I am going to guess that the bunny with the cooler ears are standy uppy ears and the one with the warm ears are a lop eared?

Rabbits regulate their temperature through their ears…I think as long as they seem fine I wouldn’t worry.

And don’t let people tell you they can tell their temperature either by the rabbits ears…that is absolutely not true, the ears are not an adequate indicator or their core temperature.

Huh…well I know that you can sort of get a general idea of the bunnies temp by ears…but not really. You’d need a thermometer.

My best ‘understanding’ of ear temp, because they use their ears to regulate body temperature is this. If the ears are cold, there is reduced blood flow to them, becasue they aren’t currently trying to cool their temp. If they are wam, there is increased blood flow becasue they are cooling their temp.

Good point Desma :~)

Posted By Desma on 10/09/2009 09:26 AM
I am going to guess that the bunny with the cooler ears are standy uppy ears and the one with the warm ears are a lop eared?

That’s exactly how it is with my two bunnies. Right on.

LOL Sarita-we posted at the same time

I was given this knowledge from the alien bunny rabbits that landed on my roof last night! They told me that the type of ears that the bunnies have can have a lot to do with the circulation!! (actually, it was a good guess)

I’d like to meet your alien bunny Desma :~)

Dexter’s ears are always warm and he’s a lop. But when he had GI stasis his ears were really cold. I don’t know if it really had to do with it, but it’s just something I realized at the time

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

The above article is where I first learned ALOT about GI Stasis and it’s a must read for all of us rabbit lovers.  In my own personal opinion it’s probably the best artcile to answer your question.  I highly recommend you read this.

A rabbit’s internal organs are very delicate; care must be taken to avoid bruising them and making the situation worse. After a bit of manual massage, try an electric vibrating massager. This seems to be as effective as manual massage, and it’s worthwhile to invest in some type of massager with a large, flat surface that can be held against the bunny’s tummy for relatively long periods. Press the massager firmly against the abdomen, start on low and work your way higher. The bunny may be a bit taken aback at first, but almost every bunny on whom we’ve tried massage has settled down and enjoyed the soothing vibrations. In addition to stimulating the muscles, the massage seems to help break up gas bubbles and ease colic. Massage as long and as often as the bunny will allow and enjoy.

Have you guys tried the massage dvd for bunnies?

When rabbits go into shock their ears can get quite cold apparently. That said it normal for some to have coolish ears, so to tell when there is major changes it is a good idea to know what is “normal” range for your individual rabbits. It’ll also give you an idea when they’re getting too hot etc.

I notice too that all three of my rabbits have very different ear temperatures (by feel) and sometimes they look red, as if freshly scratched. Other times, there is no red to be seen. I assume this is the circulatory system at work, cooling their little bodies.
I wish they had one of the “temple scanner thermometers” that you hear advertised so often on the radio, for bunnies. I just can’t bring myself to *gulp* take their temperature the ‘manual’ way!
Our vet uses the thermometer that goes in the ear, but I’ve heard this is not as accurate as the traditional method.

I can tell you that I have absolutely no desire to ever take a buns temperature the “traditional” way. She’d never forgive me assuming we ever got farther than her seeing a thermometer and running away.

Oh, I don’t know…if you held the thermometer with a woolly fleece mitten they might fall in love.

I have asked many resources about this, and just recently reconfirmed it by asking Dana Krempels, who just told me what I sort of all ready knew.
Ear temperature (because it is regulating the body temperature) can change from hour to hour, even minute to minute. Even COLD ears don’t necessarily mean there is anything negative going on. I know that I have had a very sick bunnies and their ears did not relay that as COLD or TOO HOT (which can sometimes mean fever).  So I really strongly advise people never to rely on their bunny ears temperature if they are trying to determine health issues. 

As far as how they are regulating their temperature through their ears and what they are trying to do (bring in more heat to their body or cool off their body) then cooler ears could indicate that they are trying to keep heat in, or warm ears could mean that they are trying to cool off. But weather, bunny weight/mass, fur length, are factors and so it is very difficult to use the ears as a gage of anything really useful.

My vet has told me to practice taking temperatures so that even if I don’t do it fully properly – like I don’t put it in far enough (eeewww!) that at least I’ll have a baseline temp for how I do it, and so if it’s lower or higher than that, then I have some sort of real reference if there is a health problem. It really is the only dependable way when figuring out if there is a “health” problem.

I think I’ll leave the temp taking to my vet… lol.

Monkeybun – I understand, it’s very icky! After losing Rucy and Bailey rather suddenly, and having their ears feel rather normal, as well as currently having senior bunnies I am more apt to deal with “ickville” now. (Though I have to admit, I haven’t put poor Vivian through it yet. I’m not sure she would ever forgive me. LOL) I figure I’ll just do it once in awhile when I do their nails.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For anyone who is okay with enduring the ick-factor, then I encourage you to be taught by your vet as it you can do more harm if you don’t know what you are doing.   Dana Krempels has an article that includes how to do this too http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

Well when it comes to whether my bunnies are ill or not, and due to the fact that I am so far away from any services, I just load them up and rush to the vet. It’s worth the trip for me, but I realize it’s not for everyone. If I even hesitated and it was something serious though, most likely they wouldn’t make it, especially if it was a fast-moving illness.
lolz…Are you kidding me, BB?! I’ve had two kids and I never even had an inclination to take their temps that way, I’d be a wreck trying to do that to the bunnies! xD

Hey guys, i am a new member in this forum.My bunny is not eating anything.And as you guys said,I checked him ears,and it was too cold.Can you please suggest me what should I do now?

Dear Arav C, please start a topic of your own on this subject, you’ll get many more answers. Here’s a link you can use: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/afv/post/aff/2/Default.aspx

How long has it been since your bunny last ate something? How long has it been since he pooped? If it has been 6 hours or more, you should contact a vet. Your bunny might need veterinary intervention.

A bunny that doesn’t eat can easily get too cold. You can warm the bunny up with your own body heat if you sit the bunny in your lap and put a light (fleece) blankie around it.

Is you bunny lethargic? Can you describe his present behavior to us? Can you get him to move around? Do you have or can you get baby gas drops (simethicone)?