First Winter in a shed

Hi All

I have stacked cages purchased in the US from Plank's (I believe)
They have wire floors and trays under. Each rabbit has his/her own pen. I use water bottles and J-feeders.

Last winter I was lucky enough to house my rabbits in my heated garage.
My neighbour complained about the smell of the manure (I tipped my pans in the back garden) this spring and I had to move my rabbits to a farm (and pay rent!)

My rabbits have a nice little shed all to them selves. But I want them to be comfortable this winter.
I have done a bunch of reading and it seems to be they will be ok with a cardboard box full of straw to burrow in.
I think I will need to switch my water bottles for crocks for water.

Is there anything else I need for my bunnies for the winter?
Thanks
Patricia

Hi Patricia and welcome to RabbitTalk! :hi:

Your rabbits should be just fine in wire cages in a shed, especially with a box of straw for sleeping. Some of them may end up using it for a litter box while others will treasure their box and keep it spotless. Just depends on the rabbit. You may want to keep a supply of extra boxes there, just in case.

How often can you check on your rabbits? Keeping their water liquid will be your biggest challenge, I think. If you can visit them only once a day, you will want to look into some kind of a heated water system. Does your shed have electricity? If not, could you perhaps run a heavy-duty extension cord to it?

I've kept my rabbits in cages in a shed with no problems, but I did find myself making water runs three times a day in the coldest weather. Your winters may be a tad milder than mine; I'm about two hours east of Toronto, near Lake Ontario.

Fortunately, there's some time before winter to work something out. Give us a bit more detail so we can help you find a good solution.

MaggieJ
Thank you for the welcome!

We get fairly mild winters here... more slush than snow.... but we have been know to get bad (frozen)winters.

There is no Electric for the shed.
I currently check on the Buns once a day at least. Sometimes I'm there twice a day as I can make it a stop on the way home from work too. Somedays you just need a little bunny to make you smile after a day of Computers and Clients.
:bunnyhop:

I make sure to start collecting cardboard boxes of the right size.

Part of my plan was getting crocks for water dishes and stopping by 2x per day to make sure they have fresh/liquid water.... my experience with crocks for feed dishes was not very successful when I first started with rabbits. (before the J feeders)

What do others use in unheated areas for water?
thanks

why not try keeping them outdoors in the back yard? If you don't stack your cages dropping directly on to soil have almost no smell. It only stinks when urine collect in pans. Poop is almost odorless unless they get soft stool. Rabbits used to outdoors rarely have a problem with cold.

Unfortunately, my DH told the city inspector that we raise the rabbits for meat... He classed them as livestock and we can't have them outside our house on the property at all... My DH will NOT let me keep them in the house

-- Tue Aug 23, 2016 4:30

Most rabbits are very cold hardy, and often quite cold-happy.

Most of mine seem to appreciate when temps are 5-10 degrees below what is comfortable for me.
I've had rabbits outside in winters that pushed -20f for several days in a row, repeatedly. Solid frozen winters, where slush would be a distant dream.

Heavy gauge plastic to keep wind out and some hay or straw to lay on or burrow into is appreciated. Little straw or hay stuffed boxes to hide in are nice. I prefer to keep them off direct wire contact when it's below 0 f, but I'm not really sure it's a necessity.
I breed all winter, no matter how ferocious the weather, and I've yet to lose any rabbits to cold, save for a few kits pulled out of a nestbox on the teat.
One precaution I take to avoid that is to bring the nestboxes inside when it's terrible out, returning it only for a few minutes during feeding/watering times so that the does can nurse.
I think, the most important thing when it comes to cold is frozen water. When the water in their crocks is frozen after just a couple hours, I have to check on them and defrost their bowels several times a day.


Certain breeds may be more prone to cold related issues than others. Velveteen lops come to mind, as they have been known to get frostbit ears, or even self mutilate when they begin feeling painful tingling due to cold.