How hot is too hot?

[cassnessxox]

So unlike most of the buns in this forum, my buns are getting ready for summer here in Australia. I'm beginning to become concerned with how hot it will get here.

How hot is too hot for them?

 

[ldoerr]

When it gets to 85*F I would add a frozen water bottle to the cage or some other way to cool them down. For sure when it hits 90*F. Often times the rabbit will tell you when it is too hot. You just need to pay attention to what they are telling you.

 

[Blue eyes]

I have seen sites that say 80-85F can be enough to cause heatstroke. Humidity probably plays a factor though.

Where I live, we get 90F temps from May through October (with all summer in triple digits), so we keep our bunnies inside.
Even so, I keep a couple frozen 2-liter bottles of water in my freezer at all times. If it gets too hot inside, I'll put a bottle in their cage to snuggle against. I also keep them handy in case I need to make an emergency car trip with the bunnies.

 

[luvthempigs]

I always gauge the temps as too hot or too cold for my pets by my own comfort. If it's too hot outside for me then it's too hot for my pets

Two really important things to keep in mind during the summer are keeping the hutch in a shaded area such as under a tree and to make sure your bunny has access to plenty of cool fresh water at all times.

 

[cassnessxox]

My two buns are seperated at the moment until my young boy is old enough to be fixed. My girl is living upstairs but it gets much hotter up there, my boy lives downstairs in a small tiled room (temporarily) but goes outside in the run when we are home for exercise.

Downstairs would be the best temperature wise but Im not sure how to keep them both down here unless I clear out the laundry and let my girl run amok in there.

By the sounds of it neither of them will be allowed outside much over the summer =( 85F is about 30C here and that is an average summer temp, but it can get close to 100F or 40C here =/ Im gonna have a hiiiigh air conditioning bill this year...

 

[Imbrium]

some of it depends on where they normally live.

if they are typically indoor bunnies accustomed to climate control who just get trips outside to frolic in the fresh air, I wouldn't bring them outside when it's more than 80-85F TOPS. with my two, it didn't take more than half an hour in low 80s temps for them to start looking hot to the point that I would bring them back inside. dunno what your summers are like, but in texas it would be low 80sF in the very early morning and 100-110F by mid-afternoon, so we'd go outside somewhere between 6-8 am if we went out.

if they're currently outdoor bunns who actually have a chance to acclimate to the temps as things slowly warm up in the spring/early summer then I'd say 90-95F with precautions (shade, a fan across part of their area, misting their ears with cool water, giving them frozen water bottles to snuggle with, chilled tiles to lie on, putting ice in their drinking water, etc.)

 

[cassnessxox]

Any warning signs they show when they are feeling too hot?

Even inside Im worried it will be hot, I wasn't in this house last year so Im not sure what its like but upstairs is already uncomfortable.

 

[Imbrium]

they tend to sort of "pant" a little (not like a dog pant, which helps to cool them, just slightly heavier breathing) and lie down/stretch out a lot. if you can keep your house down around 25-26C, they should be fine. having them in a room with a ceiling fan helps a LOT as that tends to lower the ambient temperature in the room by a bit (a few degrees F).

 

[luvthempigs]

A friend of mine lost a young flemish giant to the heat this summer during a several day power outage. She was an indoor bunny and the heat was too much for her

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our vet says 85 F or 30 C is too hot for bunnies and can kill them. Ours are all indoors as it is way too hot in the Summer here. Have a single story house, so, that helps us. You'll probably have to move all downstairs as I remember what our 2nd story was like--always 10 to 15 degrees warmer.

 

[Blue eyes]

A large square of tile is also a welcome spot to lay on when its hot.

 

[ldoerr]

It is always cooler upstairs in my parents house. My parents bedroom (1st floor) is the warmest spot in the house. Even in winter it is 90*F in there.

 

[LakeCondo]

Ceramic or marble to lay on helps a lot. You can get some floor tiles or do as I did & get a shallow China platter for each rabbit to lie on. In fact I got 2 & rotated between the freezer & in use.

 

[cassnessxox]

The laundry is tiled and downstairs so I think it will be best for them. I will only be able to take them out side late in the evening I think, which will be a shame because they love it.

My only worry is when we are at work. We only have air conditioning upstairs so I'll get a fan in the laundry for them and some icebricks or water bottles.

Are you supposed to wrap them with a tea towel or anything? I tried a frozen bottle wrapped in a towel end of last summer for my girl Cleo but she kind of just attacked it and left it alone...lol

 

[cassnessxox]

Sorry double post...

 

[Blue eyes]

I never wrap my frozen bottles. They like to lick them as the condensation forms. Here's a photo I found of one of my prior rabbits laying on tile next to a frozen bottle. (bTW, I really like those squared off oj bottles since they don't roll.)

 

[todd28]

I move my cage under our back deck where it's shaded and has cool air flow all day. Where I live in Sydney Australia it can reach 35+ degrees. I also provide a tile and frozen drink bottles and when possible I bring them into the house. (Under the deck is a large opened area in a garden. My rabbit lives in the backyard on grass during the other months). My rabbit seems to be happy, although sometimes he digs down into the dirt to get into cooler spots.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

My bunnies have survived in temps over 90 F. Your buns will be able to also if you take some of these precautions. Givethem a few frozen waterbottles to lay on, fresh ice water constantly,lots of shade, and a fan for air movement. Other things you can do to helpthem out are wetting your fingers and wiping your wet fingers intheir ears to coolthem down. Also, you can freeze fruit or other treats and let him munch on them to stay cool

If you take these precautions your bunnys should be fine in temps over 90 F ^.^

 

[cassnessxox]

Cleo is not liking the frozen bottles! lol I didn't wrap it up this time and she just kept pushing it aside!! quite aggressivly I might add! It's like she has no sense! I bring her downstairs because its cooler and she just runs back up the stairs!

 

[cassnessxox]

This is how Bambi is staying cool this summer!

He has dug a big hole under all these branches we cut down and is lying in it.