Gloria, the myxomatosis survivor, lives a free range life outside but sleeps in a heated hutch
My pet rabbit, Gloria, is a rare creature: she’s a myxomatosis survivor. She lives in our garden, hopping around with the company of ducks, hens, and a recently arrived young female rabbit. The story of Gloria’s survival from a killer disease is another day’s work, but one of the keys to her successful treatment was keeping her warm: she lived on top of our Aga in her cage for three months. When she had recovered sufficiently to be transferred outdoors, we worried about how to keep her warm at night. That’s when the Hotties have come in handy.
Hotties are a simple idea: a plastic coated, flexible inner packet is enclosed in a soft, artificial-lambs-wool type outer case. The whole item is placed in the microwave for two minutes, and it rapidly heats up. It stays warm for up to twelve hours: perfect for an overnight warming-up job in a rabbit’s outdoor hutch.
Every night, before I go to bed, I heat up Gloria’s Hottie and put it into the sleeping area of her hutch (she’s shut away every night, to help keep her safe from foxes). Gloria snuggles up to it, and she’s kept pleasantly warm till the following morning.
There are other microwavable heating pads on the market, but I’m happy with Hotties – and so is Gloria. They cost £16 (€19.30) if you buy them online, with postage at £4.90 if you live in the UK. Unfortunately, the postage is a pricey €21.70 if you live in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe (you can include up to three Hotties for the same postage cost, which might make for some economy of scale).
Gloria enjoys having her Hotties beside her every night
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Please note that I am unable to answer veterinary questions in comments. If you have questions or concerns about your pet's health it is always better to contact your vet.