Summers can be a great time for you to work on that tan you’ve waited for all year round. It’s also the perfect time to make a trip to the nearest beach. However, the same ‘fun’ time that you’ve waited for months may not be your pet’s favorite time of the year. Especially if your pet is a tiny, furry rabbit.
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Here I am Explaining How To Keep Rabbits Cool In Summer
Rabbits tend to have thick fur coats which can be a hindrance when they try to lose heat. This also means that they can suffer from heat strokes pretty easily which can lead to their unfortunate demise. Since rabbits are incapable of managing their own vulnerabilities in this situation, it is the responsibility of pet owners to provide the right environment during the summer months.
What Temperature Is Too Hot for Rabbits?
Summer months can be critical for a rabbit due to their susceptibility to developing a heat stroke. Keeping the fatality of such a situation in mind, all pet owners must ensure that their pet is safe and comfortable in every weather. However, before we go into the details of how one should take care of their rabbit on hot days, let’s briefly discuss the temperature that works best for them.
Most bunnies are most comfortable outdoors when the temperature falls between 50-and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (10-to 21 degrees Celsius). While they can easily tolerate a temperature up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), anything beyond this can be problematic.
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In most cases, your job as the pet owner starts with monitoring the weather conditions. When the weather becomes unbearable, you must find alternatives to your rabbit’s shed and their living environment to accommodate their current needs.
If you’re unable to do so, your rabbit might start showing symptoms of overheating that might eventually turn into a heat stroke.
Here are some of the symptoms that your rabbit might exhibit during a heatstroke.
- Not eating
- Very low energy
- Panting and drooling
- Red Ears
- Trembling
- Head threw back
- Slow movements
- Unresponsive
Read along to know how to keep your rabbits cool during summer.
Give Them Plenty Of Shade!
There are plenty of changes that you can make around to improve the shade you provide to your rabbit. Here are a few things you can do.
- Don’t let your rabbit wander around in an open place
- Keep them at home with the air conditioning on (if possible)
- Ensure your rabbits’ play area is under shade too
- Do not leave them outside in a full-grown garden as that can increase the heat around them
- You can build up a well-shaded home for it
- Use umbrellas, sun awnings, or shade sails to keep your bunnies out of direct sunlight
- If feasible, relocate them to your garage or basement or at least in your room for these summer days
- Moreover, if your rabbit has a hutch, keep it away from sunlight
- Place a ceramic tile inside its hutch (these tiles stay cool irrespective of how hot the weather is)
- Soak a towel in cold water, wring it and place it over the hutch to provide cool shade
Get Them Groomed!
If you’re the proud owner of any furry being, summertime is set for grooming. This applies just as much to thick-furred rabbits as it does to furry dogs. It is crucial for you to trim its hair as often as required to ensure that your rabbit remains cool. If you’re unable to do so yourself, you can always schedule an appointment and get professional help.
You’ll also find that with the summer months around the corner, your rabbit might start shedding more. It’s their body’s natural call to avoid getting overheated. You can help speed up the process with consistent brushing and grooming.
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Offer Them With Fresh, Cool Water!
Do you love to drink cold water during summer to chill yourself out? Your ESA rabbits love it too. Whenever you give them water, make sure it is fresh and cold. Add ice cubes if needed- it will keep the water cooler longer.
Never let your rabbit run out of the water- they should be hydrated at all times. Give them water in a bowl instead of a bottle. Why? It is intuitive for them to drink water from a bowl and keep themselves hydrated. Although, some rabbits can be naughty and love to flip over the bowl and spill water all over. Use water bottles for them.
Use Ice Packs to Cool Them Down!
Apart from always keeping your rabbit hydrated, you also need to keep them physically cool. For this purpose, you can place ice packs inside their enclosures that they can lie against to lower their body temperature. This can be turned into a cold spot in one of the corners of their hutch. If you don’t have an ice pack, freeze a bottle of water to make your own.
However, make sure you don’t bring your rabbit in direct contact with ice. This immediate change in temperature can lead your rabbit into a state of shock or stress.
Feed Them Fresh Greens in Cool Water!
Yes, take care of how you feed them greens now. Bring only fresh greens for them washed in cold water. No need to shake off the extra droplets on the greens. This will only encourage a little hydration for your bunny. Also, greens will be nice, chilled, and more appealing to your ESA rabbit.
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Spray Water Behind Their Ears!
Rabbits control their internal temperature via their ears. Hence, spraying water behind their ears would help them to control their body temperature. Do not end up soaking them wet! Just a little spritz behind both their ears. Also, ensure to not get water in their ears accidentally. It can lead to infection if the moisture gets accumulated in the inner ear.
Apart from this region, just sprinting water all over their fur can also be a good way of helping them cool down.
Takeaway
Summertime is a tad difficult for your cottontails. Therefore, rabbits demand the owners’ attention to take care of them. If you feel that your bunny has heatstroke, carry them inside the house in a cool, airy bedroom.
Do not submerge them in cold water; it might lead them into a state of shock. Give them fresh, cool water. Try to keep them calm. If nothing seems to improve its condition, take them to a local vet immediately.
Before you apply for an ESA letter from My ESA Doctor and get a rabbit, ensure that you are capable of making all of these arrangements for your pet. It is only ethical to take on the responsibility of another being if you can take care of them, irrespective of the time or money involved in their care.
