How to cope with extreme heat

[ellebasi_]

Today in Adelaide it has reached a massive 43 degrees celsius - well over 100 degrees farenheit. My baby bunnies are inside at the moment in their hutch but I feel bad keeping them cooped up! So if I did put them outside for a while in their pen (in the evening or morning when it's cooler) how can I keep them from overheating? How could I keep them more entertained inside their hutch? Or how can I make a wee wee-safe indoors pen? Thanks!

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

Is you're house air conditioned? You shouldn't bring you're rabbits back and forth in different temperatures. If you have them outside during the day just keep them in the shade, fill water bottles about 3/4 full and freeze them and then you can put the water bottles outside with them, those keep them cool. Also, make sure they always have cool water. You can wet their ears, that helps them stay cool. These are all just a few suggestions, like I said you shouldn't bring them back and forth from indoors to outdoors if there is a big temperature difference. I keep my rabbits outdoors in the summer and it gets up to 90 degrees F and they are fine, but they are adjusted to the temperature. If you're rabbits are used to air conditioning they won't do well outdoors.

 

[BridgetsFlame]

For those more used to fahrenheit, 43 degrees celsius is about 110 degrees fahrenheit.

I'd keep the buns inside, this weather is atrocious at the moment. If you go to Bunnings, in the gardening section (normally near all the rolls of avairy wire) there are packs of huge panels, 70cm x 90cm, called Garden Waste containers or similiar, aboyt $25 for four panels. Two packs of these and a big heavy duty tarp and you have a urine proof play area. Use cable ties to join the panels, lay the tarp out on the floor, place the panels on top and peg the edges of the tarp up the sides of the panels.

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes. I understand that kind of heat. :agree I live in the AZ desert and every summer our temps top out about 120-122F.
I keep my rabbits indoors all year round. (Daytime highs aren't below 90F from May thru Sept)

An x-pen on a tarp makes a handy temporary cage. Mine are spayed and neutered so they are litter trained. They have full run of the downstairs (bunny-proofed). How young are your babies?

Having a frozen bottle of water in the cage can help keep things cool (and a piece of ceramic tile too). In mid-summer, I'll use a frozen bottle inside, since even with A/C, our house can be over 85F. Their cage (which is open all day) has a tiled floor.

 

[Imbrium]

House rabbits (used to climate control) can become susceptible to heat stroke at temperatures as low as 80F. Rabbits that are acclimated to the heat (because they're outside year-round) can do just fine (with precautions/extra cooling measures) in weather that gets to be 90-95F. 100F would really be pushing it, though... and 110F is definitely more than a little atrocious! It gets that hot here in the summers and it's truly awful. I just can't see rabbits acclimating to that significant of a temperature increase (especially babies who haven't had as much time to acclimate).

If you go to Bunnings, in the gardening section (normally near all the rolls of avairy wire) there are packs of huge panels, 70cm x 90cm, called Garden Waste containers or similiar, aboyt $25 for four panels. Two packs of these and a big heavy duty tarp and you have a urine proof play area. Use cable ties to join the panels, lay the tarp out on the floor, place the panels on top and peg the edges of the tarp up the sides of the panels.

^ Inexpensive, easy and fast solution... which can be packed away until next year once it's no longer needed. I've used the pen-over-tarp option extensively myself