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Getting Rabbits Ready for Winter

Getting Rabbits Ready for Winter
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The days are getting shorter and shorter….winter is right around the corner!  Now is the time to make your winter preparations so your rabbits can stay cozy & dry all winter long.  Every rabbit setup is different, but this is what we are doing to get ready!

Make their enclosure cozy

Add some hallway runners or small area rugs to their cage. I know what you are thinking…a rug, isn’t that just going to get ruined or be hard to clean?  Our rabbits are “mostly” litter box trained.  Rabbits are naturally clean animals and many rabbit keepers provide litter boxes for their bunnies.  Click here to learn about litter training rabbits.  Now I say “mostly” litter box trained because they aren’t perfect about it, but I’d say 95% of their poop is in the box. Look for a tight weave, inexpensive rug, and their little cocoa puff poops can be easily swept off. 

Getting rabbits ready for winter

If you have a really large enclosure like a barn stall or shed, get lots of extra straw. You can stack straw bales along the walls for added insulation or you can scatter the straw for the rabbits to build nests with. I find that it is easier to keep things tidy if I don’t cover the entire floor in straw. Instead, I will just scatter loose hay in a few places, making it deep for digging. Every couple of weeks I’ll add more straw to the piles.

Heated Water Bottles to Prevent Freezing

In winter, we replace their standard water bottle with a heated water bottle.  Rabbits have to have constant access to fresh water.  If you don’t buy a heated water bottle, you need to be committed to going out to change the water several times a day as it freezes.  The one we purchased is designed for rabbits with a metal-covered cord to prevent them from chewing through it. They also make heated water dishes if that is how your rabbit is used to drinking.

Getting rabbits ready for winter

Weather Proof the Exercise Area & Hutch

Even in the winter your rabbits will need access to their exercise area. They will not be happy being confined to a cage all season! If you live where it snows often, you will ideally have a solid roof over your exercise pen. You can put up a temporary tarp “roof” if a solid roof isn’t an option. Just be aware that something like that could fill with snow and collapse so if you get lots of heavy snow this might not work for you.

We have covered the exercise yard with a plywood, pitched roof. Then we wrap the walls of the yard with clear plastic (you can find this in the paint section of most hardware stores) to prevent blowing snow and cutting winter winds.

If your hutch is not under cover, you can wrap the hutch in plastic as well. When wrapping the hutch, be sure to leave some space open for ventilation and be sure you can still access the hutch for caring for the bunnies. You can use an OUTDOOR window insulation kit to easily weatherproof the hutch.

Getting rabbits ready for winter

Stick the double sided tape around all open wire parts

Getting rabbits ready for winter

Remove the tape backing, cut plastic sheeting to fit, and press to seal around all edges

Getting rabbits ready for winter

That’s it!  Easy peasy and super affordable.  PLEASE NOTE!  Make sure the plastic sheeting is not somewhere the rabbits could access and nibble on.

Don’t forget social time!

Your rabbits need fresh pellets & vegetables along with unlimited hay all winter long. Beyond basic care they also still need your companionship so don’t leave them alone all winter!  If you can’t hang outside with your rabbits, bring them inside to hop around and play with you at least once a week (more if you can!)

Getting Rabbits Ready for Winter


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mary davis

Friday 16th of April 2021

Where can I find this rabbit

Liz

Monday 19th of April 2021

My rabbits are English Angoras, you can try searching the rabbit breeder association to find a breeder near you. If you are in the New England area, I got mine from Evergreen Farm in Taunton, MA

ANNE M HOLLOWAY

Wednesday 16th of December 2020

Have you ever used pet warmers ( microwaveable pet safe) in the winter for your outdoor bunnies?

Liz

Thursday 17th of December 2020

No I haven't, but that could be a good option. I usually just really stack lots of straw in their bedroom area for them to snuggle into

Hailey

Thursday 30th of August 2018

If i have an indoor playpen set up for the rabbit could i have it stay in there all winter long instead of leaving my bun outdoors

Liz

Thursday 30th of August 2018

Hi Hailey, you could definitely do that as long as your bunny is safe there from other animals you might have in the house (cats or dogs). Give her a little cardboard box to hide & sleep in and she will be quite happy :)

Jillian

Tuesday 28th of February 2017

Do you have any suggestions for flies and mosquitoes? Last summer I ended up taking my buns inside when I saw them covered by mosquitos!

Liz

Tuesday 28th of February 2017

Oh no! I haven't had problems with mosquitoes yet, but we definitely battle flies. We usually hang up bags like these in both our rabbit & chicken runs: http://amzn.to/2lwKhYZ they smell pretty awful, but they really do work. We usually change them out once a month in the summer months. I know there are also several herbs that repel both flies & mosquitoes like lavender, citronella, marigold, basil and lemon balm.

Jennifer A

Tuesday 15th of December 2015

We are still wondering if the cold is going to come here, we've been running the AC today because the house got so hot. I have gotten our animals ready for winter, but we'll see if they need it. Your rabbits are so cute and fluffy! Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!

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