Preventing Heat Stroke

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Happy Hollands

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Location
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It's scorching here in Washington state, reaching temperatures of 110+ degrees Fahrenheit today. This is unheard of!

Keeping the bunnies from overheating is obviously my biggest concern right now. I'd like to share some tips to prevent this:

Dip the ends of their ears into cold water. This is because their ears regulate body temperature, so it instantly cools them off! Just make sure not to get water into their ear canal; this tip works best for lop-eared buns.

Provide cool surfaces (like tile) and plan ahead by freezing ice packs, towels, water bottles, and also putting ice cubes in their water.

• In the past, I've frozen treats. Simply fill ice cube trays half full with herbs / fruits / veggies and then top off with water! They seem to enjoy these... the best part is that you can customize depending on your rabbits' preferences.

• Obviously a fan or air conditioning is ideal and the easiest way to keep air flowing though the bunny area. Remember: bunnies do better in cold temperatures over hot temperatures.

Lightly mist with water - be careful not to drench them as you should never bathe a rabbit. Just enough they can shake / groom it off and dry without discomfort.


Temperatures over 85 degrees Fahrenheit (or possibly lower, there's conflicting information out there and it depends on humidity) are dangerous for rabbits and this is why indoors is the best place to house them (even if temporarily or seasonally - just do it!).

Stay safe and cool, everyone! Feel free to comment if you have more suggestions to add.
 
Last edited:
It's scorching here in Washington state, reaching temperatures of 110+ degrees Fahrenheit today. This is unheard of!

Keeping the bunnies from overheating is obviously my biggest concern right now. I'd like to share some tips to prevent this:

Dip the ends of their ears into cold water. This is because their ears regulate body temperature, so it instantly cools them off! Just make sure not to get water into their ear canal; this tip works best for lop-eared buns.

Provide cool surfaces (like tile) and plan ahead by freezing ice packs, towels, water bottles, and also putting ice cubes in their water.

• In the past, I've frozen treats. Simply fill ice cube trays half full with herbs / fruits / veggies and then top off with water! They seem to enjoy these... the best part is that you can customize depending on your rabbits' preferences.

• Obviously a fan or air conditioning is ideal and the easiest way to keep air flowing though the bunny area. Remember: bunnies do better in cold temperatures over hot temperatures.

Lightly mist with water - be careful not to drench them as you should never bathe a rabbit. Just enough they can shake / groom it off and dry without discomfort.


Temperatures over 85 degrees Fahrenheit (or possibly lower, there's conflicting information out there and it depends on humidity) are dangerous for rabbits and this is why indoors is the best place to house them (even if temporarily or seasonally - just do it!).

Stay safe and cool, everyone! Feel free to comment if you have more suggestions to add.
Thank you for sharing this! I live in Washington and this heatwave is brutal, we brought our bunnies in from the heat for a few days. This is very helpful information!
 

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