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Lionheads in hot weather

K

karen354

Warren Veteran
Out of my 6 buns 2 are lionheads. They both struggle with the warm weather:( I've been out this morning and Fizz has been in the kitchen, it's very cool in there but come home to her panting and flat out on the tiled floor.

I have wiped her face with cool water but not sure what else I should do :? she's off her food aswell . Will give her an hour or so then phone the vets .
 
Wet her ears or lay a cold flannel across them. Rabbits loose the most heat through their ears.

Also fill a bottle with ice-cold water for her to rest against. In the summer I freeze bottles of water and put them in the run for my buns to lie next to.
 
Lionheads

Hi, I have 4 rabbits to which 3 are lionheads they do suffer in the heat I bought them an ice pod from pets at home but to be honest they never used it. They live in an outdoor hutch and I build them a pen on the grass whenever Its fine enough. They are off their food too and just lie flat out on the grass in the shade. I do give them a haircut every now and again to keep them cool
 
Sooz said:
Wet her ears or lay a cold flannel across them. Rabbits loose the most heat through their ears.

Also fill a bottle with ice-cold water for her to rest against. In the summer I freeze bottles of water and put them in the run for my buns to lie next to.
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Thats what i have done too!! all mine are out in a shaded garden now withn shelter and with iced water.
when doing the bottles make sure unlike my husband you don't over fill the bottles as they split rather well in the freezer, and make a hell of a mess
 
Thanks for the replies:wave: I've tried putting a cool flannel next to her which she didn't like, I then put and icepod next to her which she licked then walked off :roll: It's cool in the kitchen I don't know why she struggling so much.
 
my lionhead seems ok today, thought about giving her some iced water later, she had been outside in the shade all day, I through a big towel over her run when the sun moved round. :wave:
 
i popped to pets at home and got 2 of their ice pods - they are now both being fully utlised!! also put a duvet cover over their run so its shady all the time.
 
My lionheads struggle more than my other bunnies aswell.
The frozen water bottle usually does the trick..
x
 
Fizz is a housebun and spent this morning in the kitchen which is really cool, it looks like she's going to have to go to the vets this evening. . She's not eating or drinking so must have tummy ache:(
She's out in the garden at the moment but not running round she's just sitting there.
 
My lionhead Fraggle also struggles in the heat more than the others now you come to mention it. These last couple of days I have seen her panting and just presumed it was because she is highly strung and worked up by my handling. They were loose in the yard with shade yet she was still hot.

I hope Fizz is ok Karen. Do update us ... :?
 
:wave: my buns arnt keen on heat! so they have shades that cover hutch up and bottle and keps them cool! its a white fabric and it keeps them cool and the waterbottle cool too. it just clips on to hutch and moves with the breeze. its is quite tempting to get in with them!!!:roll: try a bowl of cold water they will probley tip it up!
 
my lionhead, really struggles with the heat, she pants and her huch is in the shade aswell! i put a bottle of frozen water in her huch but she ran away from it :roll: im going to but her a ice pod thing, and one of those bottle prtector things that keep the water cool in the summer and stop it freezzing in the winter.

i bought her in the kitchen this afternoon, on the tiled floor she was all streached out, and panting, bless her. her fur is rather long, i would like to get it cut but do not know anywhere where i can get it cut, and dont want to do it myself as i wouldnt know how to!!

:wave: xx
 
If you can get a shaded run on the grass try watering the grass every hour or so so the buns can lie in wet grass...
Its always a good idea to (if you have a pond) to put the run next to the pond (obviously so your bunny cant fall in!) and the breeze from the water cools the air down... or put a fan next to a shallow bowl of cold water...
I sprinkled water on my bunnies today about an hour ago and they were not complaining! ( just a few sprinkles though... too much and the water can heat up sometimes...)
 
I cut Flopsy's mane myself:shock:

He did have a knot in it (god only knows how cos I always check it - though he doesn't liked being groomed) so I gave him his favourite treat and while he was munching away I trimmed his little top mane off.

Thats as far as I can get with the scissors though.:rolleyes:
 
I know when they have heart problems they can't cope with the heat, so maybe there's something genetic with lionhead's hearts? diuretics help heart problems, and dandelions are diuretic, as is celery, so try and find some for them to eat, and cut a bite-size piece of celery if they've not had it before incase it upsets their tum - give them a tiny bit more each day if they are OK with it.

also fluids are very important - if they have water in a bottle normally, give it in a dish instead, maybe with a splash of apple juice (Maa liked a tiny drop of peach squash in hers) - or perhaps syringe fluids if they're not drinking much, and give them wet greens to eat if they're OK with eating them normally.

I find that Benny doesn't drink unless I shut him in his hutch with a water dish - otherwise he'll go lie in the shade all day and drink nothing at all. they do forget, so put a dish of water right next to them - I point at it and say have a drink Benny :oops: and he does!

cold tiles to lie on, and a fan directed at them will help too :)
 
My Lionhead Casper is still a baby so has his full skirt not just his mane. I put one of those silver car windscreen heat reflectors on his run to keep the heat off.
 
Mai_Roberts said:
my lionhead, really struggles with the heat, she pants and her huch is in the shade aswell! i put a bottle of frozen water in her huch but she ran away from it :roll: im going to but her a ice pod thing, and one of those bottle prtector things that keep the water cool in the summer and stop it freezzing in the winter.

i bought her in the kitchen this afternoon, on the tiled floor she was all streached out, and panting, bless her. her fur is rather long, i would like to get it cut but do not know anywhere where i can get it cut, and dont want to do it myself as i wouldnt know how to!!

:wave: xx
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I went to my daughters last week and we gave one of her rabbits a major haircut He's not going be affected by his appearance so now although he doesn't look too cool he certainly feels it :D :D
Just trim excess hair off evenly all over, it will soon grow back........Won't it ?? :)
 
I trimmed Lily myself,just carefully with scissors and hair strimmer thingi (always forget the name of them) and honestly it was like she had a new lease of life.You've just got to be careful not to cut their skin my fingers were under the scissors,i don't mind maybe cutting my fingers but not the bunny.I also have a fan on for them.
 
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