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Help with this heat?

dutchbunny

Mama Doe
Poor Moses is really struggling now. He's too furry for his own good. He's an indoor bun so shielded from the worst but any good tips to cool him down? I haven't put ice in their water as am a bit worried if it might upset their tums or not.
 
I use a combination of things to keep my buns comfortable in the extreme heat here. They do live indoors of course; they wouldn't survive in the 45C temps outside, but their room is still 26-28C with the AC on. (That's 113F and 80-82F, for any other Americans. :) )

I've found that the two biggest additions that help cool them are slabs of marble in their pen and a portable fan that is on 24/7. The marble is in front of it so they can sprawl out to cool their bellies while also having the air blow over them. They LOVE the fan and will literally press their bums up against it for the best coverage. :lol: I think the air rushing over their ears really helps to cool them.

I also have a rotation of ice bottles. I start putting them in at 2-3pm depending on the high for that day and keep rotating them as they melt until about 8pm (peak temperature for us is 4-6pm). I'll usually put one on the marble as they'll roll it around to get at the cool spots and one directly in front of the fan to blow cold air from the bottle. I also give them vegetables straight from the refrigerator and washed in cold water. They gorge themselves and then sleep through the hottest part of the day.

One of the most important things though is I keep them confined to their "cooling station" until the sun has gone down a bit. If I let them roam or jump around they will, but then they lie around hot and tired for hours in front of the fan and miss out on running amok in the house. Silly buns. :lol:
 
I've just put two floor tiles in Doughnut's hutch to lie on. They are like slate, only cheap from Wickes, they are not slippery but they are cool for her to lie on.

I do often come home though and she is lying on her fleece!! She loves the sun and always flops out in a sunny spot indoors.
 
I've been wringing out wet towels and randomly placing them around the garden just in case Frankie and Estelle want to chill out on a nice cool surface. A couple of ice cubes in their large water bowl, frozen water bottles, damping their ears and on their necks with coolish water, cool paving slabs dotted around the garden too. The garden looks like a bomb has hit it, but I don't care so long as the bunnies are able to keep cool.

A couple of the boarding bunnies have had little trims around their botties and their ears. Too much fluff, making them too hot and where the botties are concerned.................any spare caecotrophs may stick to their fur. I'm working on the theory that prevention is better than cure.

Best of luck.
 
I have four indoor buns - two of them are very fluffy lion heads. I used an AC and 2 fans - and slate tiles - and so far I have managed to keep the temperature around 25 degrees on the hottest days. Oh - and I've put ice in there water bowls to try and keep the water very cold - hasn't had much affect on their tums as far as I can tell. I also have the windows open all night once I've switched the lights off - and that cools down the flat really nicely.

I am going trim around the fat fluffs bums tonight as been suggested on here - gonna be some hot cross bunnies later on :lol:

Can't wait for this heat wave to end now:cry:
 
I have put damp towels on top of the run and have been putting ceramic tiles in the freezer and putting a bowl of water on top of one and dotting the others around - the girls like to lay down with their front legs on them. They have also been having a few cubes of cucumber.
 
I am so stressed with the heat I just rang OH in tears :oops: I never do that!! He has paid for two of those snuggle safe cooling pads for them to sit on, as they are ignoring any ice bottles or their ice pods today and I am terrified of them getting heat stroke. The fan is on full blast at their level but the air is so stuffy.

I just want the heat to end now :(
 
I am so stressed with the heat I just rang OH in tears :oops: I never do that!! He has paid for two of those snuggle safe cooling pads for them to sit on, as they are ignoring any ice bottles or their ice pods today and I am terrified of them getting heat stroke. The fan is on full blast at their level but the air is so stuffy.

I just want the heat to end now :(

This is exactly how I feel! Get so stressed with the heat, it makes me even hotter :(
 
Mr B is a long haired cashmere lop and he isn't doing too bad in the heat. As we are out at work all day I can't even leave the windows open for him but he seems ok. He have clipped his fur very short so that he can stay much cooler.
 
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