my rabbit has very hot ears: is it a fever?

Question
What does it mean when the rabbits ears are burning hot?  Does that mean he/she has a fever? If so how would I reduce it?

Answer
Dear Abigail,

A rabbit thermoregulates with his/her ears, so if they are hot to the touch, it may not necessarily mean that the bunny has a fever.  Normal body temperature is 101-103F, so that would feel pretty hot to the touch if the bunny is relaxed and just shunting normal blood flow to the ears.

HOWEVER, if you are not sure, and if the ears really feel unusually hot, then here is how to tell if bun is sick, as well as how to properly take her temperature:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

Temperature can tell you a lot of things, as the article above describes.  But if your bunny does have a fever, it is likely she has a bacterial infection.  That means she needs to be seen by a rabbit-savvy vet ASAP--like TODAY--before it becomes something that could be life-threatening.

Please find a bunny vet here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

Do this especially if you don't feel comfortable taking bun's temperature.  It's usually better to have an expert show you how before you do anything that could hurt your bun.  So if in doubt, I'd get her to a good rabbit vet for a full checkup, including taking temperature.

Hope this helps.

Dana