Top tips to keep your rabbits safe in the hot weather

With the hot summer days we have experienced recently, owners need to help their rabbits stay cool with plenty of water, shade and some cooling activities. We've put together some top tips to help:

Appropriate outdoor housing

For outdoor rabbits, make sure their housing is out of direct sunlight and find a shaded area in the garden, or pop up a free standing parasol to provide some cover. Rabbits’ housing should be repositioned as the sun moves round and owners should provide their pets with plenty of hiding places and tunnels. A blanket placed on top of one end of the rabbits’ run will provide a shady, cool place, or a well-rung out cold wet towel placed over hutches or cages will help to cool them down.

Appropriate indoor housing

For indoor rabbits, their housing needs to be out of direct sunlight. If they live in a certain room, like a utility, consider closing the blinds when the sun would normally shine in to help keep the room cool. Their living quarters should be moved well away from windows.

Encourage natural behaviour

Rabbits should be encouraged to display their natural behaviour, and that includes digging! You could provide a dig box filled with soil, as they’ll burrow down to the cooler material underneath.

Cleaning

You should clean your rabbits’ accommodation more regularly to reduce the risk of flies and unwanted insects being attracted to them, helping to avoid flystrike.

Make sure you remove any uneaten vegetable as soon as possible, as these can start to rot in the warmer weather and attract flies to rabbits’ runs and housing.

Stay cool

To help cool down your rabbits, try gently stroking their fur with a cool, damp flannel. You can carefully dampen their ears too, as this is the part of their body that they lose heat from and it will provide a cooling effect.

You could also add a fan to their rabbits’ housing to help keep them cool, ensuring all wires are well out of the way and placed on a stable surface that can’t be knocked. It’s best to have the air blowing into their general space, rather than directly at the rabbits. You could also try cooling mats, or freezing an almost full plastic bottle of water, and then wrapping it in a towel and placing it by the side of their rabbits’ sleeping area. It shouldn’t be placed in the sleeping area as they may chew it!

Stay hydrated

Keep water topped up and be extra-vigilant about evaporation. Offer both bowls and bottles, and cover their bottles to help stop any build-up of algae inside - this can happen when left in the sunshine. You also should keep an eye on your rabbits at least a couple of times each day and encourage them to drink, helping them stay hydrated.

Grooming

As well as regularly grooming your rabbits and brushing out loose hair, you should consider giving long-haired rabbits a trim for the summer, especially around their bottoms to help keep them clean.