What to do with Rabbit while on Vacation!

[alexisandnova]

Hi Friends! 

I am in a bit of a tough situation. I have read tons of posts on this forum about this already but I still am unsure what to do. I am returning to college this Sunday. I have my own apartment so my rabbit Nova is able to live with me still. Usually I leave Nova at home with my parents for the first month of school because I don’t have air conditioning in my apartment at college, and at home she is safe in the AC! My mom is experienced at taking care of her so I don’t worry about her being safe. Unfortunately my parents will be leaving for a 6 day vacation starting on the 17th. Therefore I have a couple of options, none of which are perfect and I’d like to hear everyone else’s opinions because this forum is always so helpful!

1. Take Nova to college with me now instead of leaving her at home for the remainder of the hot weather. Now because I don’t have AC I’m afraid of her becoming overheated. The weather forecast ranges from low 70’s to mid 80’s and I know that can be dangerous for bunnies! 

2. Have my friend come and feed her and give her water twice a day for the 6 days my mom is gone. This way she could stay in her regular environment and have the AC. But this friend isn’t experienced with rabbits! I know she will keep her fed and come twice a day but is this too long to leave her with someone inexperienced with rabbits?

I have been going back and forth all day so any input would help, thanks so much!

[MountainBuns]

It really depends, if you can keep her cool (frozen water bottles, ice in water,
ceramic tiles ect. ), then it will most likely be ok for her to stay with you, what temperature does it usually get to in your apartment?

[Sirius&Luna]

I think having her with you would probably be best – In the UK we don’t really have air conditioning and have had some really hot weather recently. I’ve been keeping the bunnies cool with fans, cold tiles and frozen water bottles

[joea64]

It’s more specifically temperatures over 85 degrees that can be dangerous for domestic bunnies at prolonged exposure without something cool for them to retreat to like a chilled floor tile, frozen water bottle, or at the very least a shady place with available water and a fan keeping the air moving (though not directly on them, drafts aren’t good for rabbits I understand). Fortunately for groundbound animals like bunnies, cool air stays close to the ground; I’ve found this out for myself during floor sessions on a warm day.

The A/C in my apartment building can get a bit wonky on a very hot day when it’s being worked hard by the residents/when I’m using the oven to cook something. At these times, particularly in the late afternoon, the indoor temp will often climb into the upper 70’s so I have to set the thermostat lower to compensate and keep a close eye on the buns, being ready to provide additional field-expedient cooling as mentioned above. Fortunately, Panda and Fernando wisely stay in shady places (they have a two-story condo cage so they can easily retreat to their litterbox which is in the shadiest part of their cage, on the lower level against the wall and is also right next to their water dish) and don’t move around much at such times.

[Bunny House]

I agree with the others. You can buy a cheap window unit and use it while it is hot so she can have AC.

[alexisandnova]

Thank you all for your help! I am not able to put an AC in the apartment building I’m living in per landlord rules. But I can definitely buy her tiles and give her everything else to stay cool! Thank you

[alexisandnova]

Thank you all for your help! I am not able to put an AC in the apartment building I’m living in per landlord rules. But I can definitely buy her tiles and give her everything else to stay cool! Thank you

[MountainBuns]

Good to hear!

[Bun-bun mom]

BEWARE of frozen water bottles!
I put one in Ruby’s cage, and went back in a few hours to see if it needed replacing. She had chewed thru the plastic and dumped all the water. The worst thing is, I don’t know how much plastic she ingested! I removed what was left of the bottle and gave her a ceramic bowl full of ice.

[Bun-bun mom]

BEWARE of frozen water bottles!
I put one in Ruby’s cage, and went back in a few hours to see if it needed replacing. She had chewed thru the plastic and dumped all the water. The worst thing is, I don’t know how much plastic she ingested! I removed what was left of the bottle and gave her a ceramic bowl full of ice.

[Sofia]

There’s a whole section on cooling your bun in the INFO section, hope everything goes well

[MountainBuns]

To avoid plastic eating, My friend wraps the water bottles in cloth, like a sock, that way its safer and more comfortable.

[Bun-bun mom]

Great ideas. Thanks so much.

[Author]

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