Want to get rabbits?

Question

The thing is that were we live it can get up to or over 100 degrees. And it is DRY heat. We are going to build a hut but it will be outside full time. Will that be alright? If not what do I do? I don't really want the rabbit in doors all the time, sometimes yes but not all.

Answer 1

I have had rabbits, but am down to one right now.
The heat can kill them, but I have had rabbits survive even a hot south Texas summer.

If you have multiple bunnies, I recommend the following:

Make sure the hutch is big and spacious. Try to put a solid wood, sloping roof on it (as opposed to chicken wire).

Make sure you keep cardboard boxes in the hutch for the rabbits to escape the heat. Also, keep lots of fresh hay in there, too.

Take plastic gallon water or milk jugs, fill them with water and freeze them....put them in the hutch near the cardboard boxes and surround with hay (to help keep jugs frozen longer).

Also, some pet stores carry cage fans, but these use up a lot of batteries...if possible, build hutch near an outdoor electric socket, and set up a large outdoor fan to blow on the bunny cage during hottest part of day.

If you have just one or two bunnies, then go ahead and let them stay indoors....even a cage indoors is better than dealing with the heat.

Rabbits are high maintenance animals, no matter how you look at it. But they are intelligent and make great companion pets...and yes, they can be litter box trained.

My rabbit lives indoors....used to live outdoors, until a raccoon busted into enclosure and killed one of my bunnies. Now I take my rabbit for walks on a harness to give him "outside" time.

Answer 2

You can use a mister. But one thing you will need to do is fill an empty pepsi bottle most of the way full with water and put that in the hutch for the rabbit to lay next to. As long as it's hot keep ice in there.

Answer 3

I've had rabbits as pets for most of my life and my advice is let them stay in the house. They can be litter box trained very easily (just put their poo in the box where they can access it and they will learn that is what it is for) and they will be more social towards you if they are living in a cool house with you as opposed to living alone in a dry, hot cage walking on chicken wire. Also, research the type of rabbit you are getting because some are mean natured (like lops). I wouldn't advise giving them baths - it is very stressful to them as they wouldn't be completely immersed in water under normal conditions in nature, and also because they lick their ears to get oil to smooth their coats.

Answer 4

Keeping it in the shade is a start. Make sure it has an adequate circulation, not breezy since that can actually make the rabbit sick. Give it pleanty of vegetables since veggies contain moisture and pleanty of water. You can try putting a shallow pan in there w/ water and see if it will use it. Get a short haired rabbit.

Answer 5

Please do not let your rabbit outside. You can if its supervised during decent weather. However during this heat I wouldn't consider it. Think about it, even during a dry heat would you want to be outside in a fur coat? When rabbits are outside they face many things, predators, mean neighbors, flystrike, heat stroke and hypothermia.

Answer 6

Oh, rabbits. I misread. I thought the question said: "Want to get rabies". I'm honestly a little disappointed now.

Answer 7

build it where it's constantly in shade. i lived in AZ with a rabbit, make sure he always has water. and if necessary put water on him or give him a bath, they actually don't mind baths, especially when it's real hot like that

Answer 8

Get rabbits on Easter.
Sometimes they're free.

Answer 9

I thought this was going to be a Matrix problem. :) Rabbit is an outdoor animal, so it should be okay provided there's plenty of shade and water for him/her to drink.

Answer 10

Here in Az I've seen misters, like at the nursery, set up in hutches