Rabbits and Hot Weather

As we humans bake in the mid-day UK sun, spare a thought for our pets with their furry coats. Our rabbits and other furries, are going to be particularly hot, sticky and uncomfortable in this heatwave and I have heard of rabbits passin away with the heat. So, here are a few tips to help keep your bunny cool and SAFE:-

• Try to keep bunny indoors in the coolest room of the house
  
• If indoors is not an option, make sure bunny is in the shade, preferably in a cooler North facing corner of the garden
• Place a fan at the door to the hutch/cage to help with ventilation
• Try filling a lemonade bottle with water, freeze it overnight, then cover the frozen bottle with a towel or pillowcase and lay it down for your bunny to snuggle up to and keep cool. Better still, have 2 or 3 bottle frozen at all times so that you can rotate them as they start to defrost
  
• Ensure that bunny has fresh, cold water at all times, and check the level to ensure that he is actually drinking, some bunnies just become so lazy in the heat that they cannot be bothered to drink. If you find this, try to place a bowl of water close by also (a porcelain one is best so that it dosn;t get tipped)
• Provide plenty of watery vegetables (not under 12 weeks of age!) to assist in fluid intake, Good ones for helping to keep their water intake up are:-
• Carrots
• Apple
  
• celery
• cucumber
• tomatoes
• orange
• radish
• melon
• Offer your rabbit some ice cubes to play with
• Always ensure that he has plenty of shade when playing in the garden
• If he loves to lie in the sun, do not allow this at peak heat times (11am-2pm) and if he is in the sun, rub in a high SPF sun cream to the ends of his ears so that he does not become burnt.
• Do not allow him to lie in the sun for long lengths of time

All in all, common sense is needed. Plenty of water and protection from direct sun and heat with plenty of ventilation and your bunny should enjoy the summer as much as us Humans..

For now, enjoy the weather while it lasts, Winter will be upon us before we know it
Jan
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