Fur trimming for heat stress – quick reply needed

[GlennTheLionhead]

So I am going away tomorrow for a week and leaving my partner in charge of bunny care, he does a great job but isn’t as confident with stuff like fur trimming.

In the UK we are going to see temps of 30 Celsius from tomorrow up to 32 Celsius next Sunday (30 is around 90 Fahrenheit i think) – it usually doesn’t top 25 most of the year round here.

I am obviously panicked that the buns will be affected by heat stroke, particularly Nellie with teddy bear fur and very long hair. My partner will keep a fan going and offer frozen bottles for them, i have never seen them actually use the bottles ever… But they do lay in front of the fan, Glenn understands the fan very well but Nellie is still trying to understand it and sometimes I will see she is warm but not laying by the fan.

Should I give her fur a trim? I don’t have a shaver just scissors but I have to trim her eye hair occasionally so i know how to be careful and gentle – perhaps at least a trimming of her skirt and extra fluffy parts? I could probably use a comb to minimise the risk of nicking skin and the end of the scissors are blunted with tape.

Despite the outdoor temperature I can’t imagine it will get about 26 Celsius inside the house and maybe at the very most 27/28 Celsius on the day that it hits 32 outside – luckily thats a Sunday and my partner will be home to keep an eye and mist them if needed.

What are peoples thoughts on the fur trimming? Am I just being a little over cautious or should I consider it?

Thanks!

[DanaNM]

Hmm, it’s not a terrible idea, but I’m thinking to actually have a big impact you’d want to get a pair of clippers. I don’t think the level of trim you could do with scissors safely would actually help that much. Even just giving them a good grooming to remove as much loose undercoat as possible will help.

One thing my buns seem to use more than the bottles are cool tiles. I used to keep some in the freezer and I would swap them out during the day.

But if the max temp it will get inside is around 28 C then I think you will be OK either way. Another thing you can do is dampen the buns ears a little throughout the day.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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