So, I’m not sure about everyone else, but we are having a wicked hot summer where I live. Well, hot for us – 80s and 90s. And it’s only June! Since Igloo’s cage/pen is upstairs in my house, I’ve been worried sick every time I see my weather app reading over 75, because it’s bound to be around 5-10 degrees hotter in my room than it is outside. 

Anyway! I went in search of a good way to keep Igloo cool when I can’t be home to monitor him. I ran into the frozen water bottle idea, but I wasn’t satisfied with it because the bottles always melted too fast. Until! Until, I decided to try wrapping them in a thin rag and shoving one inside his square tunnel cardboard hiding house. The rag helps keep the cardboard from becoming sopping wet as the bottle melts, and seems to help it stay frozen longer as well. Additionally, keeping the water bottle in such a tight space (there’s room enough for Igloo to turn around, flop and bunch up comfortably, but that’s about it) basically makes for an air conditioned house. He loves it! I’ll catch him curled up in there during the heat of the day, and cooling down after running around a bunch. He has another house that I don’t put frozen bottles in, so he still has a space to retreat to that isn’t an ice box, in case he’s not hot. I definitely recommend having another house, aside from the icebox, so your bun has a place to hide where he isn’t laying against a giant block of ice. 

I’m sure this isn’t an original idea, but I thought I’d share it in case no one had thought to do it this way. It’s so effective and he likes it so much, I always make sure Igloo has his icebox.