taking your rabbit for walks?

[aims]

erm, this might be a weird question, but do any of you take your rabbit for little walks? i saw someone at my local pub with their rabbit in tow on a little leash/harness, and i have seen these for sale in pet stores too. aside from the obvious dog threat at your local park, do you guys think taking rabbits for little excursions is a good idea? i know one of mine would be terrified if she left the house, but my male rex is more adventurous and might like it…

[Monkeybun]

There are a ton of threats that would make me not want to take my bunny out for a walk. From predators, both on foot and wing, to pesticides on grass and trees, to insects, to cars and other people. If you want your bun to have fresh air, take them out, supervised, in your back yard. make sure it is fully bunnyproofed, and keep them contained in a playpen.

[Helenor]

I have to agree with Monkeybun. It is quite dangerous out there. Plus if you do get a harness, it’s more like the bunny is walking you since you should follow him around. They’re not quite like dogs in that they’ll follow you.

[jerseygirl]

Some rabbits can be trained to wear them and can do ok… Depends on the rabbit really. BUT any rabbit will startle easily and there is a risk they’ll injure themselves badly. The have strong muscles but delicate skeletons. They can break their backs easily.   Some leashes marketed for cats, ferrets, rabbits etc are pretty poor. The better ones I think are the ones that look like a little vest.

Though I do want the popularity of rabbits as companion pets to increase, I do worry about people getting them for that novelty value. I wouldn’t be surprised people getting rabbits just so they could walk them on a leash. Sort of like the purse-dog fad. It’s all good provided they commit to the whole deal of caring properly for the pet. Not saying the person in the pub was a bad pet owner….just that others might see and then rush out to get there own rabbit on a whim. ok, rant over.

aims, if your wanting to try your buck out on a leash, do so at home and see how he reacts. I think it’s suggested you just get them use to wearing the apparatus without the lead attached. I don’t know if you can actually lead them anyway. I think they’d be alot of waiting around while they stop and graze.

[aims]

i don’t think i’ll bother, they get plenty of outdoor exercise in my yard anyway, it just seemed like an interesting idea but yes, probably more dangers than it’s worth!

[RabbitPam]

Since we are a House Rabbit website, we are predisposed to keep our bunnies inside. As tempting as it looks, it is a much safer way for the bunny to have a happy and long life. The risks from outside are very numerous, not the least of which is that a hawk can spot a bunny from the air and catch it while you’re right there, and it’s too late to save it. That’s how they do it in the wild. Another issue is that most bunnies do not like a harness in any way, so you can upset him or he can hurt himself if he struggles. If your bunny is outside, a covered area is safest, with a protective screen on top so flying predators cannot get to him. But they get a great deal of exercise inside a home, and I have had my bunnies for years living quite contentedly inside. Fresh air from a screen door or window can lead to breezes and the freedom of running safely around your home without fear of any predators or poisons. It’s a nice life for them.

[MirBear]

i agree with the others, but am hypocritical. my rabbits go out on leashes regularly. i get thumped at if i dont take them out.. mine however have been on leashes since they were 2 months old.

[Chazz]

I too agree that it is definitely safer for a bunny to just stay inside. But I’m hypocritical too! My bunny Larry LOVES to go outside. He runs to the door when I open it. We haven’t been out in awhile, but we go out on occasion. I used to use a leash, and he was really good with it, but all it took was for him to get scared by something (I don’t even know what it was!) and he was all tangled in it and freaking out. He could have fractured his back, so I stopped using one. We still go out, but in a safe area where I am constantly on watch. He ‘herds’ well. I also keep the front door of my apartment open, cause when he gets freaked by something (usually car noises) he just runs through the door, like a wild rabbit to his hole! Sometimes I think he does it for fun (running to the door), or maybe its like role play, practice for the real thing. It’s still not totally safe for him, there’s always dangers. Plus you have to worry about fleas.

[Author]

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