Is it silly for a rabbit to wear a collar?

[bunnies!]

I was just wondering if it would be silly.

[Elrohwen]

I don’t know about silly, but it could be very dangerous for them – bunnies shouldn’t wear collars as they can catch on something and the bunny can panic and hurt itself.

[Sarita]

Definitely dangerous. Rabbits have very fine bones and as Elrohwen stated, they can catch something, panic, and injure themselves.

[bunnies!]

what if you buy like a lage small collar?

[bunnies!]

because my rabbit dosen’t like the harness so I was wondering how to take her outside without it.

[Sarita]

If you are wanting to take her outside, the best thing to do is to purchase an exercise pen she can hop around in but she must be supervised at all times outside. You can put her in the pen and sit outside with her.

Some rabbits don’t even like to be outside…so consider if it’s even something she would enjoy.

[Malp_15]

A collar would be WAY more dangerous than a harness. Not that I’m advocating harnesses either. If the bunny struggled all the pressure would go to the neck. Dogs have injuries from collars starting with whiplash type injuries to collapsed tracheas to slipped discs which is insanely expensive to treat and isn’t always curative.

Exercise pens are great! If you want to go cheaper you can even build a pen out of NIC cubes.
Please no collar

[Beka27]

Yes, please don’t use a collar or harness. They are both too dangerous and do not secure a rabbit.

[Stickerbunny]

Before taking your rabbit outside consider other safety factors:

Do you have a yard? Are there other animals in the yard? Is it treated with pesticides or fertilizers? What is the temperature outside? Are there a lot of predator birds where you live?

If it is a park you want to take her, likely treated with pesticides/fertilizer and NOT safe.
If it is your yard and you have other animals, you really don’t want your bun eating where they go potty.
If your yard is treated at all, again not safe.
Temperature is a big factor – rabbits get hot very easily and can suffer from heat stroke if the temperatures are too severe.
Predators can and will swoop down from the air to get a rabbit, small dog or other small animal even if you’re standing nearby.

A collar is DANGEROUS for a rabbit, if they panic they would likely break their neck or choke themselves with a collar. Ever seen your rabbit run when spooked? Imagine a piece of cotton and metal pulling against the neck at those speeds.

A harness can be dangerous if they spook – rabbits have broken bones while on a leash because they saw something that scared them. It is much safer than a collar though. And the harnesses they sell specifically for small animals like rabbits are not safe, they tighten like a noose around the rabbit if it spooks. The H-style cat harness I have been told is safest, but again, still dangerous because of how fragile buns are.

A COVERED exercise pen is the safest way to take your bun out. A screened in porch exercise area is even better though for fresh air. Some bunnies are afraid of going outside, so don’t force it if your bun doesn’t like it.

[bunnies!]

Thanks for giving me some responses on how to take her outside.

[angelicvampyre]

Just to cover this off as well, My dog pulled on his lead when he was younger and snapped a bone in his neck, Lucky that I hear it, stablized his head and rushed him to the vet. Now all my dogs have full chest harnesses, they do have collars but they are super loose or are the cat collars with elastic to be on the safe side. I figure if a dog can do this then a rabbit can as well.

[AnnaW]

In my opinion, it’s not silly at all for a rabbit to wear a collar! I have a netherland dwarf cross with a lionhead, and he is 8 years old, and has been wearing a collar pretty much since the day we got him as a baby! As i have 2 cats and he goes in the garden, i usually give him flea collars just for that extra bit of protection, and given he runs freely round the garden through all our bushes and trees and behind the shed, he has NEVER got it caught anywhere or gotten into ANY distress Of course i understand that many people have different experiences, but from my own experience he’s ALWAYS worn a collar and has had no problems with it Anna x

[KatnipCrzy]

AnnaW- you are lucky that you have not had any problems with your bunny wearing a collar for over 8 years.
But I agree that collars are not safe for a bunny- and flea collars are not an effective protection against fleas on any pet- so definitely not worth the risk.

[AnnaW]

Yes i consider myself very lucky, and it seems that when i take my rabbit Biscuit’s collar off, he seems bewildered as to where it’s gone! For peace of mind i would probably not recommend that anyone else tried this, unless they have done it since they were a kit like me, I was just sharing my experience of collars with my rabbit

[LoveChaCha]

Chacha controls me, so no collars or harnesses. She is just happy to wonder around the way that she is. I like playing hide and go seek the bunny.

[tobyluv]

I think it would be very dangerous for a rabbit to wear a collar, and it is also dangerous for a rabbit to run around loose outside, even if the yard is fenced. Not only have I read horror stories about rabbits getting attacked by animals, but I have heard first hand accounts from people–one whose rabbit was killed by a hawk and one whose rabbit was killed by a dog. In both instances, the person was out in the yard with the rabbit. There are also dangers of a rabbit outside nibbling on a poisonous plant or eating vegetation where other animals have used the bathroom, and subsequently getting worms.

[Ahvo]

My boy uses a harness, and has never had any problem with it (but then, he even likes to ride in his basket on my bike). I did get him used to it very slowly though, and I think it’s a personality thing. Ponyo doesn’t run when scared, unless it’s towards me and into my elbow/crotch/tummy, but flattens himself and sticks all his limbs out. We started him off on it indoors, as well. He’s a big boinger and binkyer on grass but he’ll always look back to check I’m coming once he gets to about half of the extendable’s length.

Although, I really don’t think a collar is the best bet for your bunny at all. Even on cats I’d say it was awfully dangerous, which is why everyone I know has been pestered by me into buying safety collars. They pop open when too much pressure is applied (such as a kitty getting hooked on a tree branch, and other such horror stories), so they’re great for general wear and tags, but definitely not for taking out on a leash, due to escape!

So if you really want to take your bun out that way, and you think they’d enjoy it, for sure take it slow and introduce a harness in a positive way, rather than a collar. And if you can, take your bun with you when you buy it, so you can ask, and help pick and fit the perfect kind, I suppose. <3

Happy hopping <3

[MissPinUp]

My goodness, just thinking about my Lucy in a collar makes my skin crawl! I know my rabbit would work her way out of it in a matter of minutes!

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