How to keep your rabbit cool in Summer

Summer is here and as you’ve probably noticed it’s hot out there.

Well, when it’s not raining.

But anyway.

Have you been trying to keep your rabbit cool in this heat?

I have and I thought I’ve been trying everything to keep Ronnie cool, until I researched it.

I’ve uncovered some VERY interesting things, so I’ve written an awesome little guide detailing everything I found out.

Hopefully, this will help other like-minded bunny owners as much as it has helped me.

This guide that will help you:

• Understand ways to check your rabbit for heat exhaustion.
• How to keep your rabbit cool to prevent heat exhaustion.

Understanding Rabbit Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is a concern for rabbits with any length of fur, any size or any age and like every case, temperature, humidity and air ventilation are the major contributing factors.

Just like humans and other animals, different rabbit’s can react differently to heat exhaustion, but here are some signs to look out for:

• Fast, shallow breathing.
• Hot ears.
• Lethargy or laziness (more than usual).
• Wetness around the nose.
• Tossing back of head while breathing rapidly from the mouth.

In hot weather such as this, it’s important to regularly check your pet bunny to make sure they’re comfortable and not exhibiting any of the above symptoms.

Picking up signs of heat exhaustion early could be the difference between life and death.

If in doubt, Call the Vets

If you have any doubt about your bunny’s health, then the first thing you should do is call your local vet.

Nine times out of ten, the receptionist will be able to help you decide if you’re bunny is poorly or not.

If your bunny is poorly, then your local vet can also provide great advice about what to do next.

However, there are also steps you can take if you believe your bunny has heat exhaustion.

Have Proper Pet Insurance

At this point, I’d like to point out the importance of proper pet insurance.

If you don’t take out pet insurance and your bunny get’s heat stroke, it will very definitely cost you a lot more in the long run.

Click the banner below and get 10% off right now.

How Rabbit’s Keep Cool in the Wild

When humans are overheated, we sweat to cool ourselves down.

If dogs are overheated, they pant to cool themselves down.

When pigs are overheated, they roll around in mud to cool themselves down.

Rabbits don’t do any of these when they’re hot; they rely on finding shelter to keep themselves cool.

In the wild, Rabbit’s disappear into the undergrowth or burrow in the ground to keep themselves cool.

Obviously, a lot of the time pet bunny’s don’t have that option (especially indoor rabbits) so as proud parents to these little monsters of destruction, we must make sure they do not overheat.

Let’s take a look at how you can keep your rabbit cool.

How to Keep your Rabbit Cool

There are a number of ways you can keep your rabbit cool in high temperatures, but it all starts with monitoring the temperature.

Monitor the Temperature.

The ideal temperature for your bunny’s is between 55 degrees Fahrenheit / 12 degrees Celsius and 70 Fahrenheit / 21 degrees Celsius , but they can tolerate temperatures up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit / 29 degrees Celsius.

Anything after that, then you’re in certain heat exhaustion / heat stroke territory.

My advice (as a worried parent of a little destruction monster myself) is if the temperature is in this region, immediately look for steps to keep your rabbit cool.

Outdoor Rabbits

The threat of heat exhaustion grows if you rabbit lives outside.

This is because for outdoor rabbits, the he sun can get trapped in your bunny’s fur and cause them to heat up quickly.

The obvious solution in this case could be to bring your bunny inside your home for particularly hot days.

Or…

 Move their Cage

If your bunny’s cage is in the sun or may at some point be in the sun on a hot day, the first port of call should be to move their cage out of the sun and into a shaded area if possible.

Keep Your Rabbit Hydrated

Dehydration can lead a bunny to heat stroke quickly, so it’s important make sure your bunny has enough water to drink in his bottle at all times.

Popping a couple of ice cubes in their water to keep it extra cool is also a great idea.

The theory is, if your rabbit is overheated and their water is cooler than usual, they will seek that out first.

This’ll cool them down fast and keep them well hydrated – the perfect result.

Keep Your Rabbit Well-Ventilated

One good way to keep your bunny cool, is to cool them well-vented.

How?

Use an electric fan, of course!

What???

Yeah, I’m serious.

Use an electric fan to provide your bunny with more ventilation  and this should go a long way to cool your rabbit down.

If you can spare it from cooling yourself down, that is.

Maybe you’ll need to take it in turns.

Hang a Wet Towel Over the Cage

Another method for keeping your rabbit cool is to place a wet towel on top of their cage.

This will help for 2 reasons:

1. It will provide shade to protect your bunny from direct sunlight.
2. The moisture will help keep your rabbit cool.

Ice Packs Under the Cage

An unconventional method for keeping your rabbit cool is to place an ice pack underneath their cage.

It should really cool down the cage and provide a more comfortable environment for your bunny, but it’s important that you monitor the situation.

This could easily make the floor too cold for your bunny and they may quickly get too uncomfortable.

Pet Cooling Mats

Did you know about Pet Cooling Mats?

These are really clever things. They contain cooling gel that keep your pets cool without the need for electricity or batteries or anything like that.

Check out the mats on Amazon for more information.

Frozen Water Bottle

Perhaps a better way of your cooling your bunny, in a very similar way, is to place a frozen plastic water bottle in their cage.

I’ve done this with a few of my pet rabbits over the years.

If they overheat, they nuzzle up to the cold water bottle and it works a treat.

The main benefit of this method over some of the others is that if your bunny gets too cold, they can move away from the chill until they require it again.

Apple Ice Cubes

Ronnie loves apple and this summer my wife and I were worried that he wasn’t drinking enough water.

My wife came up with a fantastic idea: apple ice cubes.

It’s as easy as it sounds:

• Get an ice tray.
• Cut up small chunks of apple.
• Place each chunk inside one of the ice tray segments.
• Add water.
• Freeze.

This is good for hydration, but it also means that it’ll cool the little fella down too.

It was the perfect plan and it worked fantastically.

Tactical Playtime

Another way you can make sure your bunny keeps cool is to limit their play time to cooler times of the day.

Keep them in their hutches during the day or when there’s no possible shade in their play area and let them play in the early evening.

Brush their Fur

Rabbit’s shed a lot and if they do not clean themselves to remove the excess fur, this will overheat them.

This is a good tactic for the winter because the extra fur will add another layer of insulation to keep them warm, but it can be dangerous for your bunny in hot summer months.

Brush your rabbit regularly if you can, from head to bum, using light gentle strokes.

The one thing you DON’T DO if your bunny is over heated

If your bunny is overheated, it might be your natural reaction to dunk them in water.

But this is one thing you absolutely shouldn’t do.

Rabbits are not naturally strong swimmers, so submerging them in water will only server to panic them and thereby increasing their body temperature.