# Winterizing RESTING BOARD QUESTION ADDED rabbits?



## 20kidsonhill (Nov 27, 2012)

How warm do I need to make it for them? 

We live in valley in VA,  Right now averages are 30 at night 50 to 60 during the day,  tonight is going to be 21.

We purchased a trio of 10 week meat rabbits.  

We built an all wire hutch system with wooden framing and a tin roof.  4 hole hutch, 8 feet long

Our plan is to hang plywood back and plywood ends, leaving the front where the doors are exposed through the winter, The plywood will be taken off  in the spring for more air flow, every one around here seems to have way more trouble with summer heat than winter cold, so we designed them to be more opened with the wire. 

So my question, do I need nest  boxes for the 10 week old kits, each one will get their one space/cage. Or is a wooden resting board enough for them for the time being tucked towards the back where the plywood will be put, hutch is 36 inches deep?  

Planning on making nest boxes for the winter for them, for January/February, but will they need them right away, not for kindling, just to stay warm?  

planning on making the shoe box nest boxes(out of wood), opened on the top, lower in the front than the back, wire floor. And setting them on the resting board in the winter for added warmth. 

For kindling I am planning on using the open top shoe boxes in the summer and make closed top boxes for the winter. 

Thoughts? experiences?  appreciated.


----------



## secuono (Nov 27, 2012)

Solid wall down to the floor all around. Add a sheet of plywood on the front with a 4-8in gap at the top. At least, that is what I would do. 
Wind passing under will suck out all heat and cause a weird draft. 

Nest boxes are for kits, not juvies. The rabbits should be fine as long as there's no wind sucking away all the heat they create. You can give them a cardboard box with straw for the worst nights if you are overly worried. 10wks, if they are used to each other, you may be able to pair them so they keep each other warm. 

Winter nests should be solid, solid walls, solid bottom and even partially closed on top if you can. Summer nests should be as airy as possible, but still preventing drafts.


----------



## Shelly May (Nov 27, 2012)

Use a really big old piece of carpet and put over whole cage, and flip the front up when you feed and water,
and then pull back down, I have seen alot of people do this in winter.


----------



## Bitterroot (Nov 27, 2012)

Yep, as long as you can keep out that wind, and make sure they've always got drinkable water they'll get through just fine.


----------



## DianeS (Nov 28, 2012)

They are much more likely to use the nest boxes as litterboxes, rather than as places to go for warmth. So I'd skip those entirely since stepping in their own urine will make their feet more suceptible to cold. 

When I lived in Colorado we had temperatures like that, and much worse. I had all-wire hutches, and used plywood on top to keep off the snow, and thick carpet on the back so wind could not blow through. This also created a nice pocket of non-moving warm air at the top rear of each hutch, since the plywood and carpet were up against the hutches. 
On days with no wind, all was good and the rabbits did not even seem to care that it was cold. 
But when the wind started to blow, I used carpet on the sides too. The open side was away from the wind - something to think about when you decide which way your hutches should face in general. 
And when it got even worse (think 0 and below) I used a thick blanket to cover the fronts as well. I'd raise the blanket to give food and water, and leave it open for sunshine in the afternoons. 

Those are just some ideas for different weather conditions.

Now that I live in Oregon, we rarely have weather cold enough to do anything different. When it does get down close to freezing I stuff a lot of hay in each cage. Then each rabbit can decide to snuggle into the hay if they want, for warmth. It usually only stays that cold for one night, so they can eat the hay the next day.


----------



## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 28, 2012)

I live in Alberta Canada, and in the winter, most of our temperatures are between -6 to -36 degrees C.  I make sure each rabbit, or pair, have an area in their cage/or the entire cage is solid on three and a half sides, with solid floor and roof. I stuff their cage with hay so they can make themselves nice comfey nests. So far soo good! I havent noticed any shivering, or cold bunnies at feeding time!!!
If it is colder than -12 C, I move rabbits that have a litter into the shed with a heat lamp. The biggest challange is keeping there water drinkable! It freezes pretty fast some days!


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Nov 28, 2012)

thanks I have been reading along,  We rarely get below 20, even at night. We sometimes have a week or two of teens and maybe a week of single digits, normally at the end of January or beginning of February.  

I really need to put some kind of small resting board in for them to sit on, if it isn't an actual box, we have 3 dogs in our yard, and although they aren't allowed to bother the rabbits they will beable to go under the hutches. They are used to rabbits. 
We have 3 rabbits know, pets, large breed. They each have a 2x2 wire portion and a 2x2 box portion. I don't like that design at all. Hard to get the rabbits out, too warm in the summer, they poop in the 2x2 wooden boxes all the time. So with our new rabbits(silver foxes) we decided to go with all wire and add onto it for the winter. 

Our hutch is 5 feet high 3 feet of legs and 2 feet of cage, plywood is only 4 feet wide. NOw we need to decide if we are going to worry about the lasta 12 inches at the bottome not being covered or cut the plywood the other and make the back and sides all the way to the ground. We plan to leave the front(facing in the direction of the least wind) open.  But if they are calling for really bad weather we can provide extra blankets or carpet over it, as needed. I was trying to avoid carpeting. 
It will be right in our back yard and I was wanting it to loo0k a little neater.  


*those of you who use resting boards???*  Do you have problems with them peeing on them?  
Would it do anygood to make a resting board, more like a little shelf?  

Should I just plan on a layer of hay in the back and cleaning that out on a regular basis instead of a resting board?  I though they need resting boards if htey were on all wire???


----------



## Shelly May (Nov 28, 2012)

Go to your local pet store I believe there is a rubber matt that has holes in it so urine runs out, 
and is easy to rinse off, I have seen them somewhere before, or use the softer more plyable 
rubber matts you put under your kitchen dish drainer rack, Lots of ideas and easy to clean.

Remember carpet comes in many colors/patterns for appearance!!!!


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Nov 28, 2012)

Shelly May said:
			
		

> Go to your local pet store I believe there is a rubber matt that has holes in it so urine runs out,
> and is easy to rinse off, I have seen them somewhere before, or use the softer more plyable
> rubber matts you put under your kitchen dish drainer rack, Lots of ideas and easy to clean.
> 
> Remember carpet comes in many colors/patterns for appearance!!!!


LOl, I know I really need to consider carpet, thanks for the rubber mat idea and drain holes.


----------

