Rabbits can also suffer from heat during the hottest months of the year. Although they are animals that do not leave the house, they could be affected by the dreaded heat stroke, which puts their lives in danger. From 30ºC, especially if there is humidity, rabbits can start to get lethargic and suffer a lot from the heat. In fact, their little bodies get it before we do.
For this reason, rabbits, like the rest of our pets, must be kept cool to prevent the consequences of high temperatures. But how to prevent rabbits from being overheated? In this article on our site we will explain how to cool down a rabbit, giving a series of tips to protect them when temperatures rise.
How do you know if a rabbit is hot?
Rabbits are comfortable with a room temperature between 12 and 21 ºC. When this temperature is higher, your body begins to suffer the consequences of the heat. In addition to the risk of suffering heat stroke that we have mentioned, rabbits exposed to high temperatures can become dehydrated, a situation that will have consequences for their body, causing imbalances.
To know if our rabbit is hot, pay special attention to its ears. With heat they will be redder than normal, due to the vasodilatation of the blood vessels in the area. In addition, the following signs can be seen:
- Breathing fast and heavy.
- Flare nostrils.
- Wet hair under the nose.
- Warm ears and paws.
- Squinted Eyes.
- Lethargy.
- Anorexy.
- Stretch position on the floor.
Heat stroke in rabbits
If adequate measures are not taken to protect rabbits from high temperatures, they can suffer from heat stroke, which raises their body temperatureand puts your integrity at risk. The main symptoms of heat stroke in rabbits are the following:
- Excessively red ears.
- Gasping and hypersalivation.
- Disorientation and weakness.
- Muscle tremors and seizures.
- Sleep.
- Shock.
- Death.
Keep in mind that you should not cool a rabbit suddenly overheated with cold water or ice, as it can cause a thermal shock that can be catastrophic. But better than trying to treat heat stroke is to prevent it, which is why in the following sections we discuss the main measures to apply to prevent heat stroke in rabbits, dehydration and, in general, suffering from high temperatures.
Take care of hydration
To prevent dehydration due to the loss of electrolytes and water caused by high temperatures, a series of measures must be followed that allow the correct hydration of our rabbits. In addition, dehydration predisposes to sunstroke and heat stroke.
Thus, it is important that they have clean and fresh water always at their disposal. To do this we can put ice cubes in it so that it stays fresh longer. It is also a good idea to add fresh foods rich in water, such as fruit, lettuce or vegetables. You can read in this article what are the recommended fruits and vegetables for rabbits.
Locate the cage at home
Many rabbits spend most of the day in their cage, so it is vitally important that we place it in a fresh and ventilated placeof the home, but not outdoors. If you don't have air conditioning, you can put a ventilador nearby to mitigate the heat, although never pointing it directly at the rabbit, but rotating around the entire cage to keep it warm. totally fresh. Another option is to put a wall fan pointing at the cage.
If the fan is combined with a wet towel on the cage, the good temperature is maintained for longer, so that our rabbit will not be hot. You just have to be careful that it doesn't leak and doesn't block the correct ventilation.
The cage should also be away from the sun, as the temperature of the cage and the rabbit increases, predisposing it to heat stroke. It's also a good idea to reduce the straw that we use to pick up our rabbit's needs and for greater comfort. In this way we allow better access to the bottom of the cage, which is at a cooler temperature than the rest as it is in contact with the ground.
In case that doesn't seem to be enough, you can try comforting the rabbit by putting ice packs under the cage to keep it cool soil. It is also possible to freeze a bottle of water and place it inside the cage so that the rabbit can approach it and cool off.
Keeping a rabbit cool
Surely at this point you are wondering if you can get a rabbit wet or if there are swimming pools for rabbits. The answer is no. It can be sprayed lightly with water, but it is not recommended to wet it completely. When putting them in water, rabbits can become stressed and this anxiety causes their body temperature to rise, making the situation worse. Here you can read the 5 signs of stress in rabbits that will help you recognize this state.
They can be sprayed with water or, also, with a rectified alcohol solution mixed with water at a dilution of 1:3 of 50% rectified alcohol in water. It is put in a diffuser and applied to the outside of the ears and paws. Alcohol speeds up the evaporation of water, cooling the rabbit better.
Coat care
If our rabbit has a lot of dead hair on its surface due to lack of removal, this will act as a layer of thermal insulation, which will worsen the heat it can feel. Therefore, if you are wondering how to relieve heat in a rabbit, you cannot forget the essential regular brushing, since it is the best way to remove all that dead hair that acts as a coat just when the rabbit needs it least.
If you have doubts about which brush to use, in this article we review the types of brushes for rabbits you can choose from.
