Zach loves the heat, especially when it's dry like this. He's the type that can't stay warm even wearing tons of layers, so summer is definitely his favorite season (it's a sign of true love that he lets me turn the AC on in the house!) Joey and I, on the other hand, aren't so fond... I know I hate feeling so overheated, and it must be worse for him in his little fur coat!
Tonight we had a lovin' fest with Joey-buns. Poor little guy is hitting a second molt with summer approaching. Can't pet him without handfuls of bunny fur coming away with you! He's a mini Rex, so his fur is extra soft, but extra thick. Which means that as he sheds, the loose hair stays trapped in with the hair still attached. So, you pet him or comb him, and it's fistfuls of bunny fur in the air. Doing wonders for Zach's allergies, lemme tell you!
Bunny tummies are very sensitive too. During their molting seasons, you have to be very careful, because they can get hairballs very easily. This is especially a concern of long-haired breeds like angoras or jersey woolies. Unlike cats, bunnies can't cough up their hairballs, so they risk getting blockages from hairballs. Part of why they need to eat so much hay - keeps the digestive tract running smoothly. Bunny owners have to be very conscious of this during molting seasons, and things like extra grooming sessions help keep the buns from ingesting all that extra fur.
So, today we settled in for a couple petting/combing session with the buns. Good for Zach, good for Joey. Everyone wins! Joey cooperated very well, too! So proud of him :) Usually with grooming and nail-trimming and the like, he's very squirmy and not too cooperative, but today he sat very still and let us pet and brush him, get all that loose fur out. Not that he was having tons of fun, mind you, but maybe he could tell he was cooling off without all that extra fur. The second of these sessions was out of the patio, actually. Made it very easy to sweep away all the shed bunny fur. Swept away about another bunny's worth of hair, too! But it was all worth it - he looks so sleek now! And he was such a good boy through all of it! Even let him have his bedtime veggies a little early for behaving so well :) Yes, I am a pushover when it comes to my bunny - why do you ask?
So, yes, summer is arriving. And yes, there is a noticeable difference between wet and dry heat. Up to a point, humidity makes the same high temperature worse. However, when it's 120 degrees, it doesn't matter - it's dang hot! You feel different too - not like you're going to melt, more like you're going to totally overheat. Hard to describe, really. Guess that's the difference sweating (or actually feeling your sweat) makes! And we definitely still another good 30 degrees to go until we peak (they regularly reach temperatures in the 120s around here in the summer). We may have more coming, but summer's definitely arriving!
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