Rabbit cooling idea and questions

[II Arrows]

I have been thinking a lot about the long summer months ahead and how to cool my rabbits. I Have 1 liter soda bottles on standby already, but I was wanting something a little more then just that. After a lot of thinking, AC powered computer fans seemed like a great option for the hutches. I would like to have a fan in every pen in my rabbit hutch's. I'm very meticulous so I will make sure my rabbits cant chew any wires or the fan itself. Has anyone done this or something similar? The only concern I have is that the computer fans in question wont have enough air flow to cool the rabbits efficiently. I know they have to circulate some air but how much is enough? so before I drop some money on a case of quality computer cooling fans I would like as much feedback as I can possibly get. Any and all information is and will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[Marinea]

This past summer, I had a pregnant doe that was having a hard time. I got one of the small clip-on fans from Wal-Mart and clipped it to her cage, blowing past her frozen water bottle and over her ceramic tile resting board. She LOVED it. I got several more fans- mostly at yard sales for $1 a fan I think I paid like $10 for the first one- maybe less. Definitely worth the price to me.

Those are bigger than the computer fans- less likely to get fur clogged, and easier to clean.

 

[Miss M]

We've got several 4" (I think) fans from Walmart ourselves. They were $5 each, and sit on a desk, and you can turn the fan up and down. Love the things. Nice small fans that move a lot of air. Way more than computer fans, for way less cost.

I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to connect these safely and securely to a cage.

 

[II Arrows]

Thank you both. Would anyone know how much air is right for rabbits? What I mean by that is how much air is to much and how much air flow is not enough? The fan Im currently looking at is 120MM (just over 4 and a half inches) and they push air at 110 CFM's. Would this type of fan be sufficient?

 

[katiebear]

I live in the desert..we get a lot of heat but no humidity...I use frozen gallon juice bottles, misting system and a heave duty fan. but as long as the buns have shade and some breeze they do fine.
They do get acclimated to the environment that they grow up in. I would never bring a Michigan bun to AZ.
I was thinking about setting up some of those small fans up this summer to see if they work well and get away from the big fan.
We burned up one last season...they don't do well when the mist gets to the motor. :x

 

[esaudio]

I live in the desert..we get a lot of heat but no humidity...I use frozen gallon juice bottles, misting system and a heave duty fan. but as long as the buns have shade and some breeze they do fine.
They do get acclimated to the environment that they grow up in. I would never bring a Michigan bun to AZ.
I was thinking about setting up some of those small fans up this summer to see if they work well and get away from the big fan.
We burned up one last season...they don't do well when the mist gets to the motor. :x

Hi,
do you have any fan in mind for that? I am in the process of getting ready for the summer and I am looking at different options but not sure about one yet. Too many choices and I am a total newbie in this. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome. Thanks!
Julio

 

[michaels4gardens]

when I lived in Florida I had used carpet on the top and sides of the rabbit shed, I had a sprinkler that came on when the temperature got to 80, and shut off again when it was down to 75 [or so] inside the building it worked well... now I have a drip system that runs on the tin roof of the rabbit cages, and old pallets on top for shade.

 

[esaudio]

when I lived in Florida I had used carpet on the top and sides of the rabbit shed, I had a sprinkler that came on when the temperature got to 80, and shut off again when it was down to 75 [or so] inside the building it worked well... now I have a drip system that runs on the tin roof of the rabbit cages, and old pallets on top for shade.

Interesting. The drip system is kind of like a misting system? I just ordered a misting system but I need to do research to do something like what you did but using a misting system. I would like it to work within certain hours and/or at certain intervals of time but also, I would like it to work when the temperature reaches 75 degrees or more. I will need a thermostat for that that if I am not wrong.
Thanks!

 

[ottersatin]

I use a large fan in the doorway,
I do not blow air directly on the Rabbits or their cages.
I allow the air to blow through the aisle. What you need/want is any type of airflow
to facilitate movement. I also use two liter Soda bottles when necessary
for each cage/Rabbit. In all situations there is a bit of trial and error.
Find what works for you and stick with it! There is always a solution to every problem.
Best of luck, if it's not the Winter Chill, It's the Summer HEAT! :twisted:
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[michaels4gardens]

when I lived in Florida I had used carpet on the top and sides of the rabbit shed, I had a sprinkler that came on when the temperature got to 80, and shut off again when it was down to 75 [or so] inside the building - it worked well... now I have a drip system that runs on the tin roof of the rabbit cages, and old pallets on top for shade.

Interesting. The drip system is kind of like a misting system? I just ordered a misting system but I need to do research to do something like what you did but using a misting system. I would like it to work within certain hours and/or at certain intervals of time but also, I would like it to work when the temperature reaches 75 degrees or more. I will need a thermostat for that that if I am not wrong.
Thanks!

I used a close high open low 120 volt thermostat switch from granger [about $50 ] it can be set to come on [close high and complete the circuit ] at what ever temperature you wish. [I chose 80 deg] then after it is cooled down [I think it was a 5 degree spread] it will open the contacts and turn off the circuit. -- now here is the part that is interesting to people not already familiar with sprinkler systems-- The wires from the 120 volt thermo switch go to a regular wall receptacle so you can plug in a fan [that will come on and off with changing temperature], and also the plug [24 volt adapter] that feeds a solenoid valve to turn on and off the water to the cooling system. This worked perfectly all the time [when I was at work and could not run home to "save the rabbits" ]

 

[Ramjet]

I have been toying with the idea of building a swamp cooler - Ice chest + blocks of ice + fan - with individual ducts made of pvc for each pen in my rabbitry .... they are cheap to make & cheap to operate.

 

[esaudio]

when I lived in Florida I had used carpet on the top and sides of the rabbit shed, I had a sprinkler that came on when the temperature got to 80, and shut off again when it was down to 75 [or so] inside the building - it worked well... now I have a drip system that runs on the tin roof of the rabbit cages, and old pallets on top for shade.

Interesting. The drip system is kind of like a misting system? I just ordered a misting system but I need to do research to do something like what you did but using a misting system. I would like it to work within certain hours and/or at certain intervals of time but also, I would like it to work when the temperature reaches 75 degrees or more. I will need a thermostat for that that if I am not wrong.
Thanks!

I used a close high open low 120 volt thermostat switch from granger [about $50 ] it can be set to come on [close high and complete the circuit ] at what ever temperature you wish. [I chose 80 deg] then after it is cooled down [I think it was a 5 degree spread] it will open the contacts and turn off the circuit. -- now here is the part that is interesting to people not already familiar with sprinkler systems-- The wires from the 120 volt thermo switch go to a regular wall receptacle so you can plug in a fan [that will come on and off with changing temperature], and also the plug [24 volt adapter] that feeds a solenoid valve to turn on and off the water to the cooling system. This worked perfectly all the time [when I was at work and could not run home to "save the rabbits" ]

So the thermostat can be made to work in conjunction with the timer then? Does it have something that given the temperature makes the timer work? Or by just using the thermostat, can it control the misting system in such a way that if the temperature is above a certain threshold the misting starts? <br /><br /> -- Thu Apr 30, 2015 1:56 pm -- <br /><br />

I have been toying with the idea of building a swamp cooler - Ice chest + blocks of ice + fan - with individual ducts made of pvc for each pen in my rabbitry .... they are cheap to make & cheap to operate.

Wouldn't it be very bulky if each individual cage has its own "air conditioner" ?

 

[wamplercathy]

when I lived in Florida I had used carpet on the top and sides of the rabbit shed, I had a sprinkler that came on when the temperature got to 80, and shut off again when it was down to 75 [or so] inside the building it worked well... now I have a drip system that runs on the tin roof of the rabbit cages, and old pallets on top for shade.

My shed has a metal side and top. Would wetting the outside metal down help cool the inside of the rabbitry? :? We are planing on insulating the roof, but I know the the metal gets really hot.

I am planing on wetting the dirt floor that should help some. Also the wind likes to cut through very well, but might have to break down and pull one of our fans for the buns.

We also have 20 or more water bottles that are already frozen. We use them in our coolers to make the ice last longer. I also have a couple of 3L bottles that I plan to freeze just in case the littler ones aren't big enough. :lol:

On the plus side I placed the ceramic tiles in their cages yesterday. Cumin and Tartar went straight to them, but Coconut stretched out on her shelf instead. :lol: Silly bun.

 

[Ramjet]

I have been toying with the idea of building a swamp cooler - Ice chest + blocks of ice + fan - with individual ducts made of pvc for each pen in my rabbitry .... they are cheap to make & cheap to operate.

Wouldn't it be very bulky if each individual cage has its own "air conditioner" ?

No , there would be only one cooler with a duct system made of PVC that piped cold air to each individual cage. The cooler can be made removable from the duct system which would be permanently fixed.

 

[michaels4gardens]

Interesting. The drip system is kind of like a misting system? I just ordered a misting system but I need to do research to do something like what you did but using a misting system. I would like it to work within certain hours and/or at certain intervals of time but also, I would like it to work when the temperature reaches 75 degrees or more. I will need a thermostat for that that if I am not wrong.
Thanks!


So the thermostat can be made to work in conjunction with the timer then? Does it have something that given the temperature makes the timer work? Or by just using the thermostat, can it control the misting system in such a way that if the temperature is above a certain threshold the misting starts?

The thermo -switch just starts the misting when the temperature gets to what ever temperature you have the dial set to. Then after it cools down about 5 degrees it shuts it off again, [used instead of having a timer, as timers don't know how warm or cool it is in the rabbitry]
These switches come with a wiring diagram, showing what color wire the power comes in to the switch [line], and what color wires go out to feed the receptacle [load] if you have a receptacle close to where you want one any way- you can re-wire it so the power first goes to the thermostat, and then back to the receptacle. [turn off the power first]

 

[esaudio]

I have been toying with the idea of building a swamp cooler - Ice chest + blocks of ice + fan - with individual ducts made of pvc for each pen in my rabbitry .... they are cheap to make & cheap to operate.

Wouldn't it be very bulky if each individual cage has its own "air conditioner" ?

No , there would be only one cooler with a duct system made of PVC that piped cold air to each individual cage. The cooler can be made removable from the duct system which would be permanently fixed.

Have you seen any designs like that online that you could share? I am really intrigued to see it in action! <br /><br /> -- Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:42 pm -- <br /><br />

Interesting. The drip system is kind of like a misting system? I just ordered a misting system but I need to do research to do something like what you did but using a misting system. I would like it to work within certain hours and/or at certain intervals of time but also, I would like it to work when the temperature reaches 75 degrees or more. I will need a thermostat for that that if I am not wrong.
Thanks!


So the thermostat can be made to work in conjunction with the timer then? Does it have something that given the temperature makes the timer work? Or by just using the thermostat, can it control the misting system in such a way that if the temperature is above a certain threshold the misting starts?

The thermo -switch just starts the misting when the temperature gets to what ever temperature you have the dial set to. Then after it cools down about 5 degrees it shuts it off again, [used instead of having a timer, as timers don't know how warm or cool it is in the rabbitry]
These switches come with a wiring diagram, showing what color wire the power comes in to the switch [line], and what color wires go out to feed the receptacle [load] if you have a receptacle close to where you want one any way- you can re-wire it so the power first goes to the thermostat, and then back to the receptacle. [turn off the power first]

I will definitely look into this. It does seem like the way to go for me at least. Thanks!

 

[Ramjet]

Have you seen any designs like that online that you could share? I am really intrigued to see it in action!

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg

 

[esaudio]

oh, yes, I made one of those "air conditioners" about a year ago, but not for rabbits. I wonder how good they would be with the idea you have in mind. I am sure you would need a powerful fan if you want the air to reach 6 cages for instance. Have you set it up already?