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Questions
- What are the hazards of keeping my small pet outdoors?
- How do I keep my small pet safe outdoors?
When the weather turns icy, it pays to be a bit more careful. The ground can be slippery and you have to wrap up warm against the bitter cold winds. It’s no different for our pets. Cats will often choose to stay indoors, dogs will prefer to go on less treacherous walks and get their paw dried before settling back into the house. For our small furry friends, some owners choose to take them indoors during the harshest months however they would need to be gradually acclimated and comfortable living in close quarters with you. Some bunnies and guinea pigs like their space and would prefer to live outside through Winter, especially if they’re used to it along with owners who just can’t facilitate bringing them inside.
The good news is, as long as they are used to being outside, they will gradually get used to the colder weather and continue to thrive through Winter.
What are the hazards of keeping my small pet outdoors?
Every environment you choose to house your small pets in comes with its own unique set of hazards. Be it wires indoors or the weather outdoors, you’re going to need to protect your small furries against some form of hazard so we’re going to take a look specifically on the risk you need to look out for when keeping pets outdoors in the winter.
Freezing temperatures
Indoors, we have the benefit of putting the heating on when it starts to get a bit cold or we can add layers of clothing, both of which are options not available to our outdoor pets. Throughout the Winter temperatures average between two and seven degrees centigrade. They can often drop below zero as well which is usually during the night or if we have any snowfall. Cold temperatures are dangerous because pets will have to try and keep warm and Winter is already hard enough on them.
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When they’re cold, the first thing they tend to do is reduce their activity. They need extra energy to stay warm which they can do by shivering. Rabbits and guinea pigs both have the ability to shiver, just like humans. It's the body’s way to quickly warm itself up. This very useful and fast way of warming up takes quite a bit of energy to do so they’ll be burning more calories to stay warm and using more energy than normal. If they don’t warm up after and remain cold, they risk getting sick. Most small furries prefer to live in groups and huddle tightly together when they’re cold.
Wet weather
On top of how cold it can be in Winter, British winters tend to be quite wet. Some days feature near constant lashings of rain without any respite and considering most hutches are made out of wood, it doesn’t always take them very long to become waterlogged if they’re open to the elements. If the wood of the hutch becomes wet, it takes a while to dry out so if the rain continues, it can stay wet for hours or even days. This moisture can then soak into the bedding in the hutch.
Having damp bedding to lie on won’t only irritate them and make them uncomfortable but if they get wet, they will get cold and their body temperature will drop. If you have older rabbits or guinea pigs that struggle with arthritis, getting cold and wet will make moving around painful. Even for healthy fluffs, it can still make them sick and potentially even be lethal if not resolved quickly.
How do I keep my small pet safe outdoors?
While the risks might sound scary, they have some simple fixes that can keep your pets warm and comfortable all Winter. As long as you put the right measures in place, your furry companions can stay warm and thrive through the Winter as well as the Summer months while living in an outdoor rabbit hutch.
Use warm bedding and heat pads
Keeping the hutch nice and warm will usually mean extra bedding. The warmest bedding options include hay, straw and paper based bedding that helps to retain heat. Bedding like EasyFeedz Barley Straw Large is a great, inexpensive bedding option that can be fluffed up and placed in a nice thick layer to give plenty of insulation from the cold. Carefresh Natural is another nice warm option that can be placed in a thick layer to protect your pets from catching a chill. Three to five inches of bedding with daily spot checks and removing any damp or dirty bedding material is usually ample to keep them nice and warm.
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While you might enjoy grabbing your favourite thick blanket and hiding underneath it from the cold, you should avoid giving blankets or towels to your rabbits and guinea pigs. They can get curious and nibble at the material which can cause blockages in their stomach. Ample bedding that is safe for your pets will keep them plenty warm even in the coldest weather. If you want to provide a little extra warmth you can pop a Snugglesafe Heat Pad into their resting area, under their bedding. It’s a handy little heat pad that can be placed in the microwave and stays warm for up to ten hours. They’re great for popping in the hutch overnight while temperatures drop and are perfectly safe for all critters.
Protect them from wind and draughts
You can give them lots of warm bedding and a heating pad to keep them warm but if their hutch is open to the elements and getting battered by wind then it won’t stay warm for very long. To keep them nice and warm, you will need to make sure they are as sheltered as they possibly can be. If there’s a corner of the garden that isn’t open to the elements, usually tucked against a wall or in a corner somewhere, it can help avoid all four sides of the hutch being vulnerable to the elements. Once you’ve protected it as much as you can from the wind, a hutch cover can banish the last of those draughts and give them a nice cosy home.
Hutch covers like the Cheeko Easy Grazer 42" Hutch Covers are made to slip over the top of a hutch and while it still allows for plenty of ventilation, it protects from the wind and the rain.
Keep them dry
Hutch covers are a great way to protect your bunnies and guinea pigs from draughts as well as the worst of the rain. They will often have windowed sections to allow plenty of light in while protecting them from getting wet. Keeping the interior of the hutch nice and dry is important for limiting how much heat escapes and making sure everyone stays warm. Before Winter, you should make sure that you don’t have a hutch that is placed directly on the ground. A lot of heat can be lost through the ground if it’s in contact with it and it can also absorb a lot of moisture and cause the base of the bedding to become wet.
A rabbit hutch and run that is off the ground like the Cheeko Wooden Hutch & Under Run 48" is a great choice all year around, especially during Winter. If you have a hutch that is on the ground, you can place it on bricks to make sure it’s not flush to the floor and stays dry. For all of your Winter necessities to keep your outdoor pets warm and comfortable, take a look in store and online.