happybunny
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Is it okay to have a box fan aimed directly at my bunny's outdoor cage during hot summer days? I am preparing for the upcoming summer weather. I am worried that the fan will make my bunny's eyes dry.
Preparing for summer weather
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MsTemeraire
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The reason fans work for us is that we sweat all over our bodies, and the air from the fan evaporates it, cooling us down. Rabbits don't sweat, so it will be of limited value.
People give their bunnies ice to chew on (you can freeze treats into ice cubes if you like doing that sort of thing). Just make sure they have good shade, enough room, and plenty of water.
I'm over here planning in getting solar fans thinking it would help.MsTemeraire
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They can still help - you'd need some ice in front of them to cool down the air. Otherwise you're just stirring around hot air for no benefit. Frozen bottles of water or frozen ceramic tiles for each hutch/cage would be better. Even if the rabbits don't sit or lie on them they will help to bring down the air temperature where the rabbits actually are.
That makes sense. I was going to try something I saw of freezing water balloons then cutting the balloon off. I Aldo have tiles. I didn't think about freezing them though
eco2pia
Well-known member
I use jugs of water frozen--regular milk jugs are ok, but the costco milk jugs or laundry detergent jugs are better, because the plastic is sturdy. You save 2 per cage, take one out, put one in the freezer to refreeze (obviously a chest freezer helps make this possible). On hot days they absolutely figure out to lay against it. you can also use misters if you are in a non-humid area like me, but position them so they hit the walls or floor under the cages. The water evaporates and cools the area.
Also, when under real heat stress, rabbits pant like dogs. This is not a good thing, this is when you really need to take immediate action--something to watch for. At that point I will wet the bunny's fur to help them cool off--do not use cold water, the shock can be too much. Regular "room temp" water will do.
Also, when under real heat stress, rabbits pant like dogs. This is not a good thing, this is when you really need to take immediate action--something to watch for. At that point I will wet the bunny's fur to help them cool off--do not use cold water, the shock can be too much. Regular "room temp" water will do.
I use a box fan to move the air around but I also have misters that I use to cool the air as it is being moved by the fan. I recently moved my rabbits over towards my garden and under some shade trees using an old 12' x 12' pop-up frame with some weather resistant tarps to keep the sun off them and bamboo fencing type stuff to allow air to pass through and give them more shade.
