# Bonfire night will soon be here...



## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

...and I'm really not looking forward to it :nonod:

Last year, Flix and Gaga were indoors but they're shed bunnies this time round and I'm in a bit of a dilemma: 

Do I keep them outside, or do I bring them in for the night? 

My heart says bring them in for the few hours that the fireworks are most frequent (in the kitchen, with no heating on and a window open), whilst my head says the temperature change might do them more harm than good.

If I was to keep them outdoors, I'd cover up the windows and sit out with them playing music, to try and muffle the bangs and reduce the fright associated with the flashes. I'm just really paranoid that they may be scared to death 

What do you lovely people think? It was so much less hassle having house bunnies!


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## andrea84 (Aug 16, 2012)

i keep smokey outside and the hutch front compleately coved so he carnt see them and go out and check hes ok frequantly and he seems to cope ok with that,i wont bring him in for fear of the difference in temp.oh and i add tons more hay to the hutch to make loads more hiding places 
thats in between makeing places for the dog and my 5 yr old to hide too lol


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## Louiseandfriends (Aug 21, 2011)

I bought Buddy (he was an only bun then) in last year and put him in a play pen. That is now the guinea pigs place, so I don't have any indoors space for him and Trixie.  Will they be okay outside? I wouldn't mind having them in my room for the night, but I'm not sure if my parents would be happy with it. :/


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## Hel_79 (Jun 14, 2011)

Last year was my first experience of it with a bunny. He was in the shed by that point, so I went and sat in the shed with him for about an hour during the worst of it. I wasn't sure what I expected but he didn't seem as worried as I thought he might be. I saved feeding him until that time and I did find that while he was nibbling he was distracted, and was more interested in the food than the bangs. I saved a couple of his weekly treats for that night, too. I made sure he had snuggly places to hide, put his snugglesafe friend in for him to cuddle, and he always has plenty of willow to gnaw anyway which also seems to calm and distract him.

However, there were other ocassions we had fireworks being let off locally at other times , and he'd have just had to have dealt with it as I couldn't anticipate it. At least he had bolt holes and a shed to hide in, and he always seemed fine when I checked on him.

I'll be doing all the same things this year and hoping it's enough to keep him fairly calm. If anything different happens - like my next door neighbour setting them off above our garden, for example! - I'll consider bringing him inside in and shutting him in the spare room in the dog pen we have for him. Hoping it won't come to that, though!


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## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Louiseandfriends said:


> I bought Buddy (he was an only bun then) in last year and put him in a play pen. That is now the guinea pigs place, so I don't have any indoors space for him and Trixie.  Will they be okay outside? I wouldn't mind having them in my room for the night, but I'm not sure if my parents would be happy with it. :/


They should be okay outside, if you provide them with places to hide and shield the hutch somehow. I'm just worried about idiots in my area- it's not uncommon for people to set fire to bins, throw fireworks in the allies, run around with lit sparklers etc.- and that's at the best of times!!


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

I normally just try to distract them with lots of treats so there not just sat listening to the bangs


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## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

emzybabe said:


> I normally just try to distract them with lots of treats so there not just sat listening to the bangs


I'll have lots of Fenugreek Crunchies at the ready


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

my buns have always been outside over bonfire night and have never had a problem

living in the country though my lot are used to the sound of shotguns going off up the valley, and the sound of steel clanging when they drop loads of steal in the steel works up on the hill :lol:

and just because it amuses me, my dog LOVES fireworks, she sits and watches them strange hound


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

When we only had a couple of rabbits a long long time ago, we used to bring them in for the night, but that is far from ideal with the big change in temperature anyway.

We used to get all twitchy on bonfire night - and if it was stormy too. But to be honest, the bunnies just seemed to take it all in their stride (even our half wildy) - coming for extra treats quite happily - even when there were fireworks in a garden very nearby. 

Nowadays, we pile in the hay and winter straw, and cover all fronts, and check them from time to time and give them a treat to make sure they are OK.


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## HoneyFern (Aug 27, 2009)

I tuck my buns in for the night a lot earlier than usual over the firework period. It would be too awkward for me to bring them in (not that I have anywhere to put them). As a last resort they could possibly go in the garage at night (only used as storage and doesn't have electrics or windows) but I'd only do that if my neighbours were being inconsiderate, fortunately most have animals themselves and we're a bit too close to each other for them to have fireworks. It wasn't too bad here last year. Where I used to live nearly every garden has their own fireworks.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

I just shut the door up earlier to try and cut down the noise a bit, check on them halfway through the night and they are all snuggled up, sleepy like they normally would be lol. 
They have the option of being in the run or in the shed, I can imagine, with the shelf in the shed being Jana's favourite place that she will sit and watch them lmao, maybe not, but none of them have even been fazed by them going off and 3 doors down has a big display every year (and don't warn us what day, let alone time!) 
Mine stay in the shed with me while I am doing work on it with hammers, drills etc aswell and I actually have to be careful because they come to see whats going on lol.


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## Hel_79 (Jun 14, 2011)

hazyreality said:


> I just shut the door up earlier to try and cut down the noise a bit, check on them halfway through the night and they are all snuggled up, sleepy like they normally would be lol.
> They have the option of being in the run or in the shed, I can imagine, with the shelf in the shed being Jana's favourite place that she will sit and watch them lmao, maybe not, but none of them have even been fazed by them going off and 3 doors down has a big display every year (and don't warn us what day, let alone time!)
> Mine stay in the shed with me while I am doing work on it with hammers, drills etc aswell and I actually have to be careful because they come to see whats going on lol.


This made me smile...Buddy loves coming to watch my hubbie when he's doing DIY on the shed/run as well! His favourite place is the shelf in the shed, too. He likes to be high up and see what's going on. Bless.


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## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Hel_79 said:


> This made me smile...Buddy loves coming to watch my hubbie when he's doing DIY on the shed/run as well! His favourite place is the shelf in the shed, too. He likes to be high up and see what's going on. Bless.


Sounds like my two! Flix is a bit more wary of such things, as he has a bit more sense, but Gaga just has to be involved (mind you, she's not very bright ).

Thank you all for your reassurance, I'm a right worrier! 

Fireworks are quite often set off in the alley behind our house and they don't bat an eyelid, but I'm guessing they'll be a bit more concerned about loads going off at once. I've never liked bonfire night- it's a bit of a pointless occasion, as far as I'm concerned :blink:

You've made me feel a bit more relaxed about it, though. Thank you!


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

Hel_79 said:


> This made me smile...Buddy loves coming to watch my hubbie when he's doing DIY on the shed/run as well! His favourite place is the shelf in the shed, too. He likes to be high up and see what's going on. Bless.


I was cutting some carpet today and had to physically move Mclaren out of the way because I was using a stanley knife! He was very interested in it all!


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