Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Time for Bubble Wrap
If you've got rabbits out of doors, they may need some extra help with some bubble wrap, or other insulation around their hutch. My own rabbits lived outdoors all year round, out in their runs every day, and only coming into the shed or house if it snowed. Couldn't have made it without bubble wrap though, so if you haven't been saving it from packaging materials all year, it's an ideal time to nip out and buy some. Storage companies often have a good supply. A windbreak can be put up around the hutch to keep things a little snugger.
Hutches should be raised off the ground (ideally it would be on legs), bedding materials should be increased so the rabbit can snuggle themselves right inside it if they need to, and make sure water is always available. Keep a spare bottle indoors ready in case the outside one freezes, and seriously consider a thermal covering for the bottle. If you use a bowl instead of a bottle, it shouldn't be on the floor, but raised so bunny can't sit in it and get wet fur. A wet rabbit will find it very hard to stay warm, plus without water it won't eat food, and it needs to eat more food than usual to keep warm.
If you don't already clean the litter every day, make sure to do so now, it will be cold and wet and not nice for bunny to sit on! Just because it's cold outside, your bunny should not be neglected.
Don't panic! Rabbits can survive the winter, they just need a little help.
I don't have rabbits anymore, but I've been bubble-wrapping one of my wormeries. It's in my north-facing front garden, so could do with some help.
Both wormeries are doing well, the worms in my much warmer back garden shed are munching their way through quite a lot of poop. Slower in the front, but there were less worms to start with. I'll move a few around early next spring! They aren't able to manage all the garden poop just yet, but these things take time!