Keeping your rabbit or guinea pig cool in the hot weather

Keeping your rabbit or guinea pig cool in the hot weather is something that all small pet owners have on their minds this time of the year. Summer is a wonderful time to spend with your rabbits and guinea pigs, but the rising temperatures can cause stress — for you and your pets. Here are some tips and tricks to keep your rabbits and guinea pigs cool when temperatures soar.

How hot is too hot?

First, it’s important to know when the temperature is simply too dangerous for your rabbits and guinea pigs to be outdoors. The answer of how hot is too hot is subjective to several factors, like:

Your rabbit or guinea pig’s age and breed
The ambient temperature vs “real feel” temperature (factoring in humidity)
The amount of shade available
How long the temperature will be elevated

As a general rule, you should watch for signs of discomfort from the heat in your rabbits and guinea pigs in temperatures above 85°F. Signs of heat stress in rabbits and guinea pigs include:

Rapid or shallow breathing
Open mouth breathing (panting)
Drooling
Lethargy

If left untreated, heat stress can quickly progress into heatstroke. Once your rabbit or guinea pig experiences heatstroke, there may be irreparable damage to their internal organs. Signs of heatstroke include those of heat stress, in addition to loss of consciousness or convulsions. If you think your rabbit or guinea pig is suffering from heatstroke, call your veterinarian right away.

How to keep your rabbits and guinea pigs cool

Thankfully, there are several ways to help keep your rabbits and guinea pigs cool in the summertime heat. These rabbit and guinea pig summer safety measures will help protect your pets from the heat, and allow them to spend more time outdoors.

An insulated hutch

Insulated rabbit and guinea pig hutches are the first line of defense against the heat. The Eglu Go Rabbit and Guinea Pig Hutch is twin-wall insulated with vents to provide airflow — which helps keep the hutch cooler than the ambient temperature. Choose a shady spot for your pets’ hutch to help it stay even cooler. When the temperatures really climb, add frozen water bottles inside of the hutch. Your pets will lay on them to cool off, and it will help to bring the interior temperature down even further.

Provide plenty of shade

Your rabbits and guinea pigs’ run should be shady to keep harmful UV rays and blistering heat off of your pets. Solid outdoor run covers keep the sun out, so that your rabbits and guinea pigs can cool down. Place water in the shaded areas to prevent algae growth, and to keep the temperature cooler. And, as with the hutch, add frozen water bottles around your pets’ shaded run to provide extra cooling relief.

Offer cooling hors d’oeuvres

Preparing frozen treats for your rabbits and guinea pigs can go a long way in keeping them cool. Here are some ideas for rabbit and guinea pig-friendly frozen treats:

Fruit like bananas or strawberries
Vegetables like green beans, corn, spinach, or broccoli

Homemade frozen molds or popsicles (with an applewood chew for a stick, or no stick) made from blended fruits and veggies

Add the frozen treats to a Caddi Rabbit and Guinea Pig Treat Holder to keep them fresh for longer, and hang it in a shady part of their run. You can also add ice cubes to your rabbits and guinea pigs’ water bottle to keep it at a palatable temperature.

There are ther refreshing treats that will help your rabbits and guinea pigs stay cool. These aren’t frozen, but they’ll help hydrate your pet, and when kept in the fridge, still provide a cooling effect.

Apple slices
Berries
Lettuces
Watermelon

Other heat-hampering techniques

There are a few other supplemental methods you can use to help beat the heat. Some of these include:

Use a patio misting system around the top perimeter of your rabbits or guinea pigs’ run. Turn it on, or have an irrigation timer set for it to be on during the hottest part of the day.
Install a large fan just outside of the run, or in the top corner of a rabbit or guinea pig walk in run. Make sure that your pets can’t reach any power cords or moving parts of the fan.

Use a combination of both of these for the strongest effect.

What to do when it’s too hot

Depending on where you live, your rabbit or guinea pig’s age and breed, and overall health condition, there may be times where staying outside is just too dangerous. These conditions are most likely to occur during a heatwave, or in areas that experience high humidity alongside soaring summer temperatures.

If you need to move your rabbit or guinea pig to cooler temperatures, try to keep them outdoors if possible. A well ventilated garage, barn, or shed may be enough to keep their setup at a more comfortable temperature.

When shadier or cooler options just aren’t possible, you will need to bring your rabbits or guinea pigs inside. This shouldn’t be done lightly, as rabbits and guinea pigs that live outdoors year round are accustomed to being in fluctuating temperatures. Bringing them into a stable environment will acclimate them to this type of temperature and they will need to remain indoors until the outside temperature is consistently lower.

It’s common for guinea pigs to be housed indoors, and placed outside for playtime. For these pets, outside visits should be limited to early morning and late evening hours during the summer to avoid the hottest part of the day. This is also true for rabbits housed indoors.

Omlet and your small pets

Summer isn’t without its challenges, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy it with your pets. With our rabbit and guinea pig hutches, large outdoor rabbit and guinea pig runs, and outdoor run covers, you can provide plenty of shaded support for your pets throughout the summer. With an Omlet rabbit or guinea pig setup, you can enjoy a frozen treat together with your rabbits or guinea pigs, and rest easy knowing they’re being supported all summer long.