Frozen Water

[TheLittleBunny10]

Last night it was 26F and the water in the water bottles all froze, should I switch to crocks?
How do I keep the water from freezing?
Thanks!

 

[Zass]

I continue to use bottles even in freezing temps and swap them out 3/4th full of warm water twice a day. Warm water isn't necessary, I just think it might be nice for the buns to have warmth in their bellies twice a day.

 

[TheLittleBunny10]

okay, I could try that

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It was 14 here last night. You can't keep the water from freezing unless your buns are in a climate controlled building or you have a heated water system.

I fill crocks twice daily with warm water. I have a bucket of warm water that I will soak the iced over crocks in to remove the solid ice before filling. If you wear rubber gloves your hands wont get nearly as cold, but they DO get cold. :x

 

[TheLittleBunny10]

so, I should switch to crocks?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You can switch out water bottles too, but the problem is that the stem will freeze a lot faster than a bowl of water.

I bought glass bowls from the dollar store- some are heart and star shaped, and others are straight sided "crock" style bowls.

 

[TheLittleBunny10]

okay, I'll see if I can go there today, thanks!

 

[Homer]

I like the Ramekins from Walmart. Straight sides and pretty heavy so they don't tip very easily. And the best part is they're cheap.

 

[TheLittleBunny10]

I like the Ramekins from Walmart.

We have a few of those, but they are for eating from

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

We use plastic "crocks". Pull them in the morning (when they're frozen) and replace with clean crocks and fresh warm water. Then we bring the frozen crocks inside and place in the dishwasher and run it - usually without soap if they're not too dirty. Cleans them up and gets rid of all the ice. Then they're ready to go for the next swap.

Didn't get above 20 degrees F today so had to swap out again this evening. So today they got fresh water twice in 12 hours. They'll be frozen again in the morning and we'll swap out again.

I prefer water bottles as they are less work and less messy but the metal stems freeze so quickly and we can't afford to heat the barn. We use the crocks in the summer, too, when it gets really hot. We put the crocks out and then put ice in the water a couple times a day on those days in the upper 90's to give the buns a cool drink.

An automatic water system might be easier but we don't have that many rabbits and we're constantly switching things around and moving pens and the crocks and bottles let us maintain that flexibility. Best of luck to you this winter ... stay warm!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Pull them in the morning (when they're frozen) and replace with clean crocks and fresh warm water. Then we bring the frozen crocks inside and place in the dishwasher and run it - usually without soap if they're not too dirty. Cleans them up and gets rid of all the ice. Then they're ready to go for the next swap.

I really want enough bowls to have two for each cage to swap- but I have over fifty cages, so even at the dollar store that is another $50-plus bucks. :x

 

[TheLittleBunny10]

Pull them in the morning (when they're frozen) and replace with clean crocks and fresh warm water. Then we bring the frozen crocks inside and place in the dishwasher and run it - usually without soap if they're not too dirty. Cleans them up and gets rid of all the ice. Then they're ready to go for the next swap.

I really want enough bowls to have two for each cage to swap- but I have over fifty cages, so even at the dollar store that is another $50-plus bucks. :x

well, I could do it, since I have only 2 bunnies right now
but I do have 2 extra cages, which need to be filled soon!