K, did you see the pictures taken of Bell's rabbitry, when the animals were confiscated?? They were living in HORRIBLE conditions. Most didn't have any food and water. And those that had water were drinking water contaminated with feces, algae, etc. Poop piled HIGH, in wire cages, because the trays hadn't been dumped. As for the heat, I can't attest to that. However, when you cram all those cages into one tiny building, it has to be hot. With that said...
My rabbits are in the barn. It's an old dairy bank barn, and stays cool all summer. There are individual fly misters in every stall, along with fans. They have access to clean, fresh water at all times. They always have hay to munch on (I'm talking horses AND rabbits, not just rabbits), etc. I already have the kids saving their bottles, so I can keep some frozen, to put in cages when the temperature rises. Trays are dumped and hosed daily. Water bottles are dumped and cleaned daily.
If someone is doing all they can to make sure their animals (any animal) is being taken care of, then I don't think there's a problem. But, when you let your animals get into the condition that Bell did, you're opening yourself up for a lawsuit.
That article (and others by them) were made to make people think that Bell was in the right and everyone else was in the wrong. They're showing one side of the story, and only parts of it. Do a search for the Bell case, and you'll be shocked at the rabbitry and rabbits, too. :-(
