# Cooling A Rabbit



## Carolyn (Jun 9, 2004)

I thought I'd create a whole new post just so that people who missed it, could see it.Pamnock has once again given us great information. Iadded some hints/signs as to what you should watch out for.

Rabbits do not take the heat well, and caution to be taken not to let them play in the sun on warm/humid days.


Heat should keep it in the forefront of our minds each day.The weather here went from 79 degrees on Monday to 92 degrees on Tuesday. I check the weather daily to be sure that as the day progresses and I'm not there, the rabbits are able to stay cool. 

Obviously you don't want your rabbit or his/her cage to be in the sun as you can lose them quickly if exposed to it more than a minute or two. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's info on keeping rabbits cool:

Air movement is required for proper cooling in very humid areas or moisture cannot evaporate. While many say to never blow a fan directly on the rabbit, I recommend it when it's extremely hot and humid. Place the fan a distance from the rabbit and have it gently blowing over the hot bunn. A little water can be placed on the ears, which serves to cool as it evaporates.

*Understanding how the rabbit cools itself helps us to provide the most comfortable environment for our rabbits:
*
The rabbit is cooled by 3 primary factors: Respiration, Ears and Nasal Mucosa.

80% of heat dissipation in rabbits occurs through the evaporation of moisture during respiration (breathing). Fans help this cooling processby speeding evaporation.

Cooling also occurs through nasal mucosa (by air passing over mucous membranes).

The ears are also important for cooling as the blood moves to the farthest (coolest) points away from the body core. 

The rabbit will also stretch it's body out as far as possible to cool through radiation/convection. Rabbits do not have functional sweat glands, and only loose a small amount of moisture through the skin due to perspiration. The rabbit's fur further inhibits the process of the rabbit being able to cool itself by evaporation of moisture from the skin.

Since the rabbit cools primarily through respiration, we want to provide air movement throughout the cage to evaporate the moisture from the rabbit's breath. In a serious situation of heat stress, you will notice moisture around the rabbits face (especially around the mouth and nose) because the moisture is not evaporating. 

A frozen bottle may be of only limited help without the proper air movement and evaporation.

Pam Nock

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

*Tips for prevention of Heat Stroke:*

Heatstroke can kill a rabbit very quickly. Some things that you can do to prevent such an untimely and unnecessary death for your lagamorph are listed below. 

1) Be sure to provide your rabbit shade. Rabbits can get sun/heat stroke just by having their cage in the sun. Best to be sure the location of the cage is away from where the sun rays will beam in.

2) Don't subject your rabbit to extreme temperatures: hot or air conditioning. Air conditioning can be used, but it's best to have your rabbit in a separate room so that the room doesn't get too cold or the air isn't blowing on the rabbit. 

3) Be sure they have a lot of water; they tend to drink more in the summer to stay cool.

4) You can use a fan. I like toaimthe fanso that the air will reach part of the cage, but if the rabbit feels it's too much,s/he can move out of the way. If you're going to keep your fan on all day, best to keep it on low.

5) If the rabbit is indoors, on really hot days Iclose the shades to keep out as muchheat as possible.

6) If the rabbit is outside, you may want to mist the ears a bit in the heat of the afternoon. 

7) Some people fill old milk cartons or soda bottles with cold water and put them in the cage with their rabbit so that s/he can lean up against it if it gets very hot.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 

*80 degrees fahrenheit or above is dangerous for a rabbit.

*
* * * *

*SYMPTOMS/SIGNS OF DANGER OF HEAT STROKE:*

1) Rabbit is laying stretched out

2) Panting or heavy breathing

3) Sometimes there's foaming at the mouth

4) Muzzle is wet

* * * * * * * 

*WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
*
1) Get the rabbit to a cool area. Get a fan, and put it on him/her with a speed of medium or low.

2) You can dip your rabbit in a *Lukewarm bath* if it is almost lifeless. Dip up to the ears. Never immerse the rabbit completely in the water. You have to work on bringing its temperature down slowly. Putting it in a cold bath or directly applying ice to it's ears is _not_ recommended or good for the rabbit. That could lead into other problems of stress and shock to its system and you could lose the rabbit that way.

3) Put a cold washcloth on the rabbit's ears. You could wrap ice cubes in a washcloth and apply to the inside and outside of the ears. The blood from the rest of the body will circulate into the rabbit's system once cooled.

4)Keep him/her hydrated, even if you have to put some water in a syringe to give orally to keep the fluids in his system up. The rabbit may have to get an intravenous tube.


5) Try to keep calm so that the rabbit doesn't get stressed.

6) Put an old milk carton or soda bottle in the cage filled with cold water so that the rabbit can lean up against it.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Happy Summer! 

-Carolyn


Adding a couple articles I just found:

An HRS article:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/warm-weather.html

And a Zooh Corner article:

http://www.mybunny.org/info/summer.htm

--Rosie* aka maherwoman


----------



## Dawn (Jun 9, 2004)

Great Idea and post Carolyn

I just wanted to add that my rabbit likes to stretch out on the tilesin front of my fire place they are much cooler then the rug. I havethought about going to a lows or home depot and seeing if they have anyon their clearance rack and putting one in my bunny cage.


----------



## Loz n Ebony (Jun 9, 2004)

But my rabbits always lay stretched out!!!!


----------



## Foofy (Jun 9, 2004)

Found this info really interesting. I am going to try using the cooled plastic bottles and see how my bunnies like them.

Although we do not tend to suffer much with the hot weather over herelike you guys in the US do, we are lucky if we get into the 80's in thesummer it is mostly in the 70's!! Oh forgot the rain as well! Althoughit hasn't rained for about a week now.


----------



## BunnyMommy (Jun 9, 2004)

When we took Sherman to Bunnyfest it wasrather warm outside and I didn't want him to get overheated in hiscarrier in transport, so I put a frozen water bottle in with him as an"air conditioner". He absolutely loved it!


----------



## BunnyMommy (Jun 9, 2004)

This is a great and timely thread.

Thanks again,Carolyn!


----------



## batbunny (Jun 9, 2004)

wonderful idea to post this, carolyn!


----------



## DaisyNBuster (Jun 10, 2004)

Thanks for this info Carolyn - like Foofy saidover here we don't get extreme heat - but this week it has been so warmitgot to 30 degrees (heatwave for Manchester !)It is really good adviceas heatstroke can be devastating fora bun. So thanks again


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 10, 2004)

Glad you're all enjoying it. Thanks for your nice comments.





-Carolyn


----------



## Flopsy (Jun 12, 2004)

I have a dog a few years back who was in the backyard in the sun for less than one hour. I went to check on her an shewas walking around like she was dizzy. I put her in my bath tub and putnice cold water on a wash cloth and rubbed it on her. I also made herswollow water by giving it to her through an eye dropper. From that dayforward she went down hil. She had expericned heat stroke 

I am going to by a fan and put in on outside with Flopsy, since he isoutside in his hutch all day. I always have a cold milk jug with waterin it. I freeze it in the freezer and then when I go to work I put itin his hutch. I don't want to have to expericence another heat strokeepisode of my beloveds ever again.

Thank you so much Carloyn for carring about rabbits. The world needs more people like you.


----------



## Cher (Jun 17, 2004)

Excellent post Carolyn! Brilliant timing too-Jadeloves a washcloth on her ears-thanks for the great advice Iused to keep them out of the bathroom but now, since they are getting abit calmer they use it for a relaxing cool down-Jade likes to lay onthe tiles which are like a shelf at the end of the tub, got a pic forya too, just have to send it..

Cher


----------



## mhiszxpinay (Jun 17, 2004)

wow! that really helped me alott! That's why i was wondering why my bunnys laying stretched out!!


----------



## mhiszxpinay (Jun 17, 2004)

OoO..!!! that is realy helpful! But whjen It's init's cage, and with the fan on low, it still strecthes out!! Does itmean that it will die?:shock:


----------



## pamnock (Jun 24, 2004)

The stretching out is not a cause for concern. Many rabbits will stretch out when laying down.

You should become very concerned if your rabbit is stretched out withit's head flungback, breathing heavy and wet around theface. These are signs that the rabbit's body is not beingadequately cooled and the problem is becoming serious.

Pam


----------



## SpoiledBuni (Jun 28, 2004)

wow this is great info, these days the temp hasbeen getting close to 80degrees F, im going to print out the info as areminder, thanks


----------



## BrianC (Jul 9, 2004)

Hey, that's lots of great info.

I thought of something a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure how feasibleit is, because I haven't gotten to test it out yet. You canpurchase electric water coolers that plug into wall outlets and have aninternalcooling system, probably similar to arefrigerator. Simply (yeah right...simply)cut ahole in the side of one of these coolerswhich will serve asan entry way to the cooler. The bunny can enter through thehole, then hang half out the hole, stay completely inside...just go infrom time to time...whatever he likes or deemes necessary for stayingcool and/or comfortable.

This would be a great idea if it actually worked, but I have yet to tryit. It's actually like a little self air conditioned home forthe bunny. My parents have a portion oftheir garageturned into a make-shift room.They're thinking ofputting the rabbits out there, butthey have to keep it coolsomehow, because Texas is very hot and dry.They'veinstalled a wall air conditioning unit for the garage, and the otheridea was the small electric water cooler with added entry for bunny.

So, if someone thinks this is an interesting idea and they have themeans to do before I do, please let us know how it works!I'll post if I ever decide to make one of these. Let me knowif there's anything dangerous about this (besides the obvious of thebunny chewing the cord into and becoming toasty). 

- Brian C.


----------



## Harveysmum (Jul 10, 2004)

Thankyou for sharing such great information. As it might come in handy one day.


----------



## Norton&Mcafee (Jul 22, 2004)

Norton Loves icecubes in his water dish on hotdays he plays with them and loves the cold water. He alsoloves the frozen waterbottles. 

Great post!


----------



## Sgt. Pepper (Jul 30, 2004)

Thanks a lot for this post. Churchill's cage isright infront of a french door and the sun is on him often. We thoughthe liked the sun becasue when we put a shade up he would scrunchhimself in the little pocket of sunlight. We have central air so itnever gets too warm in here. When we saw him stretched out in the sunwe thought he was enjoying it :shock:Nowwe know better


----------



## Buck Jones (Aug 1, 2004)

Well, as you describe it, he may be simplyenjoying the sun bathing. If the air sufficiently cools himand he "chooses" to bask in the sun, he is probably fine. Ijust would provide him with access to shade by draping a towel orsomething across part of his cage and just watching for signssuggesting he is ill at ease or or otherwise uncomfortable . 

There are times when bunnies do love to bask in the sun.





Buck


----------



## babydoshia (Aug 26, 2004)

Hey, I dont know if this would work for bunnies but I do it in the summer to keep my rats cool since we dont have an AC.

Fill a large bowl with water and place a large terra cotta pot in thewater. Then putboth in the fridge overnight (leavethe pot in the bowl of water). The water gets cold from thefridge and the pot absorbs the water. Then in the morningtake it out and wipe the pot dry. Then just put it in thecage on it's side. 

It gets really cool inside the pot and my rats just love it. They sleep inside it.

It may not work well for a larger bunny unless you getareally big pot and somehow stuff it in your fridge, but it wouldprobably work well for a smaller rabbit.



Just an idea 

-Madelon


----------



## Lovely Bren (Sep 6, 2004)

Good Morning, all.............

Well, I am absolutelyheartbroken............... ****, I wish I would have read this threadbefore now............Yesterday morning, I went out to feed my 3 bunnsand I noticed that my "Rudy Rascal's" muzzle was wet. I just thought hehad stuck his muzzle in his water dish. It was real hot yesterday,unusually so.... Anyways, around 1:00 I went out to wet them all down,check on their water levels and put some frozen water bottles in theircages and I noticed Rudy was lying stretched out and his head was offto the right and he was breathing very heavily! I immediately snatchedhim up and ran inside with him and got my beau on the phone calling thevet. Before they could answer, my Rudy Rascal died in my arms.....Ga, I am soooo sick about this! It was hard enough loosinghim and then I get on here, just now and read the topic of this postand find out that I very well could have saved him if I had just hadrealized what his wet muzzle meant, yesterday MORNING!!! I feel soooterrible; so responsible for his death! So, today, I brought both myother bunns inside the house. I am not willing to lose another one. Iam so dearly sorry for what I did to my Rudy Rascal. I don't know how Iwill ever forgive myself. Here isa pic I took of him justlast month......may he rest in peace with my two dogs, Gretchen&amp; Sassy...


----------



## Lovely Bren (Sep 6, 2004)

Here is another pic of my Rudy Rascal


----------



## Lovely Bren (Sep 6, 2004)

And, one more..........


----------



## pamnock (Sep 6, 2004)

What a sad story. I feel for you andyour heartache, but please don't blame yourself. We all tryour best to provide for our animals, but sadly we never know everythingnor do we have a crystal ball to peer into the future and preventtragedy. Know that others will read of your experience, andbe more aware of the dangers of heat prostration.

Pam


----------



## Lovely Bren (Sep 6, 2004)

How do I beginto forgive myself? We buried Rudy beside the other rabbits cages in ashoebox. Last night, all night long, I dreamt that Rudy came alive inthe shoebox and dug his way out. I kept also dreaming that his littlenose was wiggiling again. I am so heartbroken, Pam.........please prayfor me...........


----------



## Buck Jones (Sep 6, 2004)

*Lovely Bren wrote:*


> How do I begin to forgivemyself? We buried Rudy beside the other rabbits cages in a shoebox.Last night, all night long, I dreamt that Rudy came alive in theshoebox and dug his way out. I kept also dreaming that his little nosewas wiggiling again. I am so heartbroken, Pam.........please pray forme...........





> Oooh, Brenda! You don't ever forgive yourself, but as timegoes on you'll be more accepting and the pain will hurt less.Our best bun ever, died last April to some kind of pulmonaryinfection. Like you, in retrospect, I missed some physicalsigns that had I noticed at the time they wereoccurring,might have led to prolonging his darling littlelife. You didn't and I didn't.
> 
> We fumbled the ball because we are human and they were rabbits,incapable of verbalizing to us that they were sick. We, both,know how unintentional those omissions on our parts were, and I thinkour buns will forgive us when they do greet us again across the RainbowBridge. At least, they will have passed on with thereassurance that those circumstances will not ever be repeated again byyou, or me, and maybe some rabbits will live a longer life forit; not only our own, but also rabbits owned by others whomay read these posts, and posts like them.
> 
> ...





> P.S. Sometime, when you'refeeling a bit better and up to it, you may want to accesshttp://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=111&amp;forum_id=1&amp;highlight=Buck+Jonestolearn of our Maxie's demise.


----------



## pamnock (Sep 6, 2004)

*Lovely Bren wrote:*


> How do I begin to forgivemyself? We buried Rudy beside the other rabbits cages in a shoebox.Last night, all night long, I dreamt that Rudy came alive in theshoebox and dug his way out. I kept also dreaming that his little nosewas wiggiling again. I am so heartbroken, Pam.........please pray forme...........




Time. You aregoing through part of the normalgrieving process and this is normal. There are many,including myself, who have experienced similar losses and wondered howwe could have missed signs that we now feel were so obvious.We are only human and not perfect. There are many hearts onthis board heavy with your loss and helping to bear your burden ofgrief.



Pam


----------



## Carolyn (Sep 6, 2004)

Dearest LovelyBren,

Pam and Buck speak the truth. I, too, had lost a rabbit that I stillblame myself for his untimely death because of weather conditions. 

The only good that comes out of it is that the rabbits that come intoyour life afterwards will not be lost due to weather conditions again.

As Pamnock said, our hearts are heavy knowing what you're goingthrough, LovelyBren. Go easy on yourself. You're in great pain and youdon't need to cause anymore to yourself. 

-Carolyn


----------



## Kassandrah (Oct 3, 2004)

This is a great post about hot summer days!

I have a question about winter. My bun is an indoor bun and Ilive in Virginia I moved here from California where the weather is justwhat it is either warm or its raining. Im still trying to getused to the weather here on the East Coast but I did find that In theSummer time its wet and in the winter time its Dry. 

It gets so dry here for me that I sometimes suffer a nosebleed here andthere because of no moisture in the air and Im wanting to get ahumidifier however with reading this post Im not real sure if thats agood idea with a Bun in my apartment do we know if this is a good orbad idea?


----------



## Carolyn (Oct 4, 2004)

Hi Kassandrah,

In the top 5 posts, there is a thread called "Warming your Rabbit in the Fall and Winter months."

The humidifier wouldn't cause a problem if your houseisdry.I wouldn't put it directly nexttothe bunny, but in the roomisfine. 


-Carolyn


----------



## hotchocolatewithsmarties!!!!! (Nov 12, 2004)

no way is it YOUR fault, these things happen,please don't blame yourself.

i really feel for u after your loss.


----------



## babybunnywrigley (Jan 25, 2005)

bumping for FreeVerse_au


----------



## becc_boland (Feb 3, 2005)

this was a great thread, it will help me heapswhen i get my rabbits! I live in Australia and lately we have had somehot as days the hottest was 42 degrees celsius ( i dont know what thatis in farenheit) This will help me alot! Thnx! 

*Becc*


----------



## Riyon (Feb 7, 2005)

huh.. my rabbit always like to stretch its feet all the way out.. a funny sight..

but it is in my house with shade and plenty of water..

haha.. but anyway.. great info~!

really wonder hows life for rabbits in america!


----------



## A loves bunnies (Feb 13, 2005)

i have 3 indoor rabbits and two of them i findstretched out alot together and its not too hot or too colddown where they are 

they also have lots of water and food where they can get at it

i am a new bunnie owner well they actually belong to the kids but i do most of the taking care of them 

so i am not sure why they do it but they look ok and eat and drink well


----------



## Rowan (Feb 16, 2005)

It's fine when they're stretched out, rabbitsoften relax like that. It's when they've got the other symptoms aswell, and it's warm/hot that there's a problem .

Kate


----------



## IluvBunniez (Mar 14, 2005)

Thank you somuch for that Information.Ill have to watch the news more often being Iam in Flordia and it tends to get in the 90's I love my Bunie and Idont want to hurt it in anyway. So thanks agian for that GreatInfo

~Ashley~


----------



## IluvBunniez (Mar 14, 2005)

Verdana

Please dont Blame your self. He is in bunnieheaven. Its not your fault.You didnt do anything wrong.

:?Ashley


----------



## anewpashion (Mar 15, 2005)

Hello,

Can someone please help? I got a rabbit a couple of weeks ago and shewas my world. My first rabbit, and that is how i got the name a newpashion. i feel in love. 

i got her a nice cage, lots of toys, water, food and everything ithought she needed. But i made a mistake, i put her in the back roomand closed the vent off, cause we keep our house about 67 degrees and iwas afraid she would get cold. For the time that i have had her she hasbeen so happy, well this weekend past was the warmest days of the monthand i had left and i checked on hre before i left and she was fine thenwhen i came home i checked on her and she was fine but when i woke upmonday morning she was dead. I cried all day. I couldnt figure out whati did wrong and now i know. She had a heatstroke. I dont think i haveever been so heart broken. We buried her yesterday but notwithout tears. And i went last night and got me another one but afterlots of reading yesterday about rabbits i know have the vent opend thecage out of the heat my new rabbit is very well protected. I will neverbe able to replace my Snowwhite. But i have to move on and learn frommy mistakes. can someone please tell me what is the righttemperature to keep a rabbit cool? i am so scared that me keeping mynew little rabbit at 67 will hurt him. what is the right temp to keepat to keep rabbit happy and nice and cool? Please help.


----------



## anewpashion (Mar 15, 2005)

Hello,

I was wondering if 67 degrees is too cool for a rabbit, he is in a roominthe shade away from the vent. i dont want him to get to cold but iwant him to be comfortable too. can you please offer some advice for mylittle coco.


----------



## Carolyn (Mar 15, 2005)

I'm so glad you got another rabbit, anewpassion. 

I'm very sorry about Snow White. I wonder if she hadsomething else going on other than heat stroke. I'm going tobring back a post by BunnyMommy. I highly recommend you readthe poem on the first page - it's entitled RainbowBridge. It's given a lot of comfort to those that havelost a member of the family. Be sure to post your memorial toSnow White, if you wish. It's our way of giving tribute anddedication to those rabbits, people, and other animals that are now ina better place.

I bumped up the post Lo/Hi's from Buck Jones as to temperatures. 

I'm sure Coco is in for a wonderful life in your loving home. 





-Carolyn


----------



## bunnylover134 (Mar 16, 2005)

oh my...thats so sad! I know how hard it is. Ivegone through it 2x and its the hardest thing in the whole world!! Restin peace cutie rudy rascal!!


----------



## bunnylover134 (Mar 16, 2005)

My one bunny Chloe LOVES going outside for somesun and fresh air! He's an inside rabbit ( all mine are), and everyonce in awhile I hold him and go outside and he will just lay his headon my shoulder and just sit there. I only go out for like 2 min ifthat. just to get some sun. but he loves it. and his little nose goescrazy with all the fresh air! its so cute. 
during summer i always put some cold water and my fingers and rub mybunny ear and he just loves that too. he'll lay all spread out when ido that. so that works really good for anyone wondering!


----------



## ellenking (Mar 17, 2005)

Where I live it is in the 100's for most of thesummer. In order to cut down on air conditioning bills wekeep fans running 24 hours a day. My little Bagel the bunnyparks herself in front of them (fur blowing) whenever shecan. Although I don't let her out in the heat, I neverrealized how helpful they must be to her. As a direct result,she loves all kinds of electric motors, the vacuum, and our electriclawnmower. Go figure!

Ellen


----------



## Jenniblu (Mar 19, 2005)

Strange how they grow to love the fans isn't it,Ellenking? Vash has his own fan blowing 24/7 to part of hiscage. That plus air conditioning, and water spritz to theears as needed keeps him pretty comfortable.


----------



## Bramble Briar86 (Mar 22, 2005)

My two buns live outside in the barn, what tempis to extreme? I plan on keeping them outside in the summer, in anoutdoor pen, until about an hour past dark before bringing them in. Ifit's really hot, should i put a fan in their barn door pens..........Basically, what temp. do i need to put a fan on them, and at whatspeed? 

lol, thanks,

Ellie


----------



## DownEastFarMiniLops (Mar 25, 2005)

I livein Massachusetts and I show from March to October usually. In thesummer months shows are outdoors under tents. You shouldalways try to keep the temp as consitant as possible. For example my4-H club and I use frozen water bottles at fairs or at home if it isreally really hot, or if the bunny is laying down because it ishot. Another trick I learned was if a rabbit was reallyreally hot and over heated, like about to pass out, is to give it asmall piece of watermelon. They are attracted to the sugar, and it getswater in them if they arent drinking. My Uncle an ARBA judgetaught me those tricks many many years ago when I was just startingout. This is my first post so I guess I'll tell you what Ido. I breed and show pure bred Mini Lops and I have beenshowing since I was 5. I got my first Bun when I was 2 so I've hadrabbits for 14 years. I have gotten top honors in 4-H showmanship twiceand BOS and 1 leg with my pregnant black doe Kimmy twice. Ionly started showing her september 2004. I also have a broken orangebuck. The are both Mini Lops. My sister has a gold tip steelFrench Lop. I am In the process of getting more buns and my next showis in 2 weeks. I'm so excited! If you have any questions justask. Also Mini Lops are my fav and I've had them for 14years.


----------



## Carolyn (Mar 26, 2005)

Welcome aboard DownFarEast,

Never heard of the watermelon, but what a great idea in case they get into trouble.

You might want to amend your Profile so that your email address isn'tdisplayed as your location. Unfortunately, we do get occasional trollsaround here and would hate to see them spam your email as one did tous. 


-Carolyn


----------



## Gibboelli (Apr 6, 2005)

My bunnies love haing a bottle of frozen water to keep them cool in the summer.


----------



## Kricket (Apr 14, 2005)

I froze a soda bottle with water &amp; mylittle Star was soooo suspicious of it. She wouldn't get nearit! I did pick her up, and set her right next to it and shehardly moved away from her ice all day yesterday.  

95 as a high today :X grrrrr.... 

In the hottest part of summer it will be 110 here :X:X


----------



## bunnydude (May 1, 2005)

I know that 80 degrees fahrenheit is the upper limit for rabbits, but can they tolerate 77, 78? Will I need to set the A/C for a lower temperature?


----------



## Carolyn (May 20, 2005)

*bump* for bunnylover.


----------



## NightPoet00 (May 24, 2005)

Another good cooling technique is to drape a wettowel over a part of the cage. Coupling this with a fan or placementnear an open window can provide a sort of air conditioning.


----------



## NightPoet00 (May 24, 2005)

Here are some more good ideas (from http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm#free , a rat website):

- freeze their fruits and veggies
- if small enough, freeze their favorite hideaway (I'm thinking like those plastic igloos) and then put them in the cage


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 5, 2005)

*bump*


----------



## Midnight01 (Jun 5, 2005)

hey everyone, sorry i havn't been on in a while, 



THANKS CAROLYN lol :sunshine:

everyone luvs ya XP


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 9, 2005)

MAN, is it Hot here today!!





Keep those buns cool!!

-Carolyn


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 10, 2005)

bump


----------



## juicyjuicee (Jun 10, 2005)

also, im not sure if Carolyn said this but u canput a damp cold towel over the cage then put the fan behind it sothe air can go through the towel creating cold airto be blown into the cage. I havn't tried it yet but i've heard aboutit. if anyone does try it , make sure to tell us how it goes


----------



## mini lop luva (Jun 11, 2005)

Thank you for that help i will use that with myanimals xxx would frozen bottles be ok as we do not havemilk carttons


----------



## Bunnys_rule63 (Jun 11, 2005)

my bunnies love to lay in the sun all strechedout but i always give them shade and water, i guess they are making themost of the English weather, although it has been boiling this week, ieven got a bit sunburnt, lol.


----------



## juicyjuicee (Jun 11, 2005)

lately its been gettin a little bit over 90 degrees, but by starting wednesday its going to be around 65 degrees thank god.


----------



## Charliesangel888 (Jun 11, 2005)

This topic couldn't have come up for a bettertime for me!! I just bought a new hutch from a neighbor and soon thebuns will be moving out of the house for the summer! Thanks everyonefor the AWESOME tips and ideas..they really are a ton of help! xxxx


----------



## Sabrina (Jun 12, 2005)

_When my bunny is hot, she also lays downon the tiles of the fireplace. It's her favorite spot, since it's sooocool there. We also bring her outside for a little bit and put the hosesprayer on mist to cool her off. She gets hot so quickly since she hasblack and white fur._


----------



## tterster (Jun 14, 2005)

Our bun is out back and there are a few treesover her. She goes in her sleeping area or stretches out. I had mylittle one give her cold water before school and I am now at work. Iwill have to do something so she doesn't get heat stroke. I did put abowl of ice cubes in her cage. Will that help her? I did one thingwrong, I sprayed her with a water bowl. What the heck was I thinking?#)%*)#*% Then I could put a bowl of water with ice in it and icepacks?? Now I am a nervous wreck!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 14, 2005)

Have you been able to check on hertterster? If it's that hot there, she may have liked it anddried off quickly. It's actually best to cool them offslowly. Going from being too hot to ice cold can be a shockto their system.

-Carolyn


----------



## mysweetbunny (Jun 15, 2005)

Today I gave the suggestions a try!Though I don't have room in my small freezer section to put a literbottle, or such... I had a flat rectangle (gel filled) ice chest coolerthat was frozen so I put it inside her run outside. She saton perched onit the whole time! (maybe 3hours). I wondered ifit would freeze her littletootsies so I kept checking on her during that time, but it was just'cool' to the touch... not freezing... so that was reallyneat.


----------



## Rainbow-Moon (Jun 16, 2005)

We keep our apartment around 70 degrees so I know he isn't too warm... 

My bun Bookworm has his cage next to the AC radiator. It waswarm in the winter and cool in the summer since it has a fan that blowsup through the coils.

Since we turned on the AC, Bookworm has taken to lying on the radiatorand going completely flat. He is like a rug that almostcompletely blocks the air flow!!! I have my computer mouse ontop of the radiator and my chair next to it. (the computer ison top of the cage since the cage is set into a set ofshelves... I have trouble keeping my arm on the radiatorsince it is so cold, but Bookworm seems to love it.

Sheri &amp; Bookworm


----------



## tterster (Jun 16, 2005)

If I put a milk carton in there that has frozenwater will that help her along with her water bottles that she drinksfrom. I am at work all day so we will freeze water in plastic milkcartons. Is that a good idea


----------



## tterster (Jun 16, 2005)

If I put a milk carton in there that has frozenwater will that help her along with her water bottles that she drinksfrom. I am at work all day so we will freeze water in plastic milkcartons. Is that a good idea


----------



## Fluffy (Jun 19, 2005)

i tell ya one thing today it was 32'c and tdgoing up my bunnies cant handle it i swear i put in 2 cold waterbottles in at a time when they de freeze then teh next ones comes out!1but i just dont know what else to do!! has anyone esle got any ideasomn waht else to do!!

thanks!!


----------



## Bramble Briar86 (Jun 20, 2005)

I put a fan on my rabbits and on hotter days i put the fan on and frozen water bottles.

Ellie


----------



## Fluffy (Jun 20, 2005)

aww thanks!!


----------



## chipperluv (Jun 22, 2005)

Hello there! Ilovethe article u printed on keeping a rabbit cool!I have aquestion though! I live in New yrok and have an airconditioner tha is on 69 degrees , but goes on and off duringthe day, is that too cold? I have a blanket on the cage allday! They seem to be ok, but im worried about it going eitherway! Sheis due any day now and that is why I ahve her in myroom, verses in her regular room that only has an ac on verylow! Please let meknow, its amatter of days before the kitsare bornand the kits have to be kept warm, so im confused???

[email protected]bugsyluv:username


----------



## chipperluv (Jun 22, 2005)

Dear Mini lop luva,

 Hello there! How is your lops doing? I wanted to know, if uknew at what temp do u have to keep the kits(babys) at?themother is in a room with ac at 73degrees and the kits need to bewarmer then that still, dont they?

what should i do with the kits?

im [email protected] home and its only tillsat! theni willbe a rabbits grandmother!


----------



## Carolyn (Jun 22, 2005)

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=303&amp;forum_id=1&amp;jump_to=122787

For questions about A/C.

-Carolyn


----------



## Zee (Jun 22, 2005)

I would just like to say thanks to whom ever it was that said about frozen plastic bottles.

As you can see my 3 love it. There is an extra bottle in Big Mamas cage too.







*Thanks Again !!!!

- Zee and the Girls 
*


----------



## kennys_lady2000 (Jun 24, 2005)

I want to thank you for information on cooling yr rabbits i have 16 so thanks again..Sherry


----------



## CrazyMike40 (Jun 24, 2005)

Zee your 3 bunnys look so cute in that pic!!! We have had several weeks of 90F weather out where I liveand I have had the AC running for my 4 bunnies.Theyallappear to be fine. I will keep the frozenbottle idea in mind as the temperatures start to climb in the comingmonths.


----------



## Zee (Jun 24, 2005)

*Thanks !!! 

CrazyMike40 wrote: *


> Zee your 3 bunnys lookso cute in that pic !!! We have had several weeks of 90Fweather out where I live and I have had the AC running for my 4bunnies. Theyallappear to be fine. I will keep thefrozen bottle idea in mind as the temperatures start to climb in thecoming months.


----------



## resiska (Jun 29, 2005)

I don't know if this has already been asked butI have an English Angora Buck that we keep inside our heated garage.The garage faces west and keeps most of the early morning and noon daysun off of him; also isn't heated in the summer, obviously,but it still gets quite warm inside. 
I keep water to him constantly, but unfortunately, in the case that heis an angora, I cannot put a frozen bottle of water in with him orwhere he can touch it. This is because the bottle condenses some of thehumidty in the air causing it to get wet on the outside of the bottle.Angora fur and water do not mix... it causes painful mats on his bodythat either have to be completely pulled or have to be clipped down tothe skin.... :-( I can keep a fan on him, but is this all Ican do? 
He constantly has a wet muzzle, is panting, and is always layingstrantched. I didn't know about heatstroke symptoms until I read thispost... He's my last Angora, and if he died then I doubt I would getanother even though I love them dearly.

...thanks... LP


----------



## naturestee (Jun 29, 2005)

Do you have a fan running? That willhelp a lot. You could also put ice cubes in hiswater. It does sound like he has heatstroke.

Also, is he clipped or does he have long hair? If he is notbeing shown, you could clip all of his fur down.


----------



## tterster (Jun 30, 2005)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/TDURANSTER/Ourbunsmokey.jpg
Here is a pic of my bunny


----------



## Starlight Rabbitry (Jun 30, 2005)

I need ideas on how to keep my rabbitscool. Right now they are doing fine but I am running myselfragged worrying about them. Here is my problem. Wehad to have the only tree in our backyard cut down this year because itdied. Now my rabbits have no shade at all. I don'twant to bring them in anymore everytime it gets too hot. Myhutches are in a row against a stockade fence. What I wasthinking I could do is to get some mosquito netting and staple on endto the fence and hang it over the hutches and attach it to the otherside by poles (like a tent). Would this work? Doyou think that this would keep them cool just like being under atree? Yes I do give frozen water bottles but I work all dayso they are melted by the time I get back from work. Anysuggestions would be appreciated!!!


----------



## BitterCowgal (Jul 1, 2005)

Another idea (not sure if this was mentionedyet) to help cool your buns is to feed some cooling freshherbs. Blackberry (leaves and fruit),Strawberry(leaves and fruit) and Sorrel are all cooling herbs and helpthe bun cool down better. Increasing Thiamine inyour buns diets will help prevent heat stress as well...I do believePeanuts and Sunflower Seeds are sources of Thiamine. 



Also..for the angora I would suggest taking some dog clippers andshaving (yes I said shave) his body wool off. Most local showbreeders do this with their stock in the summer to help their angoraskeep cool in the summer heat. If you can't do it yourself I'msure a dog groomer would be able to do it cheap.


----------



## resiska (Jul 4, 2005)

thank you for your suggestions... i will defentantly keep them in mind...

LP


----------



## dajeti2 (Jul 5, 2005)

Peanuts and nuts in generalandsunflower seeds are the opposite of a cool food. They are used to addweight to a bunn and are considered a hot food. Most people give themto their bunns in the fall and winter and don't offer them anymore inthe spring and fall.

Tina


----------



## tterster (Jul 6, 2005)

Our Smokey gets two frozen milk containers everymorning before we go to work in the morning. Plus fresh cold water inher water bottle and a bowl of ice cubes. She looks forward to her icecubes. She licks them and plays with them. Sometimes she knocks thebowl over. The frozen water bottles are still cool and wet when I gethome so that is a good sign. I will have to check out the herbs. Idon't want anything to happen to our precious bun.


----------



## HoppinHerdofHares (Jul 15, 2005)

I use old jeans cut into shorts, dipped in water, then folded in half and put with the bunnies. It works great!!!



Qadoshyah


----------



## Carolyn (Jul 15, 2005)

*HoppinHerdofHares wrote:*


> I use old jeans cut into shorts, dipped in water, thenfolded in half and put with the bunnies. It works great!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Qadoshyah




Never heard that one before. Excellent idea!!

-Carolyn


----------



## Lazyacre (Jul 16, 2005)

I put a swamp cooler in my barn. It blows coolair into one end of the barn and the exhaust fans on the other end keepthe air moving thru the barn.

On a smaller scal, a fan blowing over a pan of water or thru a wettowel will do much the same thing. As the water evaporates the air tempis lowered. I an drop the temp in my barn by 10-20 degrees.


----------



## Carolyn (Jul 17, 2005)

A 'swamp cooler'? Never heard of one before. onder:

A great idea with the water and the fans. Amazing that you can drop the temperature by that much by doing that. 

Thanks again for another excellent idea!

:star:

-Carolyn


----------



## Lazyacre (Jul 18, 2005)

Also called evaporative cooler, cools byevaporation rather than refrigeration so uses lot less electricity.It's a big box with fabric pad on 3 sides with water running over them.Big fan inside the box draws air through the wet pad and blows it intothe building. Evaporatio of the fine mist drops the temps. Works besatwhere humidity isn't too high.

rick


----------



## SuchaDutch (Aug 22, 2005)

I've heard that it's alright for a rabbit to be kicked out, but if it's on it's back it's having a heat stroke.


----------



## Carolyn (Aug 22, 2005)

*SuchaDutch wrote:*


> I've heard that it's alright for a rabbit to be kicked out,but if it's on it's back it's having a heat stroke.




Breathing, lethargy, and other symptoms as mentioned on the first pageof this thread gives a clear indication of what heat stroke symptomslook like.

-Carolyn


----------



## TootWittleFuffyTail (Aug 28, 2005)

My bunny, hates being outdoors. If youtry to put her on the ground, she'll get this really scared look on herface.And she'sa docile little girl. Wehave a fan and an A/C running, and she's ahappygirl. She sits in front of the fan all the time. Iknow that if it's hot outside for me, then it's probably too hot forher. (And I'm not wearing a fur coat like she does.) 

Annie


----------



## flemishluvr (Aug 30, 2005)

I've been using the frozen milk jug ideas and mybun loves them. The only problem is that as the bottles/jugsice melts, the water attracts flies (since he lives outside).I clean out his litter box everyday, but the flies seem to like themoisture the bottles create. and my bun ends up getting a little wet aswell. is there any way around this problem?


----------



## ayglnu13 (Aug 30, 2005)

I use frozen floor tiles You can goto like homedepot and get single floor tiles and then you can stickthem in the freezer and in a hour or two they are ready to be used.They dont last as long as frozen water bottles but they also aren't asmessy.

Also welcome to the forum! Do you have any Flemishes?

~Amy


----------



## flemishluvr (Sep 2, 2005)

thank you for the info! I'll try that out. oh, and btw i do have a flemish.


----------



## bunnydude (May 26, 2006)

It's that time of year again. We're going togo to 87 degrees this weekend. My bunnies are indoors in a house withcentral a/c. Even so, the upstairs (where the bunnies are) hoversaround 80 sometimes in the summer heat. We have this stupid 2-storyfoyer that lets all the heat rise upstairs. Does anyone have any ideason how to better cool the upstairs. This would help both the bunniesand my people family. When it does get hot, we give the bunnies frozenwater bottles, cool tiles to lay on, turn on the ceiling fan, and closethe blinds. Anything else we can do?


----------



## labell (May 27, 2006)

It was 90* today...these tips are all great, thefrozen water bottle works wonders.....my dad refuses to use the AC andmy bun was too warm....but I'm putting frozen water bottles in therefor him everyday now.


----------



## naturestee (May 27, 2006)

Bunnydude, I lived in an upstairs apartment lastyear. I used the ice bottles and I used a lot offans. That apartment had no natural circulation, even withall the windows open! For the buns, while they were in theircages during the dayI had a fan angled to hit only part ofthe cage, so they could choose to be in or out of the draft.They were usually in it. In the evenings and night I putthe fan in the window blowing in, so it pulled cooler air in from theoutside. This worked well, and the only time the buns hadproblems was when it got up to 100 F in a heat wave. Theywere okay at 95 for days on end.


----------



## JimD (May 27, 2006)

It's going to be in the mid 80's today with a lot o humidity.

Got the fan in the buns room blowing all the loose fur around. Made sure not to have the fan blowing directly on them.

Windows are open and the blinds are up since they only get the morning sun.

I got a spray bottle with water in it. I go in and spay a lite mist over the cages ever once in a while.

There's a dozen water bottle in the freezer in case it gets really bad.

The best idea I found on the forum was to use ceramic tiles in thecages for the buns to laty on. I've got some cooling in the fridgeright now. I could only find 4, so I have to go out to the garage tosee if I have some more.

I'll be off to the store for some cold beer and a bag of ice in awhile.:toastingbuns...I hear that drunk bunnies don't complain aboutthe heat so much .

Stay Cool!!!!!!

~Jim


----------



## Spring (May 27, 2006)

I moved Pebbles downstairs for the summer. Thefloor is tiled and is always cool downstairs so it isn't a problem withme . I just have to put a pillowcase over the part of the cage that'sin the sun becausethedodo birdis alwayssitting in the sun until I tell her to move.


----------



## canela_2004 (Jul 1, 2006)

We live in a very hot area but we have AC in our house. It is kept at 78 degrees F. It does not feel hot at all but I am wondering if that is still too warm for a bunny. I have 2 tiles that i put in the freezer for her. SHould I do more?


----------



## naturestee (Jul 1, 2006)

78 is a good temp for bunnies. They don't start getting uncomfortable until 80 or more, mine usually didn't have problems until over 90.

Check the first few pages of this thread for more info.


----------



## bunnydude (Jul 17, 2006)

Bumping this because of the massive US heatwave. Even here in the mid-atlantic, we're going up to 99 degrees fahrenheit. With humidity, it's supposed to feel like 106. So please pay attention to how your rabbits are doing, especially if they are outside. Put in some frozen water bottles, make sure they have plenty of fresh water,and stay vigilant for signs of heat stroke.


----------



## MyBabyBunnies (Jul 17, 2006)

Just a note for those in cooler areas such as Canada. Even if temperatureare much lower than in the US, if it is hotter than usual in your area, a rabbit can suffer heat stroke. For example, instead of being 27*C, it is 34*C. That is still a concern if your rabbit is not used to it. There is no set danger temperature, it varies by area and what your rabbit is used to.


----------



## pamnock (Jul 27, 2006)

Not sure if I had posted this on the original thread, but it's an article I recently updated:

http://www.geocities.com/pamnock/heatstress.pdf



Pam


----------



## pinksalamander (Jul 28, 2006)

The frozen cermaic tiles work a tret, but need rotating each hour because they warm up so quickly. If you keep 3 in the freezer you can rotate quickly.


----------



## Pipp (Apr 26, 2007)

:bunnydance:bumping the thread :bump

and making sure this article is prominent: 

http://www.geocities.com/pamnock/heatstress.pdf


----------



## TweedBunny (May 6, 2007)

My mom has some neighbors down the street thatkeep meat bunnies in a hutch in their backyard. (I know, sad but legal) I feel really bad and want to do something, becauseduring the summer, theykeep these rabbits in hutches inthesun.Our area is 90+ from the end of May untilSeptember, and 100+ everyday in the June/July/August months. Itfrequently gets above 110 during the hottest part of the summer! As youcan imagine, a hutch roof over their heads is not enough to keep themcool.

What can I do? Animal control only requires them to have food, water,and a roof over their head. These people don't really care how theirrabbits feel, since they use them for food anyway. Should I even worryabout it? Should I nicely make some suggestions on how to keep the bunscool?

I feel so bad everytime I drive by this house and see them in the sun in the backyard, it breaks my heart!:bigtears:


----------



## War_Tepes (Jul 4, 2007)

I was on the pet's at home website a few mins ago (~bracon~ gave me a link to show me her new cage) and i noticed that they have even started selling ''Ice pods'' Basically it's an oval of plastic that has a cool gel inside that you leave in the freezer for a few hours and then put into your pet's cage/hutch. They are charging Â£9.99 for it and i think that it is daylight robbery considering you can just do the old bottle/water/freezer thing and it costs you the price of the bottle (about Â£1.00) It's horrible how they take advantage of non-bunny people who don't realise that they can do the same thing as the pet's at home people for a LOT cheeper.



War


----------



## Phinnsmommy (Aug 13, 2007)

I wrote this in another thread too, but I figured it would be more of a use here.

Here are the things I do to keep Phinn safe in the hot weather:
These are for if your buns are outdoors...

-buy a large porch umbrella, and use it to shade the cage (being in the shade makes suucchhh a big difference)

-buy an electrical fan, I use a high power indoors one, but it is NEVER on if no one is home, in case it starts to rain. Also, bring it in at night.

-switch out ice packs, have 3-4 that you rotate. The bunnies love them and always use them.

-keep a fresh supply of water. I use a dish because they drink more. Every couple hours put a few icecubes in, it really freshens it up. Change and wash the bowl a couple times a day.

- have an indoor cage set up, just in case. Its really important that you have a back up plan.

Silvie


----------



## maherwoman (Aug 29, 2007)

Something I discovered today:

Try giving your bunny a frozen brick, and as you hand her the brick, let it cool your hands, and pet her. It'll cool her off nice and fast, and the brick won't make your hands wet!


----------



## maherwoman (Sep 14, 2007)

Adding a couple articles I just found:

An HRS article:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/warm-weather.html

And a Zooh Corner article:

http://www.mybunny.org/info/summer.htm


----------



## Maz (May 10, 2008)

Thanks for this,, very useful


----------



## Pipp (Apr 17, 2010)

:bump As hot weather approaches, bumping an oldie but goldie! 


sas :bunnydance:


----------



## Pipp (May 14, 2011)

:bump:bump:bump:bump:bump:bump:bump:bump:bump


----------

