HOT HOT HOT BUNNIES!!!

[Must_Love_Pets]

It is about 100 here today andI had to put 2 of my poor bun buns in my basement last night where it is nice and cool no matter what.I had to have my son bring Thor inside todayand put him in our bathroom so he has a nice cool marble floor to lay on. NO WAY I could leave them outside in this heat even with frozen 2 liters &fans andshade.I am waiting for my canopy tobe delivered soI can make alarger shaded area and add some misters to make a nice cool enviorment durring this horrific heat. Poor bun buns





What are you doing for your bunnies indoor and outdoor?

 

[SOOOSKA]

Julie, can you not keep them inside?

Years ago when I first got Buttercup, i went out and bought a window air conditioner so he would be cool.

Even now when I had to move I made sure their was central AC, and I went out and bought 2 fans to circulate the air in the rooms the bunnies are in.

Ceramic tiles in all the cages which they all lay on.

You gotta feel for the poor bunnies when it's so hot out.

Susan

 

[Myia09]

I live in AZ and it has been averaging 104.

I keep my a/c at 79..used to keep it at 78 but it actually overloaded.

Then I keep a ceiling fan + fan on the living room. The Bunny room doesn't face the sun or get direct sunlight so its alwasy a couple degrees colder but I still provide the fan.

Then I provide frozen water bottles and frozen tile (i switch them out obviously)

I am a caregiver, and my elderly pateints cat just died outside and I had to pick it up...just another victim of people thinking 104 is okay for their furry friends and that some water will cool them down.

But I can't imagine keeping a bun outside even with misters and fans. It is just too hot. :nope:

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

unfortunately there is no room for all 3 to be indoors fulltime. I bring them in a lot but when I am at work they all have to go back outside in there condo cages and hutches. Thank goodness I have the option to bring them in when it is this hot. We have a window AC in some rooms but we rent and have roommates so I dont have an extra room to put them in with AC. When I am home they are inside with me because I can watch them. Days like this I have to make do with what I have when I am away. The basement is a great cool area but so boring for them. It is carpeted and there is a bar and Keroke down there but I dont see them taking advantage of any of that entertainment. Tehehehe although that would be a site to see. I would rather have them cool and bored for a couple days rather than cooked. Poor babies, I can't wait to get home and love them all. Thor is a in a decent size beautiful marbled bathroom till I get home today so he is in la la land.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

We normally don't get such hot weather. Misting system and fans cool just as well as an AC if not better. When i have a misting system up people would rather be around that than in the house with the window AC's.

 

[Myia09]

Yeah, window a/c's suck major! But 100 and 104 is still a huge difference even still. But in fact, misting/fans by themselves don't work as well, but when combined..whoola! Swamp cooler! And swamp coolers can work alright. (and you can buy outdoor units) Trying to dig up the article where they tested the temputeres of bunnies housed ourdoors in heat in difference set ups. Misting was on the very bottom besides obviously just shade.

We think misting is a lot better because we have skin; not fur! Just keep that in mind

But I knew of one girl who kept her bunnies outside here in AZ and she had 4 swamp coolers, a mister, a little water fountain like thing for water, and I was still sweating through my clothes in the enclosure. You really have to imagine how those buns feel with only ears to cool them down; at least we have thousands of sweat glands.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I think about all day long when it is this hot weather :cry4: I think of wearing a fur coat. In fact I post on CL about the dangers of the heat and how to keep your bunnies cool.

This system has always worked for me in the past with no panting bunnies keeping it at a cool 70-75. We do not get temps as high as in AZ thank goodness or I would certainly be investing in a small barn with AC. Most of our summer here is 80-90 degrees. When you step inside my bunny enclosure it is an instant relief and all bunnies are very happy. Keep in mind this is a very fine mist just cooling the air not getting things damp or wet. I am replacing my whole system with new gear and am anxiously awaiting arrival of the goods. Until then I just have to keep them where is is coolest in the house.

I though about a swamp cooler, we had one at the vet for kennels and I was not very impressed as my misting was much cooler. Maybe the swamp cooler there didn't work right, not sure.

At this point I do wish I had my own home so I can have a room designated just for the buns

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I can't imagine 104 for anyone!! I lived in Modesto and Turlock for about a years and the tempos there got up to 108. Thank ogoodness I did not have any bunnies at the time and I was insode with AC alllll day. How can you stand the heat Myia09? I find the older I get the less I myself can take the heat.

 

[Azerane]

My bunny was an outdoor rabbit, if I was home on a really, overbearingly hot day, I would bring him inside and put him in the bathroom. Otherwise, I simply had to make sure his hutch was shaded, he had plenty of water and frozen drink bottles.

 

[Katmais_mommy]

When I had just 2 bunnies, I would sneak them into my air conditioned house while my dad was at work. Now that i have 4 bunnies, all I can do is cool down their ears with cold cloth and give them frozen waterbottles to lean against. Usually, they'll hop into a shaded area and lay down.

 

[Myia09]

Tomorrow it will be 111, 108 today. I am a native so I am used to it. Love the heat! Now I don't really like 111, but I've only seen snow once in my life and I dont' understand how people live through that. At least you don't have to shovel heat, or worry about your car slipping on ice.

 

[MsBunBun]

Our AC usually doesn't turn on until later in the morning and lasts till the evening or so.
While I wait for our AC to turn on I usually point my fan at my bun. He loves it.

Otherwise if you want to let them outdoors, its a good idea to stick a water bottle in a freezer, wait for it to freeze, and then wrap it in a towel. Lay the towel by your bun

 

[DandelionHollow]

My buns are indoors... I just cant subject them to this terrific heat. I know I just burn out there when I am out, I cant imagine how horrid it would be if I was out with a fur coat on... even if I was clutching a frozen water bottle. Torture.

 

[MsBunBun]

DandelionHollow wrote:

My buns are indoors... I just cant subject them to this terrific heat. I know I just burn out there when I am out, I cant imagine how horrid it would be if I was out with a fur coat on... even if I was clutching a frozen water bottle. Torture.

No.... you wouldn't 'clutch' the water bottle. Its wrapped in a towel so it doesnt feel as cold. And my bunny actually loves it, he usually lays by it when he's outside.....though I sometimes only let him out in the morning when its below 90 degrees. And I make sure he gets the proper shading too. He loves it outside, he loves eating the grass and the dandelions and binkying out there.

I'd never let him out if it were over 90 degrees =/

Though if it were over 90 degrees in someones house (with poor AC) I'd still suggest the fan and the water bottle method.

 

[Dutchbrothers]

Do you use misters inside their hutch or outside in their outdoor enclosure?

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I can't have the mister inside the hutch, it would dampen the food and hay and can cause respitory issues and illness. The misters are in a large enclosed area with HUGE fans and 2 liter iced bottles. All my bunnies are just fine outside with this system. It ends up being cooler in the enclosure than inside the house with AC. Everyone will go to the enclosure to keep cool including humans. My bunnies don't enven pant or even show signs that they are the least bit warm. They act as if it were a nice cold day. I would never subject any of my pets to the heat. It was only until I had this system up I was brining them into the house where is was nice and cool.

 

[lagomorph]

We are not in as warm a climate, but it does get into the 90s on occasion, and it is obvious that they do not tolerate heat and humidity well. Here's what we do:

The long hair bun is definitely less heat tolerant, so she gets a hair cut at the beginning of summer. I take her to the vet, he sedates her, and gives her a close cut. Last year was the first time I had this done, and I cannot tell you how much happier she looked. MUCH more active without all that fur.

There is always shade on their house.

The floor of their outdoor enclosure is just the ground, so they can dig a burrow. They usually sleep away the hottest part of the day in their burrow, as it is much cooler underground. This, I imagine, is part of the reason their wild relatives live in burrows.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I would love for my babies to have a burrow in their yard to keep cool. Thor is not a digger though. Ooooo can I dig one for him? LOL