Some bunnies like being outside. Some don’t. I think its up to her Maybe take her out and see what she thinks. Do you know what kinds of plants are outside? May help to know so we can look things u, rather than listing the entire “bad for buns” list

I personally would not risk it. I would be devastated if one of my bunnies got away from me because I tried to be nice and take them outside. My Zinnia was a stray bunny and she is so friendly and social that I wonder if she escaped from her owner as opposed to being turned loose like so many bunnies are.

i think as long as the fence you put her in is very secure and sturdy and you watch her the hole time you are out there i don’t think it would be a problem.

How high can she jump?

I suspect a fairly high fence, to discourage cats and such to not jump over it as well. And raccoons. Raccoons are scary.

Don’t forget birds. They can just swoop in.

Harness and leashes can be dangerous to rabbits- and there have been injuries when a rabbit panics.

I have let my rabbits experience outside by using a dog crate and not putting the bottom try in- that way their paws are on the grass- but I watch them the whole time as they could dig out- and even though our yard is fenced in- you never know how easy it will be to catch them- even though they are easy to catch inside- it could be a different matter outside.

Which reminds me- I should bring some snow inside soon and put it in the bathtub again this year to let the bunnies experience snow- Cotton and Schroeder got to play in it last year- but this is Griffin’s first winter.

KatnipCrzy: that sounds so funny with the snow! Could you please post pictures? My boyfriend tried to bring in a little bit this year, but they didn’t like it. It was too cold, I guess.

Sara: I’m a big believer in taking the bunnies outside for some fresh air. We actually discussed this not so long ago down in the habitat section. In that thread there are links to poisoneous plants, input on various types of outdoor pens, dangers and the benefits of letting a bunny out for a few hours a day.

EDIT: to make it easy on you – here is the link https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

I know that Cotton and Schroeder were also in the snow- but I must not have taken pics of them.  But this is Penny- my little Holland Lop (she died of cancer about 2 months after these photos).  So I am glad that I got these cute pics of her!  I think I must not have taken any of Cotton and Schroeder because we were trying to bond them- and there was some yellow snow and poos as a result- which does not make for a pretty snowy background.

Griffin (English Lop)  with his ultra long ears- I am not sure what he will think of the snow.  But his ears are HOT- there has been a couple of times I thought he peed on my just from the warmth of his ears holding him for awhile.  So his ears will probably melt the snow!

Sorry, for being OT, sara! Still your thread

Katnipcrzy: No 2 is really a good picture of her. I just have to ask, did she dig in it? Mine have an urge to dig, so this would be good for them. Maybe I should bring in some snow again. Do you have any concerns regarding the temperature switch? I’ve always learned that bunnies must not experience any temperature change of more than 10 celcius =50 fahrenheit, but I don’t know if bringing in snow in a box counts as a temperature change? It does cool them down.

Here are my feelings: It is risky-but it’s risky to take a shower realistically speaking.

Consider whether your bunny will enjoy being outside-are they fearful or bashful-or are they fun loving and adventurous?

What’s the temperature like? A big drop or elevation in temperature from in to outdoors can be stressful.

How easy is it to catch your bunny in the house? Mine stop when I say their name in that ‘tone’ and wait to be picked up. Can you catch your bunny easily? Because I would strongly advise NOT to use bunny harnesses or collars-they spook and can hurt themselves and even experienced bunny owners have had their bunnies die or break their backs on harnesses.

What’s the fence like? It should be at least three feet high and secure.

Are you going to watch her? If my bunnies go outside (only two do) I sit with them. It’s not relaxing for me-I don’t put my feet up and read a book because they could be gone in an instant (either by running, nibbling soemthing dangerous or a bird of prey, cat etc). I follow them around and sit when they sit and munch. You have to be extremely vigilient-within arms reach at all times.

So like I said-risky. But not without benefits. Kokanee and Kahlua had a blast in my parent’s garden (so they were fenced in inside a fenced yard) as everything in it was bunny friendly foods. Rupert loves going outside and Mikey follows him as closely as I do. Rupert loved that there was food everywhere and that he can watch birds. They do enjoy it. But I’m super close and tbh it’s not relaxing for me, since I can’t sit and relax too

Have you tried raisins? Monkey will do anything for a raisin…

I know Katnip expressed her opinion, but I just want to back her up on this… please consider not using a harness and leash. They really are not safe. Some rabbits can tolerate them and don’t freak out or try to get away… but we’ve all heard horror stories first-hand about rabbits either escaping from the harness, or they get “spooked” and try to get away and end up badly injuring themselves (for example: breaking their spines.)

If you are going to take your bun outside, close supervision is a must. And you want to use some kind of fenced-in area, either a covered xpen, dog crate (like Katnip suggested), or something you made out of wood or NIC grids. I would not trust an existing fence to keep your bun in. Most fences are not snug against the ground, there could be small openings that you might not see but a bun could find and squeeze thru (just like wild buns or squirrels get into the yard, domestic buns could get out.)

I hope you check out the link that Karla provided to a previous discussion as there were some really great photos of outdoor runs that are amazing.
With runs like those – if more people could create true safer runs and show them off more, it could be a definite benefit for us.

I have never been opposed to safer outdoor supervised play, it’s just that many do not have a way to provide that or they do not know how to create that. And without a proper set-up, I have typically discouraged. I think the tradition in the U.S. has been to provide some awful tiny little hutch (nothing like some of the nice backyard runs and even rabbit homes that are UK based.) or some may just let them run free in the backyard without thinking about the issues of poisonous plants, predators like hawks that will hunt even during the day and can take your rabbit even if you are there, as well as raccoons that can pass on a deadly disease by sharing the same space (even if not at the same time). Fleas can happen, but that can be managed well-enough.

But a covered run where other wild animals cannot hang out in would be ideal, and if a bunny is a digger, you would have to watch carefully or create a wire fencing of sorts below ground as well.

I definitely would encourage that over the harnesses as severe injuries can happen with those.  Even one of our own members had a sad situation happen with her bunny (an injury to the leg).