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There's Just no Pleasing Some Wabbits.............

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
I have just set up lots of fans and a portable air-con unit as it is absolutely stifling here.
But the Buns dont like the new additions to their environment and there is much thumping going on..................:roll:


Hmmmmmmmph, I cant win !!
 
The same happened here this afternoon as we have just set up a new tower fan in the bunny room. It only lasted an hour or so and then they decided that maybe it was quite a good idea after all :lol:
 
Bella loves our tower fan! She goes running up to it, nudges it, then binkies off and then the whole process starts again, so I'm pretty sure it is no help in cooling her down!:lol:
 
Fan's don't help much on a day like today. They make us feel cooler because it evaporates the sweat cooling the skin. Rabbits don't sweat so it doesn't cool them.

At the mo it's as hot outside as in so your just moving hot air about. It only helps if your got cool air to move into the room.
 
That's interesting Tam, I hadn't thought of that!

What if wet towels were placed in front of the fan, would that help cool the air down at all?
 
Fans work just fine if you damp bun down, especially their ears and the back of their neck. Saved many a Bun from heat stress :)
 
Same as the wet towel theory I guess :lol:

Fortunately my lot are all in parts of the garden where they get sun in the morning and then shade for the bulk of the heat of the day - it's still warm in the shade but with the breeze down the side of the house it's not been uncomfortably hot at all :)
 
Fan's don't help much on a day like today. They make us feel cooler because it evaporates the sweat cooling the skin. Rabbits don't sweat so it doesn't cool them.

At the mo it's as hot outside as in so your just moving hot air about. It only helps if your got cool air to move into the room.

Evaporation is only one way of cooling, they'll still lose heat into the air by conduction into the air around them. So if you constantly move that air then they'll cool quicker than no air blowing over them at all. When the air around them reaches the same temp as the air trapped in their fur, they will stop losing heat by conduction. If you move that air then they can continue to lose a little by conduction, not as effective as evaporation but still works. It is exactly the same mechanism that your CPU fan uses in your computer to keep cool :)
Obviously wetting fur and ears with a mister will mean cooling by evaporation which is more effective. But a fan is better than no fan at all.
 
Evaporation is only one way of cooling, they'll still lose heat into the air by conduction into the air around them. So if you constantly move that air then they'll cool quicker than no air blowing over them at all. When the air around them reaches the same temp as the air trapped in their fur, they will stop losing heat by conduction. If you move that air then they can continue to lose a little by conduction, not as effective as evaporation but still works. It is exactly the same mechanism that your CPU fan uses in your computer to keep cool :)
Obviously wetting fur and ears with a mister will mean cooling by evaporation which is more effective. But a fan is better than no fan at all.

Really useful info, thank-you :wave:
 
Evaporation is only one way of cooling, they'll still lose heat into the air by conduction into the air around them. So if you constantly move that air then they'll cool quicker than no air blowing over them at all. When the air around them reaches the same temp as the air trapped in their fur, they will stop losing heat by conduction. If you move that air then they can continue to lose a little by conduction, not as effective as evaporation but still works. It is exactly the same mechanism that your CPU fan uses in your computer to keep cool :)
Obviously wetting fur and ears with a mister will mean cooling by evaporation which is more effective. But a fan is better than no fan at all.

:)

I would definately say fans work. My special bun Hugo couldn't cope with the heat at all, it made him fit :( He had his own fan for warm days and he never fitted when it was on.

I also have one in the piggy shed as it gets so hot in there and it definately reduces the temperature, without it I am pretty sure i would have a shed full of dead piggys.
 
Yesterday, I got one of those cage coolers that you hand on the side of dog crates. it's not super dee duper powerful but I wanted something safe to use outside without wires running from the house :lol: Alfie and Bubbles were sat in front of it for ages yesterday afternoon. I popped it near their ice pod, so I don't know if that made a difference as well.
 
:)

I would definately say fans work. My special bun Hugo couldn't cope with the heat at all, it made him fit :( He had his own fan for warm days and he never fitted when it was on.

I also have one in the piggy shed as it gets so hot in there and it definately reduces the temperature, without it I am pretty sure i would have a shed full of dead piggys.

I bet fans are an essential for the special needs Buns Liz. Fit and healthy Buns really struggle in this heat and Buns who are already health compromised must find it even worse.

I would definately not be without my fans and air-con.
 
Useful thread, related question from ignoramous:

Where I am it is about 25 degrees inside, although where the buns are it is a little cooler than this. At what point do you have to start thinking about cooling an area down? Do you just play it by ear and see how the buns cope? Mine seem fine at the mo although Rambi has just started lying on some bricks so I guess that is to keep cool.

Do you have a thermometer to keep track of the temp, or do you just check by feel?

Soz for butting into the thread but the rest of it has been dead helpful so I thought I'd ask...

Emma
 
Useful thread, related question from ignoramous:

Where I am it is about 25 degrees inside, although where the buns are it is a little cooler than this. At what point do you have to start thinking about cooling an area down? Do you just play it by ear and see how the buns cope? Mine seem fine at the mo although Rambi has just started lying on some bricks so I guess that is to keep cool.

Do you have a thermometer to keep track of the temp, or do you just check by feel?

Soz for butting into the thread but the rest of it has been dead helpful so I thought I'd ask...

Emma

We have a digital temp sensor - you can pick them up quite easily on CPC or Maplin online for a couple of quid. 25 degrees is a little too hot for buns, so I would get your fans on anyway. Apparently rabbits struggle above 24 degrees (I read somewhere). Burrows tend to stay a constant 10 degrees all year around so they are just not designed to cope with this heat. If 25 outside I would suggest shutting windows etc and closing curtains, it keeps the house cooler as long as you cool it all down first thing in the morning. With windows closed the outside air can only heat your rooms by conduction through the bricks, not the air as well, brick conduction takes longer than air conduction so the house stays cooler. Curtains closed keeps out radiation heat. You can open it all up again early evening once cooled down outside.

I gauge it by how fast my buns are breathing. Obviously if you have a respiratory compromised bunny their breathing might be faster and shallower anyway, but normal respiration rate I believe is around 60-70 breaths per min, so one per second on average. To lose heat bunnies lie flat out and stick their ears up (unless they are lops) as most heat is lost from the ears and lying flat increases body surface area so more heat can be lost by conduction into the surrounding air. When my buns breathing hits 100 I will have a fan blowing directly over them and if very hot mist their ears/backs etc with a plant mister. Fan without mister will help them lose heat by conduction, mister will help them lose it by conduction and evaporation (so faster).
You can also feel their ears - if they are boiling! then bunny is rather warm :(
You should be able to get an idea by watching your buns closely if they are suffering heat stress or not? Count breathing rate (not nose movements!) by watching the chest, observe buns posture, ear position and general demeanour. When my bun has it he looks tired and unhappy.
Added breaths (over 70) could be heat stress or could be a respiratory infection so if it happens a lot a vet check up is important to rule out any infection.
I personally try not to leave fans blowing over them directly all day and night as buns can also catch a chill, but will leave it on in the room if needed, and use it on them directly until their breathing returns to normal. The air con unit we got last week has been fab too! :D
 
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