Heat and bunnies

[belleandferdinand]

My new house gets incredibly hot during the day and there isn’t air conditioning. I shut all the blinds and put out extra water bowls, but is there anything else I can do when the temp increases? Ferdinand (probably because he’s more chubby) looks particularly unhappy.

[wendyzski]

Heat can be a serious problem for bunnies – temps of 85 can send them into shock, which could kill them

I have seen suggestions of freezing water bottles that they can lie next to, and doing the same with ceramic tiles so that they have something cool to lie on.

I’d head over to rabbit.org for concrete suggestions

[ilovesnugglies]

I have been to a fes pet stores where they have put frozen water bottles in with bunnies, etc. I was considering doing that this summer also. Any suggestions?

[ilovesnugglies]

I have been to a fes pet stores where they have put frozen water bottles in with bunnies, etc. I was considering doing that this summer also. Any suggestions?

[BinkyBunny]

We’re going through a hot spell right now. 88 degrees here. I have a rotating fan in their room, and I also use the ceramic tiles and ice water bottles (you can see on the webcam) It also helps to dampen their ears with water as their ears are the way they cool off, and that helps!

Depending on your set up, you can also dampen a sheet and place that over their pen or cage and then use a rotating fan to help cool. Together, the damp sheet and the fan, cool the air around the bunnies.

Putting icecubes in a water dish can also help keep water cool for a refreshing drink. Some people flavor them lightly (not too much sugar) with orange juice or apple juice to encourage a bunny to lick it and cool off.

We just recently got a room air conditioner for our bedroom, and since the bunnies room is right next to our room, we use a fan to move the cool air into their room.

Be sure to use a fan that is either rotating, or isn’t directed to a place where they can’t get out of the way of the constant air.

[dmh426]

I do everything Binkybunny listed. The ceramic tiles can be purchased very cheaply at Lowe’s or Home Depot, you can even ask for “scrap” marble. I freeze raspberrys in some water and put that in a seperate little dish in her cage. It’s a nice snack and while she’s munching at the ice trying to get to the rasperry she’s staying cool and entertaining herself at the same time. A fan is the cheapest thing that you can run says this little hint in this month’s electric bill from NIMO. I leave it on while I am at work, and leave a frozen bottle in the cage for her to lay against.

[Hedi]

We have air and the buns have a celing fan but my new little guy Cooper is always hot. I use the frozen water bottles in his cage and also put ice in his water bottle as well.

[osprey]

One of the Haven foster moms has a trick that she uses to get bunnies to drink more water during a hot spell. Similar to what dmh does with the raspberries, she takes the green tops of strawberries that have a little berry left on them, and freezes them into half filled ice cube trays. The green top forms a handle that the bunnies use to carry the ice around with, and they crunch on the whole thing, berry top and ice.

[Lucy]

binky- i came home one day and it was a bit warm in the apartment (87 degrees), and I did what you suggested with wetting their ears down with a damp paper towel and it totally worked. so I wanted to say thanks. I’ve been leaving ice cubes in their water dishes- they have three of them so that way if one or two dry up, they have a third.

But anyway, they really enjoyed a good pat down with the wet paper towel- and they should be getting many more. thanks!

osprey- that sounds like an excellent idea- Patina won’t go near ice cubes, but Fujoe will just eat them whole. we’ll see if this works at all.

[BinkyBunny]

Fujoe. I’m glad that helped!  I know during hot days, when I wet their face and ears, they seem to have much more energy and I can tell they feel better.   I usually pay special attention to Rucy because she has tiny ears for body, and so she isn’t able to cool herself off as well as Jack.

[Bunnies4ever]

I use to live in an apartment without A/C. What I would do is put pieces of marble tile in their cages. My bunnies didn’t like the plastic frozen water bottles. They would bite them! Also I brought a fan that ran on a timer (the fan didn’t blow directly on them, but over their cages) which saved them. Now I live in a home with A/C, so this is not a problem for me. Also you can mist their ears with a spray bottle which helps them cool down.

[dmh426]

Does anyone do the dampened sheet over the side of the cage with the fan blowing on it? I think I am going to try it tomorrow when I am at work since the temps here just keep rising and rising and rising…

[Gravehearted]

dmh – i’ve done that , it’s great bunny air conditioning without the air blowing directly on them

[Lucy]

I know that everyone says not to blow air directly on the bunnies… But my bunnies- esp Fujoe- go directly to the breeze. I have a fan in the dining room that blows air into the living room, and they are always laying in the spot the fan’s breeze hits the floor. They also lay in front of the air conditoner in the living room…

are my bunnies the only ones who do this?

[lilmizzsnickerz]

i dont have that problem as i am in northern ireland i worry about it being to cold as my bunnys in the kitchen

[BunMumTiff]

They actually sell at pet stores here chin coolin blocs. They are thick pieces of marble and very cool to the touch. Only about 10 bucks

[Bunnies4ever]

I actually have some left over marble in my garage. We replaced all the marble countertops in the bathrooms. If anyone lives in the Northern Calfironia Bay Area area and needs some for their buns to keep cool, let me know. Maybe we can work something out.

[osprey]

Ceramic tile works well too.  You can get a 12" x 12" tile at a place like The Home Depot for about $3.

 

[Hedi]

We have an old house so some of the vents are on the floor and some in the wall. All are about 1 square foot. The living room has one on the floor and it is always the most important when they are out. My husband turned the air off today and opened the door because it was cool outside and Cooper still sat on the vent waiting for it to come on. lol

[BunMumTiff]

My brother works are a flooring place so I was vistingthis week end and he gave me I thin it is 12 by 12 but it could be 10 by 10 then I think it was a 4 or 6 by 10 I got four I am thinking of placing in the fridge when not i use and having them so I can rotate them in and out of the cages

[Author]

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