Summer Heat and Your Rabbit For Immediate Release July 11, 2006 As the typical hot July weather begins, the House Rabbit Network would like to remind rabbit owners of the most serious summer danger to rabbits: heat stress/stroke. Your rabbit wears a fur coat year-round. Temperatures above 90F pose a serious risk to your bunny. High humidity is also a problem, even in temperatures as low as 80F. It is often difficult to tell if your rabbit is in distress due to heat, but generally if the temperature is making you uncomfortable, your rabbit may need some additional help staying cool. For those who do not have the luxury of running air conditioning constantly, the following suggestions can help keep your bunny healthy. Large blocks of ice are a good solution for helping your rabbit stay cool. Try freezing a two-liter soda bottle full of water. Your rabbit can lie next to the bottle to cool down. If your rabbit drinks water from a bowl, you can add ice on hot days. You can also mist your rabbit’s ears with cool water. This will help him regulate his body temperature. New England nights are often cool and you should open the windows in your home to let it get as cool as possible. In the morning, close up the house and pull the blinds, shades and drapes shut to keep the sun out. You can use a fan to circulate air near your rabbit’s cage, but don’t have the fan blowing directly on your bunny. Make sure the fan and cord are not accessible to your rabbit! You can also chance the location of your rabbit’s area — basements are the most cool. Be careful of transporting your bunny in a vehicle without air conditioning. You can wrap an ice pack in a towel and put it into the carrier with your bunny. Never leave your rabbit, or any other living creature, in a locked car on a warm day. Temperatures will quickly rise to deadly levels. If you find your rabbit unresponsive and/or uncoordinated, spray him with water (not too cold) and get him to a rabbit-savvy veterinarian immediately. Your vet may need to give your bunny fluids and other treatments as heat stroke can lead to long-term kidney damage. Check out the House Rabbit Network website, www.rabbitnetwork.org, for more information about heat and bunnies. There are numerous other articles on our site concerning every aspect of living with a house rabbit. Don’t forget that we have dozens of wonderful bunnies available for adoption who are also listed on our website! The House Rabbit Network is a Massachusetts-based 501 ©3 non-profit, all-volunteer organization. We are dedicated to saving and adopting unwanted bunnies and educating the public about rabbit care. We can always use more volunteers. Donations of any amount are accepted to fund our efforts to find loving, forever homes for each and every bunny. Thank you for your support!

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