A dear friend just lost a devastating number of valuable rabbits to heat stroke in an air-conditioned barn. I won't give details. That's hers to tell to the ones she chooses to know it. I will say it wasn't due to loss of electricity. I'm writing to bring awareness of the risks to others who have or are considering air-conditioning.
I know some who rely on AC in their rabbit barns also have back-ups for it. Generator for power outage, or some sort of system in place to get notification of a power outage if not at home when it happens. But these only help if AC failure was due to loss of electricity. There can be other causes, and if there is no one on site to act quickly, it will be a disaster.
The main thing to remember about AC is the basic requirement for it to be efficient. That being a tightly sealed and insulated space to keep cool air in and hot air out. This is why AC failure will become so devastating. There is no air exchange and the space will heat up very quickly. Imagine being in a sealed box when it's 80 degrees or more outside. The inside of the box will be much hotter than the outside air. If the box is exposed to the sun...well, you get the picture.
Is AC in the rabbitry necessary or even advised? It depends. A hot climate may make it necessary. The breed may require it. I have the smallest breed and they have normal fur. Dwarfs can take the heat better than larger or wooled breeds. A long-eared breed can take it better than short furry ears. Rabbits vent some heat through the blood vessels in their ears. If there is no other option to keep your rabbits from over-heating, you may need AC.
BUT. A whole bunch of buts here. Have a back-up system for power outages. If you don't have that, you should only rely on AC if there is someone at home most of the time. Have a plan to deal with AC failure quickly. If you can't do any of those things, you might want to think of something else.
As I said, my little rabbits handle heat pretty well. Of course they wouldn't in a sealed space, but they get by without AC. I tried it the first summer I had the shed. Hated it. My barn isn't insulated, and the window size would only accept the smallest of AC units. The barn was fully exposed to the sun all day long. At the time, I had stackers and pans, and the smell was awful. There just wasn't enough moving air. And that little unit barely kept the barn the same temperature as the outside, let alone cooler. About all it did was lower the humidity. Not to mention the electric bill. Hated it. It didn't last long.
Here are some things I did to keep the bunnies safe. My shed was ordered with southern summer in mind. There's a window on 3 sides. I keep the door open during the day and there is air flow from all sides. It has light colored siding and roofing to reflect solar heat. I planted the west side with a garden that included shade trees. Those trees are mature now and I can really see the difference. I wanted to plant the south (door) side but haven't figured out the best way to do it without it being in my way. I hung shade cloth in that opening, as well as blinds on the sunny side windows. When I had stackers and pans, I cleaned more often. Manure and urine generate a lot of heat, and that heat is directly under the rabbits. And of course, fans. The barn is wired for electricity so I can run fans or heaters. I use oscillating fans. This seems to work better than a fixed position fan to keep the air moving around all the cages.
I added the carport Summer House which doesn't even need a fan to keep the bunnies comfortable. Heck, I'm very comfortable out there. It's like being under a shady tree. I realize this isn't something everyone can do, but any open-air pavilion-style structure will work nicely, like a tent canopy or even a covered porch. The winds I get here required a sturdier structure than a temporary canopy, so I went with the metal carport. It was cost-efficient as well. At the time the 12 x 20 carport was installed for less than $700. They're probably a little more now, but still cheap enough to make them worth looking into. I know of rabbitries in climates hotter than mine using this type of open air setup and it works very well.
Moving as many rabbits as possible to the Summer House meant less body heat in the shed. I only keep working does in there during the summer. There are plenty of empty holes so I can arrange them in lower tiers where the air is cooler.
That brings up a related subject. If every inch of the barn is packed with cages, and every hole is occupied, you have no options. You can't arrange the rabbits so they can benefit from wherever the coolest air is. The closest I came to losing one to heat stroke was when I was in that situation. She was in the top of 4 tiers, and the stack was tightly fitted in the corner farthest from the door. The air stagnated and heated up there. I caught it just in time to save her. I didn't have very many empty holes at the time, and the best I could do was vacate the top holes in as many vulnerable stacks as possible. So it's wise to keep your options open going into summer, and I'm afraid that means keeping fewer rabbits.
I want to talk about another aspect of raising rabbits in AC, and it's one I wonder if some breeders consider. Where they go when they leave your possession. I've seen more than one seller state that their rabbits are raised in AC and won't fare well in heat. Anyone who doesn't have climate control is taking a big risk buying from that breeder. Those same breeders avoid shows that don't have air-conditioned facilities. Their rabbits couldn't take it if the building heated up enough to make humans uncomfortable. My bunnies acclimate to the heat as do their offspring. I see they're hot and uncomfortable (so am I), but they handle it with what I'm able to do for them. We can do summer shows.
If you are considering AC in the barn, look at all the pros and cons. If the cons outweigh the benefit, look into other options. There are more ways to cool a barn without AC, even more than I've done for my rabbitry. It isn't necessary to keep a barn at "room temperature" at all times. It's ok if they are hot sometimes. You actually make it harder for them to get through heat if they never experience change. The main thing is that your bunnies be safe at all times, even when you aren't there. If AC can't guarantee that, think of another way.
tnt
