Dealing with the heat

[Bunnicula]

Ok, so it's 88 Fahrenheit here with what feels like a bazillion percent humidity...and it's only 12:30.

During the winter months my rabbits live in their cages is a spare bedroom where they can play.

From about May - October I move them to our screen porch. They still have their pens, but it is a place where they have more of a chance to get out and run...and it is pretty much bunny-proof (though Pipkin did change that when he chewed one of the posts :?).

Anyway, our home is not air-conditioned...and that works out fine for us...but I am concerned about the bunnies. Today, Pipkin looked as if the heat & humidity were bothering him. So, to be safe, I moved the 3 bunns to our basement which is underground and significantly cooler. It is finished, and we run a dehumidifier...so we try to keep if from having that damp smell/feel.

My question is for those who house their bunnies predominantly outdoors. What do you do to deal with the heat? Do you move them inside on hot/humid days? At what temperature should I begin to grow concerned about how they are handling the weather?

While moving them to the basement is a definite option during a heatwave (and we do plan to purchase a small room airconditioner for their wintertime bedroom), in the basement they have NO place to run and get exercise (there are way too many nooks and crannies where a bunny could explore and get trapped).

Just wondering what the rest of you do.

Mary Ellen

 

[Flashy]

There's a stickied thread on the top of the Rabbit chat forum about how to cool a rabbit, maybe that might be of interest to you

 

[Bunnicula]

Thanks, Moominmoo! Don't know how I missed that thread...but there's so much to read here...

It contains some great info; I'll be freezing some water bottles today!

Thanks again,

Mary Ellen:highfive:

 

[Flashy]

No prob I have one bun who absolutely loves those frozen bottles Lots ofpeople also use things like frozen tiles and frozen bricks too.

hope it all helps you.

 

[NZminilops]

I have no problems keeping them cool outside, as it's cooler outdoors than indoors here in the summer.

I keep the hutches under two very large apple trees in summer time and beside the fence, which has large trees on the neighbours side too. It's very cool under there and doesn't get any sun.

 

[naturestee]

Bunnicula, if you need a space for the buns to play in the basement you could always set up a dog exercise pen or make a pen with NIC grids. That way they can run around without getting into all those fascinating nooks and crannies.

 

[Bunnicula]

naturestee wrote:

Bunnicula, if you need a space for the buns to play in the basement you could always set up a dog exercise pen or make a pen with NIC grids. That way they can run around without getting into all those fascinating nooks and crannies.

That's an awesome idea. They have pretty large cages, but they are so used to being able to run the house and/or the porch.


I definitely want to get some NIC grids to build a bigger place for Emmaline and Pipkin, anyway (Gingivere already has a palace that she doesn't share with anyone) for their indoor room.

I was checking on-line...lots of folks have said they are available at Target. But I'm not finding them at the Target website. Do you know if they have another name? Perhaps the manufacturer? I think I've seen something like them. I work near a Target, so I plan to go in and check in the next week.

Also, what do you use for "flooring" in a NIC house? Both Emmaline and Pipkin are litter trained, so I suppose a piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting or some vinyl flooring would work. Their current houses have plastic bases. I use Oasis Magic Mats on that to give them secure footing.

Any ideas you have would be great. I think I may get A TON of NIC grids so I can build an upstairs house, a porch penthouse, and a basement run. :bunnybutt: That would make for 3 very, very happy bunnies...and one impoverished bunny lover.

 

[naturestee]

NIC is an older brand name. I don't know if it even exists any more. I think the Target brand might be called Organize-It's, although that could be the Shopko brand. Each store seems to have a different brand name. You can also find them at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

I refloored an entire bedroom with cheap, textured, no-glue vinyl from Menards. That's what I use for the floor of my bunny pens. I love this stuff. It looks like wood flooring and it has deep grooves in it that give it more traction than anything else I've found. You could also use coroplast (plastic signboard) or textured linoleum. I like having a solid floor underneath just in case of messes. If they don't chew carpet, you could put indoor/outdoor carpet on top of something more solid that is easier to clean.

And keep an eye out for sales! When it's time for back-to-school sales you can usually find NIC grids for $5 less per box!

 

[JimD]

Hi Mary Ellen!

All 8 of our buns are house rabbits.

We have AC so the heat is usually not a problem. Especially when they were staying in the spare bedroom. We keep the house at around 72F.

I start to get concerned when the temp gets around 80F. Happened once or twice when the power went out.

I keep a stack of ceramic tiles in the fridge. The veggie drawer is always empty cuz nobody eats fresh veggies...so that's where I keep the tiles.
If it gets too warm, I put a tile in with each bun. Some like to lay on them...others lay next to them....still others just get their face close to them to breath in the coolness.

We recently moved them to the basement. Like yours, it's finished and stays fairly cool.
Humidity is sometimes a problem, but I find that the dehumidifier heats up the room too much when I run it. If I leave the basement door open for a while it helps a lot.
I also run a fan 24/7 in the basement.

It's a NIC grid jungle in the basement!! It worked out really well. Took long enough, too!!
They all have their cages with an add-on of NIC grids. There's still a good size area and the "aisles" for them to run in when their allowed out. By using NIC grid gates I can close off areas so I can control where they can go and not go.

 

[JimD]

Bunnicula wrote:

I was checking on-line...lots of folks have said they are available at Target. But I'm not finding them at the Target website. Do you know if they have another name? Perhaps the manufacturer? I think I've seen something like them. I work near a Target, so I plan to go in and check in the next week.

Target carries the Organize-It brand.
You probably won't find them on the website.
I find out through the weekly ad, and they're usually on sale for $12.99.
They were just on sale last week by us. I meant to pick some up, but just didn't have the time.



Bunnicula wrote:

Also, what do you use for "flooring" in a NIC house? Both Emmaline and Pipkin are litter trained, so I suppose a piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting or some vinyl flooring would work. Their current houses have plastic bases. I use Oasis Magic Mats on that to give them secure footing.

I used a bunch of those plastic chair mats that are used in offices.
Scrounged around and got them for free!

 

[Bunnicula]

Thanks for the ideas, Jim!

I really like the idea of keeping some tiles in the refrigerator...but no one in your house eats fresh veggies?:shock: My 3 bunns would have something to say if we didn't have a huge stockpile of all their favorite greens.

I did go to Target today and saw the Organize-It grids. They were $15, but I will wait for them to go on sale as the bunnies do have great places to live already...and they have the porch.

I have been looking at small animal playpens, but I think I would rather build a huge playpen of my own with grids. Then I could dismantle and reassemble or change the layout as needed. The idea about those office chair mats is a great one, too. Those are generally durable and less likely to become chew toys for Pipkin.

I appreciate you help with all this!

Mary Ellen

 

[vivibee]

You can try to put a few frozen bottle water around their cage, and cover their cage with a cold bamboo sheet (you can get it from china town). Just make sure your bun bun won't eat it. =）

Texas is quite steamy too, sometimes I just have to leave the AC on.......

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

 

[Starina]

We are living without AC this year. So to prevent bunny meltdown, I freeze waterbottles and give them to my bunny. She LOVES them. She lays on them and licks them like little bunny popcicles.

~Star~

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

have been looking at small animal playpens, but I think I would rather build a huge playpen of my own with grids. Then I could dismantle and reassemble or change the layout as needed. The idea about those office chair mats is a great one, too. Those are generally durable and less likely to become chew toys for Pipkin.<<<<i bought a playpen, and it is tall and i spent almost 70.00 :shock:. at the time i didnt know about the NIC cubes, and in hind site if i would have known then what i know now,l ol. i would make a pen out of the nic cubes if you can it will cost less. Also Jim is right they are called organize it at target, i just picked some more up and they were 14.99, because i never go when they are on sale, lol.

 

[maherwoman]

We give our girls frozen bricks. We have two for each bun, because it takes about 12hrs for them to get as cold as they can.

You might notice your bun(s) checking out the brick(s) by chewing them during the first half-hour they have them, but don't worry. Won't harm them a bit...and it's just them checking them out.

One other thing I should add...we used to give them frozen water bottles, until Maisie decided to chew one open on the bottom after it'd thawed a bit, and thereby flooded the bottom of her cage a bit. Stinky bunny!!

Hugs!

Rosie*

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Yesterday was the first day of hot weather we've had in a while, so I finally had to use things to cool down my buns.I bought this a few weeks ago and now I've used it I love it, it's called an ice pod:

Just stick it in the freezer ready for when you need it, now I don't have to worry about the buns chewing it or having their fur stick to it (like what happens with frozen water bottles!:X) and it stays cold for ages.Just thought UK members might find it useful.

 

[Bunnicula]

Thanks, Bunnys_rule63, for posting the photo of the Icepod. I checked them out on-line and have emailed Scratch & Newton to see if they will sell/ship to the US.

I like the idea of cold bricks, too, as we have leftover bricks from an old patio we dismantled.

Last nightI used a plastic icepack for them. My only concern with those is if the rabbits would chew them after they melt...I don't have any idea what's inside. It's some sort of gel. So I am going to go with water bottles today while I'm getting some bricks frozen (hubby should find THAT interesting when he opens the freezer door...lol).

And I will continue to check if the Icepod or another rabbit-friendly product is available out there.

Thanks all for the ideas!