My rabbits are not protected against high wind and 0 temperatures with -25 wind chill. Should I let them tough it out the next few days or should I get 10 small boxes from the grocery store and keep them in the boxes in the house. I hope they make it through the night as I didn't even have hay for them to keep warm. They been used to cold in the high teens but nothing like tonight and the next few days.
Extreme cold what to do?
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CochinBrahmaLover
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My buck has been in -60F, they should be fine
I would give them boxes to hang out in though, or throw a tarp/cloth over them. You can also get straw which is cheaper to stuff in with them.
I would give them boxes to hang out in though, or throw a tarp/cloth over them. You can also get straw which is cheaper to stuff in with them.
They can handle cold, but they need protection from the wind. Get some tarps an zip-tie them to the cages to block the wind. Boxes in the cages are also a good idea. I'd be very afraid of frost-bite or worse in those temperatures without protection.
Yeah, what they just said.
Absolutely get a tarp over the pens. Cold temps plus high winds are not good. The tarps will help to protect them from the winds.
And CBL's and Maggie's suggestion of giving them a cardboard box to huddle in is spot on. Inside the box - even better with some hay or straw stuffed in them - will help against the low temps.
Also make sure they have plenty of feed to help them generate warmth - and they'll need water a couple of times a day. While it might freeze quickly, the rabbits should drink up a bunch before it freezes.
Good news! Spring will be here soon! Honest. Good luck to you!
Absolutely get a tarp over the pens. Cold temps plus high winds are not good. The tarps will help to protect them from the winds.
And CBL's and Maggie's suggestion of giving them a cardboard box to huddle in is spot on. Inside the box - even better with some hay or straw stuffed in them - will help against the low temps.
Also make sure they have plenty of feed to help them generate warmth - and they'll need water a couple of times a day. While it might freeze quickly, the rabbits should drink up a bunch before it freezes.
Good news! Spring will be here soon! Honest. Good luck to you!
A rapid change in temperature + stress of being kept inside can be more dangerous than the cold.
I just got finished putting cardboard boxes stuffed with hay in all my cages. Were we live they probably don't actually need it, but given that we had a 30 degree temp drop from yesterday's high to today's, high I figured it couldn't hurt. We are supposed to get freezing rain tonight and tomorrow also.
Ms. E
Member
Don't worry about the cold, but find some way to block the wind. My setup last year was a 4 hole hutch with enclosed next boxes in the back and they were fine all winter. I would keep the boxes full of fresh straw so the rabbits had the option of warm(er) shelter. Not that the little buggers would always use it :evil: . Grrr, nothing like spending time on their comfort and safety, only to visit the next morning when it was -40 and have all of them sitting in the front part of the hutch covered with frost from their breath.
Up here close to Lake Superior, it gets cold and windy most of the winter. Although I don't have rabbits now, I will be getting some this summer. I raised them outdoors for years. I had 3 sides closed in the winter, and a little covered room with a floor where they could go inside and sit and I don't think I ever lost a rabbit to the cold. All the grown ones seemed to be just fine and the biggest problem was frozen water. I tried not to have litters from about Dec. 20 to Feb. 28. I may have been cautious, because I hear they can be born year round, but the only ones I ever lost to the cold were when they occasionally got dragged outside the nest and were too small to get back in.
Protect them from too much wind and precipitation and they do fine. Mine were always acting normal in -30F. Their ears might be laid back slightly to help keep them warm but that was it. They didn't generally use the boxes of straw but mine were in horse stalls with solid sides up to 4' so there was little wind.
The ones outside had no problem with the cold snap. I did bring in a mother and new born where they'll stay till it gets warm out. Now I know they are OK at least down to 0F which is pretty rare around here.
