Simple Steps to Cool Down Your Overheated Rabbit

Heat is the worst enemy a rabbit can have.  In summer, a rabbit can experience heat that can extremely affect their health and well-being.  It can get so hot for rabbits that a number of them die due to extreme heat.  It is very important to place rabbit hutches in a place where the air is cool, like near the woods or trees.

You can even take the cage to an air conditioned room or let an electric fan blow on it.  If your rabbit is still not relieved by this, then it is time to take him to the veterinarian for proper care.  Here are several signs that you need to watch out for to determine if your rabbit is overheated.

The easiest way to detect an overheated rabbit is to take his temperature through the use of either a glass or digital thermometer.  Two persons are needed to accomplish this task, one to hold the rabbit down and the other to insert the apparatus into the rabbit’s rectum.  You may have difficulty doing this at first but will eventually become adept at it.

Thermometers made of glass usually need to be left inside the rectum for a minute while a digital thermometer takes much lesser time.  A digital thermometer is better to use because it is safer and easier to handle.  Remember that the normal rectal temperature of rabbits is 100 degrees Fahrenheit and if goes beyond that then your rabbit is experiencing too much heat and should be taken to the doctor.

By observing your rabbit, you can also learn if he is overheated or not.  Tilting of the head is a sign that the rabbit is having difficulty in breathing.  The heat will cause him to breathe heavily and he will need care and proper medication.

Give him emergency care before taking him out of the shade and into the car because the air is hotter outside.  Squirt a little water on your rabbit taking extra care not to wet him too much.  Do not spray into his face or ears and to help in lessening the heat, wet a cloth with cool water and apply to the rabbit’s ears in order to cool him down even for just a little bit.

If your rabbit is seriously overheated, you can give him a bath with cool water.  Be very careful in handling your rabbit and do not immerse him into the water.  Always bear in mind that your rabbit can die because of overheating and that you must seek immediate medical care for him the moment he shows signs of overheating.

To find a suitable rabbit cage for your pet rabbit, visit The Rabbit Hutch Blog for quality rabbit hutches and homes and also more tips on keeping rabbits. 

Purchasing the Best Outdoor Rabbit Hutch

Rabbits are fun to have as pets.  They are very cuddly and require only minimal care.  But just the same, you need to make sure that they are always fed and happy in the place where they stay.  That’s why before you take your rabbit home; you should already have a hutch ready for him.  The best rabbit hutch to buy is one that can be placed outdoors to provide your pet with fresh air.  Here are some tips in buying an outdoor rabbit hutch.


You have to bear in mind that rabbits love to run around and play so the rabbit hutch that you should buy for your pet should be large enough to give him room to do his stuff with ease.  It must be at least 4 times the size of your pet rabbit because they want to stay in airy and cool places.

A single rabbit can live comfortably in a single level hutch but if you have the money to pay for a double level hutch then it is the better choice.  It will allow you to put in several playthings for your pet so that he won’t get bored.  If you should decide to get a partner for your pet, you don’t have to purchase another hutch to accommodate the two of them.  Be sure to choose a rabbit hutch that has a wire mesh or wooden floor.  These types of floors are easy to clean and are ideal places to lie down on. Wooden rabbit hutch is also good.

A hutch with a wire mesh floor will allow you to clean it more easily because the rabbit’s waste can just fall down on the ground.  This makes it easy for you to clean the hutch.  A hutch with a wooden floor is also good because its flat surface is ideal to lie down on. There are types of hutches that have trays placed under them to make it easy to dispose of the rabbit’s droppings.  It can just be emptied into a trash can then washed.  After it dries, it can be put back under the hutch.

Buy a hutch that comes with a tray that will catch the droppings.  This will make cleaning the hutch less of a burden for you.  You can take out the tray and put the droppings into a trash bin and you’re done.  The hutch will be cleaner this way and there won’t be any unpleasant smell.

It is important that you choose a hutch made of durable and non-toxic materials to keep your pet rabbit away from harm.  Follow through these simple steps and you will have the best rabbit hutches for your rabbits.

What You Should Know About Cleaning Your Rabbit Hutch

The downside to having a pet is that you have to take care of them very much like the way you take care of children.  There are pets that require a lot of time and attention for their upkeep and there are also pets that only require minimal care.  A pet rabbit belong to the second category but even if they only need minimal care, you still need to take care of him and his living area.  Cleaning the rabbit hutch or rabbit cage would need a lot of time at first but as you go along, you will find out that it is not as hard as it would seem.  Here are several things that you can do to clean the rabbit cage more conveniently.

1. The first thing that you should do is to remove all the accessories inside the hutch like water containers and food bowls, also remove any playthings that are placed inside.  All the beddings must be taken out then you can begin to clean every inch of the hutch making sure that all the nooks are also cleaned by using a solution made with a mixture of vinegar and hot water.  Then leave the rabbit hutch under the sun to dry completely.

2. Newspapers are good lining materials for the rabbit hutch.  Layer it several times to make a comfortable surface where the rabbits can walk on.  Put more newspaper lining in the corners where the rabbits go potty.

3. Kitty litter layers are good additions to the lining and the rabbits would love to play with this material, making a mess in the process.

4. Next thing to add to the cage are the bedding materials which can either be wood chips that you can buy from the pet store, straw which is also available there, or shredded old newspapers that you don’t have to buy.  You can use the newspaper in open areas while you can use the straw in sheltered areas.

5. After all the preparations are done, you can now replace the water storage, food tray and playthings inside the hutch and don’t forget to put the rabbits back inside the now clean hutch.

6. The next time you need to clean the rabbit hutch, the procedure will become much easier.  You can use a trash can to put all the used and dirty bedding of newspaper and straw into it for a more convenient way to clean it up.  The mess will be lesser and you will have little to clean up after.  Always enjoy what you are doing so that you will not feel tired or burdened by the chore of cleaning the rabbit hutch.

Find more information on raising rabbits and keeping their habitat clean by visiting The Rabbit Hutch Blog today!