Weather Extremes and Your Rabbit
Rabbits do well both indoors and outdoors, but they cannot handle
certain weather extremes.
Hot Weather
Rabbits do not handle hot weather well at all. To them, 80
degrees is hot. In order to prevent your rabbit from suffering in
the heat, there are several things you can do.
1. Make sure it has fresh, cool water throughout the day.
2. Put water in plastic soda bottles or milk jugs and freeze
them. Place one in the cage and the rabbit will lean against it to
stay cool.
3. Make sure the rabbit's hutch or cage is fully shaded.
4. Set up a mister system or a fan near your bunny's cage.
Those things will generally keep your rabbit cool enough.
However, be on the lookout for signs of heatstroke. These include
heavy panting and wet mouths.
Another side affect of heat is in regards to breeding rabbits.
Bucks may go temporarily sterile, especially older bucks. Does
may refuse to breed or loose litters.
Cold Weather
Rabbits usually handle cold weather a lot better than they do hot
weather. So long as they are kept out of the wind and are kept
dry, they usually do fine. However, if they are not used to cold
weather, or are particularly sensitive to it, there are some
things you can do to help.
1. Provide hay for them to eat and to dig into. The hay will
create extra calories for them to burn, which makes more body
heat. They will also nest in it, trapping body heat close to
them.
2. Be sure they have fresh water at all times. If the water
freezes, get the ice out and give the rabbit fresh water. Ice is
not enough for a rabbit. Do not give them warm water, as that
actually freezes down faster than lukewarm water does.
3. If you do bring your rabbit inside, do not put it in a warm
room. Keep it in the coolest room you have, or when you take it
back outside, the temperature change will be a drastic shock on
its system.
4. Place tarps or blankets over the hutch or cage, leaving a
corner open for fresh air. This helps retain the rabbit's body
heat in the cage, increasing the temperature a bit.
Sunlight
Rabbits cannot handle direct sunlight for very long at all. Just
a few minutes in full sunlight can kill them. It causes them to
overheat rapidly. Make sure your rabbit always has a shaded area
that it can get to.
Rain
A wet rabbit is a rabbit that is more prone to getting ill or
dying, especially if there are drafts or there is cold weather.
Keep your rabbit out of the rain, and make sure it does not get
wet. If it does get wet, dry it off right away. A little water on
the surface of the coat will not harm the rabbit, so long as it
has not reached the under layer of fur called the "undercoat." If
it has reached the undercoat, some serious drying will be needed.
If that happens, also watch for signs of illness in the next few
weeks.
Wind
Drafts are one of the most common weather-related killers of
rabbits. Make sure your rabbit is out of drafts, or at least has
a place where it can get out of drafts. Wind chill can be very
deadly.
Breeder of show rabbits for 11 years, member of the American
Rabbit Breeders Association, and fan of all types of animals.
This article courtesy of
http://lit-l-hop-rabbitry.com.
See Also:
Index of All Rabbit Care & Bunny
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