caring for a bunny in the hotter weather

Question
Hello.  
Last summer we sadly had our pet Holland Lop die, I'm assuming from the heat.  Our hutch is on our shaded porch, though it does get some sun in the later part of the afternoon.  There is often, but not always, a breeze, but it does get hot and humid in KY in the summer.  We put frozen water bottles in the hutch, kept the water filled and cool.  We also kept a fan blowing on her, but it was apparently not enough.  

We replaced that bunny in early fall with a Netherland...what were we thinking...she is short-eared and BLACK...and already seeming to be uncomfortable in the heat.  We have the fan blowing on her, which she seems to love, but I am thinking that we ought to bring her inside during the hottest part of the afternoon this summer.  We do have a good sized indoor bunny cage (I can't/won't let her fun free in the house) that I can set up in our basement, but I am wondering if that is really the safest thing to do.  Is it OK for the bunny to go back and forth from inside to outside in the summer?  I recently read that you should NOT do that in the winter, so I'm being cautious before bringing her in on the hotter summer days.  Wanted to check it out with a bunny expert.  Thanks for your time.

Answer
Dear Debbie,

Without question, the bunny should be inside whenever the temperature reaches higher than about 75 Farenheit.  Rabbits cannot sweat, so though the fan can provide some convective cooling, it won't really help reduce body temperature significantly if the bunny becomes overheated.

Shade isn't enough when it gets hot.  Bunny needs to come inside where the air conditioning will keep him safe and cool.  Bring him in before it gets warm, and don't worry about "cold shock" coming in from the heat.  Heat is far more dangerous to rabbits than cold!

For information on litterbox training, spay/neuter and all the tips to make your bunny a permanent indoor member of the family (ours are never caged), please visit:

www.rabbit.org/

Hope that helps!

Dana