Whose judgement is better? Pimm’s or mommy’s?

[PimmsWarren]

 The facts: Pimm is a 18 months old fixed female.  I’ve had her since she was about 8 weeks old.  She’s a house bunny with a patio.  Outside patio has 6 foot walls and no escape route. Two umbrellas, large lounge chair, hidey holes, water, food, diggy places, toys, the works.  (Same inside.  Basically, I live in a 1200 square foot hutch.) I live in So. Cal and it’s freakin’ hot! I mean boiling – as in 93 degrees yesterday!  Pimm stays outside in the boiling hot (she’s under the lounge flaked out when the temperature gets high) and will NOT come in the house.

The dilemma: Am I to assume that Pimm is smart enough to come in the house when she needs to or am I to chase her around and MAKE her come inside?  She has a bunny door that is available to her all the time so she can go in and out at will. Shall I bring her in and close of the outdoor access when I think it’s too hot?  I can’t tell if I’m being overly paranoid or if she’s not smart enough to come in?! (Mind you, of course I think she’s the smartest bunny in the world, but I might be biased.)

Actions so far: I’ve been utterly inconsistent.  Sometimes I chase her down and make her come in, other times I leave her out there.  I really want to do the right thing.

Request: Advice from experienced bunny  moms / dads would be greatly appreciated!!!  This is my first bunny and I don’t want to be unsafe!

[mia]

Make her come indoors and block the door.

[Roberta]

Try putting a thermometer under the lounge where she goes. It could be that the cement or ground under there is cool which is why she goes there. You could also stick some tiles or frozen water bottles under there with her to keep it cooler.. Ideally inside is best if it is cool but if it turns out she has found her own cool spot then you can be reassured. Mine always get under the day bed.. It’s dark and cool even when the rest of the room is hot.

[MoveDiagonally]

Does she ever come inside through the door on her own? Depending on the type of pet door could it be that she’s intimidated by it/doesn’t know how to use it without you chasing her through it?

When it gets above 80 I would bring her inside and block off the door as miaeih said.

[PimmsWarren]

Roberta – Yes! The tile under the lounge is very cool to the touch even when it is hot outside. And it’s on the north side of the patio, so I will try the thermometer and see what the actual temperature is. Adding some frozen water bottles will keep it even cooler- good suggestion.
MoveDiagonally – She hops in and out of the door on her own all the time! She’s really kind of amazing!
Miaeih – I think erring on the side of caution is best. So even if the thermometer reading isn’t low enough I will block her in.

[PimmsWarren]

Oh! And THANK YOU guys very much!

[Author]

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