Moving my bunny outdoors

[Jesse]

I live in Sitka, ak and was given a bunny over the winter. I recently built him a 2 story 5×3 outdoor cage with a ramp connecting the two floors (the lower floor being closed on three sides and a smaller fully enclosed hutch with hay, and the top floor being more open space and only closed on two sides with the openings covered with wire mesh). It being late March now our day time highs are between 45 and 50 degrees and lows between 35 and 40. He has lived indoors his whole life and just recently has spent between 1 and 6 hours in the outdoor cage a day depending on the weather. He seems to love it, fighting me every time I assume he is to cold and bring him in to warn him up or for the night. Would he be ok outside 24/7 even though he may not have had time to grow a thicker coat? I’m tired of being scratched!! Thanks!

[JackRabbit]

Why do you want to move him outdoors? Bunnies don’t handle extreme temp changes well. Also, I would imagine the night temps are still too low for him plus indoor buns are generally used to more interaction and being part of daily family life.

[Roberta]

I would not send an indoor bunny outside by choice. As JR said they do not handle temperature extremes well especially the heat. Then you have to be prepared for things like fly strike which is usually fatal plus the many diseases carried by fleas and mosquitoes, other parasites like mites will also have greater access and can result in all sorts of skin infections and mange which can become very expensive to treat. I don’t know if you have Myxo or Calici in your area bu they will kill your rabbit and can be transferred from wild rabbits and also by flea, mite and mosquito bite. Then there are the large predators including other domestic pets like cats that will have easy access to an outdoor cage and whilst they may not get in but can terrorise your bunny causing it to injure itself in the hutch, breaking its back or neck. Next are the two legged predators, people make a habit of checking yards for outdoor bunnies, it’s a popular trend at the moment. Some people view a pet rabbit left outside as a cheap and easy meal others just get their kicks from releasing the bunny or worse, tormenting and killing it. People will steal bunnies as they would steal cats, kittens and puppies for the purpose of training racing, hunting and fighting dogs. I am not trying to frighten you I am just stating the realities for a bunny kept out of doors.

[Roberta]

Getting your bunny neutered will also help calm him down a bit. No bunny likes being held or cuddled but you can get them accustomed to being picked up and moved.

[Jesse]

where we are mosquitoes and ticks and things of that nature are not a problem and he is on a deck two stories up, over the salt water where both predators and people are very few and far between, he is also noticeably happier in his outdoor habitat, when I pick him up to take him outside he almost jumps into my arms, where as when I go to get him to bring him inside he runs away from me and scratches me like crazy. Inside he sits in one place staring at nothing, outside he runs around and jumps and plays with all the stuff in his cage. I appreciate the concern, but my question was if he could handle it, not if I was a bad pet owner for building him a nice big cage with an ocean view

[LBJ10]

I don’t think anyone was trying to say you’re a bad pet owner. However, since this is a house bunny forum, there are going to be people here advocating for bunnies to be kept indoors.
Personally, I would worry about leaving bunnies outside unattended and, especially, overnight. I’ve heard too many horror stories of what can happen to hutch bunnies. If your bunny is safe and secure where he is, then the only thing I would really worry about is extreme temperatures. Prolonged periods of extremely hot or cold temperatures are not good for bunnies, as well as sudden changes in temperatures (hard for them to adjust). So keep that in mind and have a plan in place. Perhaps it would be easier to transfer him using a carrier.
As Roberta suggested, you’re going to want to think about fleas. Even on a deck or balcony, fleas can find their way to a warm fuzzy animal. If you apply a topical flea treatment regularly, it can be easily managed. Revolution is the safest option. And never, ever use Frontline. There is a warning on the label about rabbits and we have had several cases on the forum where someone’s bunny had seizures and died after having Frontline put on them.

[Little Lion Head]

I think my biggest concern would be if your bunny isn’t handling the temperatures and elements that you might not notice something is wrong (b/c I’m assuming your bun would be alone most of the time?). I have all the other concerns mentioned too, but if your main concern is the elements, that’s where I would worry!

[Author]

Messages