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I know everyone is in the same boat but....

Hugo's There

Wise Old Thumper
I am really panicking about the heat with our bunnies :( The temp in our garden next to the aviaries is 43° and still climbing. It has never been that hot before and the lunchtime forecast gave out hotter tomorrow!

They have ice pods, I ve made sunscreens from sheets and am completely changing their water twice a day. Not sure what else to do plus I'm struggling to be out there too.

Even the indoor buns are struggling as they have more issues than the outside buns, despite it being relatively cool.

I am just praying we can get them all through this
 
Is there any way you could rig up some fans for them? Maybe with extension leads if necessary? Fans have helped my buns massively, they were struggling without them. That breeze really does help a lot x
 
It is worrying isn't it. Thing is sometimes you can try and create a cool area for them but you can't make them sit by/in it!!!

The hot weather is set to continue by the looks of the forecast as well!

Good luck everyone!

H :)
 
I think cool them down as much as up can with fans and shade!
I heard feeling your buns ears determines their temperature? I like the ideas above!!
Winter over here! Horrible weather! Try and keep shooter warm! Swap?
 
We have ten set ups outside so don't think fans are an option, I will probably blow the house up! It doesn't help that the aviaries have plastic roofs so act like a green house in this heat and half of them have black stable matting in the runs, which is great 99% of the time but obviously not great today :(
 
I know your pain on a small level, so cant imagine what it must be like with so many poorly bunnies.

The heat is really affecting Ginger, today more than it has been.

She's spending so long drinking, 'cos of the heat, but she drinks loads anyway 'cos of her kidney problems. She's having to drink more to compensate for the heat, but then has less time to graze and I've already noticed a couple of tummy presses.

Have got the emeprid and metacam at the ready and now we just wait :(
 
We have ten set ups outside so don't think fans are an option, I will probably blow the house up! It doesn't help that the aviaries have plastic roofs so act like a green house in this heat and half of them have black stable matting in the runs, which is great 99% of the time but obviously not great today :(

Buy cheapest possible white bath towels (better than sheets) lay them over roofs and hanging part over front . .

then pour/sprinkle/water/hose the towels

this changes black or brown roofs to reflective white, plastci roofs to towelling, and makes roofs damp for as long as possible so draws out heat, and also causes a drip effect waterfall down front - which is even more cooling.

We have 35 buns and a hare at present (and the bantams) and are doing this on all the hutch style housing (our very large chalets dont seem to need it - they all have dark areas under the raised indoor house parts, plus all roofed in double insulated wood so heat does not get through)
 
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Buy cheapest possible white bath towels (better than sheets) lay them over roofs and hanging part over front . .

then pour/sprinkle/water/hose the towels

this changes black or brown roofs to reflective white, plastci roofs to towelling, and makes roofs damp for as long as possible so draws out heat, and also causes a drip effect waterfall down front - which is even more cooling.

We have 35 buns and a hare at present (and the bantams) and are doing this on all the hutch style housing (our very large chalets dont seem to need it - they all have dark areas under the raised indoor house parts, plus all roofed in double insulated wood so heat does not get through)

I think that is a really good idea.:thumb:

My buns are indoors and I am coping with them - just - but I do feel so sorry for those who have them outside, it must be very worrying:(. It's the first time really that I've hated the heat...cannot wait for it to end!

Lots of thoughts for all the hot bunnies out there!
 
I think that is a really good idea.:thumb:

My buns are indoors and I am coping with them - just - but I do feel so sorry for those who have them outside, it must be very worrying:(. It's the first time really that I've hated the heat...cannot wait for it to end!

Lots of thoughts for all the hot bunnies out there!

Try laying wet towels on floor (assuming waterproof flooring!)
 
My OH is a builder and recently stripped out an old kitchen. I've pinched the white work surfaces out of his skip and have put them on top of some old bricks which are on top of the hutches etc. Thus firstly creating a space between the roof of the hutches and the work surfaces which then in turn reflect the heat. By having a 4" gap between work surface and roof, this seems to help keep accommodation coolish.

Best of luck.......go find a builder ripping out an old kitchen with white work tops, cupboard doors etc....

Also as previously dampened towels are good too.


My lounge and spare bedroom are being used to accommodate some of the furries. Fans, ice bottles, ceramic tiles, towels, damping down their ears, ....................other than buying aircon I don't think that there is much else I can do.


Hugo's There, I know you are doing your very best for the little ones.
 
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Someone I know who has rabbits lost one yesterday.

I don't know the reason, but she was very quick to say that they hadn't been allowed to get too hot and it makes me wonder as they are in those coop/run type things and I imagine it would get extremely hot and stuffy in there. i think larger accommodation is easier to keep cool. It's the second bunny she has lost in as many months.

I have been putting freezer packs things out wrapped in towels and also changing the water often and pouring water on a shaded part of the grass in the run so they have a damp area to lay if they want. One pair also have a digging box and I keep the earth in that damp too, but they seem happiest sprawled out in the runs on the grass in the shade. Luckily, it gets quite breezy where we are.
 
Ive got an icepod that they ignore, the shed door is open full day and night as its into a safe aviary. The shed door has a bamboo blind that comes about half way down that creates shade in the shed.

The aviary roof has a single fitted bed sheet with the plastic layer in it from my sons bed wetting days as it was all I had available, the elastic edges work a treat over the corners of the roof.

They are currently laid under the garden table which has the parasol open full 24/7.

Im mucking out fully each day and changing water twice a day.

They get their veg on a tray, the veg has been soaked in water for a couple of hours and is all poured onto the tray.

Ive towels hung over the aviary sides, it doesn't look good but its working.

Our shed thermometer measured 3.03 yesterday but the buns were on the patio all day in the shade.
 
I'm more or less leaving the ceiling fan in my room on as much as possible. Just put down a wet towel which they've investigated and run off flicking their feet :roll: I have ice pods but they ignore those so I tend to save them for if we're out all day. I also have a cool pad but I can only let them have that when I'm around cos Smudge thinks it's tasty :roll:
 
Floss seems happiest at 5.30 this morning, when it was a mear 15°C!!

According to long range forecasts the hot weather looks set to stay into the beginning of August for most of the UK.

Hannah :)
 
what about an air con unit when I picked up my rabbits from their hols they were in a barn with one of these and I didn't want to leave?
 
Is there any way you could rig up some sheets of polystyrene sheeting inside the plastic aviary roof? That could be left there permanently. I have polystyrene lining my sheds and it does make a massive difference. B&Q sell packs of about 8 sheets for not too much money. Other than that, I'm doing the same as you for my outdoor buns - changing water frequently (it's warm within hours), sheets over the top and down the sides of the aviary where the sun shines on them. The buns are all very lethargic and don't really show any signs of life until late evening or early morning.

I can't even let the piggies out in the run on the lawn because of the temperature change - they're in an air-conditioned room and it's far too hot to suddenly put them on the lawn (even in the shade). I keep telling them they're better off where they are but they're giving me death stares :lol:.

Hope you manage to keep all your babies as cool as possible.
 
I'm struggling a bit with Mimi at the moment. It's soooo warm here at the moment, well into the 30's every day. The dry hot air really sets off her snuffles, so much so that I can only open the windows in her room (unfortunately my bedroom) for minutes at a time otherwise she gets markedly worse.
Sometimes it gets so warm in there and I have to decide which is the lesser of 2 evils :(
Not enjoying summer so much now I have a snuffle bunny to think about :(
 
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