Bunnies and piggys are very resilient to the cold weather, however, it can cause other problems such as arthritis in adults and pneumonia in babies. I'm posting a few ideas for keeping your beautiful fur babies (no matter the age) safe in the freezing weather.
Indoor pets won't need anything extra unless in a room with no heating. If in a room that has no heating that can drop below minus 2 degrees... I would recommend ensuring you provide some form of warmth during the night when it's colder. This extra warmth will work best if removed during the day and while above 0 degrees.
Although it may be difficult... it's important not to warm them too much in the day time as you want your pet to be as natural as possible and to experience the different climates. This helps your pets system to be as natural as they can be, which, in turn allows their body to function normally. I recommend trying to add the warmth when the temperature drops below minus 2 degrees and remove it when the temperature is above minus 2 degrees. Below I will list a few options that I have seen, heard or used, try to think of which will be easier for you and your life style as well as your pets.
1, heat pads- I've used these... they are like a hot water bottle for pets. (PLEASE DO NOT USE A NORMAL HOT WATER BOTTLE, YOUR PETS HAVE VERY SHARP TEETH). The heat pad I have microwaves for 3 mins and then has a fur cover, my pets tend to sit on it for a while then get off and back on once cooled back down, or, sleep next to it.
2, wrap an old or new duvet around the outside of the cage and then cover it with waterproof tarpaulin or hutch cover. You can also buy a thermal covers for some hutches, these are great!
3, if in hutches/cages inside a shed you could leave an oil filled radiator on very low. Ours has a 0-6 setting and it's left on setting 2 throughout the night. Please check for fire hazards and check its safe to leave on the manufacturer guidance.
4, Small igloo style beds can hold the body heat in to give extra warmth. This idea can be combined with idea 1... place the heat pad under the bed or the beds pillow.
5, extra straw
and keep them clean. Wet straw/bedding will freeze, meaning poor pet is sleeping on a bed of ice. Place an extra handful of straw/bedding where they normally sleep every night.
6, fleece blankets, give your pet a fleece blanket to snuggle into. Make sure it's not wet (same as the straw in idea 5).
7, heat lamps, reptile heat lamps are often designed to be water resistant due to having to spray most lizards. Again check for fire hazards (i.e. close to hay/straw) and with the manufacturer before applying and leaving unattended.
Hope these ideas help, please feel free to post any other ideas in the comments below.
FROZEN WATER BOTTLE TIP- Put a thick woolly sock over the water bottle to stop it freezing and empty the water and refill on a night before bed. DONT GET THE SOCK WET! LOL!
