Heat & Rabbits!

[Half-Pint]

Hi all I just thought I would bring up a veryimportant topic at this time considering we are having heat spells hereon and off and it is making the rabbits not very happy in theleast. I personaly find that too much heat is bad for a bunnythey can overheat quickly even in a cage just outback with no shade tohide in! Lots of people have come up with their own littleways to keep their bunnys cool, I like to use freezy bottles for thebig butts I also spray each rabbit down with a luke warm spritz from awater squirt bottle some dont like it but then I have others that willnuzzle the bottle for more. I also give them all ice cubes toplay with once or twice a d ay its funny to watch then get ahold of itand toss it around.



Shannon

 

[Shuu]

There's a lot of info about cooling your rabbit here as well.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=864&forum_id=1

 

[pamnock]

Heat is a major stress factor. Somepeople like to use products such as Acid Pac in the water supply duringheat waves.

[align=center]Cooling Thoughts in this Summer Heat[/align]
[align=center]Pamela Nock[/align]
[align=center]

Understanding how the rabbit cools itself helps us to provide the most comfortable environment for them.[/align]
The rabbit is cooled by 3 primary factors: Respiration, Ears and Nasal Mucosa.

Eighty percent of heat dissipation in rabbits occurs through theevaporation of moisture during respiration (breathing). Fans help thiscooling process by speeding evaporation. In a serious situation of heatstress, you will notice moisture around the rabbits face (especiallyaround the mouth and nose) because the moisture is not evaporating.Cooling also occurs during the respiration process through nasal mucosa(by air passing over mucous membranes).

The ears are also important for cooling as the blood moves to the farthest (coolest) points away from the body core.

The rabbit will also stretch it’s body out as far as possible to cool through radiation/convection.

Rabbits do not have functional sweat glands, and only loose a smallamount of moisture through the skin due to perspiration. The rabbit’sfur further inhibits the process of the rabbit being able to coolitself by evaporation of moisture from the skin.

Since the rabbit cools primarily through evaporation duringrespiration, providing air movement, such as a fan gently blowing nearthe cage, can help to speed evaporation.

Planting trees around the rabbit building will provide shade and help to keep the surrounding air at a lower temperature.

A frozen water bottle may be of some help in cooling the surround air,but air movement is of paramount importance when the weather is humid.“Swamp coolers” are also of limited value in our humid climate. Adehumidifier in closed in areas can help immensely by removing excessmoisture from the air.

If a rabbit is suffering from the heat, it can be placed in a basementor cool area as well as using a fan. Rabbits suffering from actual heatexhaustion can be saturated with tepid water. Gently run a fan overthem to aid cooling by speeding evaporation.

The individual rabbit’s current physical state is also a factor.Rabbits that are obese, pregnant, aged or ill are at more risk for heatrelated illness than younger healthier animals. Also avoid overcrowding in cages, and keep the cage wire clean and free of fur thatmay impede air circulation. Clean, fresh, cool water must be availableat all times.

Heatstroke (hyperthermia) is a primary concern in our hot and humidsummer weather. Understanding the rabbit’s physiological coolingprocesses can help to prevent needless summer fatalities due to theheat.