Rabbits To Hot!

kentuckyjeff · Jun 30, 2012

So our rabbits are very hot. This is the second day at 109. The rabbits are in a room in the barn ,I have a fan on them and was able to take them ice twice today( that is all we had.) I have misted them several times and given them fresh cool water. All of them lay listless, breathing quickly through the nose. After I take water to them the get up and move around except one, Betty, she will not drink. She hasn't drank anything today as far as I can tell. I am afraid for her. Should I give one more day?

Miss M · Jun 30, 2012

If Betty does not get up like the others, especially if she is not very responsive, you need to act quickly. You can wrap her ears around pieces of ice and hold them like that to help her cool down quickly. The ears are the radiators, so if you cool them, you cool the rabbit. (My daughter saved her favorite rabbit's life by doing this, which she had recently read in a book.)

Like Ollitos said in the chatbox, you should bring her in overnight to help her stay cool and recover, and so you can keep an eye on her. Syringing Pedialyte or other electrolyte drink into her mouth for her to swallow would be an excellent thing for you to do.

I'm not sure you can combine dunking her in water and bringing her inside... she may go in the opposite direction and get chilled. You could do that with the other rabbits, though. Doing that in the morning may be a better plan, but I'm not sure.

Hope Betty recovers!

ollitos · Jun 30, 2012

Get a fan going on her too

ottersatin · Jul 1, 2012

HEAT STRESS
Your Rabbit is experiencing Heat Stress this may help.

Stress can greatly affect your rabbits health. It is something you should always be aware of. Conditions which can cause stress are; 1. A long day away from familiar surroundings. 2. A radical change in temperature. 3. Fright and loud noises. 4. The birthing process. If you know your rabbit will be going through one of these ordeals or one has just occurred unexpectedly you can use one of these remedies: You can mix one part Gatorade to four parts water and give as drinking water. This will add electrolytes or you can add one or two teaspoons of Tang to a gallon of drinking water.

Heat stress occurs during extremes of hot weather especially if there is not enough air circulation through the rabbitry. If you notice your rabbit getting wet around the face and or breathing hard; dip the rabbit in a bucket of tepid water. In an emergency extreme measures must be taken if there is to be any chance at all of saving the rabbit. Don't be afraid to spray cool water on a rabbit or in an emergency dip the rabbit into a bucket of tepid water not ice water. Keeping the rabbits nose and mouth above water. During warmer months you can freeze soda bottles or milk jugs half full of water. Place these in the cage with your rabbit when temperatures exceed 80 to 85degrees. They will lie against them to cool themselves.
This Info is from my Website:
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

Piper · Jul 30, 2012

Saw in the chat box (just now) that you have kept your rabbits live. Congratualations! How hard was it, to keep them alive?

trinityoaks · Jul 30, 2012

I highly recommend going to your local home improvement store and buying a misting system that you can attach to a garden hose. They probably sell them in the patio accessories department. Even in our humid climate the system helps a lot. In a dry climate, they're absolutely essential.

What do you use for your rabbits' water? If you use bottles, make sure you check the nozzles at least 2-3 times per day to make sure they don't get stuck. I lost a rabbit last summer because of a stuck water nozzle.

skysthelimit · Jul 30, 2012

I loved the misters at the zoo. I might put one on my back patio, but inside the barn it would just rot that old barn out, and the flies would be atrocious!