisy, is spayed already.

[Bam]

50 F is not really dangerously low – indoors they’re obviously protected from rain, snow and wind – and they seem to be compensating well by eating a lot more hay – which is normal, healthy bunny-behaviour. How do they appear to you? I mean, are they alert, interested, are their eyes clear, fur shiny and in good condition? Rabbits get thicker fur when it starts getting cold, so if they’re gradually exposed to a lowering of the temp, (like they would be in the wild during the fall) they have time to “prepare themselves” by growing thicker, warmer fur.

If they are young (6-12 months or less) you should probably give them more pellets though, because growing animals need more protein than adult ones.

If it becomes really cold you could put hot water-bottles wrapped in fleece or towels near them, but not so they can’t move away from the heat. If they’re in cages you could put the water-bottles just outside the cages so they don’t try to eat the bottles or towels.

Be extra careful when Socks comes home after his surgery, because after surgery, bunnies are sensitive to cold. He may need a hot-water-bottle to snuggle up against then.

[deenaxnicole]

They’re both adults, Daisy is estimated to be about 2 years and Socks is around 6 years. They both are acting pretty normal. I first bought the space heater while Daisy was getting her spay done and I was setting up her cage and the temperature in the room, so I plan to do the same for Socks. I’ll try the water bottle thing too! Thank you! I knew rabbits could handle cold well I just didn’t want to be unintentionally depriving them of any necessary extra calories.

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