KelleyBee
Well-known member
Does anyone add burrow boxes to wire cages when Temps drop below freezing? Photos: burrow boxes; rabbitry open; rabbitry closed. 
Burrow boxes?
- Thread starter KelleyBee
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you have no snow yet... it doesn't need to be so closed up. Ammonia will become a problem! I live in SW Ontario. I don't provide burrow boxes or extra hay, I have my rabbits under shelter with lots of ventilation, but I do block off the worst of the wind. Rabbits handle the cold just fine. I would leave your tarp up for as long as possible and only close it when you have to.
KelleyBee
Well-known member
I really appreciate your input. i left it open last night and will take your advice. We do have an exhaust fan installed in the wall blowing out that runs when we put down the tarp and I empty the urine bucket and rinse the gutters to reduce ammonia.
Are your rabbits in hanging wire cages like mine? No attached wooden boxes? If I don’t give a burrow box had inside the cage) all they’ve got is the wire and the 3 sides of the rabbitry. I’ve mostly been concerned about the nests of kits when the temps dropped into the 20s F. There is so much conflicting info out there and the books I have purchased barely, if at all, talk about how to care for rabbits over winter. I get the heat issues, but also want to be sure I am thoughtfully caring for them in the cold.
northernnevadahollandlops
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If it were me, I would provide some sort of nest box for the kits. I've been using plastic totes with lids that I cut a hole in the side big enough for mama to get in and out. I also drill drainage holes in the bottom. Put some absorbent bedding in the bottom and then fill it with hay. It provides them with a super warm place to be. And easy access for me with the lid. I don't know for sure, but the ammonia with kit urine does not seems as strong to me, and I clean the box out once every 7-10 days or so without issue.
KelleyBee
Well-known member
My litters are all in nesting boxes with straw and mama's hair.
I don't provide anything extra in the cages. I tried a variety of things in the past but rabbits like to poop on everything. My rabbits are wire cages, and (in the winter) I put up plywood around the building they are in that results in three sides mostly enclosed. I leave LOTS of ventilation. I get some snow in the rabbitry, but not very much as I have the snow side(prevailing winds) blocked from the wind/weather.
Kits stay in their nestboxes for three weeks rather than 10-14 days (in warm weather). Kits do just fine in the winter as long as
1. moms do their job and pull sufficient fur and use the nestbox appropriately. I do keep extra fur from when rabbits moult to supplement as needed.
2. kits don't get cold, wet or become sick. Sick kits in the cold perish quickly.
3. any litters three or less come inside overnight, and go out during the day unless it's bitterly cold. this continues until they are decently furred (usually about five days). If possible I will foster kits to make a better. warmer nest, rather needing to bring them in.
4. at the danger period for kits (7-14 days) I pull kits and their nestboxes and place them in an empty cage with a towel covering the nestboxes (11 p.m. - 7 a.m.). This prevents them from being dragged out of the box when mom feeds them at night and then chilling/freezing. It also prevents that cold/hot temperature shift.
My healthiest, strongest kits are ALWAYS born in the winter.
Kits stay in their nestboxes for three weeks rather than 10-14 days (in warm weather). Kits do just fine in the winter as long as
1. moms do their job and pull sufficient fur and use the nestbox appropriately. I do keep extra fur from when rabbits moult to supplement as needed.
2. kits don't get cold, wet or become sick. Sick kits in the cold perish quickly.
3. any litters three or less come inside overnight, and go out during the day unless it's bitterly cold. this continues until they are decently furred (usually about five days). If possible I will foster kits to make a better. warmer nest, rather needing to bring them in.
4. at the danger period for kits (7-14 days) I pull kits and their nestboxes and place them in an empty cage with a towel covering the nestboxes (11 p.m. - 7 a.m.). This prevents them from being dragged out of the box when mom feeds them at night and then chilling/freezing. It also prevents that cold/hot temperature shift.
My healthiest, strongest kits are ALWAYS born in the winter.
Rabbits do like to hide. So I put a hide in the hutch. it has two openings. I insulated it with a few layers of cardboard, but they tore it out most of the way. It gives them a place to get out of the wind. Even so they hang out in the open most of the time. For reference we only get freezing temps most of the winter, with a couple weeks dipping toward 20F.
