Why do we need to take extra measure with rabbits in winter?
In the wild rabbits live under ground in burrows. In these burrows the temperature doesn't vary much through the seasons due to them being well insulated with the soil and grasses. Domestic rabbits don't have the pleasure of burrowing for themselves so it's important we do everything to keep them as warm and as safe as possible in the winter months.
Taking care of your rabbits hutch and run.
If it is possible moe your rabbits hutch and run into a shed or garage for the winter months. If this is not possible then try to move them to a more sheltered location in your outside space. You need to givee your hutch and run a good looking over and check for any holes, cracks in he roof and take care of any maintance jobs. With our rabbits at home through winter i double line the roof of the hutch. The next thing to check that some people don't think about is the feet of the hutch. Wood absorbs water and it doesn't take long for the feet of the hutch to absorb the water and travel to the base of your hutch which will leave the hutch floor damp and in turn dampen your rabbits bedding. To avoid this it's a good idea to raise your hutch slightly on some flags or flat stone to stop the absorption of water. I have in the past used heavy pot plant pots to raise our hutches which proved handy for cleaning the hucth too. Whatever you use you need to make sure your rabbit can still access their run from the hutch, an extra ladder may be needed.
Weatherproofing the outside of your rabbits hutch.
When thinking of insulation for the outside of your rabbits hutch, it's important to think of things that will keep heat in and the rain out! Here are some things i use for our rabbits at home.
Emergency blankets are a fabulous base insulator for hutches, and my go to every year for the base layer of my hutch. Next your going to need some good quality tarpaulin. This will help to keep your rabbits hutch dry in the winter. I personally use perpex sheets in the front of my hutches so the rabbits can still see out and this gives them very much needed light. When it coes to the runs i again use perpex sheets but i leave one end of the run open for air to circulate.
Bedding your rabbit down for winter.
Bedding is super important for rabbits in winter. The deeper you can get your bed the better. Not only will it keep them wam but they will also be able to fulfill some of them natural instincts like burrowing.
Rabbits need a deep pile of shavings throughout the hucth through winter and a good quality straw plie in the bed area. Straw is a natural insulator because it is hollow. You still need to be providing plenty of hay for them to eat. As you know rabbits need to be eating constantly because their diestive system needs a constant supply of food moving through them. So make sure you top up that hay everyday.
Regular cleaning and daily checks need doing on our rabbits bedding o make sue that it hasn't become damp. A rabbit needs a dry bed to help them stay warm.
Water bottles freeze really easily during the winter so its important to check them day and night. You can buy insulating jackets for water bottles but i've always attached mine to the inside of the door of my hutch through the winter months
We have all you need to bed down your rabbit for winter in store and online. Find your supplies under small pet bedding.