# Bringing outdoor rabbits indoors for subzero temperatures



## Bville (Jan 1, 2014)

I have three rabbits in separate hutches outdoors. They have warming mats in an enclosed section of their hutches with some straw and they have been doing fine this winter with the lowest temperature being 4 degrees so far. The weather forecast is calling for temperatures of -4 and -10 this Friday and Saturday and I am thinking of bringing them into our basement which is about 60 degrees. I am worried though about the temperature changes they'll have to go through since I will want to put them back outside in their hutches when the outside temperatures go back up to 17 of a low on Sunday. What do you guys think? Keep them outside or bring them in for a couple of days? :dunno:


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## JBun (Jan 1, 2014)

Rabbits usually tolerate cold very well when they are used to it, but I would be worried too, about below 0 temps. If you do decide to bring them in, maybe try and shut some vents in that area so it stays cooler, and also keep a close eye on them. You may need to provide ways for them to cool off like you would in the summer(frozen bottles, cool tiles, cool water to drink).


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## Imbrium (Jan 1, 2014)

Drafts are the big concern much moreso than temperature - plenty of outdoor rabbits do just fine in temperatures a bit below zero. As long as the hutches are well insulated and protected from drafts, I would think it's probably better to leave them outside.


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## Kimberly09 (Jan 1, 2014)

Do you have a garage you could possibly put them in? I know our garage stays warmer then outside temp. That way its a space that is warmer then the the outside temp, but not to warm (such as your basement)


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## Bville (Jan 1, 2014)

Kimberly09 said:


> Do you have a garage you could possibly put them in? I know our garage stays warmer then outside temp. That way its a space that is warmer then the the outside temp, but not to warm (such as your basement)



I don't want to put them in the garage. Their hutches were too much trouble to get up on the deck so we can't really take them down and move them to the garage. Plus, I want to keep my car in there. I have a dog crate and exercise pens to put them in, but in the garage it would be hard to set up something similar to the enclosed part of their hutch for them to warm up in. If I set them up in the basement, they won't need the warming mats. I can just give them a cardboard box to hide in. 

My husband thinks we should keep them outside and just try to cover the hutches with blankets or something, even though they are pretty solid and draft free. I am leaning toward putting them in the basement.


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## RabbitGirl101 (Jan 1, 2014)

Your hutch looks well protected from the drafts (It looks like their is something over the wire) If it looks like there is little drafts then that is one thing that will help a lot. Another thing to consider is ventilation, although you want to protect from drafts the rabbits will also need some sort of ventilation for their hutch. 

Then little things are, keeping the hutch dry and wet-free. Although the bunnies may be staying warm the water will most likely freeze. If they accidentally spill the water or if they sit in their own urine it could freeze on them. Make sure there is lots of straw or things they can snuggle in to keep warm. Straw is a known insulator so that could help keep it warmer. 


If it was me, I would keep them outside. The sudden change is temperature could make them sick. Or they could start molting into a thinner coat, so when you put them outside again they may not have their thick winter coat still.


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## Bville (Jan 1, 2014)

RabbitGirl101 said:


> Your hutch looks well protected from the drafts (It looks like their is something over the wire) If it looks like there is little drafts then that is one thing that will help a lot. Another thing to consider is ventilation, although you want to protect from drafts the rabbits will also need some sort of ventilation for their hutch.
> 
> Then little things are, keeping the hutch dry and wet-free. Although the bunnies may be staying warm the water will most likely freeze. If they accidentally spill the water or if they sit in their own urine it could freeze on them. Make sure there is lots of straw or things they can snuggle in to keep warm. Straw is a known insulator so that could help keep it warmer.
> 
> ...



Yes, there is plexiglass over the wire on the doors and a few inches of just screen material on top of that for ventilation. They have straw in the enclosed part of the hutch along with the warming mats, but they just seem to build themselves a nest in the back corner of it and don't even sit directly on the mats. 

You mentioned that they could start molting. I was wondering about that too, if the warmth of the basement would make them shed their winter coats. I certainly don't want that!


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## NarniWonk (Jan 1, 2014)

Nice Hutches!!!  They look very safe and cosy!! 
If it were me I would definitely definitely keep them outside, your basement sounds very, very warm-especially compared to outdoors, Bunnies are well able to tolerate very cold temperatures-with your help-so just provide lots of hay and straw. The sudden temperature change when moving to the basement could definitely impact them both physically and mentally, it is far more common for rabbits to suffer from over-heating than freezing. Check on them regularly in cold temperatures and it might be an idea to put fleece in the cage for them to cuddle into.
All the best!!


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## lovelops (Jan 1, 2014)

Basement does sound like a good option and it sounds to me like you would have piece of mind if you did that...
whatever you do, keep an eye on them and try to stay warm.

V


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## Imbrium (Jan 2, 2014)

Those hutches look very solid and well-insulated/protected from drafts... I really do think it's best to give them lots of straw to bed down in and leave them out there - in my opinion, the risks of bringing outdoor bunnies inside in the middle of winter outweigh assuaging the paranoia about leaving them outdoors.


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## ladysown (Jan 2, 2014)

they will be fine outdoors. Leave them outside.


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## lovelops (Jan 2, 2014)

quick question are you in the area it's going to be -17 to -25 F?


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## Bville (Jan 2, 2014)

lovelops said:


> quick question are you in the area it's going to be -17 to -25 F?



No, but if it was, that might make my decision easier. The forecast here is for 2 Friday, -2 Friday night, and -10 Saturday night. I am still on the fence about it. I think at last count I had 4 votes for outside and 3 for inside, not including my husband who votes for outside (but he will go along with whatever I choose). I gave them a little more straw just a few minutes ago.


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## RabbitGirl101 (Jan 2, 2014)

They should be fine, they still have their winter coats and they will be able to snuggle up with the straw. Most of the time the rabbits won't go directly on the heating pads because it will start making them _too_ warm for comfort. I personally would leave them outside they seem well protected from any drafts and they have a winter coat already in. I would be more worried about bringing them in and then putting _back_ outside when they've started molting their coats. (It happens-I have personal experience with this as well). If they are doing well outside then I would leave them, sudden changes in environment could also upset them. I personally would keep them outside, they seem like they have multiple places to go to stay warm

Also, one thing you could add is shavings. You could put shavings on the bottom and then put the straw on top of it. This would be more absorbant. Also if you just continue adding layers of fresh shavings on top of the old stuff (Keep old shavings and get rid of old straw) It actually can start generating heat. This is one little tip I've learned while having 4 pet chickens.


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## lovelops (Jan 2, 2014)

Let us know how they do... 

The National Weather Service here in DC / MD just put this alert out that I got on my application on my phone for us stating that we have "a wind chill advisory in effect because we are going to have winds up to 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45mph..a wind chill advisory means that very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken." I had no idea we had a wind chill advisory in effect but knew they were saying we were going to have winds that high here..

I hope the weather is a bit better there and you guys aren't under a blizzard warning because for the East Coast they have changed it from a Noreaster to a Blizzard warning... and we were originally listed as having 1-3 inches and already I can tell from how big the flakes are we are going to have more like 4-6 according to later news reports..

All keep warm! Keep us posted and I hope you everything works out ok!

V


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## mrsmeyers (Jan 2, 2014)

I asked my rabbit breeder about bringing our rabbit indoors, too, in light of our subzero temps here in Wisconsin and she said not to bring them indoors for more than 3 hours. Even one overnight stay indoors in the middle of winter can cause them to molt. As long as my rabbit seems happy, normal, and is eating and drinking, he's staying outside. He's got plenty of straw and a nice hidey-hole he's dug into it ... I also ordered a SnuggleSafe today that will arrive on Monday. I've done all I can to winterize his habitat and now I'm just keeping a close eye on him and taking my cues from his behavior and appetite.


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## savingbuns (Jan 3, 2014)

I would vote to leave them outside - they are well protected in those hutches for sure - the main thing is to keep the wind and drafts and keep them dry - if they are healthy and they have a good balanced diet and ample water they will do the job of keeping themselves nice and warm.

I am no expert for sure - only rescued 4 rabbits in September now have 5 with the little one. Three of them are still outside in the metal shed all in their own pens, with litter pans with boxes filled with hay to burrow in. Their pens are away from the metal walls and I have rubber matts around the pens to keep the cold off the metal walls. Then each of their pens are covered with heavy blankets. The shed is only 6X9 and we have the extra bales of hay and bags of wood shavings.

As long as we can keep them dry and make sure they have water 3times a day - they get let out twice to run around in the shed and we make sure they drink too. They get lots of hay, pellets and mixed fresh vegetables. Their coats are amazingly thick and they are very active.

Willie the biggest rabbit unfortunately has had the smallest xldog crate - but today he gets a brand new pen I built him - we were not sure if we were keeping them over the winter - but with this weather and the situation at the sanctuary we felt better to keep them - at least we know they will be nice and warm and be taken care of 24/7.

The Mom and baby which is just over 3 months old and we have double checked her sex and so glad that she is a she - or we would have another big issue on our hands - as Mom could not go outside with the others - no winter coat and the baby can't this year either. So now they get to spend the winter inside in our very cold basement. It is not insulated so the temp is absolute perfect for these big Reds...Should post pics later....


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## Imbrium (Jan 3, 2014)

Bville said:


> No, but if it was, that might make my decision easier. The forecast here is for 2 Friday, -2 Friday night, and -10 Saturday night. I am still on the fence about it. I think at last count I had 4 votes for outside and 3 for inside, not including my husband who votes for outside (but he will go along with whatever I choose). I gave them a little more straw just a few minutes ago.



It's worth noting that the people who have personal experience keeping rabbits outdoors all voted for leaving them outside .


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## carriedaisy (Jan 3, 2014)

Your hutches look great! I think I would leave them outside. I am worried about ours too, the temperatures are falling below 0 for the first time. I have been putting lots of extra hay in and have a heat lamp on them at times.


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## Bville (Jan 3, 2014)

Imbrium said:


> It's worth noting that the people who have personal experience keeping rabbits outdoors all voted for leaving them outside .



Yes, I was hoping that some people who keep their rabbits outside could advise me based on their experience. This is my first winter with my rabbits and frankly when I made the decision to get them and keep them as outdoor pets, I didn't know I would worry about them so much! I'm sure those of you with house rabbits can't imagine putting your sweeties outside in the cold. I have to keep reminding myself that they have fur coats, fur faces, and fur feet.

They are doing fine so far. Tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 27 during the day so they'll get a break from these single-digit temps. I gave them some fleece today too in their beds. They may toss it out, but I thought I'd give it a try.


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## Imbrium (Jan 3, 2014)

My rabbits are strictly indoors, but I imagine they'd do just fine outside if they had a chance to grow the proper coats . Of course, I can go around in temps of 10-15F wearing jeans, a t-shirt, flip-flops (sneakers if I'm actually going to walk through some snow or if I'll be out there for more than like 15 mins) and a light hoodie and be totally comfortable if it's not very windy. It's the wind chills that make winter temperatures brutal for us and it's no different for bunnies.


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## mrsmeyers (Jan 9, 2014)

What did you decide to do with your rabbits?

My outdoor rabbit did just great with the subzero temps. The fur on his nose would be a tad frosty in the mornings (it easily wiped off), but he didn't seem fazed by the weather. He stayed in his cubby a lot, but he chowed down on his food, drank his water and handled it all with aplomb. So proud of him! 

Based on what I know of your winterizing measures, I bet your rabbits did just fine, too. We seemed to have winterized our hutches in similar ways.


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## Bville (Jan 9, 2014)

mrsmeyers said:


> What did you decide to do with your rabbits?
> 
> My outdoor rabbit did just great with the subzero temps. The fur on his nose would be a tad frosty in the mornings (it easily wiped off), but he didn't seem fazed by the weather. He stayed in his cubby a lot, but he chowed down on his food, drank his water and handled it all with aplomb. So proud of him!
> 
> Based on what I know of your winterizing measures, I bet your rabbits did just fine, too. We seemed to have winterized our hutches in similar ways.



I left them outside and THEY SURVIVED!!! I was so worried, but they did fine. Like yours, they did spend more time in their cubbies and just came out to eat, drink, and use the litter box. Hopefully, now I can relax during the next cold spell knowing they'll be all right.


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## zombiesue (Jan 9, 2014)

Acutally, there's a guy on another forum who lives in Alaska, where it's regularly -40, not as the WIND CHILL, but the TEMPERATURE. And his rabbits all live outside. So, I think that anywhere in the lower 48, they'll probably be fine as long as they're not sick to begin with.


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## Azerane (Jan 10, 2014)

I was wondering, just out of curiousity if you could record the temperature inside the hutch overnight. Get one of those high and low thermometers and leave it in and see where it ends up. Because I'm sure it's quite a bit warmer inside the hutch than out.


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## Imbrium (Jan 10, 2014)

Azerane said:


> I was wondering, just out of curiousity if you could record the temperature inside the hutch overnight. Get one of those high and low thermometers and leave it in and see where it ends up. Because I'm sure it's quite a bit warmer inside the hutch than out.



They actually make wireless thermometers that can be placed outside and then you can read the temperature on the monitoring device from inside. I don't remember how much they are, but I know you can get them super cheap. I was looking for a thermometer to measure the cage temperature for my sugar gliders during winter because I like to keep the house around 60F and gliders prefer it to be a good bit warmer than that - I was using a space heater to warm just their cage area and wanted to make sure it didn't get too hot or too cold. I ended up with the thermometer that you can monitor from a distance not because it's so convenient (though it is!) but because it was the _cheapest_ option I found at Walmart, lol.

I know I wouldn't have paid more than $10-15 for a basic thermometer, so that one had to have been in that general price range. It shows the current temperature as well as the highest and lowest temperatures that it's recorded recently (not sure how long it tracks those for, seems like at least 8-12h unless the battery gets replaced, though).

Edit: oh, and the part that actually takes the temperature is probably around 3'' long, 1'' wide and 1/2'' thick; it's solid plastic, has no buttons or anything that screams "chew me" to bunnies and it's got a hole in the top where you can put it on a hook or put a string through it to hang it .


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