Bunnies and heat...

[Blue eyes]

iLuvMyLilBuns wrote:

I live in Minnesota and my buns live outside and do just fine even when the temps are over 90 F. Rabbits are outdoor animals arn't they? Just give them a frozen water bottle, plenty of fresh ice cold water, and of course shade and they will be fine My rabbits love it outside in the fresh air and sunshine!:apollo:

Domestic rabbits are not "outdoor animals." They've been domesticated.

At 90F, bunnies don't do "just fine." The stress on their bodies may not be visible to you, but it is far from ideal. It sounds like you do what you can to help keep them cool, but I wouldn't consider keeping them outside in such hot weather to be the best situation for them.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

It's not the right option for everyone but it works for me.

I'm young (15) and I live at home with my parents. They won't let me have my buns inside. Rabbits can survive outside if you take care of them. If I put my rabbits outside in a cage with no shade, cold water, or frozen water bottles they would have a hard time surviving but I take precautions and I love my rabbits just as much as you do and I spend plenty of time with them. And btw, rabbits adapt to heat. My rabbits have lived outside all their life so they are used to the warm weather so it isn't as rough on them. Rabbits that live in air conditioning are not going to do as well because they are used to cooler air so it is harder for them to be outside in the heat. (duhh)

They arn't miserable they are very happy. If they were uncomfortable I'm pretty sure I would do something about it.

It is more work to keep rabbits outside but it works out and the reason im saying this is to let other bunny lovers know that it is okay to keep rabbits outside if your in a situation like mine

I wouldn't be so rude about it and bash me for my choices and when I live on my own I will probably keep my buns inside :apollo:

 

[Imbrium]

well, considering they're prone to heat stroke at temps above 80F, I could just never bring myself to keep them outside when it's way above that (not to mention it gets to the 100-110F range here most summer days)... bad enough having to drive them to/from the vet in 100F heat! also, one of my bunnies is a holland lop - I assume that having her ears down probably decreases their effectiveness as a cooling system since the blood vessels aren't really exposed to passing breezes the way upright ears are, which ofc would make her more sensitive to hot temps. on top of that, they're very used to the 70-75F temps inside my house that feel even cooler than that due to ceiling fans running (because I don't like temps above 75F any more than bunnies do). half an hour in 80F heat and I can tell just by looking at them they're feeling hotter than they are inside. they're still romping and playing and look happy, but it's obvious their little bodies are working harder to stay the right temperature.

 

[Blue eyes]

iLuvMyLilBuns wrote:

It's not the right option for everyone but it works for me.

I'm young (15) and I live at home with my parents. They won't let me have my buns inside. Rabbits can survive outside if you take care of them. If I put my rabbits outside in a cage with no shade, cold water, or frozen water bottles they would have a hard time surviving but I take precautions and I love my rabbits just as much as you do and I spend plenty of time with them. And btw, rabbits adapt to heat. My rabbits have lived outside all their life so they are used to the warm weather so it isn't as rough on them. Rabbits that live in air conditioning are not going to do as well because they are used to cooler air so it is harder for them to be outside in the heat. (duhh)

They arn't miserable they are very happy. If they were uncomfortable I'm pretty sure I would do something about it.

It is more work to keep rabbits outside but it works out and the reason im saying this is to let other bunny lovers know that it is okay to keep rabbits outside if your in a situation like mine

I wouldn't be so rude about it and bash me for my choices and when I live on my own I will probably keep my buns inside :apollo:

No one "bashed" you. In fact, I commended you for doing what you can. But it is not a good idea to tell people that rabbits "do fine" in 90F heat. Bunnies can and do die from heatstroke at that temperature.

 

[majorv]

Rabbits canadapt to the heat. It may not be the optimal situation, but rabbits are notas delicate as you think. Sure, if the bunny isn't use to being in 85-90 degree temps then theycertainly could have problems. Our climate isn't much different than San Antonio and ours live outside. We can't possibly bring them all inside to live. They've adapted, and with the precautions that we take, we've never lost any to heat. Most rabbits willlay next to a frozen water bottle if they're hot enough.

 

[caramel17]

I really wouldn't worry about the heat, unless it is higher than 95 degrees, we've been struggling in Wisconsin with the heat, and I understand how much hotter it is in Texas, but don't really worry about the heat until it is over 95 degrees, once the temerature reaches that then you worry because thats when the heat strokes start... Lateley we have been fairley close to 95 degrees, but rabbits haven't had a problem, and it is fairly humid in Wisconsin right now, my rabbits stay in a shed, year round without a heater, or AC, and they are fine, and we also have fairly cold winters besides the hot and sticky summers...

 

[Blue eyes]

Before people get in a huff, let me quote what I wrote:

"At 90F, bunnies don't do "just fine." The stress on their bodies may not be visible to you, but it is far from ideal. It sounds like you do what you can to help keep them cool, but I wouldn't consider keeping them outside in such hot weather to be the best situation for them."

The point being made is that the heat is not ideal and they do not "do fine." Yes, people can take steps to help cool their outdoor rabbits, but to say it is ideal is to contradict a host of others. If bucks can go sterile at 85F : http://heatonrabbitry.tripod.com/id18.html
then apparently the heat has serious negative effect.

Here are a few other sites warning of the dangers of high temps:
http://www.longislandrabbitrescue.org/summer.htm
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/smanimal/rabbit.html
http://www.binkybunny.com/HOME/Featured/tabid/244/ArticleID/9/ArtMID/983/Cooling-Tips-Heat-Stroke-Prevention.aspx
http://www.hopperhome.com/hopperhomebunsinthesun.htm
http://nockrabbits.com/heatstress.pdf
http://www.fundforanimals.org/rabbit/stories/excessive_heat.html

I'm glad for any of you who take steps to cool their outdoor rabbits, but heat is nonetheless detrimental.

 

[caramel17]

I do tend to use the frozen water bottle trick, if nessasary, but my rabbits don't tend to use it unless, it is over 95 degrees, or very very humid! Well I guess part of it is that they are in a shed, with windows of course, but it tends to keep the heat in or heat out, depending on the season, also depending on where your rabbit(s) have been kept since they were born depend on it to I guess. On very cold days in the winter, I will take out our ice fishing heater...

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

Blue eyes:

I think you are over reacting about this situation. You should not be telling us that "heat is not ideal and our rabbits do not do fine"

My rabbits and many other peoples rabbits have survived in the heat and they DO JUST FINE. Like Majorv said rabbits are not as delicate as you think. I think it is just fine for you and many other people to keep your rabbits indoors. Rabbits DO JUST FINE indoors. I think it it just fine for me and other people to keep their rabbits outdoors. Rabbits DO JUST FINE outdoors. Not everyone can keep their rabbits indoors and not everyone can keep their rabbits outdoors. I feel very upset that you are acting like my rabbits are not fine and that im not doing a good job but I feel that my rabbits are perfectly safe and healthy just like your rabbits who live indoors.

Things I do to keep my buns comfy in the heat: I give them plenty of shade, ice cold water, frozen waterbottles, rub water on the inside of their ears, I also freeze fruits and treats and give them to my buns to cool them down. And best of all I give them lots of love :heartbeat:

I see you have done a lot of research but my question is...
have you ever tried to keep a rabbit outside? If you have never done it how will you know it works? I wouldn't be so quick to assume. I have never kept a rabbit indoors so im not going to tell you that your rabbit "is not doing just fine"

I hope you reconsider what you have said to me and many other people on this forum. I think we should support other bunny lovers opinions and choices. This site is not to bring people down it is to help and encourage people raising rabbits.

 

[Imbrium]

blue eyes wasn't saying that it's wrong to keep bunnies outside or that they can't be perfectly happy there... just that it may not be a good idea to make the blanket assertion that "bunnies do just fine in heat" because you DO have to do a lot of stuff to keep them healthy and cool enough and they DO have to be adjusted to it.

I read it as simply an attempt to keep less well-educated owners from interpreting "they do just fine outside" to mean "you can put a bunny outside in the heat and not worry about it."

obviously those of you arguing who have outdoor bunns DO worry about it, have bunns that have adjusted to the heat and take all the necessary precautions to keep them safe... but someone who didn't know how dangerous heat could be wouldn't know to do that and might assume that sticking a bunny that's used to air conditioning outside in 95F heat without ice packs or other cooling tricks was a perfectly good idea... and I hope we can all agree that it's not.

indoor bunnies can be quite happy and outdoor bunnies can be *equally* happy... but if the weather is hot, the happiness of outdoor bunns hinges on their owners knowing how to keep them cool out there.

 

[Blue eyes]

iLuvMyLilBuns wrote:

Blue eyes:

I think you are over reacting about this situation. You should not be telling us that "heat is not ideal and our rabbits do not do fine"

My rabbits and many other peoples rabbits have survived in the heat and they DO JUST FINE. Like Majorv said rabbits are not as delicate as you think. I think it is just fine for you and many other people to keep your rabbits indoors. Rabbits DO JUST FINE indoors. I think it it just fine for me and other people to keep their rabbits outdoors. Rabbits DO JUST FINE outdoors. Not everyone can keep their rabbits indoors and not everyone can keep their rabbits outdoors. I feel very upset that you are acting like my rabbits are not fine and that im not doing a good job but I feel that my rabbits are perfectly safe and healthy just like your rabbits who live indoors.

Things I do to keep my buns comfy in the heat: I give them plenty of shade, ice cold water, frozen waterbottles, rub water on the inside of their ears, I also freeze fruits and treats and give them to my buns to cool them down. And best of all I give them lots of love :heartbeat:

I see you have done a lot of research but my question is...
have you ever tried to keep a rabbit outside? If you have never done it how will you know it works? I wouldn't be so quick to assume. I have never kept a rabbit indoors so im not going to tell you that your rabbit "is not doing just fine"

I hope you reconsider what you have said to me and many other people on this forum. I think we should support other bunny lovers opinions and choices. This site is not to bring people down it is to help and encourage people raising rabbits.

You are taking me out of context. I never said that bunnies don't "do fine" outdoors. I said they don't "do fine" in temps over 90F. That is a simple truth and caution which you obviously agree with or you wouldn't be taking those precautionary measures that you do with your rabbits. You do those things precisely because too much heat is bad. And you do them because you care for your rabbits. Good for you. But you understand that the heat can be dangerous.

More than once, I commended those, like you, who take the extra steps to keep their outdoor bunnies cool. It's important for others to understand how important it is to do what you do. I don't think anyone here would want a new bunny owner to think their bunny will be fine in high temperatures outside whether or not they take extra steps to keep bunny cool. That would be risky indeed. And that is the point being made. It is by no means judgement against you.

So, please, don't take offense where none was given. I think we should be able to agree that excessive heat is very dangerous to rabbits and cautionary steps must be taken to prevent them from overheating. Does that help clarify any misunderstanding? eace


edit: imbrium posted while I was typing this -- yes, she explained it well