# Will frozen ceramic tiles in cages help beat the heat?



## rabbithappy (Jun 24, 2009)

Hi everyone,
It is starting to get hot here. I'm in north Arkansas & am beginning to dread the really hot weather that is bound to be coming soon. Most of my rabbits are in outdoor hutches. I have 2 oscillating fans that I use on them when its hot & last year also put frozen bottles of water in their cages. This year, to save freezer space, I thought I'd try the idea I read about where you put ceramic tiles in the freezer overnight. Then the next day, put one in each cage for the rabbit to lay on. Well, I got some tiles yesterday & put them in the deep freeze yesterday evening. Around noon today I put one in each cage. The rabbits LOVED them! But, I was very disappointed that in an hour, they were lukewarm to the touch. Not even what I would call cool. Did I buy the wrong thing. Was it granite tiles that hold the cold longer. I'm not sure I can afford granite. Have no idea what that would cost. I'm starting to freak out though, because one of my momma rabbits was panting much harder than the others this afternoon. I put the fan closer to her so she would get more of the air. It seemed to help. But its only 86 today ( heat index is 90 ). What on earth am I going to do when it gets 95 to 105??? Last yesr I bought my rabbits after the real bad heat spell was over & the rest of the summer was unusually mild. So, I'm now facing this upcoming heat for the first time. I sure wish I were rich enough to have an air conditioned rabbit barn! I had looked at stackable cages w/pans & just put them in the storage shed with an air conditioner for the summer. I guess thats always an option, but don't really want to go to all that unless I absolutely have to. BTW, I pulled the nest box with my 8 day old litter & put them, box & all, in the spare room for the day till tonight so they don't overheat. This is easy & do-able for the babies, but I'm wondering if its very hard on the moms, maybe I shouldn't breed anymore till fall. On the other hand, if I don't keep them in a breeding cycle, it could be very hard to get them bred come fall. Advice on all this, anybody? Thanks!


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## nancy237 (May 29, 2008)

I would think the thicker the better to hold the cold.
A brick would be interesting but would also be heavy for a cage.
They could just lay beside it the way they do the frozen water bottles.

I have been using frozen gallon milk jugs (with water of course)
and if I put them in about 1 when we are hitting the hottest part of the day they seem to stay cold til 4 or 5. That with a fan seems too keep mine 
from overheating...


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

I was looking at the tiles they sell in the pet stores for chinchillas, and they were granite. However, you could buy maybe two of the ceramic ones per bunny, and switch them every couple of hours or so on the hottest part of the day, Or go back to frozen bottles. 

I don't know anything about the breeding, hopefully someone else will help out there.


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## fetch33 (Jan 15, 2010)

What about frozen bottles of water for the rabbit to lie against? Seem like that would last longer... esp if it were 2 liter bottles!


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## rabbithappy (Jun 24, 2009)

Well, the bottles are what I used last year, both gallon jugs & 2 liter bottles. They worked ok, but we had a milder summer last year than usual. Also, my biggest problem with the bottles is that they take up so much freezer space! I have 13 cages, so thats alot of bottles! I can put way more tiles in a much smaller space. A real bummer that they didn't hold the cold as long as I had expected them to.


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## Ghost321 (Apr 4, 2010)

rabbithappy said:


> Well, the bottles are what I used last year, both gallon jugs & 2 liter bottles. They worked ok, but we had a milder summer last year than usual. Also, my biggest problem with the bottles is that they take up so much freezer space! I have 13 cages, so thats alot of bottles! I can put way more tiles in a much smaller space. A real bummer that they didn't hold the cold as long as I had expected them to.


Do you have a roof over your area where your cages are hung? If so you could look into putting misters or sprinklers on the roof to cool down the roof and walls in the hottest part of the day. A timer would be best, say from 1PM to 4PM. Just a thought.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

ceramic tiles would work, yes...marble would be better (holds cold longer) I've seen Home Depot selling 12"x12" marble tiles(1/2" thick) for a buck or two.

another thing you could do, is a thin tray of ice, and lay the tile on top of the ice. That would hold the cold much longer. put the ice or icecubes inside a towel for insulation perhaps?

remember, too, that just like humans, the rabbit will be feeling nasty hot the first few days of summer..then gradually adjust to it. Not completely, but you know how in the spring, the first warm days feel HOT when it's really only 70ish or cooler? and then in the Fall, after a summer of 100F, it turns to 70...and we're putting on jackets!


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## trinityoaks (Sep 17, 2008)

I think I would try 2-3 sets of ceramic tiles in the refrigerator (I don't know that freezing them would make them hold the cold any longer) and rotate them throughout the hottest part of the day. I like the marble idea, too. You may be able to get largish chipped or broken pieces for very little money (sand down any sharp edges). I would also use frozen bottles of water, box fans, etc., whatever it takes.

I'm blessed to have an attached garage that adjoins the house on two sides, so it rarely gets below 40F in the winter or above 85F in the summer, no matter what the outside temps (which can range from below 0F to near 100F).


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## Frenchy (Sep 28, 2005)

rabbithappy said:


> maybe I shouldn't breed anymore till fall. On the other hand, if I don't keep them in a breeding cycle, it could be very hard to get them bred come fall. Advice on all this, anybody? Thanks!




Well not breeding during the hottest part of the summer is probably best, I learned the hard way one year an tried to push it to long into the summer an lost 3 does to heat while trying to kindle .... an yes some does are hard to get to rebreed after letting them go during the summer but once you get them back into the cycle in the fall they seem to do ok you just have to stay with it an pay attention to the details when trying to work with them after the hot part of the year.....I use the water bottles an fans too, I think I might try your tile idea myself I have my rabbits in a carport type building but I have the ceiling insulated to cut some of the heat .....best of luck to you let us know how ya do with them this summer..........

by the way where ya at in AR (_I am close to Mena_) an what kind of rabbits are you raising?? (_I am changing over from Californians to just Dutch only_)


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