I’ve tried just about every solution I could think of – direct water taps with rabbit nibs, water feeders with stand alone tanks, a converted water butt, chicken feeders – everything! They’ve all failed in one way or another, and I always revert back to the trusty Classic water bottle.
But in this colder weather, they are the one thing that’s most susceptable to freezing. Sadly there’s no solution that guarantees you don’t have to worry about your rabbits water freezing, but here’s a helpful tip for you.
You’ll Need:
- A 600ml Classic Water Bottle (we recommend having double what you need – you can swap the bottles over as and when they freeze without trying to “”thaw”” the frozen bottle (heating these bottles affect their integrity).
- A Classic Bottle Cover
- A bottle cage from your local bike shop
What To Do:
- Attach the bottle cage to the wall of your shed or hutch. By securing the bottle inside the hutch, you’re offering further protection from the cold, wind and snow than the traditional way of securing the bottle to the outside of the cage.
- Fill your Classic Water Bottle and place the Classic Bottle Cover on
- Drop the bottle into the cage et voila!
I love the fact that this solution means you’re no longer fighting with those little white wires that seem to have a mind of their own 😉
The down side of using the bottle cover is that its obviously harder to see when the bottle is empty or frozen. But as it is so important to ensure fresh water for your rabbit, you should be replacing the bottle at least once a day anyway – even if there’s still water in it! If you find your rabbit tends to drink more than a bottle a day, why not have more than one setup on the hutch – in small hutches though this may take up too much of the rabbits space so invest in a bigger hutch ;o)
I bought three bottle cages today, and when I got to the till they came through on a 3 For 2 deal (not advertised at point of sale), so drop down to Halfords for a good deal before it’s over! Order them online via Easyfundraising.org.uk and we can earn vital funds too.