How to Keep Your Rabbit Cool in Summer
Worrying about your rabbit overheating during the dog days of summer? There's a lot you can do to help keep your rabbit cool in the summer whether it's the heat or the gosh darn humidity that’s got you down.
One of the things we love about our little fluffers is, well, all that fluff!
But that's also what causes them to overheat in extremely hot temps; especially those buns with super fluffy coats.
In general, rabbits can handle cold temps better than crispy hot temps. But if your bunny has what it needs, it'll be as cool as a cuke during the summer months.
How Summer Heat Affects Rabbits
Here's the thing about your buns...they don't sweat.
(No, not your buns…your bunny! But wouldn't it be nice if our own buns didn't sweat up a storm in the heat?)
We digress.
Rabbits simply don't sweat (well, not enough for it to help them), which is how we humans cope with excess heat.
They only have one or two little sweat glands...in their mouths. But those don't do enough to help them keep cool.
So the lack of sweating combined with all that thick fluff can spell disaster (aka heat stroke) for your bun if they aren't kept cool in the summer.
Tips For Keeping Your Rabbit Cool in The Summer
Shade Trees or Umbrellas
If you keep your rabbits outdoors during the summer it's super important to make sure that they always have relief from direct sunlight.
Even if your rabbit has a nesting box, it might not be in its best interest to huddle up inside of it during hot and humid days (even though they might try to do so). Instead, make sure they're near a shade tree, and given an umbrella, or an "awning" for their hutch so they can benefit from the circulation of the outdoors without sitting in the sun all day.
Bring Them Indoors
On those crazy hot summer days (you know, the ones where bare feet on crunchy grass just isn't an option) consider making an exception and bring your bunny indoors to keep them cool.
And if your little fluffer is lucky enough to be a house bunny, make sure they have plenty of air flow, fresh food, and water.
Air Circulation
Whether your rabbit is indoors or outdoors during the hot summer months, it's important to keep the air circulating.
Use a house fan set in front of a bowl of ice to make a DIY ac unit to keep your bunny from burning up. 
Fans work great indoors or outdoors, but keep the setting on low so as not to stress your rabbit.
Also, make sure the fan is at a safe distance and won’t tip over or cause electrical issues (wherever you place it). Especially if you plan to leave it unattended for a while.
Ice Cubes Keep Rabbits Cool in Summer
Ice, ice, baby.
And more ice. Plop some ice into your rabbit's drinker to keep the water extra cool
Fill a water bottle, or another pet-friendly container, with water and freeze it. Then, add it to a corner of their hutch. Enjoy watching your bunny sidle up to their personal cooling container and chill out. (Even bunnies can spread the summer vibes with their cute little cooling poses).
Special Spa Day for Your Bunny
One of the easiest ways to keep your rabbit more comfortable in the heat is to keep their manes maintained. In other words, grooming your rabbits, and removing dead skin and old fur will free up the skin space to allow more airflow and comfort for your little fur baby!
Frozen Favorites
Lastly, everyone's favorite way to keep cool in the summer is to eat something freezy!
Create a carrot popsicle by freezing a few carrots in a baggie, for example. Once frozen, remove the wrapping and offer it to your bunny for a perfect popsicle!
Hot Bun Summer
While rabbits are hardy critters, they still need a little extra TLC when the sun is shining into their hutches all day.
As the saying goes, if you're hot, they're hot. So, ensuring they have all the fresh food, water, and cooling accommodations is your top priority to keep your buns nice and cool all summer long!
