How to Keep Rabbits Cool in Summer
If you have a pet rabbit, especially a breed that has a thick coat or long fur, you will know the struggles of trying to keep them cool in hot weather. As the weather gets hotter, it will get more and more difficult for rabbits to keep themselves cool, not only domestically but also in the wild. Rabbits have their own natural ways of keeping cool, however, some domestic rabbits will struggle to regulate their temperature, which could potentially lead to health complications.
In this article, we will explain how to keep rabbits cool in summer, as well as how to keep your rabbit's hutch cool during hot weather. We will also explain how wild rabbits keep themselves cool, and why perhaps your domestic rabbit cannot do the same. A lot of domestic rabbits are bred to be only kept domestically and are often bred to look cute, much in the same way as many dog breeds. This means that many breeds are not actually capable of regulating their heat effectively, so special attention will need to be paid to them during the summer months.
In the UK, the weather begins to get hotter in the Spring months, with the Summer solstice being the 21st of June. The Summer solstice is the longest day of the year and marks the start of summer in the UK. Now more than ever, the weather in the United Kingdom is as hot as it has ever been, so ensuring that your pets are thoroughly looked after is imperative to keeping them healthy.
Key Takeaways
Rabbits can overheat easily:
Especially in hot weather, rabbits are at risk of heat stroke, which can be fatal. Keeping them cool is essential, particularly for long-haired breeds.
Ways to keep rabbits cool:
You can help your rabbit stay cool by giving them a haircut, keeping them in the shade, using cool tiles or frozen water bottles for them to lie on, and offering frozen treats.
Hutch care in summer:
To keep a rabbit's hutch cool, place it in the shade, use fans, or move it indoors if possible. Wild rabbits naturally cool themselves through panting and cooling blood in their ears, but domestic rabbits might need extra help.
How Can I Keep My Rabbits Cool In The Summer?
If your rabbit is too warm, you are putting them at risk of potential health issues. When a rabbit gets too hot, it can overheat and can suffer from heat stroke. A heat stroke is when the body’s internal temperature gets too high and cannot cope. A heat stroke in a rabbit can be potentially fatal as it can lead to organ failure. To avoid this, you should take measures to ensure you are properly controlling your rabbit's temperature. If you believe that your rabbit is suffering from heat stroke, you should get in touch with your vet as soon as possible.
For the most part, rabbits can endure heats of up to 30°C. Whilst the weather in the UK is unlikely to hit 30°C, the actual body temperature of a rabbit could. For some breeds of rabbit, such as Jersey Wooly rabbits, their coat is much longer and thicker, so they are more susceptible to overheating. To keep your rabbits cool, there are a few things that you can do.
Here are a few tips you can follow to help keep your rabbits cool in the warm summer months:
Give your rabbit a haircut
For breeds with longer hair, you can consider giving your rabbit a haircut. You can do this yourself if you are careful, or you can get this done by a groomer. Think of this as the same as taking off a big coat in the summer. Rabbits should be regularly brushed using a rabbit brush and in the summer, doing this can greatly reduce their body temperature.
Keep your rabbits in the shade
This may seem obvious, but keeping your rabbit in areas of shade is a great way of keeping their body temperature low. Whilst the shade will still be warm, it will be nowhere near as warm as areas of direct sunlight. Depending on humidity, shade can feel at least 10-15 degrees cooler than direct sunlight, so keeping your rabbits in the shade can have a significant effect.
Give them tiles to lie on
The majority of the time your rabbits will either be sitting or lying down. A way of keeping them cool whilst they are sat is by placing porcelain tiles underneath them. Tiles of this nature do not absorb heat and will remain cool in hot weather. When doing this you may wish to put a blanket or towel on top of the tile to make it a bit more comfortable for your rabbit.
Make frozen treats
Think about when you are warm on a hot summer's day, what is it that you enjoy eating? Chances are, you’ll be reaching for an ice lolly or an ice cream to cool you down. You can do exactly the same for your rabbits. Freeze their favourite treats (such as VetIQ Nibblots) in water or sugar-free juice to give your pet bunny something tasty to cool down with this summer.
Fill and freeze a bottle of water for them to lie with
One of the best ways to give your rabbit the option to cool themselves down as and when they want is by freezing a bottle of water and placing it next to where your rabbit is laying. By doing this, you are giving your rabbit somewhere to sit when they feel warm. Rabbits will learn that they can lay next to the bottle to cool down, and you will notice they will do exactly that.
How Can I Keep A Rabbit Hutch Cool In Summer?
If you keep your rabbit in a hutch, you can also do things to the hutch itself to keep it a cool environment for the rabbit to be in. You should place the hutch in the shade and should consider removing it if enters direct sunlight. If you can, consider moving the hutch indoors during the day. You can also put a fan in front of the hutch, or you can place a cover over the top of it to create shade. You may also want to give your rabbits hutch a clean using a hutch cleaner to ensure the environment is nice for them to be in.
How do wild rabbits keep cool?
Wild rabbits will naturally keep their temperature down during hot weather. A rabbit will pant much like a dog and will also use its ears to release heat. A rabbit's ears contain large blood vessels. When the ears of a rabbit are cool the blood inside them will be cooled, thus cooling the body as it is circulated. This is the only way that rabbits can cool themselves down, and their bodies will circulate more blood to the ears to do so. You can put cold water on your rabbit's ears in order to regulate temperature, although some rabbits may not allow you to do this.
Sources
How to keep your rabbits cool in the summer heat - Blue Cross