How can I keep my rabbit cool in this weather? Hes in shade and inside 2hrs a day?

Answer 1

Buy a neat little solar powered fan kit and rig it so he can be cooled on all warm days. You should be able to buy this in science stores - look in the yellow pages in your area

http://www.neatsolarstuff.com/pages/products/educationalKits/a108.htm

Answer 2

Well the best idea would be to bring him inside all day. If that is not an option then you should think about getting a fan or some other way to ventilate the area, also ice can keep the rabbit cool but it melts and can just leave the rabbit wet. Make sure he has enough water in his water bottle and hopefully everything will be ok. Some rabbits are ok in the heat but some are not.

Answer 3

Rabbits do not handle high temperatures very well so need special attention in hot weather. If it is not possible to keep your rabbit inside, then it is important to ensure that their hutch is as well ventilated as possible. In very hot weather, it is worth placing a circulating fan near the hutch, but not blowing directly into it. To increase the fan’s effectiveness place a damp towel over part of the cage to create cooler air. A ceramic or marble tile placed in a favourite spot can provide a cool place to sit. Misting their ears with water will help them to cool down as they vent hear through their ears, and brushing out excess fur will also help to keep them cool. Fresh vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber can be a great source of water.

Answer 4

Don't keep switching temperatures on him by bringing him inside then taking him back out. This is hard on him. Either keep him inside, or if you leave him out hang wet towels on the sides of his cage so the wind will blow through and cool him, and freeze water in a pop bottle to give to him to lay against. You can also wet his ears (this is the bunny cooling system) and always make sure he has plenty of fresh, cool water.

Do not feed him more salt. Drinking alone won't cool him. Quality rabbit pellets are comprised mostly of alfalfa, not timothy hay. He gets enough salt if he's eating good pellets.

Answer 5

Frozen two ltr soda bottle in his cage, and a fan (outside his cage) blowing across the ice bottle...."inside"...inside your house?...if you take him in and out in the heat, he could get heat stroke or other illnesses...chose one or the other...you can bring him in, in the heat of the day, but wait until after dark to take him back outside...if shade is only two hrs a day, build him a covered area over his cage for longer shade!...my friend built a 12x12 covered area for her rabbits w/open sides for shade and air..she also has a mister on a timer and a "shop" type fan..silver not the big orange one...blowing on the rabbits 24/7 when it is hot (uses heavy tarps to block out cold in winter)....she also has a 12x12x6 dog run around it to keep bigger animals out...if you are not willing to put the money into him, find him another home!

Answer 6

If your Rabbit gets hot he or she will stretch all the way out and pant. You need to keep them in a nice cool shade spot and they will be fine. You don;t have to bring them inside with air condition and all that garbage. A shady grove out side will do fine. IF your temps are reaching very high there like 100o then you might want to consider spraying them down with sprinkler.
Wild rabbits will go in holes in the ground to escape the heat of the day and it is much cooler there. Rabbits in a cage have to be monitored. MY friend lets his Rabbit run loose in the yard and it goes underneath his house to escape the heat.

Answer 7

Hi,

Rabbits generally can take heat pretty well, provided the area is well-ventilated. You should put up a fan for him to get the air circulate. That's what I do with mine and I've had him for 4 years now. Shade, fan, lots of water - that should do it. There is really nothing else that would work, since bunnies can't sweat like we do - thru the skin. They can't sweat at all. Keeps him inside, that's much better then outside. Outside he can get attacked by all kinds predators and also nasty big flies like to get to them and sting them. Be careful!

Answer 8

Give him pleny of fresh drinking water. Make sure he has constant access to a salt block. Like horses, bunnies will naturally lick the salt, which will allow thier bodies to take in more water, which will cool their body temps. Hang it on the cage with a wire so they do not pee on it. Feed him good quality pellets (preferably with more timothy hay than alfalfa) so you know that he's getting enough salt in his pellets. Give him a handful of dark leafy greens every day, and a couple chunks of veggies. The water in the food will cool him and the vitamins will keep his immune system healthy to fight off stress/heat induced illnesses. Of course, have fresh grassy hay (timothy or orchard grass) available 24-7. Do not put vitamins in the water because they may not drink enough if they do not like the taste. Offer water in a bottle, and in a ceramic water dish. My bunny drinks more out of an open dish. Give him a big cage, mine lives in my porch and his cage is open for him to go in and out. The cement floor stays cool, and it is much safer than offering soil. If you must cage him all the time, affer a big cement slab or a few bricks to lay on. You can use this in conjunction with a frozen bottle or a wet towel. Having him inside for 2 hours may make him sick from the drastic change in temp. I would either keep him in or out. For excersize, try a pen outside or in a garage or porch. Keep him well brushed to remove excess hair. If he starts panting, use extra measures to cool him. Take him somewhere cool and mist him with a water bottle. Hope this helps!

Answer 9

The only way to keep him cool is to put a frozen bottle in his cage. He'll sit next to it when he gets too hot. Try to bring him inside during the hottest parts of the day (if possible) and make sure he has plenty of water.

Answer 10

Put Ice cubes in a water bowl and keep it topped up with regular cubes through the day.

Use a water mist spray on him too - he'll love that.

Attached a small fan to his cage.

Make sure he's in a very shaded area. Indoors is probably best.

My old Bunny used to sleep on our stainless steel worktop in the kitchen.....

Answer 11

It gets very hot here in Australia too - bunns have big problems in temperatures over 28 degrees Celcius, which calculates as 82°Farenheit, and need to be kept cool, otherwise they can die from heat stroke - I've written an article on symptoms of heat stroke and how to treat -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyheatstroke.html
And, as I also say in my article … many of the breeders we know freeze a soft-drink-bottle full of water, and then put that in their bunny cages - their bunnies then lean against it and keep their body cool (sort of like the reverse of a hot water bottle!). Unfortunately, however, this never worked successfully with our beautiful bunny Dasher, because he kept trying to chew the bottle, so we had to take it away! Try it if you like, but keep a close and continual eye on your bunny when you try it, and make sure he doesn’t chew the bottle … if he were to ingest plastic, he could get a stomach blockage, which would be an even bigger problem.

Another alternative is to use a hard tupperware container (you know, particularly those hard-plastic square ones) - the hard plastic is a little safe (still keep an eye on your bunns that they don't chew them, though!) and additionally, won't roll around.

We know some people who use a big piece of tiling, too - they put it in their fridge to make it cool, and then put it where their bunns can lay against it.

Another really good idea, which I've heard about from bunny-friends but haven't tried myself yet, is to drench a towel with cool water, then ring it out so it's just this side of not-dripping wet, and drape it over your bunn's hutch/cage - apparently this creates a moist, cool microclimate for him.

Another tip that I mention on my web page - on the really hot days, if you can spend the day with him, keep him constantly moist by wetting your hands with cool water and rubbing this into his fur and skin - as with all of us, if you keep his skin moist, the evaporation of this water on his skin will cool him.

Very, very best of luck - we know, here in Australia, how difficult the heat is for you and your bunn.