Winter Warming

[Isabelle]

So winter is coming to Dutchess and I in Minnesota, where we get below zero weather quite often. She began to shed her summer coat and has been getting chubby with her winter one, and even though there isn’t snow on the ground yet her ears are starting to get cold. I was reading around and found out that cold ears mean that bunnies are keeping heat in. My question is, are her ears going to stay cool the whole winter, or is it an indicator to me that she isn’t warm enough from her coat or the house? I like to keep it a bit warmer but my dad likes to turn the heat down, especially at night. He says that’s what blankets are for.  Anyway, I’m concerned about leaving her downstairs where it would be chillier, especially on frozen nights. I recently gave her a little hand towel for a blankie, and she seems to like it, although I don’t know if she could really wrap herself up in it. My dad also likes to turn the heat down when we’re gone during the day. I’m concerned he’s going to say she’s got a fur coat she’ll be fine, but that argument is best left to us.

So . . . are bunnies ears usually always cool in the winter or should I be worried her coat isn’t thick enough, and does anyone have any winter warm up ideas? What are indications that a bunny is getting too cold?

[allegrabunny]

More hay, if bunnies are anything like horses, having more hay will warm them internally, how cold is your house? I think the ideal temp if around 60. I would try making sure there aren’t any drafts around your bunny. If she has a little box to snuggle in, she should be warm enough. Otherwises you could try a little dog sweater.

[RabbitPam]

I’m also wondering how cold is cold. Your bunny is fine above 55 degrees, I think, and they like the cold better than being too warm.
I wouldn’t try to dress her, but you can get a slightly larger fleece blankie, even a swatch from a fabric store, to be able to stretch out on or snuggle with. The hay is good. Also, if you put a little enclosure as a hidey hole for her in her cage, her own body heat will make her warmer in a cozy place.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Hay is a perfect idea-it’s actually ridiculously warm (having played hide and seek in below zero weather on a farm more then once, it’s warm to hide in the hay bales lol….oi only in Alberta right?)

Honestly I’d say anything inside the house would be warm enough. I mean, if the house has drafts and there is ice forming on the walls (that can happen up here where 40 below is Dec-Jan-Feb) then I’d worry. But most people turn the thermostat down during the night to about 16C (I think that’s around what Pam mentioned at 55F) and I see no problem with that.

For me a rule of thumb is if I’m comfortable in a long sleeved shirt my animals are probably comfortable. If your wearing a parka in the house and standing next to the oven watching your breath that’s probably too chilly

As for indications-I would say huddling up and not moving around. A shivering animal is a desperately cold animal so I would doubt you would see that, but maybe she would change behavior from normal bunny flops to bunny loafing? Anyone else have thoughs on indications that a bunny is cold?

[allegrabunny]

Yeah, umm I was totally joking about dressing the bunnys, they soo don’t appreciate it.

[RabbitPam]

Thanks for adding that, allegra. Not everyone is joking, and a gentle reminder is warranted. Our posts can be read by many more members than we hear from, so I had an image of someone new to bunnies saying “you can dress your bunny? Oh boy!”

If that were true, we’d have a couture clothing line in the shop….KIDDING LOL@

[Elrohwen]

If you’re comfortable in your house (even with some extra sweatshirts and blankets) your bunny will be fine. They’re generally comfortable down to 45 or 50 and your house probably isn’t nearly that cold (even if it sometimes feels like it). Just make sure she has a nice draft free area to hide in.

Also, their ears are generally cold after sleeping (because they’re trying to keep heat in) but just feel her ears after she’s been running around – I bet they’ll feel warm then.

[Isabelle]

Thanks everyone. The house is never really put below 65 degrees F in the winter time, and we have no drafts in the house, so it sounds like she’ll be fine. I tried giving her a little blankie in her habitat, but she hasn’t taken to it. She pushed it away and besides a few inquisitive nibbles she’s ignored it. Fussy lil’ bun.

[Elrohwen]

We keep our house at 65 as well and the buns have never shown signs of being chilly – they stretch out right in the middle of the room 🙂

[Sarita]

I agree 65 is just fine for a rabbit. Remember that an inside rabbit too is shielded from the elements (wind, cold, snow) so that makes a tremendous difference.

[Dee]

I live in Massachusetts where it gets pretty cold in the winter, and we have a drafty old house- ancient windows, no insulation, you get the picture. I try to keep the heat at 62-65F so the gas bills don’t skyrocket, but I do provide an electric oil filled radiator heater for the bunnies- it has a shut-off in case it tips over or overheats, and doesn’t get dangerously hot. It doesn’t cost too much $$ to run, as long as I keep it on the 600watt setting. And of course I enclose the cord in that black ribbed tubing you get at Home Depot. The bunnies snuggle right up to the heater and roast their little butts. At first I was worried that they worried that they would burn themselves, but they seem to know how much heat they can stand. When I forget to turn it on, BunBun sits next to it and glares at me accusingly. I tried to explain to him that his cottontail cousins live outside year round, but he won’t listen :p .
You could ask your dad about a little radiator heater if your bunny seems cold, but the cheapest and safest alternative would be a nice little box with a towel/blanket on the bottom and lots of hay inside. I think my bunnies are probably just spoiled. Also, BunBun is only about 5 lbs- maybe smaller bunnies are more delicate…?

[KatnipCrzy]

what kind of flooring is she on?  cement floors can get really, really cold- and that would be the only possible issue I could see.  But you could solve that by making sure she has an area that is not affected (well layered) or a shelf with a blanket to lay on, etc…

[Isabelle]

Her habitat is up on wheels in the main hub of the house, which stays fairly warm when we turn on the oven from the near by and such. Otherwise she is always on carpet when she runs around the rooms she is allowed in. We have a gas fireplace that is on in the family room where she is let out a lot, and we turn it on daily during the winter, and it keeps the lower level where she is at quite warm, although we turn it off before we go to bed. She has already discovered the registers around the house, and will go lie on them (summer time she liked the AC, I’m sure in the winter she’ll enjoy the heat) as well.

[Deleted User]

I would not worry then, if she even has access to the heat registers.

[Heather&BabsyBooboo]

I read somewhere that rabbits tolerate cold quite well it’s damp they don’t handle

[KatnipCrzy]

sounds as though flooring is not an issue.  Griffin likes floor grates a little TOO much- there is one that I have to cover otherwise he pees on it.  Smart bunny in one way- he thinks it is like a litterbox I suppose.  But I really do not want the odor of heated bunny pee when the heat kicks on!!!

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