Panting bunnies

Sometimes I have noticed that my buns lie down and appear to be panting, is this them telling me they're too hot?

I do my best to keep them cool, including chiller bottles. I have two 500ml bottles which have been filled with water and then frozen, each bottle is then put in a sock and put in the hutch. The buns love to snuggle up to these in the hot weather.

But I noticed this morning when they were in their run they both spent a little time panting.

Is it just too warm for them?

mm tricky..when you mean panting do you mean breathing reall fast but laying down comfortably or do you mean really fighting for breath?

if its the last one then seek the vets advice!

if its the first one...even with chiller bottles etc they still feel the heat..they can handle the cold..within reason much better..but heat they cannot tolerate at all.
are they hutch buns or hosue buns?

if hutch buns you canget fans to clip on the hutches along with the bottles will help..the rest of the time in the run manke sure theyre in the shade and not in direct sun...also usual loads of frozen water bottles...concrete in the sahde like a slab or osmething is cooling as is soft longish grass in the shade.

we had a bunny who had his own paddling pool to tot around in as the water with his lop ears coled him and he loved cleaning his feet after the pool had been emptied..him n bif loved sitting in the water that summer it was soooo hot. but i wouldnt recommend swimming for all buns but somewhere they can dangle their ears in cool water helps.
ice cubes in their drinking water..ours do indoors!

if their indoor buns then somewhere coolt o lay..how about a granit slab like they seel for chinchillas..thats cooling i belive....a fan on them in the room is a must..close the curtains to keep sun out...maybe shut windows until the suns gone round too otherwise you get hot air come in.

they "pant" or breathe fast if stressed too..maybe the neighbours in their gatdens freaked them out a little? buns eh!

ooh and put damp towels next to them rolled up or even damp cool flannels on their backs and ears......cools them down with a fan going on them.

At the moment they're outdoor buns, but I am working toward them being house buns, just need to a lot of clearing out to make the space for them.

When they pant they are lying down quite happily and not gasping for breath, infact after panting for a minute or two they will get up and binky around.

Once they are indoor buns they'll never get too hot again as I have an air conditioning unit for the lounge so I can keep them nice and cool

I have noticed this with my rabbit (it was 2 but now 1) he is lying comfortably in his bed cage (indoors) and pants, after awhile he falls asleep. He has plenty of water and is in a corner near the couch with airflow from the window beside him so I have been thinking it may just be some do and others don't.

Sometimes a rabbit which is overweight might pant - perhaps the heart is working harder.

norseofoz said:

I have noticed this with my rabbit (it was 2 but now 1) he is lying comfortably in his bed cage (indoors) and pants, after awhile he falls asleep. He has plenty of water and is in a corner near the couch with airflow from the window beside him so I have been thinking it may just be some do and others don't.

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This is a very old thread.

If you've a concern, do post a fresh thread in Rabbit Health ... I hope you're rabbit's OK!

Rabbits can sometimes breathe very fast, and sometimes it can look like they are panting. It's often particularly in hot weather or due to exercise ...

If it seems to continue or get worse, perhaps a vet should be consulted for respiratory issues?