rabbits in AZ?

[bethany83]

Alright, nixed the single hutch idea, going for two cages for the two mini rexs.

However, I am concerned about the heat here in AZ. They are going to be outside rabbits, on the NE side of the house. Its shady against the house in the afternoon. What kinds of things can I do to keep them cool(er)?

What kind of rabbit set-ups would work well? Pictures would be AWESOME!

Thanks so much!

~Bethany

 

[dewey]

Hi Bethany. You also have a PM. I was really rushed right then.

I'm not familiar with raising mini rex's but all rabbits are very sensitive to heat. To survive our summers they'll need to be out of any direct sunlight (on the hutch/cages/them) with some type of shade all day long that still allows good ventilation, that also keeps them dry when it storms. Your NE side is perfect for them, keeping in mind that nearby walls, sidewalks, patios, or landscaping rock will reflect heat and can drastically increase the temperature near them.

A fan blowing through is of some help, along with frozen bottles a few times a day if that's possible. The 4H leader might be able to direct you to someone with experience in keeping mini rex's in our extreme heat outdoors. (They might even have a secure, extra set up you could buy.)

I have only large rabbits now set up with fans and a cooler, but years ago I also had small dutch rabbits outdoors and they survived well with a few precautions (had no cooling or fans, just heavy shade & good air flow).

Open sided and the higher the roof is above them the better, so that hot air can rise up and lift away from them instead of staying right on top of them in their cages/hutches which can overheat them in a couple of minutes.

 

[Legacy]

I saw someone on youtube uses burlap sacks that are soaked with water and hung on one side of the cage for the breeze to blow through them.

That wouldn't be a lot of help in humid climate but in the dry heat of AZ, it should help a lot.

 

[phoenixmama]

I saw someone on youtube uses burlap sacks that are soaked with water and hung on one side of the cage for the breeze to blow through them.

That wouldn't be a lot of help in humid climate but in the dry heat of AZ, it should help a lot.

Agreed! Many people still use swamp coolers for their houses here. Since it's so dry it works great. A long time ago, before the modern air conditioning...people that settled here would hang wet bed sheets up in the windows to keep the houses cooler.

 

[hoodat]

In addition to the temperature you also have those hot dry winds to contend with. I have something similar with the Santa Anas although they are less frequent. I solved it by putting up permanent trellises on the windward side. I grow beans and cukes on the trellises which gives them some shelter from the dry wind in Summer but are finished growing and the dead vines can be removed in the Fall so the Winter sunshine reaches them.

 

[BellLisaMo]

Hey there I'm here in Arizona! I keep my lionheads/angoras well shaded, and I freeze 2 liter water bottles at night, then place them in their cages during the day. If the bunnies get too hot then they will lay right next to the bottles.

 

[rockdoveranch]

We freeze water in 2 quart juice bottles such as V8, apple juice or cranberry juice. We always have 2 for each rabbit, just in case I forget to put bottles in the freezer at night.

Our French Lops lay right up against them, usually with an ear over the frozen bottle. The rabbits seem to like the bottles when they start to sweat.

Our cage (double wide) is on the south side of the house under the house's 15 foot awning and is totally open; no solid wood sides. The house protects them from the north wind and the awnings keep them dry.

The rabbit that is in a large dog crate that is inside a dog run where she has free range will lick the water from the sprinkler just like a dog.

 

[terri9630]

We have misters for our rabbits. Just one line along the top of the rabbit shed, which isn't really a "shed". More like a pole barn along the side of the garage so it is open on all sides with just a roof and a frame to hang the cages. With the wind we have here in NM the misters cool the air but the wind keeps the buns from getting wet and having fungus problems.

Our cages are hung on the east side of our garage to protect them from the wind. Bunnies don't like 50 mph wind and blowing sand.

 

[norcal]

We used a mister system on some days last year & frozen water bottles on the others. But, our buns did get a bit damp from the misters. It's super dry here though, so that seems okay (not for the food though). I wish we had a bigger cover over them, so I could move it further away from the cages.