How much shelter do bucks need?

[Rabbits by Accident]

Hi again!

The question is, do my bucks need shelter? I did look through the forms but I did not see the specific question.

To recap, we rescued 10 rabbits and I have them in various wire cages. I am located in Central Texas below Dallas. The weather is moderate but extremely windy.

I will do research later but I know from so many other things, that answers in a book or a website are not necessarily accurate or even a good idea. Example, I gave some kefir grains to a friend and told her exactly what to do with them and she looked in a book and did exactly the opposite of what I told her to do because that's what the book said

I thought I would go directly to the experts and find out what you recommend as shelter for bucks. The dose are in sheltered areas and or have a nest box. I have been putting cat litter buckets into the bucks hutches at night so they can escape the wind but they pee and poop in them and I don't think it's a great solution.

The rabbits are under a metal roof in an area at the corner where a shed and a garage meet, so two sides are open (east, North) and the other two sides are solid. (Heat is more of a factor here which is why I put them on the north side of the building.)

I put the bucks along the open front so they get the brunt of any weather. We had a massive rainstorm the other night and I wrapped all the cages with feed bags and everyone was fine and warm and dry.

The weather is turning colder, it will be in the 40s to 50s at night now. Of course to me that's frigid LOL. However, the winter seem to be getting colder last year we had a couple weeks of 20° and inches of snow. (This darn solar minimum it's going to make our winters colder for a while.)

Do the bucks need shelter? Should I just close in a couple sides of the wire cages to protect them from the wind? We are extending the roof so they will be dry.

If you read this far thanks! I just thought I'd put all the information in there and you could make an informed decision LOL. Looking forward to hearing any suggestions

Liz

 

[golden rabbitry]

Rabbits can normally survive cold just fine, they have an issue with heat and wind. Make sure they have a wind resistant place to go or just put up 2 walls/tarps around them. Also (of course) rain. As long as they can stay dry and out of wind, they should be fine. If you are worried about the cold, give them little box shelters where they can have their own little borrow with a solid floor.

 

[eco2pia]

Honestly, you don't have real cold in texas. make them boxes with perforated floors, or as I do, just give them cardboard boxes (no tape, no colors). Mine are out of the rain with a roof, but all animals like a "hide". My bucks chew the cardboard, sit on top of the box like snoopy, throw the box around like a toy, and yes, pee on them. But it is ok, amazon delivers new buck houses all the time.

 

[Olbunny]

I kinda think comfort with the thought that they would produce better the more comfortable they are. Rabbits don't deal with stress very well.
Probably keeping them dry n out of the wind in your climate. And I use a clay floor tile in the summer to lay on n cool off

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

To keep them from urinating and pooping in the boxes you give them, cut a semi circle out of them and turn them upside down so that the stuff would fall into the bottom of their cage, or wherever it goes.