# Summer heat sterility in bucks



## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I don't remember having a problem before, but I was in Montana so I suspect the cool nights handled any problem there may have been. Kentucky is going to be different.

So I now have some questions about ways to avoid the possibility of having the bucks sterile in August and early September, since I'd like to breed for my first fall litters to arrive in mid to late September.

The cages are all wire and the shed where all the rabbits are housed is under heavy shade, which will help and I plan to have one or two fans up, which will also help. But I'm still going to be dealing with temperatures in the mid to high 80s and not cooling off at night.

So ... first, a question for breeders in the south ... is this a common problem and do you *expect* the bucks to have very low fertility, or be sterile, during July and August ... possibly into September? 

Second question, related to this ... do you also find the dark colored bucks are more sensitive to the heat? I have found to be true in both horses and dogs and have a black pony stallion that drops in fertility significantly once the temperatures reach the 80s consistently.

And ... here is another, maybe kind of off-the-wall thought ... we have an old, small travel trailer which is pretty much stripped out inside but does have a working air conditioner. 

If I move the bucks into this trailer and keep the a/c on (at least on a very low setting) once the temperatures start to get up ... say late June through early September ... would this avoid the heat sterility problem? Would there be reasons NOT to do this?


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

My buck is mainly black (tuxedo bunny) and I know he feels the heat more than the girls do. I give him an ice bottle when no one else needs or wants one. I'll be watching his young daughter this summer. She is totally black and it will be interesting to see how she handles the heat. If she seems to react badly I will likely save some of the brokens in future.

I was going to suggest moving your bucks into your house for the summer, but the trailer sounds like a good idea, as long as the A/C is reliable. It should help prevent heat sterility. You will have to be vigilant for ammonia build-up in the air, but if you have pans under the cages you can control that easily enough.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Does the heat affect the does too? Do they become sterile or have a problem with a litter in the heat? I"m renovating the garage and am going to put an air conditioner in it for the rabbits so I don't anticipate a problem but I'm curious.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

When I lived in Fla one of my bucks could come onto my nice shaded screen porch and run around or stretch out on the cool concrete floor. Ice bottles or into the AC when it was over 90 and I had litters all year. Maybe smaller litters, but part of that was probably the doe. The does were year round in roofed over all wire cages about three feet off the ground under heavy shade. When it got hot I would spray down the roof and sleeping boards with the hose and give ice bottles. For a doe and litter I had some sacrificial dish towels that I would wet and put in the freezer. They'd all stretch out on the frozen towel and that would see them through the hottest part of the hottest days. In four years I only lost one bunny to heat and I'm not even sure it was heat, it might have been a respiratory infection.


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

I did read to be sure to keep a back up buck (that must be why I have so many bucks) in case one went heat sterile. I think one of my bucks was, I just finally got a litter out of him last month, and I think we've been trying for six! None of the other bucks had problems.

I wasn't sure if I should blame the buck or the doe, since I had trouble getting the does to breed too. But all seems well now. 

I put ice bottles in with them and I have a fan, plus I would go spritz their ears with cool water if it was really hot. I sure wish I could build a rabbitry the was heated and cooled, but then I would be selling rabbits who were not hardy to other temps to people I suppose!

I did loose one rabbit last year to heat stroke, and 2 week old kits.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Truckinguy, I try not to have the does kindle from mid-June until the second week of August. In our climate heat stroke in rabbits is rare as long as they are in shade and have good ventilation. One very hot days, spritzing their ears helps a lot, as Beaniemom said. Sometimes they don't like it at first, so I put the mister bottle on as fine as possible and mist the air just above their heads, letting it drift down on them until they are good and damp. Only my buck seemed to appreciate the ice bottles, but your rabbits may be different.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

When it's hot out, I pop frozen water bottles in with the rabbits. Didn't have any problems last Summer, but that doesn't mean I won't have any this year.

As Maggie noted, my bucks seem to like the ice better than the does. The bucks actually snuggle up to them! But the does seem to like having them in the cage, just not right on top of them.

Pony!


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## bluebird2o2 (Feb 14, 2007)

I have mine in the basement now where its cool soo i get no heat sterility.Very young bucks will not be sterile from the heat.soo i save bucks that are 6 months old or soo too breed in the fall.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks, Maggie, I have only had these rabbits for a couple of months so this will be my first summer with them and I want them to be ok. I have to renovate the garage anyway and I have to get them out of the basement as I hope to have many more so it should work out. The garage will be well insulated so I don't think it will cost too much to run a small air conditioner for a few weeks when it gets really hot. I'm hoping to build something in the backyard this summer, sure wish I had a couple of acres!


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## moonkitten (Mar 4, 2005)

Truckinguy: I breed my rabbits all year long including the summer months, and have never lost a doe or litter to the heat. Since you have offspring of my rabbits, I would expect them to have the same ability to handle Ontario summers. My rabbits are in an uninsulated building, with windows on all 4 sides, roof exhaust fan and several box fans to keep air circulating, and they seem to do just fine. If you do get the a/c set up in the garage, they would be living in high luxury. Otherwise windows and a couple of box fans should be sufficient.

I have offered ice bottles to the rabbits in past years, and never found any that actually appreciated it. Most either huddled in the far side of the cage AWAY from the strange cold plastic item, or attacked and destroyed the bottle (which caused a flood of water on the floor when it eventually thawed) so I don't bother anymore. I do occasionally spritz the ears of a heavily pregnant doe that is panting, as was suggested.

You should also check nestboxes in the summer to make sure the doe hasn't been overly enthusiastic about fur-pulling. I leave enough fur to cover the babies lightly, but remove the excess in the hot months. That should help keep the kits from melting


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks, Moonkitten. I guess I just have a case of beginner jitters, I just want this to work out well and the bunnies to be comfortable. The garage is a car and a half garage and I will be having a working space out there as well so it will be air conditioned anyway. I guess I feel like a first time parent and worry about every little thing.


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## moonkitten (Mar 4, 2005)

Truckinguy said:


> I guess I feel like a first time parent and worry about every little thing.


Getting all the advice and info you can is a great plan! It can save you lots of headaches, so keep asking questions 

Of course, having said that, I also have to add the disclaimer: No matter how prepared you are, sometimes 'stuff' happens. :shrug: So don't get too stressed if everything isn't perfect - you're definitely doing the best you can and I don't think our rabbits can ask much more than that.


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## Truckinguy (Mar 8, 2008)

Hehe, I understand that things don't go according to plan, I know that only too well! I just don't want it to be my fault. 

I guess the flipside of this would be the cold but I understand they can handle the cold much better. Would extreme cold affect the bucks too?


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

i am currious to see if i will have a problem with sterility in my buck this summer, its really hot down here in the summer but they are on the ground in a colony so they can get down and dig into the cool earth under the coop, hopefully that is good enough, guess we will see huh.


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