Ways to keep rabbits cool in the hot summer.?

Question

I put 3 liter soda bottles with frozen water inside the cage and spray them, but they still seem hot. They are also in the shade. How can I keep them cool, can I shave their fur off? And what the signs of heat stroke/ heat discomfort, like whaat do they do? Please help! Thanks

Answer 1

If the temperature is above 85 degrees where they are at, bring them inside. Keep them separated if they do not get along or are unaltered males and females, of course.

I use and x-pen, baby pen, bedrooms and bathrooms to keep them separated.

Take them back out when the temperature goes down again. Where I live the temp peaks at 4pm before it begins to go down again.

I bought an inexpensive wireless, remote thermometer from Target to put out in my rabbitry. I have the read out right here in front of me on my computer desk. Currently it is 78 degrees inside and steady and 74 degrees in the rabbitry and dropping. An alarm goes off if the temp in the rabbitry gets to 80 degrees. Cool, huh?

You've got to be careful with the water misters. Sure, hand mist their ears. That's fine. But if you are using the automatic misters then make sure it is not spraying on them. The misters need to be put at the entrance of their shade/shelter. They are only used to cool the air as it goes into the shaded area and not to get the rabbits wet.

I had a rabbit get terribly sick because the mist was too close to her and got her too damp. :(

You can use all the frozen tiles, water bottles, misters and such but if the temp of the air around them is hits 85 degrees then move them to a cooler place.

The sign of stress from the heat is a rapidly moving nose.

If your rabbit goes listless, rush him to the emergency room but at that point it is not likely to recover. Prevention is best.

Answer 2

Buns should be indoor pets, not outdoor. Especially during the hot summer months and cold winter months. It is best to keep buns inside where there are fans/air conditioning, however, if he/she must stay outside in the heat... here are some ideas:

* Squares of tile chilled in the freezer and then placed where the bunny can lay on it (if you use marble, it stays 10 degrees cooler than surrounding air anyway)

* A cold wet towel or bowl of ice cubes, placed in front of a fan (preferably an oscillating fan, so the bunny isn't constantly having the fan blow on him)

*Ice cubes wrapped in a wet towel and placed where the bunny can lay against it

* Put a plastic bottle of frozen water in the cage (NOTE: water expands when it freezes, so leave room for this expansion in your container)

*Ice cubes in the water crocks

*Let the bunny hang out somewhere on a cool bare floor

*Dampen the tips of your bunny's ears (the evaporation will cool the ears)

* Block all sunlight and use only fluorescent lighting, which puts off much less heat than incandescant or halogen lamps (this won't help cool an area that has already warmed up - if it's going to be a hot day and there won't be air conditioning, keep the shades drawn)

If your bunny becomes listless and unresponsive, get him to a vet immediately!!

Answer 3

How To Keep Rabbits Cool

Answer 4

You don't want to shave their fur off because they will be more suseptible to bug bites like mosquitoes and ticks but check out the site below. It is the best pet shedder that you can use and it is now in most pet stores. Its called the FURminator. It looks like a straight razor for guys or girls but it pulls the undercoat out and leaves the top coat. Getting all that undercoat out of them will definitely make them cooler. You will be surprised at how it works too. Also, on the long hours of the day, try taking a really large ice pack, the freezer kind you can put into its own carrying case that you use for swelling. I know they come as large as 12 x 18 inches. If you get a few of them, you can keep one in the freezer and one in the cage under a rug that the bunny can lay on. You don't want to use a towel because you want a good 1/4 inch thickness between it and the bunny so that the bunny won't freeze its skin before the pack warms up to the outside temp. Bunnies can't determine how cold 'too cold' is on their skin. They will just use it because it feels good. I also suggest on the very, very hot days where there is no breeze, that you plug a fan in outside and blow it into the cage. Make sure it doesn't blow the entire laying bed area but part of it so that if the bunny wants to it can lay in the breeze or lay out of it. Also, change his water several times a day to be cooler tap water that hasn't been warmed up by the heat of the day, but DO NOT put ice in the water. Cold water into a hot body will shock it and the body doesn't absorb ice cold water as well as it does normal water. All these things are what my parents did for their pet rabbits (actually my brothers' rabbits). So, get the FUR shedder and get the hair out of his coat so that he can be cooler so when the breeze does blow it will reach his skin and not be stopped by all the undercoat. And put him on a cool ice pack with a throw rug (not rubber backed) between him and the pack and put a fan on him to keep the breeze always blowing in the shade when there isn't any made by mother nature, and change his water more frequently durning the day so it stays on the cooler side.

Answer 5

so some distance you're doing the best ingredient. in case you have a storage open it and enable him/her in there. additionally you should enable your rabbit out of its cage alot for the duration of summer season because it gets somewhat heat for the duration of summer season. many times your rabbit (purely like mine) would the two save on with you around or circulate to an stunning cool shaded area and lie down. you should save on refilling its water many times happening or for all time you spot it empty. wish this facilitates with the aid of fact it is what i've got been doing for 5 years and it form of feels to artwork.

Answer 6

I submerge my rabbits in cool water and that helps, along with the ice!

Answer 7

that is a great question