Rabbit People....how do you keep your buns cool?

[NellaBean]

We are having horrible heat here already. Been in the upper 90's with high himidity for days......trying to decide how to handle this with the new bunnies.

Frozen water bottles are thawed within 4 hour and I am gone for 8-10. If I put them in the garage area I can run a box fan but it is generally hotter in there than outside.

Thinking of making a large tarped and covered in shade fabric hoop type "run" and putting the hutches under it.

Any other ideas? Starting to wonder if I will have to bring the bunnies inside the house for daytime and outside for nightime for the rest of the summer!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Two liter bottles and milk jugs last much long that water bottles. Also frozen terra cotta tiles.

 

[NellaBean]

You all must have a bigger freezer than me. Starting to consider putting rabbit cages in the chicken coop and putting a window air conditioner in there.....

 

[carolinagirl58]

Quote:
That's actually not such a bad idea. I raised rabbits years ago (NZ whites and dwarfs) and had their hutches in the shade. On really hot days I would put a fan on them. They did OK.

 

[wren]

We put fans on them and had them in the shade.

 

[NellaBean]

My coop is only 8x8. If I covered an entire wall in cages....could probably fit 9 cages in there.

But that would be some serious work....I have the ones outside now in the shade but heat index is over 100 and these are fluffy lionheads......sigh.

 

[eggcatcher]

I have two does and a buck and 12 little ones right now. They really don't like the heat. The biggest hit is I freeze bowls of water and in the hottest time of the day I put one in each cage. One momma rabbit just lays on it and the little ones lay on the wire next to the bowl. I also keep a fan going. Have two door to my "barn" the back one is covered with chicken wire so I can keep it open at nigh and everyone is safe. I bought those gel pack things you can freeze and put on the fan didn't think it made any difference but on one particularly hot day I could feel the difference inside the barn (cooler) as opposed to outside the barn was surprised. Thank goodness they are nocturnal so they are active when it's cooler. Lots of water sure you already knew that one.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Not really, we are just broke so there is no food in there.

 

[StevenW.]

My cousins use frozen water bottles and the rabbits love them!

 

[MustLoveHens]

I use frozen 1 gallon water jugs, a fan and I also use soaked flour sack towels (burlap works too). I soak the towels in really cold water and draped them over the cages. My husbands dad used to raise meat rabbits and he had a misting system for them. Dh said it worked well.
I like the frozen terra cotta tile idea. Also the gel packs for a fan....I'm gonna have to visit Amazon!