Yes, baby bunnies (kits) can get cold and even die quickly if left alone and chilled, especially newborns, so they need a warm, draft-free nest with plenty of soft fur and hay from their mother for insulation, but they generally handle cool temperatures well if dry and protected from wind and dampness. While a mother rabbit's nest provides natural warmth, always ensure kits have deep, soft bedding (like straw or fleece) and are out of drafts to prevent them from getting too cool at night, especially if they're very young or alone.
Rabbits are great cool/cold weather animals. We have an outside barn, and we bring babies inside out of the weather if it's below 35 degrees (dry) 40 (wet) until eyes are open are their well haired.
Provide a warm bed.
There should be some kind of box in your rabbit's hut with an entry hole the rabbit can climb in and out of. You can buy a rabbit bed at a pet store or online. You can also make your own out of a cardboard box.
7 signs your rabbit is feeling the cold
Shivering is a natural response to cold temperatures as the body tries to generate heat. Huddling: Rabbits will huddle together or curl up into a ball to conserve body heat when they're cold. If you see your rabbit doing this frequently, it's a sign they are trying to stay warm.
In this case, warm the babies as follows: Place a hot water bottle, filled with warm water (not hot,) into a small box of any kind. Line it with clean, terry cloth towels and place the bottle UNDER the towels. A small plastic container or a leak-proof plastic bag can be used if necessary.
Suggested methods to warm your bunny:
The 3-3-3 rule for rabbits (and other pets) is a guideline for adjusting to a new home: the first 3 days they are scared and hiding (decompression); by 3 weeks, they start settling in and showing personality; and after 3 months, they feel secure, trust you, and have bonded. This rule manages expectations, reminding owners that patience is crucial as prey animals adjust to new environments and routines, and significant bonding takes time.
A shift from cold to hot or hot to cold can be extremely harmful for your rabbits. A well-insulated, draught-free sleeping area, full of good bedding and with the body-warmth of a companion should be enough in most conditions. However, sometimes when there is an extreme drop in temperature, extra steps must be taken.
Hutches should be completely stripped out and scrubbed ideally once a week during the summer and more regularly during the winter when rabbits spend more time inside. Blankets or towels are good bedding for litter-trained house rabbits.
These adaptable mammals are active year-round and do not hibernate. Instead, they grow thicker coats and seek additional shelter in shrubs, brush piles, underneath decks, or other sheltered areas. 📸Courtney Celley/USFWS.
Keep the babies in an out-of-the way, QUIET area, such as an adult's bedroom. If the room temperature is between 68-72 degrees you will not need to provide extra heat, but if it's cooler than that you will need to provide extra warmth. Use a heating pad set on low and slip it under one half only of the box.
Key Takeaways. Rabbit sleep is crepuscular—they're most active during dawn and dusk and nap throughout the rest of the day and night.
Barley straw makes excellent bedding for rabbits as it provides warmth and insulation. The hollow stalks trap air to keep rabbits warm in winter. Fresh barley straw also provides a comfortable surface to rest on and helps with minimizing smells.
Although they may look small and fragile, rabbits are surprisingly well-adapted to cold temperatures. With appropriate husbandry, a healthy adult rabbit can be comfortable in temperatures down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and can tolerate temperatures that are even lower if necessary.
With this preparation, some rabbits have a litter in winter, although this is generally quite early for the rabbits born that spring. If they do have babies in winter, the less rich food sources means that litters are smaller. Only three or four survive to a few weeks old, and most of these will be taken by predators.
Baby rabbits can even go 24 hours between feedings. If the babies have been pulled from the nest (such as by another animal), remake the nest using the dried grass and mother rabbit's fur.
Your rabbits will also need a covered area like a traditional hutch (at least six feet by two feet by two feet) to act as a bedroom. Rabbits are prey animals so, although they need lots of space to run around, they'll also need somewhere to hide away if needed, to sleep or when it's cold.
Signs of a stressed rabbit include body language like ears pinned back, a tense hunched posture, wide eyes, and stillness, combined with behavioral changes such as hiding excessively, aggression (biting, lunging), destructive bar biting, changes in eating/toileting, restlessness, rapid breathing, or unusual vocalizations like grunting. These signals, often a prey animal's reaction to feeling threatened or unhappy, need prompt attention as chronic stress can cause serious health issues.
Pine and cedar shavings are toxic to rabbits because they contain phenols that cause liver damage/failure. Aspen shavings and paper bedding are safe to use. Compressed pine pellets (for a wood-burning stove) are safe because they are baked and do not contain phenols. Newspaper is also safe.
Hunched posture: When feeling cold, rabbits often adopt a hunched posture, keeping their bodies close to the ground. This posture minimises heat loss. Cold ears & feet: A recommendation from Darren is to check your rabbit's ears and feet; if they feel cold to the touch, it indicates that your rabbit is too cold.
The 3-3-3 rule for rabbits (and other pets) is a guideline for adjusting to a new home: the first 3 days they are scared and hiding (decompression); by 3 weeks, they start settling in and showing personality; and after 3 months, they feel secure, trust you, and have bonded. This rule manages expectations, reminding owners that patience is crucial as prey animals adjust to new environments and routines, and significant bonding takes time.
Depending on the outside temperature, rabbits may need a heat lamp. It must however be properly installed and used.
Rabbits are sociable creatures that can form deep bonds with their human companions.
Rabbits need unlimited access to grass and hay, so they shouldn't ever be left without food. However, if it's an emergency and there's no other choice, then they can go up to 12 hours without eating.
In answer to the question what animal eats rabbits, the most common that springs to mind is the fox. But there are numerous others including pet dogs and cats, birds of prey, stoats, weasels, ferrets, badgers and snakes.