36C weather today. Very hot!

We are having weather that will be 36 C and higher today. We do not have air conditioning at home. How should we keep our rabbit safe in the high heat?

a good trick used by many here is to freeze water in large plastic bottles , half fill them and pop in the freezer , place them beside the bunny and they help to keep them cool , also an indoor fan is very effective ( just watch the cable tho) , another person on here (sorry can,t remember who it was ) gave the bunnies frozen carrot slices .

its rubbish weather here in scotland , it was only 17 degrees here today :?

The heat here has been too hot to handle for many people so it is horrible for bunnies. Yesterday I froze water in a jug and left it for babs but she does not seem to be using it to cool off. We do have a fan going so she may already be cool. I just worry while I am away that she will get too hot. I will try the carrots tonight.

i use brick that i have ut in the freezer

When I lived in the south of France my poor buns often had to endure temps into the low 40's (we didn't have air conditioning either). In 2003 the temperature for 3 whole months was in the high 30's/low 40's and even the lowest temp in the middle of the night was usually about 33.

If they seemed subdued or unusually tired (symptoms of heat exhaustion) I put a damp face cloth/flannel (run under cold water and then wrung out) across their shoulders. My buns always shrugged the cloth off but if they were really suffering they would just sit there (so I took this as a good sign). The cloth itself if refreshed regularly will help them if they need it, but if they don't improve from heatstroke after a while they may need a vet.

The most important thing is to keep them out of direct sunlight all day long. Your buns seem to be apartment buns (as were mine) so move them into the coolest, shadiest part if possible if you can't and don't want to live in darkness, with closed curtains yourself :wink: , you can put a towel, sheet, etc. on a high backed chair, etc. beside their cage to shade them directly.

It is also important that the area is well ventilated, so open windows and fans, as you are already using, are good for that.

Lots of veg, run under the tap/faucet and left damp will help to keep them hydrated.