← Health section Call a vet now Critical risk Affects kits
Heat stroke
Rabbits cannot sweat and shed heat poorly, so heat stroke is a common killer in the Uzbek summer. A cage in the sun, a tin roof, no ventilation or travelling in the heat can kill a rabbit within hours. This is an emergency: cool the rabbit at once and call a vet.
When to call a vet
Call a vet now
This can’t wait: call a vet immediately.
Call a vet right away — even if the rabbit recovers, its internal organs may be damaged
Symptoms
- Fast, shallow breathing or breathing with the mouth open
- Hot, red ears
- Lying stretched out on the side, weak and not moving
- A wet nose and mouth, drooling
- Convulsions, collapse and death
What to do
- 1 Move the rabbit into shade and a cool, airy place immediately
- 2 Cool it gradually: wet the ears with cool, not ice-cold, water and wrap it in a damp towel
- 3 Offer cool water if it can swallow, but do not pour it in by force
- Call a vet right away — even if the rabbit recovers, its internal organs may be damaged
What not to do
- Never dunk the rabbit in ice water — sudden cooling causes shock
When it strikes
Days above about 30 °C — mostly June to August in Uzbekistan, plus heat waves in late May and September; pregnant and nursing does, heavy adults and kits in the nest suffer first.
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Prevention
- Keep cages in shade all day; insulate the roof or cover it with reeds or shade cloth
- Keep air moving past the cages
- Always provide cool, clean water and check drinkers several times a day
- On hot days put a frozen water bottle or a ceramic tile in the cage
- Move transport, mating and handling to early morning or evening, and keep fewer rabbits per cage in summer
Causes
- Cages in direct sun or sheds under tin roofs that heat up
- Poor ventilation and crowding
- Water running out or getting hot
- Transporting, handling or mating in the midday heat
- Pregnant and fat does, thick-coated breeds and kits in the nest box are most at risk