My bunnies against the Summer Heat

[uraki]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 bunnies (my avatar) who are 4 months old and I've made them a little bunny house on my roof (can be seen in attached pics). I live in an area where summers are really really hot and temperatures go up to 48-50C (120 F) in May to July, which is of course a sign of grave danger for my bunnies. For now its February and temperatures are around 18 C and the bunnies seem happy to cope with it.
I've tried to make the bunny home as close to natural habitat as possible by putting lot of soil and dirt and they have tunneled in a complete circle around the entrance in the middle plus on the second level i've put ceramic tiles which they like the most to lie down upon as they remain cool most of the time.
I am really concerned about fast approaching hot summer days and need the bunny experts out there to help out in making it comfortable for my bunnies. Plus any ideas about what are the underground (tunnel) temperatures when there is so much heat outside.

Thanks

 

[Elliot]

It looks like an oven.

 

[uraki]

It looks like an oven.

Yes it seems crazy but any ideas on how to make it less oven like?

 

[Elliot]

How about knocking some holes in it and wiring them for air circulation? It looks scary. Do they have to stay there? Living inside is not an option? I would at least put a digital thermometer in there so I could see what kind of temps it is reaching. I keep my Elliot inside with the A/C running. It is not recommended to keep pet bunnies outside here in Florida since it gets so hot. To me that structure looks like it will get unbearable once those blocks get heated up.

 

[uraki]

yes i suppose removing some bricks will help ventilating it better and putting up a tarpaulin shade around the structure. I guess after a couple more months i'll have to bring them indoors because the sun is going to cook this up real bad and the floor is also going to burn their feet. Thanks for the suggestions

 

[lagomorph]

You asked about underground tunnel temperatures: My rabbit lives in a shed with an 80 sq ft enclosure to which he always has access. The floor of the enclosure is bare earth into which he can construct a real burrow, and he has. He most often uses the burrow when above ground temperatures are most extreme: on cold winter nights and hot summer afternoons.

Burrow temperatures are definitely more moderate than above ground temperatures, research has shown this, and my bunny's behavior is consistent with that. The deeper the burrow, the more moderate the temp (that is, the less it changes when above ground temp changes).

What I read is that burrow temperature does not change nearly as dramatically as above ground temps because heat conducts much more slowly through soil than through air. So in winter, burrow temp is somewhat higher than average daytime above ground temp, and only drops a few degrees at night, even if above ground temp drops a lot. In summer, burrow temp is cooler than above ground night time temp, and only rises a few degrees during daytime, even if above ground temp rises a lot.

So I think piling the soil was a good idea, but it's not enough. The deepest part of my bunny's burrow is probably about 2 feet below the surface, and that is enough to keep him cool in 100 degree F temp, but your climate is much warmer, and your "burrow" is shallower.

I don't know if this would be practical in your space, but if it is, you might simply fill up the roof top with 2 feet of soil, remove the cage, and put some sort of screening over the top of the roof for protection from aerial predators. The cage is not necessary if they have a burrow, and if they are otherwise protected from predators. If you are able to provide such a set up, I personally think they would be happier than indoor bunnies, because they are doing what bunnies are meant to do.

I can tell you that my bunny has absolutely loved his burrow, spending a great deal of time "re-modeling" his home. Digging occupies a lot of his time, so I can see why indoor bunnies engage in so much problematic behavior, such as chewing on furniture. They don't have the opportunity to do what they are meant to spend a lot of time doing.

 

[lagomorph]

To add to what I said above, I would also find a way to shade part of the roof. Your climate is so extremely hot, that I would bring them indoors, if it is not possible to provide shade and a deep burrow on the roof.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our temps in the Summer are extreme, like yours--our rabbits live inside as we don't want to leave it to chance.

 

[Thumperina]

Can I ask why the house is on the roof? Ir, did I get it wrong? Is bunny house on the roof of your house? (is it because you don't have any land on the ground level?) Are you not concerned of flying predators? Logically, the closer to the sun (the highter from the ground), the hotter it is. It is probably not easy to provide shade on the roof.
I don't know how much the temperature drops underground, but my doe had her babies in the burrow and they were fine in the hottest part of the summer (when we had to bring the parents indoors during the afternoon). But I am afraid that natural underground (below ground level) is quite different from artificial "underground" on the roof level

 

[uraki]

To add to what I said above, I would also find a way to shade part of the roof. Your climate is so extremely hot, that I would bring them indoors, if it is not possible to provide shade and a deep burrow on the roof.

Thanks a lot for such a detailed suggestion, it gave me a clear idea of what i need to do. With your help my bunnies will have a cool summer without any hazards of heating up.

 

[lagomorph]

Are you not concerned of flying predators? Logically, the closer to the sun (the highter from the ground), the hotter it is. It is probably not easy to provide shade on the roof.
I don't know how much the temperature drops underground, but my doe had her babies in the burrow and they were fine in the hottest part of the summer (when we had to bring the parents indoors during the afternoon). But I am afraid that natural underground (below ground level) is quite different from artificial "underground" on the roof level

Definitely need protection from flying predators, and some way to create shade, since rooftop is open and exposed to sunlight.

"Closer to the sun" does not mean warmer temp. Think of mountain tops: high elevation usually means COLDER temps (due to reduced atmospheric pressure), though if the building is not very tall, it will not be significantly cooler.

You're right that this "artificial" underground might be different from natural underground, so it would be a good idea to monitor temp in the burrow at first, to see how it works out, watch bunnies carefully, and be ready to take rabbits indoors if necessary. But I think it's fair to say it will be somewhat cooler under a foot and a half of soil, than exposed on top.

 

[Elliot]

There are digital thermometers sold with a probe to give you the exact surface temperature of what something is, like the burrow.