odd change in behavior

[Sara Darlingg]

My little bun usually fairly active I’ve noticed has started to become very very lazy… She went from active to sitting on her blanket to lieing around anywhere to lieing in the willow tunnel in her cage rarely coming out.

I’m a little worried. I first thught that maybe she’s not feeling well but then I thought maybe she’s too hot, hence the reason I’m making this post.  This is our first warm season together and I live in a basement apartment with a window in every room. Even though I keep all the windows open 24/h it still get’s hot and humid down here. Now my issue is not having any idea what-so-ever in how hot is hot to a bunny..

they don’t sweat and they don’t pant….how do you know when a bunny is over heated? I know with chinchillas you feel if their ears are warm..I tried that with her and they are pretty warm but I don’t know if that means anything.

I just put the fan on, gave her an ice cube and refreshed her water bottle to help her out.

Any advice on keeping a bun cool or how to tell if their hot…or even if anybody knows from experience if heat bothers bunnys at all, any posts would be great.

Thanks!

[Monkeybun]

Chances are if you are hot, so is bun. If it gets over 80F (26 celcius) in your apartment, your bunny is too hot. Get her a cool tile to lie on, they are cheap at home depot; a frozen water bottle, wrapped in a towel to keep the moisture off bun, to lay against; a fan blowing against a damp cloth draped over the side of the pen/cage… these will help keep her cool in the hot summer days

[Sara Darlingg]

Thanks!
I’ve thought about the cool tile but I didn’t think she’d be into that. I’ll give ‘er a try though and see how she likes it!

[Beka27]

Hmmm… I wonder if you got a couple large tiles and always had one in the fridge… and swapped it out every once in awhile, if she would like that? I don’t think it would get too cold… Has anyone ever “chilled” their tiles?

[Deleted User]

Don’t use a fan on a rabbit, it doesn’t cool them. Fanned air only cools people down because we sweat. The blown air on damp skin creates coolness. Rabbits don’t like wind and it can irritate their eyes. The refrigerated tile works very well to cool down a rabbit. I also would like to add that rabbits get hot before we do, they tend to like it a little cooler than us.

[Binkles]

Bunnies LOVE tiles. Sometimes it takes a while for them to get used to them but tiles are a staple with mine.

[Nibbles_NZ]

I have a small fan I keep on my bunny and he sits in front of it a lot. He seems to really like it.

[Nibbles_NZ]

It is a really small fan though so it is only a small breeze. No more than a cool breeze from outside

[Monkeybun]

Petzy, I use the fan through a dampened towel, so the moisture cools the air rather than a wind blowing around them. Works nicely

[babybunsmum]

pinky likes her cool tiles

i save margarine tubs with lids so i can freeze water in them to set on the tiles. if you have a few going then you can always exchange & re-freeze to keep a freshly frozen one out. i had to poke holes in the containers (near the top so melted water doesn’t leak out) to zip tie it to her enclosure wall. otherwise she tosses it out onto the floor… naughty bun!

[Dee]

My buns lay out flat when it gets too hot- my Fuzzy Lop, Nellie, gets especially bothered by the heat. I have gone the expensive and lazy route- I run an AC in the living room with a temperature control on it- I set it at 68 degrees and hang curtain panels in the doorways on tension rods to keep the room cool. They have the run of the whole downstairs, but at least them I know (or hope…?) that they will seek out the comfortable cold room if they feel too warm. I put fans up too but I’m careful to keep them well above bunny level- two hazards that I see are buns chewing through the electrical cord or getting too close and getting an ear stuck in the fan. I have a rather vivid imagination, but sometimes it comes in handy.

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