The benefits of outdoor time for indoor rabbits Not only is it okay to bring rabbits outside, but in many cases, it's a benefit to the rabbit's well-being. For safety and health reasons, I don't recommend keeping rabbits outside full time, but supervised time outdoors is great for these reasons: Good for mental health.
Moving an indoor rabbit outdoors
If this sounds familiar, you may be wondering whether it's okay to keep your house rabbits in the garden. In short, the answer is yes: it's perfectly safe to keep a rabbit outdoors. Of course, domesticated rabbits will take some time to get used to their new environment.
The biggest pro to keeping rabbits inside with you is they are safe from predators (assuming your other pets are well-mannered). Keeping them inside also means they don't have to live in harsh weather and for the most part, parasites are not a problem.
If your home can get quite noisy or you have other pets about such as lively dogs, your rabbits may prefer the quiet of living outside as long as they are well-protected from predators, wind, rain and direct sun. They will also need daily access to a run where they can exercise, dig and play.
They should be brought inside overnight. They can only stay outside at night too from mid-May when there is no longer any ground frost. If your rabbits have first been gradually accustomed to being kept outdoors, they can stay outdoors all year round from then. Even the ground frost won't bother them after that.
Indoor rabbits will probably live longer. They are safer from poor weather conditions, threatening animals, and are generally happier rabbits. When it is raining and cold, you may not go out to feed or check on your rabbit. He, too, is cold and lonely.
This could be a large, adapted dog pen/crate, a large hutch & run complex or a rabbit-proofed room (with at least one shelter to act as a sleeping/resting area). This provides the rabbit with a safe, familiar place to rest.
Unlike their wild relatives, who live for an average of one to two years, domesticated rabbits can live between eight to 12 years. This is because they are not exposed to disease, food scarcity and predators.
Nope! Another question that people often ask is whether rabbits sleep mostly during the day or at night. And the answer is neither. They are crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dusk and dawn.
Although they may look small and fragile, rabbits are surprisingly well-adapted to cold temperatures. With appropriate husbandry, a healthy adult rabbit can be comfortable in temperatures down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and can tolerate temperatures that are even lower if necessary.
Anything longer than 24 hours is too long – and even that is pushing the solitude limits of rabbits. Rabbits are social creatures and require about as much, if not more, interaction and maintenance as dogs do and more than some cats need. Considering rabbits to be low-maintenance pets does them a grave disservice.
If you decide to leave your rabbits in their outside accommodation you must provide them with ways of keeping warm, such as lots of extra bedding, and ensure their home is protected from adverse weather conditions. protected from extremes of weather and temperature and is escape-proof and predator-proof.
Expect your rabbit to be lonely.
If you only have one rabbit, you can give it some companionship, but it will still be lonely at night or when you are away at work. Sometimes a female rabbit will be fine on its own.
They sleep about 12 to 14 hours a day, according to the Ohio State University website. The most active times for rabbits are early morning, night and dusk. The rabbit is quietest during the day, usually between noon and four in the afternoon.
Rabbits are active and intelligent animals and will suffer if they get bored. As domesticated rabbits are usually confined for most of the day, freedom and choice are important. Interesting environments that encourage physical and mental stimulation will create a happy home.
Contrary to popular belief, they are not low-maintenance pets and need just as much care and attention — if not more — as cats and dogs do. Also, rabbits are not ideal pets for small children, as they are fragile and can bite. These bunnies cannot just be let loose outdoors as they will not survive.
But don't rabbits smell bad? No they don't! Rabbits themselves are very clean animals with odourless fur and they fastidiously groom themselves all day. Only their urine smells so as long as you keep their living area clean (spot clean every few days and a full clean-out once a week) you shouldn't have a problem.
An untrained rabbit probably should be kept in an enclosure while you're not home to supervise and at night when you sleep. Rabbits are crepuscular, which means that generally they sleep during the day and during the night but are ready to play at dawn and at twilight.
Rabbits tend to like going to the toilet in the corners of the area. Put a couple of litter trays in different corners and see which they prefer. Use a cat litter tray filled with rabbit bedding material (such as Auboise or Megazorb). Never put cat litter in the tray or anything clay or pine based.
Lonely rabbits may overeat, pull at their fur, or become hyperactive and/or angry. Signs of this could be them chewing at rugs or carpets, gnawing furniture, or destroying toys in their hutch.
Most of the time rabbits are very quiet pets. They can't bark loudly like a dog or incessantly meow at you like a cat. However, rabbits that are kept in a bedroom can still keep you awake at night by thumping, actively racing around and playing, or loudly rattling the bars of their enclosure.
PET RABBIT CONS
They don't get on well with other animals, so if you have a dog you might find a serious feud ensues. "Rabbits have a need to chew to keep their teeth healthy," says Laura. They'll chew on almost anything - watch those electrical cords!
Rabbits are ground-dwelling animals who naturally fear being lifted from the ground by predators. Lifting and holding should be kept to a minimum. Although they don't like to be picked up, most rabbits do desire physical affection.