Tricks to keep your rabbit cool and comfy in the heat

[savingdogs]

Okay, I have a small herd (five) meat rabbits, Creme d' Argents including one that is pregnant. We have had unseasonably mild and cool weather so far since I have owned them (I'm a rabbit newbie) and we are now approaching our first days of predicted hot weather (over 80 degrees). This is a large breed of rabbit in case you are not familiar but not especially long haired.

My rabbits are outdoors but in a sheltered area, trees overhang the site and it is pretty shady all morning. Dense forest covers the east side and the air from there is cool (that is why I selected this site). My cages are homemade and are extra large with extra large holes (smaller mesh just around bottom) so there is an excellent amount of air circulation and there is a long roof overhanging each one. I use crocks for water.

Should I plan to freeze water in jugs or something for them? Put ice water out there for them to drink? Try to rig fans (kinda far from the electric source and the cages being so large would require a fan apiece. Could I put ice cubes in their water crocks? I'm trying to learn the easiest ways of helping them stay cool. Our temps never really reach over 95 at our altitude.

Tips anyone?

 

[woodleighcreek]

http://rompinrabbitsandcuddlycavy4h...-care-of-your-rabbits-in-the-summer-heat.html

My 4-H leader wrote that. I hope it helps!

 

[savingdogs]

thank you very much, that was extremely helpful!

 

[AL]

great info! I think I am in trouble with the suggestion to bring them in if temps are consistently 90 though, since it was 102 today. I give them frozen water bottles, and was thinking maybe some frozen treats would help?
I'll buy a fan for the shelter, but I think we're in for a long summer.

 

[savingdogs]

It will be hard for me to do a fan, but it is very windy here a lot, I think I'll concentrate on getting some of those tiles, that should work well for here. And frozen jugs!

 

[rabbitgeek]

From rabbitgeek notes:

It can get warm in the summer, but most rabbits can adapt to the heat.
You can help the outdoor bunny be comfortable by putting a frozen
water bottle in the cage for the rabbit to lean against. I take one
liter plastic soda bottles, fill it 3/4 full of water, leaving a gap
for the water to expand as it freezes, and put it in the freezer.

When the temp starts to get over 80F degrees we use fans and swamp
coolers (evaporative coolers) to cool the rabbits. We have Angora
rabbits with long wool who really appreciate this. You can also use
spray misters setup in front of fans. You can even add air
conditioning to your rabbit enclosure.

We put the frozen bottles in with the rabbits on hot days which would
be over 90F degrees. When the ice melts and the bottle is warm, we
pull another bottle out of the freezer and put the warm bottle in to
freeze again. We keep several bottles in the freezer.

A lot of rabbits can manage outdoors in shady areas even when the temp
is over 100F. Some of our normal (short) furred rabbits manage in the
summer with no special treatment. Some rabbits will stress at this
temp and we will bring those rabbits indoors to the air conditioning
in our house for the day.

Signs of heat stress are panting (breathing heavy) and wetness on the nose area. The rabbit is trying to expell heat through the lungs.

See article:
Outdoor housing for rabbits
http://www.rabbitgeek.com/outdoorhousingmay05.htm

Have a good day!

 

[woodleighcreek]

great info! I think I am in trouble with the suggestion to bring them in if temps are consistently 90 though, since it was 102 today. I give them frozen water bottles, and was thinking maybe some frozen treats would help?
I'll buy a fan for the shelter, but I think we're in for a long summer.

That would probably help. Also putting ice cubes in the water bowls works well. Where do you keep your rabbits? I have mine in my garage and I am getting an air conditioner for them.

 

[AL]

Ugh my rabbits have been doing some heavy panting. Cheeto, the cinammon colored dwarf mutt, lays stretched out spraddle of the water bottle so I have to put 2 bottles in (shares a hutch with Oops, another dwarf mutt). Bon, my big black mutt doesn't care much for the water bottles and prefers to lay in the shallow tray of water I put in in addition to the "lix it" water bottles.

The shelter is a tin roof, enclosed on the back (north end) by the chicken house, a privacy fence to the east and open to the South and west. It is covered by a massive pecan tree so even the tin roof is shaded most of the time. The dwarf cage is closer to the roof, so I keep a layer of cardboard to separate them from the heat of the tin if / when it does get hot. Their cage is one of those starter cages with the tray bottom, so the air only comes from the sides and ends (limited on the east side by the privacy fence). Bon is in a big hardware cloth hutch with a 2x6x16 inch board for resting on, as well as a cardboard tube. Air comes from all but the east side (fence) and the top (dwarf cage).

If push comes to shove and our summer continues this way I will just put Bon in his old starter cage and bring them all inside. Bon will use a litter box and I feel sure the others would learn. They are jsut such a mess.

I gave them carrots, celery and grape tomatoes from the fridge today, they weren't interested, just ate their feed and timothy hay. I also give them fresh grass / weeds / radish tops from the garden.

 

[woodleighcreek]

Try soaking clay tiles in water for an hour then freeze them. That should help.

 

[AL]

I'll see what I can find. Thanks