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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Cold?

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    • Michelle&Lolli
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        This may be a dumb question, but how do you tell if a rabbit is cold?   Is shivering the only outward sign? 

         

        It’s only been getting up to the high 60’s here in central Illinois with the low’s being anywhere from 45 to 55 degrees.   I have my windows open during the day and then leave them cracked at night.  So it gets pretty chilly in here by morning.  How do I tell if Lolli is cold?  

        I have given her a blanket but she really only pees on fabric.  lol  She hasn’t done so yet on the blanket, but then she hasn’t done anything but sniffed at it either. 

        I just don’t want her to be cold and not know it because she’s a rabbit and not showing any signs. 


      • Nibbles_NZ
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          Feel her ears. A rabbit regulates their temperature through their ears. Are they cold? I’ve read that rabbits do a lot better in the cold than they do in the heat. You have to remember that they have fur. That is much like having a blanket on. I think that as long as you have her inside she should be okay. I am in Southern Indiana and it is getting that cold here too and my bun is loving it. He is much more comfortable in this weather than when it was hot.


        • bunnnnnnie!
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            Hey!  I’m in central IL too!  Small world!  


          • Michelle&Lolli
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              I’m in central IL too!

              Cool! I’m in Peoria.


            • Michelle&Lolli
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                Well her ears are a little cold. It’s just that weird time of year where I REALLY don’t want to turn on the heat, but I also don’t want to completely close the windows either. And it’s just warm enough during the day to keep the windows open but gets cool enough at night that a case could be made for turning the heat. I’m paying the electricity of course so I don’t know what to do. When it’s hot out, it’s no contest. I can’t stand being hot so the air goes on. lol But I love having it cold at night to sleep so when it gets cooler, it’s hard for me to want to close the apartment up. I just don’t want her to be cold.

                So rule of thumb should be that if i can stand the cold, she should be fine? lol

                Maybe I’ll borrow my mom’s space heater and see if that helps her any. She was laying next to open sliding door all day in the sun. lol


              • Nibbles_NZ
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                  I think that you rule of thumb is okay. If you are not cold she should be okay. If the space heater gets hot to touch or could tip over I wouldn’t do it. Her laying in the sun all day doesn’t necessarily mean she is too cold either. Rabbits like to lay in the sun. Does she have a box or a hidey hut where she won’t feel the cool breeze? I bought a tote and cut a hole in it so my bun could fit and turned it upside down. He loves it. Of course you would have to sand the edges to make sure they are not sharp. If you are worried about the breeze from the window making her cold she could go to a hidey hut or tote and it would be warmer from her body heat. Honestly though…I wouldn’t worry too much.


                • Michelle&Lolli
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                    She has the maze haven she likes laying in.

                    I just worry too much about her. lol I worry about her being hot. Now I’m worrying about her being cold. Once it gets cold enough to turn the heat on, I’ll find something else to worry about. lol

                    I don’t know if I’ll borrow the space heater. It could be that my mom is already using it.


                  • Nibbles_NZ
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                      lol now that it is cooling off, I worry a lot less. It’s getting cold here too. I don’t have my heat on and my windows are cracked at night and open in the day. My rabbit seems to be very happy. He has very thick fur though. lol Don’t worry so much


                    • Nibbles_NZ
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                        Oh, I wish my bun could have a maze haven. He is too big for one. lol It would collapse.


                      • Deleted User
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                          Nibbles_NZ, Who says you can’t? With a little time, you can MAKE your own! Watch this vid below and get inspired!

                          http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=bTvAOWU4gGQ&feature=channel

                          -Have fun, Lil_Miss_Bunny_Lover


                        • Nibbles_NZ
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                            That is cute and would be beneficial to a normal sized bunny but it is cardboard. I have a very large rabbit and even when he jumps up onto a plastic tote, it flexes. lol Cardboard would collapse under his big ol’ butt. lol. He is 2 feet tall when he stands up and that is not counting his ears. lol I haven’t gotten him weighed recently but he is as big as a large house cat. I know that judging by my avatar photo it looks like I have a tiny little bunny lol. I really need to change that. lol.


                          • Elrohwen
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                              You can’t tell if a rabbit is cold by their ears – if the ears are cold, it only means that the rabbit isn’t trying to cool itself, so the blood vessels become smaller and the ear feels colder. When the ears are warm, the vessels are open so the bunny can cool off, but it doesn’t mean they are over heated by any means. Both of my rabbits have cold ears after they have been sleeping even if it is 75 degrees in the house, and typically have warm ears after they have been running around even when it is 60 degrees.

                              Bunnies do far better in cool temps than warm and are generally fine down to 45 degrees. As long as she’s not in a draft I’m sure she’s fine. If you are living in the same house and don’t feel the need to close the windows and warm up, I really don’t think she’s feeling colder than you with that warm fur coat on – they are definitely comfortable at much lower temps than we are (even if we’re wearing sweatshirts and slippers).

                              eta: I would not set up a space heater. In general they are a high fire risk and with so much hay dust floating around that risk increases exponentially. Plus, rabbits overheat far easier than we do, so the space heater could be more uncomfortable for her than the cold.

                               


                            • Michelle&Lolli
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                                Obviously the weather isn’t bothering her at all and I’m just paranoid. lol For the past 3 days, she has been laying next to the sliding door, in the sun. But only during the day though. It’s been in the upper 60’s and 70’s this week. It gets chilly at night and I’m under 2 blankets on the couch but one is a fleece and the other one is thin. I’m sure she’s fine. She has that thick mini rex coat on her. lol


                              • Elrohwen
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                                  Yeah, I’m sure she’s good! Our house is so cold in the winter that I need 3 shirts (one is a sweatshirt), two pairs of wool socks, and slippers and the bunnies are perfectly fine. lol


                                • Elrohwen
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                                    Yeah, I’m sure she’s good! Our house is so cold in the winter that I need 3 shirts (one is a sweatshirt), two pairs of wool socks, and slippers and the bunnies are perfectly fine. lol


                                  • Nibbles_NZ
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                                      My bun is loving this weather! He seems a lot happier.

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                                  Forum DIET & CARE Cold?