Should I take him outside??

[somebunny243]

Hello all!

I have a male, 3 y/o dwarf rabbit that I adopted from a rescue shelter when he was about 2. Due to this fact I know very little about his previous life, but under my care he has always been a free-range and indoor rabbit. I would like to investigate taking him outside for short periods of time but I’m unsure as to how this might affect him if he’s never been outside before.

I live in Canada where we have snow (and beyond freezing temperatures) during the winter months and lots of heat during the summer. I am not considering putting him in an outdoor pen, but I would like to find out if he would benefit or enjoy going out onto the deck with us while on a rabbit harness/leash. My plan is to open the door and give him the opportunity to go outside (on a leash) if he chooses to so it’s not an unwanted shock for him. However, it’s currently winter and we have lots of snow so I’m wondering if he would get sick? Would he have a winter coat if he’s always inside? Do house rabbits benefit from going outside and are there specific ways to introduce this?

Any advice would help! Thanks

[Roberta]

My advice would be to keep him inside and safe… Harnesses present a whole range of dangers in them selves before you even start to look at the concerns of being out of doors. Even on a harness a bunny can be scooped up by an eagle or a hawk and injured or killed… They can panic and cause injuries to their spines and limbs if they are restricted to a harness… Then there are bugs such as fleas, flies, mosquitoes, mites… Plus diseases like Myxo and Calicci…
Many members give their buns a taste of out doors by bringing in a litter tray of snow to play in or fresh grasses (well washed and from an area that is pesticide free)

[Beka27]

Harnesses aren’t safe, but you could take him out in an enclosed pen for supervised playtime. I wouldn’t do it in the dead of winter, but maybe in the spring when it’s more mild.

With that said, I don’t take our rabbit outside and never have. We live in a very wooded area with increased fleas. For us, it’s not worth the risk.

[MoveDiagonally]

I agree with the advice already given.

I don’t take my rabbits outside at all either mostly because we’ve had incidences of Myxi in my area.

[mia]

My buns have supervised (I sit in there with them) outside time in a pen; I live in an area with very moderate temperatures. One of the three truly loves it and you can see her little bunny heart burst with happiness; she also loved (supervised) digging in sand. The other one could care less while the last one is curious but isn’t a big deal for him since he was a stray. So as far as the benefits, YMMV.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I think we all have this idea at some time, that a rabbit would love to go outside and eat fresh grass and enjoy the air and sunshine. But the reality is that outside is dangerous (predators, temperature, bugs that carry diseases etc) and scary. Trust me your rabbit is wonderfully happy being a free range safe rabbit no need to venture outside

[Deleted User]

I asked the same question not so long ago and for ‘all’ my replies – I was encouraged to keep my Henry indoors. As suggested above, especially being free range – they are not missing out on anything, except possible ‘mis’adventure. I am still gonna hang onto his outdoor hutch as once a year I have my house sprayed for pests – and that will be the only time Henry will have to endure the outdoors. (funny though – the one time I put Henry outside for the pest spray, I honestly believe he ‘hated’ it!). I know it sounds wonderful, the thought of our bunny frolicking outdoors – but na! Frolicking ‘safely’ indoors sounds perfectly wonderful to me. Cheers somebunny243.

Edit/Add – and please don’t do the harness, the stories I’ve heard……  All the best.

[somebunny243]

Thank you for making us feel like Peter’s not missing out on the outdoors! Cheers to you and Henry as well

[somebunny243]

An extended thank you to all for your advice. No harnesses (as I originally neglected to investigate these dangers), or outdoor experiences will be persued with our bun in the near future! ??

[Deleted User]

Good for you somebunny243 – I know Peter will be super happy being secure inside (just like my Henry). I/we haven’t heard much from you on BB – we would love to hear more from you, so please post about your Peter or share your experiences with us. He (Peter) looks sooo cute – don’t keep him all to yourself, ha ha hah! Share!

[Bam]

I don’t think a bunny is very happy in a harness – I think a bunny would absolutely love to roam free outdoors, run and dig and binky and smell the grass and the wind etc without the risk of encountering predators or other lethal dangers – but that’s simply not an option för like 99,9 % of all pet rabbits. I think they’re better off indoors if the alternative is getting to go out on a porch wearing a harness. The dangers are too many, the pleasure not big enough to make it worth it.

I have an outdoor hutch-run that I sometimes use in the summer. It’s fairly big, so a bunny can binky in it. But I constantly worry about tick-borne diseases and mosquitos and fly-strike.

[DaisyBunz]

I wouldn’t recommend it. Actually, Snow and cold doesn’t phase bunnies, and they can handle -30 temps without any considerations. There are lots of reasons why outdoor playtime isn’t safe for bunnies. I have stopped letting my bunnies out to play in their pens – too much risk.

House rabbits are not used to outdoor noises – Rabbits are prey animals, which means they scare easily. Inside, usually with closed doors and windows, a house rabbit doesn’t hear many noises that will scare them. Outside, however, the overload of sound can be terrifying and can send a fragile bunny into shock.

Planes, cars, children, lawn mowers — you name it, any sudden, loud noise can send your placid house bunny into apoplexy.

House rabbits are not used to heat – Most rabbit owners want their pet house bunnies to play outside in the summer as the idea of all that sun sounds lovely. For a house rabbit, who is usually used to a constant, comfortable temperature, it’s not remotely fun particularly as he can overheat in minutes.

Unless you can be absolutely sure your rabbit is in a garden where the heat index is lower than 75 degrees, having a house rabbit play outside really isn’t a good idea. If you do decide to let him outside, however, please do it in the morning before the heat of the day hits.

Pesticides on grass – Many people who have a lawn also treat it with pesticides, so a rabbit grabbing huge mouthfuls of grass to eat can easily become ill. Unless your lawn is pesticide free, don’t let your rabbit out on the grass. The chemicals on it could kill him.

Rabbits are prey animals – Remember, rabbits are the quintessential prey animal. What that means is any passing hawk, cat, dog or even child.

Bugs – Rabbits can be bitten by mosquitoes, flies, contract fleas or come into contact with any number of other nasty creepy crawlies. Remember, a rabbit that has spent all his life indoors does not have the immunity an outdoor rabbit may have and can easily be bitten by something that could make him very sick. Myxo is a deadly disease brought on by Mosquitos. I doubt that in the cold in Canada there is myxo, but you can never be too sure.

Rabbits can escape – Rabbits are natural diggers and, boy, do they love to dig. Unfortunately, out in the back yard digging can mean a quick escape for a fast rabbit and, once out in the open without your protection, he would likely die. Hit by a car, picked off by a dog or a cat, or dying of starvation or cold. All of these things, and more, have happened to pet rabbits that have escaped, with the vast majority never being seen by their owners again.

These are all reasons why, while it may sound like fun for your pet house rabbit to play outside in the garden, most of the time it really isn’t. Besides, if he has a lot of room to run around indoors and fun things to play with, there’s absolutely no reason he needs to be out on the back lawn anyway.

[DaisyBunz]

Sorry for the double post….just deleted it..

[BunnyLady1989]

I usually only take my bunny outside when it’s time for a trip to the vet, but once in a while, weather permitting of course (we live in Michigan),I will take her out on her harness and leash for a little bit of play time. We live in a very quiet area with plenty of shade. She loves to go dig in the dirt. But if I take her out I always inspect her for any bites and as a precaution I will treat her for fleas. But honestly she’s lucky if she goes out five times throughout the year to play. Last year she only went out three times. We prefer taking trips to the nearest Starbucks honestly. I personally feel like it’s a very gray area, and I wouldn’t take Lulu out if I wasn’t always right next to her and if we lived in a different area. I would just make sure you take the proper precautions with whatever you would decide

[Author]

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