housing a rabbit outside?

[tikeyas_mom]

what are your oinions about housing a rabbit outside through winter and summer.

[Karen]

It depends on where you live, what kind of housing, the temperament of the rabbit and how much time the bunny will get to spend with his/her people. I would never confine a bunny to an outdoor hutch with no social interaction with people for days at a time, especially since we've owned Miss Hoppy, and know how much she loves just to be with us. And it's not a fit night out for man nor beast here tonight!

[tikeyas_mom]

well there are these ppl that live up the street from me and they have their lil rabbit housed outside and it has been really bad weather lately..

[carole]

It certainly depends where you live, and how good your outdoor hutch is, here in NZ it would be fine, well in the upper or lower north island at least, my son had a bunny lickrish, she was in an outdoor hutch, she was fine, it was very sheltered, and on wheels so in the summer I could make sure she was under a tree and shaded.

[tikeyas_mom]

well this one up the street in one the gournd and it isnt very well sheltered, it had a wodden top and wire body, the snow goes in the cage, they have blankets in the cage to though...

[carole]

We never have snow where I live in the winter, but if we did, I would choose to house my bunny indoors, however I suppose wild bunnies survive outdoors in the snow, so I don't really know.

[Twisterdog]

I personally have a big problem with this.

For one thing ... yes, wild rabbits live in very cold climates .... but they are wild rabbits, with dense coats, not domesticated pets. Also, they dig burrows deep under ground, where they can escape the weather. A pet rabbit locked in a wire hutch is unable to find shelter.

I HATE animals kept outside in the cold, or heat, or rain. If you are going to get a pet, it should live in the house, as part of the family, IMO. Otherwise, why bother to get a pet at all?? :mad:

[Kfamr]

Ditto everything Twisterdog said. :)


NO animal, as a pet, should be kept outside 24/7.

[Aspen and Misty]

Ditto Twisterdog and Kfamr!


Ashley

[wolfsoul]

I don't agree with rabbits outside. When I was 11, I had this sweet little dwarf bunny named Rascal. When I came home from vacation, my mom told me that sad news. It had gotten above 40 degrees, and Rascal couldn't handle it. He died. And she just left him out there.

[tikeyas_mom]

i agree that rabbits shoulnt be left outside. it seems crule.

[Daisylover]

Absolutely, positively a domesticated rabbit should not be housed outside.....esp in a cage on the ground for crying out loud!!!!! The poor thing could have a heart attack when a predator tries to get to it...and they will, sooner or later. Besides the water and food will freeze almost immediately and a rabbit has to be able to eat pretty much 24/7. Also domesticated rabbits need interaction with people or they become afraid of them and unmanageable....and then people wonder why their bunny doesn't love them anymore.

That is a terrible situation and that rabbit needs to be removed by the owner in to the house or to a humane society/sanctuary.
And yes, Twisterdog is right on the money, why have a pet you don't/can't interact with! Dumb, dumb, dumb!

[tikeyas_mom]

when did I say that the ppl dont interact with the rabbit?? :confused: I didnt say that, they play with it everyday. The hutch is very big too. But I dont think it is nice to have him outside all the time, they bring him inside toplay with him though. I shall offer to sell them one of my metal kenels to house it in tilll the summer.

[Karen]

How long have they had the rabbit? How old is it? Perhaps printing off some pages about "house rabbits" would help copnvince them it can be an inside bunny. Lots of people do not know rabbits are able to be housebroken, maybe they don't know. If they take it inside and play with it every day, obviously they care. Do they have other pets it might need to be protected from inside? Never assume ignorance is intentional - gie them information and a chance! After all FloppsyLadySally's bunny got to come inside!

[tikeyas_mom]

Originally posted by Karen
How long have they had the rabbit? How old is it? Perhaps printing off some pages about "house rabbits" would help copnvince them it can be an inside bunny. Lots of people do not know rabbits are able to be housebroken, maybe they don't know. If they take it inside and play with it every day, obviously they care. Do they have other pets it might need to be protected from inside? Never assume ignorance is intentional - gie them information and a chance! After all FloppsyLadySally's bunny got to come inside!

it is like almost a year old, they got it from a breeder, he is a male not neutered. His name is checkers, They have had the rabbit since it was 8 weeks old. They have a dog, it is a cocker, not spayed.. :eek:... but I cant do anything about it. The cocker doesnt mind the bunny, the cocker is like 11 years old. I will try to convince them to bring the bunnie inside, BUT I dont have a printer, and my school charges ppl for paper. I have a litter box, but I need it for my cat lol. other wise I would lend it to them for the rabbit.

[zanzanfergie]

Zander is an outdoor rabbit. Fergus was too. They have been all their lives. Winter is not a problem - where we live, the temperature rarely dips below 10 degrees celcius, and snow is unheard of. In Summer it can get quite hot. The rule we have made is, that if it gets above 32 degrees celcius, we lay out a wet towel for him to lay on, and an ice pack to rest on, and move his hutch to the shade. If it gets above 38 degrees celcius then he comes inside until the heat passes.

I know the objections some of you have with this, but I think your fears for the happiness of the rabbits is, at least in some cases, unfounded.

Zander has a schedule, because since he is such an intelligent rabbit I know he could easily bore. In the morning he has his 'breakfast' of half a bowel of seeds, some strawberries or melon, or perhaps apple, and some fresh hay, which he eats, and then he naps for most of the morning. This is still inside his hutch. He also likes to watch the birds out of the corner of his eyes, who come for the seeds, or gnaw on his woodblock, or graze on the grass in the open section of the hutch.

In the afternoon, Mum lets him out of his hutch. Our backyard is completely enclosed. He knows his way around since he has had this couple of hours playtime since he was a kitten, when we first brought him home. I still remember the first time he and Fergus learned to climb the steps to the backdoor - it was a big moment. I was very proud. Mum is home. She keeps an eye on Zander through the kitchen window. He mostly plays during this time, he has his favourite places to go, and things to do, and likewise Fergus. Like some of you know, Zander does 'laps', jumping in pots, leaping onto the windowsill. He doesn't eat plants, neither he nor Fergus ever were interested in that. Nor does he dig anymore (for a brief period, at the age of about six months, he did go through a digging phase - nothing serious, just potholes in the lawn). If it's a warm day he also likes to hide under the ferns in the back garden, where it's lovely and cool, and stretch out on his belly. People who have rabbits will know what I'm talking about - the complete sprawl. Sometimes he hangs around on the lawn, playing games with the birds, chasing them away.

I know predators is a big concern for a lot of you, but honestly, they're not a problem for us here, and never have been in the eight years I've been keeping guinea pigs and rabbits outdoors. Lilke I've said, the yard is completely enclosed, so dogs aren't an issue. And don't tell me a yard can't be completely dog proof - if you can prevent your dogs from escaping from your yard, can't we prevent dogs from getting in? Cats are different, because they could get in if they wanted, although there mustn't be many around here because I've only ever seen a couple. We're not a cat populated community around here, I guess. Besides which, we spoke to several different vets (since we changed vets when Zander was about ten months old), and all of them said that cats do not pose a predatory threat to rabbits. They're just not big enough to seriously consider something as stocky as a rabbit prey. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, are a different story, and that's why they are in their hutch all the time, unless supervised in their pig-pen.

We interact every single day with Zander. When I get home from school, at about 4:30, he is still outside playing. When he hears the backdoor bang he comes hopping up to the backdoor, and let me pet him, or pick him up if he's not busy on some other project. Then I give him a fruit jelly treat, and play awhile (he likes to dig my shoe laces, and I like to kiss his head). Then I set him down and he goes to play again, but I stay out there, and at various intervals he'll come back and say hello for a pat and a chat. At about 5:30, or later in summer, I fix his hutch for him with fresh straw, water. Then I take the seed box out and rattle it, which he knows is his signal for bedtime, so he goes to his hutch and waits while I pour him his dinner. Then we close his hutch, and that is his day. He has a ramp from the lawn area of his hutch to his actual 'bed'. The bed is completely enclosed, weather proof, predator proof.

I know some of you will and do object to this, but I think that Zander is a happy rabbit, and that he has a good and full life. I am not allowed to have 'house pets' (except for the birds, they are different), that's why I'm not allowed a dog or cat. So if Zander and the guinea pigs weren't housed outdoors I guess they would still be at the RSPCA.

[Twisterdog]

Besides which, we spoke to several different vets (since we changed vets when Zander was about ten months old), and all of them said that cats do not pose a predatory threat to rabbits. They're just not big enough to seriously consider something as stocky as a rabbit prey.

I'm sorry, but this is not true at all. When my sister had cats, they regularly killed rabbits, and brought them home. She would find her cat guarding a dead rabbit on the porch often. And, even if the cat does not actually kill a rabbit, it can severely injure it with its claws and/or teeth, causing an absess or infection. Also, rabbits have been known to die simply from fright, if they are locked in a cage and a predator is trying to get them. I have seen this happen. If there aren't many cats in your area, that's better ... but please do not think your rabbits are safe from any cat. The fact of the matter is, cats can and do kill and injure rabbits all the time.

[RockyRoad]

I'm happy that the people interact with the rabbit, but the rabbit should not be kept out in the cold, or on the ground.

My dad kept Floppsy in a large wooden hutch outside for a few years, and it took A LOT of knowledge and persuasion to get him to let Floppsy move inside. Like Daisylover said, outdoor rabbits usually get afraid of humans if they do not have a lot of interaction with them like indoor rabbits do. Usually, I would spend a few hours outside with Floppsy, but this just could not happen every day, so naturally when she first came inside, she was petrified. She still sort of is, because she was housed outside for a long period of time, but I work with her A LOT and I think it has gotten wayyy better. :)

[Fox-Gal]

I have 2 rabbits and they live outside and no I don't think it's wrong or bad if handled right.

First we live in Florida so cold is not a problem. As for getting to hot, thier cage is built under a huge 200 year old oak tree....it's always nice under there. On those day where we feel it's might get to hot, there is power run to the cage and they have a nice fan system my husband built.

Second their cage is huge about 12 foot by 12 foot with all kinds of different leavells for them including tunnels for them to hide in. It's built on the ground, floored in with a metal bottom so they can't dig out, covered with about a foot of sand/ straw. The sides are also metal so they can't chew on it and get out that way. The roof is half covered, the other half is metal fencing for safety. They have several round windows also covered by metal fencing over screen. The cage is also tall enough so I can get in there with them and play, which I do.

Honstly I think they have it very good compaired to most. I'd love to have them inside full time, but dogs, cats and rabbits just don't mix well. They do come inside sometimes and get lots of love.

Maybe some feel I shouldn't have them if they can't be inside and I respect your views, but I rescued these rabbits and have done the best I can to make sure they are safe, happy and loved. And If you asked them I think they will agree with me, I've giving them a good life.

We do the best we can to make sure ALL our pets are very well taken care of, even if others might not agree with our ways, we know we have done right by them all.

So yes rabbits can live outside if done right and thought out, as long as they get their contact with humans. Left outside just to be caged and feed is wrong.

[carole]

To be honest I have never ever seen a Rabbit housed indoors in my country, maybe breeders only, reading the posts those of you who do have them housed outdoors, take wonderful care of them, they are indeed spoilt, so I donot think these particular bunnys are being hard done by, they are loved and well provided for.
As for cats, oh YES they do indeed catch and eat bunny's, we had a wild one in the section once, we went a way for a holiday and my neighbour said she saw a cat catch it and run away with it. they do indeed pose a threat to the safety of your bunny if not housed correctly, there are dog-cat proof fencing material that would be most effective on a hutch.

I can well understand your concerns, maybe a kind word to them regarding this might be appropriate, as Karen said education is the way to go sometimes.

[zanzanfergie]

Originally posted by carole
To be honest I have never ever seen a Rabbit housed indoors in my country
Me either, actually. It's highly unusual in Australia. I'd never heard of an indoor rabbit before I came to Pettalk.

Twisterdog...I accept what you say, and I appreciate that you express it in such a nice way. But honestly, I've gone over it many times in my own mind and am happy that Zander's safe. Nothing could make me compromise his safety, so you have to believe me when I say that in this area, cats are not going to pose a threat. At the same time, he is always supervised, if not directly.

But thankyou for your concern. And thankyou Fox-Gal too, you write very nicely, far better than I can express what I know to be true.

[Fox-Gal]

Originally posted by zanzanfergie
And thankyou Fox-Gal too, you write very nicely, far better than I can express what I know to be true.

Not a problem, we outside rabbit owners have to stick toghter. ;)

As long as you know in your heart that your guys are safe happy and loved, that is what counts. Outside can be safe is you do eveything just right and think about the needs of the rabbits.

It's those people that put them is small wooden cages in their back yard only to feed them, not thinking about the needs of the rabbits that piss me off.

Our rabbits home is so nicely built that I move into it, if I had too. ;) ;) ;)

[Heather Wallace]

Four of my bunnies live in a 8x6 sized shed in the garden where they are safe and during the winter months they are protected by the frost.

Here is the bunny shed
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p9e549150132c7ba2e982087ea7a86bed/fc919e38.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/pa3b49601f3159dbeea075d0e8c3d8342/fc91975b.jpg

Cadbury and twinkle looking out of their window
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid82/pcffb7533e3aeecc6685faba3b062cefa/faeeb3aa.jpg