Cold ears...

[Lola13]

Hello again,

So I know I've done a lot of posts in the past couple days, but I am a hypocondriac (sp?) and I think that I have every sickness, so the same applies to my bun. If I noticed somthing srange I just think he's dying or somthing.

anyways, so today zentor was acting fine, actually really good since his neuter on monday. I cleaned out his cage and gave him all fresh supplies, but now he is just sitting in the corner. I went to pet him and noticed his ears are really cold. my room right now is very chilly and we dont have a heater. I have to wear a bunch of sweaters i'm that cold, so I don't know why his ears are so cold. there is no way he can be overheating. could this have somthing to do with the neuter? I also heard him sneeze (I think, i've never heard one before) but it was just once. I don't know what to do, or if i'm just over reacting.

any info is helpful. thanks

-Alora

 

[Jessyka]

You and I have health anxiety in common. I know that immediately following a neuter some people recommend keeping the rabbit warm, but I think that's just for the first day.

Bayou's ears are always cold since I keep the heat off in my room. Same with my boyfriend's rabbit. Cold room=cold ears, warm room=warm ears.

 

[kirbyultra]

Yeah my Kirby is like that. Cold room, cold ears. Warm room, warm ears. Is there any shelter you can offer to him in the cold room? Maybe a cardboard box so he can crawl in and keep himself warm in a smaller space?

It's getting real cold at night in NY and the room gets drafty. I put some towels around their play pen to shield them from the wind.

 

[Lola13]

I have a nice thick towel for him that he moves around and snuggles with. its under a little shelf thing that he can hop on. I also keep the window and door shut so that its not drafty. I think he's just a little cold, and the fact that he's just sleeping isnt helping I dont think. He got up a little bit ago and moved around, so thats good. I'm just so paranoid, I read somewhere that cold ears means they are sick or somthing. haha I dont know. first time bunny owner. everything is new to me.

thanks for the help though. I swear i'd be calling the vet everyday asking randome questions if I never found this fourm. haha

 

[elrohwen]

Rabbits use their ears to cool themselves and regulate body temperature. When it's hot, the blood vessels expand to allow heat to escape - this makes the ears hot to the touch. When it's colder, the blood vessels contract, trapping heat and making the ears cold to the touch. So it's totally normal that his ears would be cold if the room is chilly! It really doesn't mean that he's uncomfortably cold, just that he's not overheating and doesn't need to release heat through his ears.

Also, occasional sneezing can be normal. My bun does it on occasion for whatever reason. At first I was a little nervous and watched him like a hawk, but I have never seen any issues and he just seems to sneeze every few weeks. So keep an eye on him, but don't worry too much ;-)

 

[funnybunnymummy]

That's good to know! Gus has cold ears from time to time. I thought maybe it was because he had a bit of gas. I'd usually just treat him with a papaya tablet, wrap him in a blankie and then hold him till his ears warmed up again. :biggrin2:

Rue

 

[tonyshuman]

You can also put a bottle of warm water in there, or a rice sock, and see how he reacts to it. If he's really, really eager to be by it, he may be a bit too cold.

 

[Lola13]

I just wrapped him up with the blanket and he's laying down. his ears feel a bit warmer now! :] its funny cuz he's a "netherland" dwarf, but its too cold for him in southern california. hahaha.

 

[elrohwen]

Honestly, I would avoid wrapping them up in a blanket. As I said, their ears are cold because they are trying to trap heat in their bodies. If you hold them in a blanket until the ears are warm again, the bun is now overheated and is using its ears to cool itself back down. I think the blanket is really unneccesary, especially because buns have fur coats and should easily be fine down to 50 degrees F, much cooler than we would be comfortable sitting around our houses. As long as the bun is in a house with a normal temperature setting (above 50F) it shouldn't really need additional heating unless it is sick. Overheating is far more detrimental to rabbits than being a bit chilly.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Oh, sorry. I wasn't actually recommending that. I was just laughing at myself for over-reacting!

Rue

 

[elrohwen]

Haha, I was just making a general comment because it seems like a lot of people are very concerned about their bunnies being warm enough, when their houses are only 70 degrees! Lol. I get excited when our house gets up to even 66 degrees in the winter and I'm pretty sure my bun is far more comfortable with the temp than I am

If your bunny stayed put for blanket wrapping, I'm sure he enjoyed the attention and lovins ;-)

 

[zyymurgy]

I'm always worried about my buns being too warm or too cold, but they are fuzzy animals, and can withstand temperatures as well as we can, if not better. (Personally, I always leave my heater on for them at least a little bit.)