winter housing in NC

[bunnygardener]

I just moved to NC mountains. I currently have my bunnies inside which is not ideal(smell & workload cleaning trays etc. ) I want to house them outside but I am concerned about predators and cold weather in the winter. We previously live in a fenced subdivision in Ga. so no predators and they lived in wire cages outdoors. Any suggestions? Anyone out there in NC mountains?

 

[AmysMacdog]

Hi bunnygardener. I'm in Georgia so I'm thinking the winters in NC should be fine for the rabbits. What breed(s) do you have?
Where I live up in NE Georgia we have coyotes, bobcats, foxes and the occassional stray dog. We use all wire cages ad so far (7 years) we haven't lost any to predators. (Knock on wood!) Are you up in bear/cougar/wild hog country of NC? If your not sure yet, you should ask around so you know what you going to be dealing with before moving the bunnies outside and be able to plan accordingly.

 

[Lastfling]

Are you up in bear/cougar/wild hog country of NC?

I like that Some say there are and some say they're not. I believe the official state position is - No, unless you stumble across someones pet who has been released.

Back on topic though, your rabbits should be fine outside as long as you observe the usual precautions of protection from weather, drafts, etc.

 

[WildWolf]

Your bunnies should be alright as long as you use wire other than chicken wire. As for the winters, I add a box to my hutches. It's a small box with 3 sides wooden, wire bottom, and the one wire side faces the cage. And I make sure that I put the wooden side facing the direction the wind usually comes from. If I get a really cold night, I add hay or straw or even dried leaves inside the box.

 

[LauraNJ]

We have our rabbits outside here and many others do much further north than us. I think the biggest thing is to use decent wire- we did ours with 1x1 for the sides to make it more difficult for predators to reach through. The next concern is to make sure they can get out of the wind. We put boxes in ours also, even for the buck. We load them up on hay and even the buck builds a berm type structure outside of his box.

 

[3mina]

I live in Alberta and I raise Rex outdoors year round. They're on wire with a roof to keep them dry but I don't put extra bedding in with them. They occasionally get cardboard boxes, which they promptly destroy. It get down to -40 regularly here and the bunns don't even shiver. I up their feed a bit but really that's all I do.

I'd be more concerned with predators and heat than the cold. Get them outdoors early enough so they can acclimatize and they'll be fine.

 

[Frecs]

Weather isn't the issue. Bears are the issue. My brother lives on a mountain outside of Asheville and they get bears to their bird feeders frequently. Wild hogs/boars are a problem in much of the Carolinas, especially in the mountains. Even here on the coast, wild hogs are an issue but I've never had one on my property bothering my critters. I'm not sure if it is wise to keep rabbits outside of a bear-safe shelter in the mountains. There are plenty of rabbit breeders in western NC so I'd suggest you contact the state rabbit breeders club and try to talk to a few and see what they do.

 

[Marinea]

The bears and hogs aren't just in the Carolina mountains. They're here too. Most of the complaints are coming from open properties- no fencing, no dogs. Complaints of gardens torn up by the hogs, and garbage cans toted off by the bears. There are bear claw marks on trees at the base of my (very long) driveway.

That being said, on a fenced property with dogs outside, we never had any issues with our garden, bees, chickens, or rabbits. No special "bear ready" precautions, just standard farm ones.

As far as the weather goes, winter weather is not a problem for the rabbits. I would be more concerned about the summer heat and humidity myself. Make sure of shade, breezes, and constant water.

 

[bunnygardener]

Thanks for the advice. We do have bears, they have gotten into the neighbor's bird feeders. Something took a huge bite out of the back of the neighbor's small dog last summer(killing it) in the late morning. I do believe there are cougars here but state says NO. The property is not fenced. I was thinking of getting a extra large dog kennel, the ones made out of chain link fencing. I would put my wire cages inside that to keep predators away. I have New Zealands and also a New Zealand/Rex cross. We are about a hour southwest of Ashville at 4000ft. I asked the extension service about Rabbit clubs and they were nice but had no info at all. I'd love to get to know other bunny people in NC.

 

[Lastfling]

Here is a club listed on ARBA website that may or may not be local to you. There are other local clubs in NC also in addition to the umbrella State Club the NCRBA.

BLUE RIDGE R&CBA
WHITTIER

SUSAN CLARKE SMITH
864 BARKERS CREEK RD
WHITTIER, NC 287890000

 

[paradox]

LOL - I would not begin to know how to bear proof something short of a 24 hr armed guard. I have seen them tear through some pretty strong looking structures on tv. I think I will stick to my snakes and fire ants.

 

[Frecs]

The shelters on the AT have chainlink to keep out bears so the fencing is probably strong enough unless a very hungry bear is determined. But, those shelters have roofs. You should put a strong roof or chainlink over the top or a bear will just climb over.

 

[LauraNJ]

If you are going to use a dog kennel you will probably have to construct it yourself. The kennels you get from TS or the box stores use thin chainlink. You would need a heavier gauge to include the roof.

When we had the 50 acres up in nys we had a neighbor trapped in her house for a few days because a bear wanted in and wouldn't leave. The rangers finally decided to intervene and remove the bear.

Everyone was very careful about not leaving food, garbage or other food things out or in non bear containers. All of us did what we could to discourage the bears from coming too close.

If your neighbors are really close and they feed the bears (aka- the bird feeders which you are not supposed to use in bear country) then you may have to keep your rabbits inside. That will always draw the bears for a free meal and then they will see what else is around.

 

[Beekeeper10]

If you have any concerns about predators, a simple electric fence around your cages will deter any predator, even bears.

 

[luvmybunnys]

I live in sw va. Ive had rabbits about 6 mo now and nothing has bothered them. We do have alot of bear but bear mainly eat in berries, plants,grubs, seeds things like that. They have to be pretty hungry to go after a animal. Around here mainly cyotes and dogs are your most consern. Like beekeeper said electric fence will work, Or some barbed wire.. . . or both. Off the subject but what kind of rabbits you raising?<br /><br />__________ Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:48 pm __________<br /><br />Oh yea and they will be fine out in the cold I would try to get them outa the wind as much as possible tho.

 

[bunnygardener]

I have New Zealand bunnies and also a Rex/New Zealand cross(mutt) but she's very sweet. I don't show so temperament trumps beauty. The bears here are small black bears, not the huge brown and grizzly they have out west. I like the idea of an electric fence. It can be solar powered.

 

[luvmybunnys]

Do you have NZ Reds

 

[Beekeeper10]

You might know all about how to set up a electric fence but if you don't, here is some pointers.
Make sure if and when you get a electric fence charger that it is powerful enough to put out about 2500 volts. Fur and hair are good insulators and you don't want to just tickle them, you want to change their mind about crossing the fence. You need more voltage to keep something out of a enclosure than to keep something in. It is easy to train an animal to stay in a pen. It is a little harder to keep a predator out that has never had contact with electric fence before. The fence has to shock them hard the first time.
I have not had much luck with the all in one chargers with the solar panel on top, they don't have enough battery capacity.
If you have electricity close by, go with a AC charger. They are not all that expensive. If you don't, go with a AC DC charger and hook it up to a 12 Volt Deep Cycle Battery but you will have to charge the battery with a battery charger every 2 or 3 weeks. You can hook the battery up to a solar panel but I have never done that so I can't advise you on what size solar panel you will need.
Most of the AC DC chargers have lights that tell you condition of the battery and when the charge starts to get low you need to recharge the battery.
You will also need a good ground rod for the fence that is long enough to get down to moist earth year round for the fence to work properly.
I know it sounds complicated but it really isn't once you get in to it. A quality ranch and farm store can help you with everything you need.

 

[bunnygardener]

I only have white NZ, but would love a black or red. One day I would like to get a silverfox also.
So far bunnies have been ok in the dog kennel. We bought 2 kits of 4 heavy panels per kit that when combined become a 10x30' enclosure. we also put in some extra reinforcing poles. Then I put chicken wire up the 1st 18 " and underground about 18" around the outside to discourage coyotes.

 

[luvmybunnys]

That should work!