Taking Rabbit outside?

[Elliriyanna]

Is there a way I can take my rabbit outside for some fresh air ? Supervised of course. I don’t want to lug his whole pen outside so maybe one just for outside use? Or any thoughts on those harnesses and leashes? 

What do you guys do when you want to take them outside? 

[Roberta]

Mine don’t go outside. They get really upset if a bird lands on their windowsill. They would disown me if I made them go out of doors.
You can buy covered playpens in shops and online. That’s generally the safest as you don’t have to worry about eagles, hawks or crows attacking them.

[Elliriyanna]

I would be out with them but hawks and eagles generally aren’t a concern here. I have only seem them far out in the country. But I will look at covered playpens

[Sarita]

I have never taken my rabbit outside either – I will open windows for fresh air on nice days.

My rabbits have never been comfortable outside – it’s too scary for them and they are just as content inside.

[Elliriyanna]

Well tenzin was a show bunny so he has probably lived in a hutch outside. ( I didn’t see his housing)

I thought he may like it since he is probably use to it.

My boyfriends mom wants me to buy him a hutch and keep him outside during the day. I told her no to that… Why get a bunny just to keep him outside?

[emm_renn]

I don’t let my rabbit go outside either. She can go in the screened in patio and hop around but I don’t want her picking up parasites that might have been left by some other animal.

[Elliriyanna]

i hadn’t thought about parasites. Generally neighborhood animals stay out of my yard because it reeks of my dog. And i know he is parasite free but anything is possible and not really safe

[Sarita]

Also botflies….nasty things – happened to one of my friends rabbits and after that she never let her rabbits out in the yard again. Luckily their vet figured it out when she saw the nasty thing. Got it from sniffing in the grass.

[Bam]

I’ve taken my bunnies outside, but rarely. We don’t have botflies in Sweden where I live. But we do have ticks and mosquitoes. When outside, the bunnies have been in safe runs. Yohio who has lived outside as a stray may enjoy the outdoors, Bam has always been sincerely sceptic about it. Bunnies may enjoy a little natural sunshine and living grass, but should not be unsupervised, there are other risks to consider, like prey birds.

[Elliriyanna]

I have never heard of botflies around here. I also haven’t seen any ticks since we moved here… I am sure there are mosquitoes but I am one of those people who just doesn’t get bit so I really don’t know if there are a lot.

I never let any of my pets outside unsupervised.

[Little Lion Head]

I think it will depend on your bunny. Like some other bunnies, my Pumpkin is terrified every new noise. I think she would panic outside. Rocky isn’t scared of anything and might enjoy it. If I were to ever take them out it would be in a pen with me in there with them. The only reason I haven’t is b/c I’m worried about flies, bugs, mosquito’s, diseases, etc. Just doesn’t seem worth it. But I know there are many that do take their buns out (in pens or runs). You’ll have to decide what you think and I’m sure you’ll be super safe about it!

As for leashes and harnesses, I think many would agree they are just not safe for bunnies. Bunnies get spooked easy and may try to run off and choke themselves or get tangled up. It just scares me too much. You’d be much safer with the pen, I think. And your bunny would probably rather be in a pen than on a leash.

[Sparky04]

We used to take Mordecai outside in a harness, but he stopped wanting to go out after a while. At first he’d want to explore when taken outside, but he took to begging at the door to go back in as soon as we took him out so we stopped. Ragnar spent her whole life outside before she came here but I haven’t even tried to take her outside. With all of the hawks in our area, taking them outside, even supervised would make me nervous. Mordecai does like to look through the glass storm door, but I don’t think he has any interest in actually going outside. One time actually, a hawk tried to get Mordecai through the storm door, but it just ended up crashing into the door. There wasn’t any danger to Mordecai, he was inside, but the hawk didn’t realize he was behind a glass door.

[Little Lion Head]

So…funny enough–hubby is out mowing the lawn. Bunnies are in the living room (we have a huge floor to ceiling windows). They can just barely hear the muffle of the lawn mower. Whenever hubby goes by the window, they tear off behind the couch and thump. There is now litter and hay everywhere…

[Savikins]

Liebchen goes outside in her covered pen pretty much everyday. She loves it! However, she’s a rather fearless bunny – pretty much only the loudest, most sudden of noises scare her. 

I’d definitely recommend giving your rabbit Revolution before letting them outside. It will prevent them from picking up any fleas or ear mites. My rabbit actually picked up some ear mites while outside once, before I started giving her Revolution (I had been using Advantage, which treats fleas but not mites), so definitely a word of caution there. Other than that, just be sure your yard isn’t treated with any chemicals. 

[GottaLoveTheAngora]

Hello there! My name is Rachel, and I would most certainly love to help you in any way possible! I have always wanted to take my rabbits outside to get some fresh air, sunshine, and to have the freedom to run, chew and dig as they please. However, I have been too weary to do so. There are simply too many posed threats: predators, moldy or poisonous plants, toxic pesticides or fertilizers, exposure to bacteria that can be found in dirt, and diseases spread by flies and mosquitoes. Not to mention fleas and ticks. For me, the risks out-way the reward – and for that I have yet to bring my rabbits outside.

Please do let me know if you have any questions, I would be more than happy to help in any way I can 🙂

http://rabbit.org/faq-rabbits-outdoors/

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