Getting Ready For Winter


Days are getting mighty short, and frozen water bottles are on the horizon. It is time to get out the bowls and be prepared for Ice In The Morning.

A few of the rabbits will see their First Winter. Vanessa, Gunther and Gretchen are all under one year. I am especially vigilant about water for them, as they are still growing and sometimes do not take advantage of the water when I first put it out. Rabbits don't normally need to drink more than once in 24 hours, but they do better eating if they get a few opportunities to fill up. So, I will make sure they get three fresh bowls of water each day for the first two weeks that the temp stays below freezing. Then I will cut it back to twice daily, which is all I offer to the adult rabbits.

Here's a post , with pictures!, from last year, about how I deal with bowls and ice.

If there is ever a problem with food not being eaten during cold weather, the first line of treatment is to increase water and hay while decreasing pelleted food. A stable water supply becomes very important during the winter, and those keeping rabbits outside need to give careful attention to easy ways of dealing with it.