Here is the situation... I have a 3 month old mini rex buck when i got him at 10 weeks he was kept outside in a garage, not heated. I have had him in the house for the last month but would like to move him outside to my rabbit area on the porch because he is peeing all over the walls in the house! The porch has a roof and I put plastic around the porch to act as a wind barrier. I also have plastic on the cages themselves to try and keep in heat, and a box with straw in it. My question is, is it to late to put him outside or has he been inside too long to cope with the winter weather. It is in the 50's today and the rest of the week is going to be in the upper 30's lower 40's.
moving a rabbit outside in the winter
- Thread starter JessicaR
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MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
I'm not qualified to answer your question, but I do have a suggestion if others think it is too cold. If you have a "trouble light" you could put a 60watt bulb in it and hang it on the cage to provide some added heat, and after a few days switch to a 40watt, and take even that away after a few days more.
Personally, I believe he would probably do just fine in 30 degrees, out of the wind, with his straw box to snuggle in.
Personally, I believe he would probably do just fine in 30 degrees, out of the wind, with his straw box to snuggle in.
Do not wrap everything in plastic so it's airtight. A proper amount of ventilation is needed or you will see respiratory infections. There must be air flow. If the porch is completely surrounded with no open window or screen door or gaps like you have with tarps tied down I would not put rabbits out there. When we did similar we left the window to the screen door open and the window to the house open (in the summer it allowed just enough ac out the window to keep the bucks from going sterile). Even with tarps my grandma managed to wrap our barn too tight and got all the horses sick and then that respiratory infection kept coming back every year until the year we moved.
You also don't want plastic against the bars where they can chew it. Death from such things is common. I adopted out a lot of guinea pigs to people who needed a replacement because they accidentally left a bag of hay or pellets leaning against the cage and the pigs ate the plastic. If you are wrapping the cage in plastic why can't you do similar inside but with safer materials? We've also put vinyl off cheap rolls around cages to stop urine from bucks and have enamel coated plywood roofs on all cages now. So long as there isn't an edge of the vinyl sticking through the bars somewhere it's otherwise smooth and too durable to break by scraping teeth against it. Make sure you leave the front completely open though because again you want ventilation.
You could probably move him just fine in 40-50F. 30 would be a little questionable so if it's going to be below freezing and dropping for the next few days I'd try to wait for another warm spell. We are coming to the end of Jan so it's likely to happen soon. I try to aim for 10F different and no more than 20F unless I know the animal. Breeding the mini rex the way I have mine have become more durable toward large temp changes so I put them outside at 6weeks so long as it isn't down around 0 or subzero temps. We like to breed a few inside all winter so we have kits to play with and after several generations of doing that we've removed all the ones who would come down with respiratory problems or lose lots of weight when moved in to the cold from inside.
You also don't want plastic against the bars where they can chew it. Death from such things is common. I adopted out a lot of guinea pigs to people who needed a replacement because they accidentally left a bag of hay or pellets leaning against the cage and the pigs ate the plastic. If you are wrapping the cage in plastic why can't you do similar inside but with safer materials? We've also put vinyl off cheap rolls around cages to stop urine from bucks and have enamel coated plywood roofs on all cages now. So long as there isn't an edge of the vinyl sticking through the bars somewhere it's otherwise smooth and too durable to break by scraping teeth against it. Make sure you leave the front completely open though because again you want ventilation.
You could probably move him just fine in 40-50F. 30 would be a little questionable so if it's going to be below freezing and dropping for the next few days I'd try to wait for another warm spell. We are coming to the end of Jan so it's likely to happen soon. I try to aim for 10F different and no more than 20F unless I know the animal. Breeding the mini rex the way I have mine have become more durable toward large temp changes so I put them outside at 6weeks so long as it isn't down around 0 or subzero temps. We like to breed a few inside all winter so we have kits to play with and after several generations of doing that we've removed all the ones who would come down with respiratory problems or lose lots of weight when moved in to the cold from inside.
It is definitly not airtight. Here are some pictures so you can see what it is like, just ignore the mess 
The plastic on the cage is on the front and 1 side, the back has a wood, but its not on the cage its on the frame that the cages sit in. Also the bottom of the porch has no plasic so i can broom any mess in the yard.
The plastic on the cage is on the front and 1 side, the back has a wood, but its not on the cage its on the frame that the cages sit in. Also the bottom of the porch has no plasic so i can broom any mess in the yard.Attachments
OneAcreFarm
Well-known member
I think with the plastic that is on the porch itself, you don't really need the plastic on the cage. Rabbits thrive in cooler weather and since the porch plastic is screening the wind, his cage will be just fine.
Thanks. I usually keep the plastic on the cage open, but on cold nights close it, like the other day it was only 3 degrees out. But if they would be fine with it open then maybe I will just remove it all togather.
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
You could put some cardboard on the cages for extra insulation.
