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How to cool down buns??

kaths101

kaths101

Warren Veteran
Just reading Janes thread about Eddie, what can be done to cool down the buns?

I was really worried earlier as Sooty was running round the garden then she just went back to lay in the shed on her side panting for ages... Having read parsnipbuns comment I guess this is normal ... what are these ice pods I have heard people talking about? - is there anything else I could use until I can get some?
The shed is hot but I have been leaving the doors open and they can get out to the garden if they want - Oreo spent most of his time wedged between the wall and a box in the shade..

Poor buns in this heat with a fur coat on :cry:
 
:wave: Hi Kath, I use damp towels and the hand garden/plant water sprayers on a really fine mist not to spray them just the air above and around them. I had my three out in playpens today with a kingsize duvet cover over the top of them all for shade, it worked really well, it was like a tent:lol: I did it deliberately with them like that as I didn't want them to run around too much. I also bought another parasol and base to shade them. I know some do the frozen water bottles thing, you could always wrap ice cubes up in towel maybe if they're not chewers. If it's to cool the shed itself it might be worth dampening an old white sheet and draping it over the roof to reflect the sun, you could always hose it slightly then to keep it cool without it cracking your felt roof. Hope your doing alright xxx
 
You could try freezing a tupperware box full of water to give them a kind of budget Icepod. :)

Thistle seems to overheat quite badly in summer and I often splash a bit of cool water on his ears, the top of his head and down his back. I don't soak him, just put enough on him to cool him off a bit. The ears seem to be where most of the heat escapes from so making sure those are kept cool is a good start. :)
 
might be a stupid question but can they get ice burn like frost bite from ice bottles :?

Ok I will try some of those things - I have parasols etc but Oreo seemed to just like laying on the concrete (I guess that was cool) and Sooty didnt leave the shed after her little jaunt in the garden!
Oreo was having a mad fit in the garden running backwards and forwards but didnt seem so bothered with the heat as Sooty was - poor girl :cry:
 
kaths101 said:
might be a stupid question but can they get ice burn like frost bite from ice bottles :?

Ok I will try some of those things - I have parasols etc but Oreo seemed to just like laying on the concrete (I guess that was cool) and Sooty didnt leave the shed after her little jaunt in the garden!
Oreo was having a mad fit in the garden running backwards and forwards but didnt seem so bothered with the heat as Sooty was - poor girl :cry:
Click to expand...

If that happens I would treat it as you would heatstroke in a hoomin, a cold damp not soaking flannel on her head covering her ears would be nice.
 
I lightly spray my buns ears with water, leave damp towels for them to lay on and make sure theres adequate shade. Just a thought but does anyone think the heat pads can be reversed and be frozen? Ive got three for winter.
 
Put ice cubes in a glass jar then there is no chance of ice burn and they can't chew it. But they can lick the condensation. :)
 
i put ice cubes in the buns water bowls...give them frozen bottles of water..and when i can find them..the ice pods!!

my old willow used to hang her huge lop ears in the water bowl to cool down....shed swap ears too!! a fan is essential if a buns overheating....cool faceclothes on back of neck..sponge ears or spritz them with water....

i have house buns but in this heat theyre not allowed in the garden..neither are the cats......but they stil overheat indoors too.

we let them out as suns losing its ferosity and stay out as long as poss...before nikki got as ill as she is now she would sit with me and the animals for hours to cool down...in the dark...neighbours must have thought wed gone nuts!! playing with the buns at 10pm:oops:
 
We use the ice bottles too and they like to lick the condensation.

If they really overheat sprinkling room temperature water on their ears helps a lot. They cool with blood circulating through the big vein close to the skin in the ears so iced or cold water to the ears can cause shock with a too rapid drop in temperature.
 
Hi guys, I spray Poppy and Jasper with iced water and pop a few ice cubes in their bowl of water. I've also invested in a child's mini gazebo for £10 on ebay and this covers their run perfectly. I try and brush them as often as possible to get rid of any extra fur they may be carrying xxx
 
I've got a section in the corner of the run of old white kitchen floor tiles. These keep cool and mine always congregate on those. They're really effective x
 
a granite worktop would be good lol.

serious they sell tiles of it as cooling tiles for chins!

if anyone knows someone in the building trade...a bendy section of earthenware sewer pipe...um unused of course!!!:lol:

in my first ever bun book i had..it was the really good rabbit guide by carolina james and she had dug a hole just under the soil deep enuff to put the pipe in and cover it with an inch or two of soil and have both ends like a burrow enrance..esp in a shady bit of garden.

not sure how my frenchie bertie would fit tho:shock::shock::lol::lol:
 
As others have said, putting a sheet over the run and spraying it with water - cool air falls. Keeping buns in the shade all day and restricting free range until it is cooler in the evening stops buns overdoing it and overheating.
Ice pods, or frozen bottles wrapped in a tea towel or pillowcase should prevent ice burn. A cool stone slab to lie on can help if you have one.

To my embarassment I will admit that if the buns are safely secured in their run we often run an extension cable across the lawn and plug the fan in for them in the garden! :oops: The movement of air really helps if bun is lying down panting away. Mine are house buns mostly so will spend the heat of the day indoors as it is cooler, esp with windows closed up late morning. I don't let them out til atleast 5pm at the moment, they have a good run around in the morning too, but back inside before it starts to heat up.
 
Mine have Icepods and are in the shade, haven't done it yet this year but last year to cool the run down I was covering the run with a damp cotton sheet and it did make the run a little cooler
 
We have just bought a load of double sided tarpaulins for our runs and hutches. The silver side reflects the sunlight. The air underneath them is so much cooler :)

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(I will finish this run one day :oops:)
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