Jun 10 • Health and Wellness
Summer heat and rabbits
This time of year, rabbit breeders are in crunch mode trying to prevent the inevitable heat losses.
And I am going to say the hard part out loud:
The best long-term way to fight heat deaths is to breed for heat resistance.
That means watching which rabbits handle heat well and which ones do not. Rabbits that pant hard, get nosebleeds in high heat, crash early, or generally struggle in summer should not be the animals carrying the next generation forward.
That does not mean we do nothing to help them.
We absolutely take precautions:
metal water bowls filled with ice, extra fans, better airflow, rearranging cages, shade roofs to take the worst of the sun, blocking or shading windows to redirect direct light, changing water , adding Electrolytes, cool water three or four times a day, ceramic tiles, cement patio blocks, and other cool surfaces in cages.
Heat management matters.
But so does selection.
If every summer the same type of rabbit is barely surviving, that is not just a weather problem. That is a breeding decision showing up in July.
Also, climate matters. In dry desert climates, swamp coolers or misters can help.
In humid climates, do not use misters.
Adding moisture to already humid air can make things worse, not better. Airflow and shade are your friends. Humidity is the swamp monster. :::
“What heat-management setup has worked best in your barn, and what did you try that absolutely did not work?”
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Summer heat and rabbits
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