Summer is well and truly upon us, and it’s important that bunny owners know how to care for their rabbit during summer months. Domesticated rabbits are not well built for warm weather, and can suffer from heat stroke very quickly, which can be fatal if it’s not recognised and treated.

- It is important that both indoor and outdoor rabbits are kept cool in the summer months. Indoor rabbits can still suffer from heat stroke-

Firstly, it’s important to know the symptoms and signs of heat stroke in a rabbit.It can be one, some or all of the following:

Reddening of the ears

Hot ears

Panting

Breathing through the mouth

Convulsing

Strange and erratic behaviour / acting confused

Weakness or slow movement

Salivating

Lethargy (inactivity/ lack of energy)

It is important to note that rabbits who have long coats, are overweight, very young or very old are at particular risk of heat stroke.

If a rabbit has heat stroke, the following MUST be done as quickly as possible:

Move the rabbit to a cool place (shade, indoors, place on cool flooring such as tiles or laminate wood)

Slightly dampen its ears with cool (not cold) water to bring the body temperature down.

Offer the rabbit fresh, cool water in a bowl. You can add ice cubes to the water to keep it cool.

You must contact a rabbit savvy vet and ask them for further instructions. It is a very serious condition, and veterinary care is almost always needed.

Even if your rabbit survives a heatstroke, the effects of it can be long lasting- muscular damage can mean that your rabbit ends up paralysed and suffer from head tilt or even limb paralysis, and their quality of life can be severely reduced. It is a very serious condition!

Another very important thing to watch out for in hot weather is fly strike.

Fly strike is a really nasty thing for rabbits- flies lay eggs in dirty toilet areas/ litterboxes or damp conditions, and their maggots will actually eat into the skin of rabbits and infest them. It is a really horrible thing to happen- rabbits have seizures, go into shock and die very quickly. It can be fatal within 24 hours.

This is a condition that can happen all year round, but it is especially common in summer months when the weather and conditions are just right for fly larvae to thrive.

Ways to prevent fly strike are:

Keeping your rabbit’s toilet area /litter box very clean. Be sure to wash and dry the litterbox/ cage thoroughly at least once every two days. Flies will thrive in warm and damp spaces.

It is important that your rabbit is able to keep itself clean. If your rabbit is overweight or old, it may have trouble reaching round to clean itself. It is paramount that you make sure that your rabbit’s back end is clean and dry at all times. Fly strike can occur all around the back end of a rabbit, even above the tail and spread onto its back.

IF YOU NOTICE THAT YOUR RABBIT HAS FLY STRIKE, GET THEM TO A VET IMMEDIATELY. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS CONDITION AND NEEDS URGENT TREATMENT.

It is a really really horrible condition for rabbits to be in, and it is vital that it is prevented rather than cured, because it is often too late to be treated once it is noticed. Here’s a page about fly strike in rabbits and what to look for. Warning: there are some upsetting images on the page, but it is crucial that rabbit owners are aware of fly strike and its symptoms.

As with all things in rabbit care, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and all bunny owners should make sure they are prepared for summer and hot weather. There are many things you can and should do to keep your bunny cool:

Ensure that your rabbit has access to clean, cool water at all times- rabbits will not drink warm or hot water and can soon become dehydrated, so keep checking the temperature of the water. Add ice cubes to keep the water cooler for longer.

Make sure your rabbit has a cool area or a shaded area within their enclosure/ cage/ pen, but be aware that the sun position will change throughout the day and the shaded areas can change!

Move your outdoor bunny indoors during the summer

You can provide cool tiles in their habitats for them to lie on in summer months

If your rabbit is indoors, opening windows is an easy way to keep your bun cool. Keep a breeze flowing through your bun’s habitat

Groom your rabbit to take away excess fur that would add to the heat.

You can provide frozen water bottles for your rabbit. 2L plastic bottles frozen over night are great. Bunnies can lick them or sit next to them for an instant cool-down

You can give your bunnies washed veggies and greens. As the rabbits eat the veg, they will take in the extra water too. Veggies straight from the fridge are great for summer time. Here’s a list of bunny-safe veggies

Here is good reading for the prevention of heat stroke

and another page about keeping bunnies cool

Hope this is useful!

The blog has a new look! 

I’ve tried to make everything a bit easier to find, bunny tags are still on the sidebar. 

If you can’t find anything, just ask! :)