Angora bunny care/illnesses

Question
I just purchased my first bunny - 11 month old albino angora male.  Presently, he is in the garage in a 36" hutch with a fan that circulates the air, but doesn't blow on him or the cage directly.  The temp has gotten to 80+ degrees.  A frozen water bottle is in the cage to help keep him comfortable.  Today, he has sneezed several times with several reps.  The vet is not available this evening.  What should I do and what is the best way to house him.  I was told to keep him outside, but thought it was even hotter out there than in the garage, currently.  He's a treasure and I want to be sure to correctly care for him.  Please help.  

Answer
Hi ,

All of my rabbits are outside all the time - even in below zero weather and on the hottest days of the summer (they have shelter and shade from harsh conditions, and good circulation from those summer breezes, but are outside).  When bunnys are kept inside they tend to become suseptible to the slightest draft which can cause serious infections.  The frozen water bottle is a good idea, but not really necessary in 80 degree weather.  He may have just had something in his nose and needed to sneeze to get it out.  I do not recommend cedar or pine shavings as bedding - in fact I don't use any bedding at all except for my expectant mothers who need to build nests.  If you must use bedding, aspen is the best.  There is a much lower risk of causeing reperatory problems with this wood versus pine or cedar.  If you don't see a runny, discharge around his nose or on his front paws, and his eyes are clear with no tears then he was probably just sneezing something out of his nose.  IF you do notice that his nose and or front paws are matted, wet or generally yucky (like that technial term?) then you need to get him to a vet for some Baytril to treat an upper resperatory infection called Snuffles.  This is a very contagious infection and can be very serious, but usually shows the above symptoms on top of the sneezing.  

Hope this helps, let me know if you need anything else - c_n_spots@yahoo.com  ----- Brenda