The first year I had my rabbits, I did not provide my rabbits with heat and they made it through the winter just fine. Last winter I gave my rabbits two nesting boxes that resemble small dog houses. I used a dog bed heater in one and left the other without heat. My male Rex didn\'t use the heated box until the temps reached 0 degrees F and my female mixed breed used it at -10 degrees F. They will be 3 years old this winter and I am going to check and see if things change with age. I was just wondering if anyone else has tried something like this and what your results were.
Everytime Ive tried using boxes they just ignore them. Or they pee in them. For out door bunnies, you can add a couple of layers of straw to bottom of the cage for them to lay on or keep warm. Other then that they should be fine as long as they have a wind break of some sort. And a roof over the top of the cage.
In the summer, I have tented tarps over my rabbits, but in the winter I wrap the tarps around the cages, and in extreme temps line the cages with hay. I used to have built on boxes for my buns to use in the winter, but they never used them for anything but a litter box, LOL.
I have some boxes that my rabbits ignore and some they use. If the entrance is off to the side and they can\'t see the whole floor, they ignore the box. If the entrance is in the middle, they use the box in the winter. In the summer, they like to lay on top of the boxes. The boxes that have the hole on the side, they sometimes use as their outhouses.
Once I let my rabbits dig a tunnel about 7 feet long. When they were in the tunnel and someone came around and scared them, they would run out of their tunnel to hide in the brush. I suspect that they felt they would be trapped, since there was no other exit to the tunnel. My theory about the boxes is, if the hole is off to the side where they can\'t see the entire floor, it is possible that they might feel trapped and are less likely to use them. I was going to experiment with putting windows in these boxes, but I haven\'t gotten around to it.
I give my rabbits plenty of hay for the winter and I cover the front with clear plastic so the sun can come in and that seems to work well for me.
Thanks for your comments.
Hi, I have been raising rabbits in Fairbanks, Alaska for about 13 years. In that time I have never had a heated barn. In my experience the best best way to protect them from the elements is to cover at least three sides of their whole cage rather than put a box inside. For some reason domestic rabbits do not always recognize shelter as being shelter. I have used everything from blue tarps to OSB to an actual un-insulated barn. The very key to keeping your rabbits alive, and in good flesh condition over the winter is WATER!
I hope this helps.
Luckyrabsfoot
Treasure Street Rabbitry<))><
Thanks for your replies. It is interesting to hear from others in the great north who have rabbits outside and how they handle it.