Should you keep a bunny indoors or outdoors?

Question

Should you keep a bunny indoors or outdoors?

Answer 1

it depends if it is wild or domestic.  i have a domestic and i have it outside.

Answer 2

Indoors all the way. Domestic animals belong indoors and safely away from temperature extremes, predators, and malicious people.

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rabbits/ra...

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rabbits/ra...

http://www.rabbit.org/care/living-with-a...

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/indoorbun....

http://www.mybunny.org/info/housebunny.h...

http://www.mybunny.org/info/bringbunin.h...

Answer 3

I used to have a bunny and we kept her outside because her cage got really stinky all time. But if your willing to keep cleaning her/his cage constantly you could keep her/him inside.

Answer 4

indoors, if its really hot it can have heat stroke

Answer 5

EDITED:  question... why are people clicking "thumbs down" for people who say "inside only"?  it is a proven fact that indoor rabbits lead longer, healthier, happier lives.  rabbits used to be considered a "backyard only" pet, but fortunately, more people are learning the true nature of rabbits and how to care for them properly.  i commend everyone who takes care of their animals and keeps their buns inside, where they belong, as a part of their family!  ;o)

I have two house rabbits and I would personally not have it any other way. They are allowed free run of my home between 8 and 12 hours a day, and actually have their very own "bunny room" for when we're not home, and at night.

There are many dangers to rabbits that are housed outdoors. Predators are a big risk. They do not have to be physically attacked either. Rabbits can literally die from fright if they sense a predator near them. Rabbits do best in temps between 60 and 75 degrees. 80 degrees and over can be lethal. Rabits that are kept outside typically have much shorter lifespans, and can become depressed easily due to the lack of interaction. They are such social animals, if given the opportunity to live inside, you would be amazed by their antics. A final note of caution: rabbits can become sick and die within 12-24 hours. They have very delicate digestive systems, so when housed outdoors, unless you are checking on them every couple hours, they could easily be fine at night and then pass away by morning. Outdoor rabbits tend to be neglected, "out of sight, out of mind".

Here are some good articles about the dangers to outdoor rabbits:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/indoorbun....

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/outdo...

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/fl...

If you live with your parents, they might have some real concerns about this. My recommendation would be to show them these articles and let them decide what is best. TALK to them. They are smart, and if they do care about the welfare of animals, they will realize that this is the best thing for your rabbit. Find out their concerns and work together to come up with logical solutions. If they are worried about the mess, you will have to agree to be diligent about cleaning up after your rabbit every day.

The rabbit's run area will need to be thoroughly bunny-proofed to prevent chewing and damage to household items, as well as to protect the bunny. If your rabbit is not already spayed or neutered, this will have to be done to improve behavior and decrease the smell and the chance of urine spraying.  If you do not have a rabbit yet, look into adopting one from a shelter.  They will spay/neuter them before adoption and you do not need to worry about getting it done yourself.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.h...

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

This is a good article from the House Rabbit Society about the basics of a House Rabbit, include a list of supplies.

http://www.rabbit.org/care/living-with-a...

BinkyBunny.com has a forum where people can come on and ask questions about various topics. This site has a lot of traffic, so questions are answered promptly. I am one of the Forum Leaders over there and we help people daily with the proper way to care for their house rabbits. I hope to see you around!

Answer 6

Indoor rabbits are always healthier and friendlier. Rabbits are not cage animals. They require a lot of time outside of their cage to stretch their legs and exercise. I think many of the people who keep their rabbits outdoors do not realize this. I have two indoor rabbits who I love to death. They are litter trained and have free access to my house. One of my bunnies is six and not even close to being old. I've known bunnies to live over 15 years. Please don't treat your rabbit like a hamster, they're not. Keeping a rabbit in it's cage for it's whole life is just about as cruel as keeping a cat in a cage.

Answer 7

indoor rabbits live longer-they are safer and happier, just like people that live indoors. no bugs, no weather.life is good.

Answer 8

They will definitely be more comfortable inside, if you care at all about what the animal prefers.  It gets really hot in the summer and rabbits have a hard time cooling down.  If you kept it outside you would have to freeze water in a bottle and give it to them to lay up against to regulate their body temperature and keep from overheating.  I keep my rabbit indoors and he even has his own personal fan.  For exercise I take him outside for an hour every day to run around in my yard.

Answer 9

indoors is best. safe from preditors,bugs, and uncomfortable weather.and gets more lovin.

Answer 10

I think it's ridiculous to say that one or the other is always better. Certain groups have a 'my way or the highway' attitude, and they usually tell you rabbits MUST be indoors, MUST be fed veggies...and if you don't do what they say to the letter, you don't deserve to have rabbits.

Rabbits can be just as happy and healthy inside and out, but you absolutely must be out there with them EVERY DAY and you have to take their needs into consideration.

Most rabbits handle winter lows just fine as long as they are out of the way of wind, snow and rain. Far more dangerous is the summertime, where temps above 85 degrees can actually kill. A frozen water bottle doesn't always do the trick. I have my rabbits in an insulated and cooled barn with a generator in case the power goes out.

You also need to consider predators. As another answerer stated, rabbits can be scared to death (usually heart attack or back/neck injury from trying to run away), so they need to be acclimated to ANY other animals you have very carefully and slowly, and you need to make sure their area is secure so that no unusual animals can get to them.

If you're able to do all those things, rabbits can live fine, long, healthy lives outdoors.

Answer 11

I think it depends where you got it. I got my rabbit from a farmer's auction, and it was used to being let roam around in a fenced area, so I keep my bunny outside on my cement patio, which does a wonderful job of trimming its nails. Also, when it's too cold in the winter, or if the snow is too deep, I leash it to the leg of my refrigerator and let it hop around the kitchen.

Answer 12

Inside where they are safe from predators, extremes in temperatures, and can be part of your family.

Really it comes down to what is best for the rabbit.  It's best for them to be safe and comfortable.  It's best for them to have company and to have someone carefully looking after their health.  It's best for them to be able to run around, exercise, and do crazy rabbit maneuvers.  It's best for them to be a member of the family.

Yes, you can keep a rabbit outside with little interaction.  You can have them in a tiny hutch and never let them run around.  You can have them live strictly off of pellets and hay like breeders do.  You can give them the bare minimum in life, or you can give your pet rabbit the best life possible.

It's all about the quality of life you're looking for for your rabbit.  Mine get plenty of running around time and tons of attention.  They roam through my carefully bunny proofed home and jump on my lap if they feel like it.  They get their healthy veggies (as recommended by my exotics vet), tons of hay and a high quality pellet.  They get immediate vet care because I can tell right away if something is wrong.  They get the best quality of life I can possibly provide for them.

Answer 13

If you got it at a pet store or if its a house bunny or something like that i think it should be kept indoors cuz it has been proven that they live longer too.

Answer 14

well it depends do you have a nice size cage for indoors? and if you keep him/her indoors are ya gonna take em out and give em attention.. but if you want outdoors you might need to buy or build an outdoor cage ive seen ones that where wooden then just had chicken wire nicely attached to the sides where there wasnt wood.. oh yeah and if outdoors you should probably bring em in for the winter

Answer 15

Indoors.  Pets are always safer inside and need to be protected from the dangers of weather and predators.  Rabbits are especially vulnerable when confined to a hutch are freely roaming outside.

Answer 16

You can keep them inside or outside, if outside they need a cage and need it to be protected from the wind.

My friend had one that lived in the house, it was trained to use a litter tray and had free run of the house.

Answer 17

probably indoors if you got it from a pet store. if you just found it outside, then put it back outside.

Answer 18

I just wrote this to someone else (and I agree with the first answer if it is a wild rabbit)...

We had very sweet Dutch Belted rabbits that made great pets. We even trained them to potty in a box when we let them loose in a couple of closed-in rooms of the house! However, they did chew the lamp cords when they disappeared from sight. Ha- so we let them in on occasion, but kept a good eye on them. The rest of the time they DID live in a bunny hutch, btw!

Answer 19

It depends on whether or not it's a pet rabbit and where you live.. In the US, I would say that all pet rabbits should be kept indoors. In most areas, we just have way too many predators. Even if your cage is secure and the predator doesn't manage to get your rabbit, your rabbit can die from the stress of having the predator trying to get into it's cage all night.

Now, if you live in a moderate climate and raise rabbits, you'd be better off building a secure barn and housing them in there. Ventilation is very important and many breeders also have climate control to keep their rabbits healthy and in great coat condition.

A single pet bunny just has really nothing else to do other then eat and interact with you. Keeping it in a little 24" by 24" cage in the backyard and visiting it now and then just really isn't much of a life. I've used to raise and show rabbits and my rabbits in general seemed happy living in a barn, but, they interacted with other rabbits and were handled and groomed frequently. Currently, I have only one rabbit and she is crate trained and lives loose in my house. I would never keep a lone rabbit outside in a cage. Even if I had two rabbits that were spayed/neutered so they could be housed together, I still wouldn't house them outside just in a cage where they could be killed or terrified by predators..

I think the best option for a pet rabbit is set up with a  cage indoors for when your away, but with free range of the house whenever it could be supervised. My rabbit is great about not chewing things, so she's out at all times. But, some rabbits need a lot more supervision..

Answer 20

You can do either... You can have an indoor cage or an outdoor cage. I would keep mine inside in case it rains or snows or something.

Answer 21

you can keep a bunny indoors and outdoors if you keep it outdoors then put it someplace away from the sun because rabbits can't be in the sun too long like you can put it under a tree or someplace shady.If you keep it indoors then make sure the cage is not near wires becaus rabbits like to chew wires.

Answer 22

Keep it outside when its warm enough, Rabbits smell really bad if you don't keep their cages clean. My friends house reeks of p*ss because she is lazy. At any rate they are animals and some fresh air will do them good.

If you happen to have raccoons in your area keep your rabbit in a safe area. And grab some dog hair (from a neighbor or whatever) and stuff it in some nylons and hang it around the yard ( the raccoons will think you have a dog a stay away usually).

Answer 23

Outdoors, its much easier to take care of them, you don't have to worry about the smells, and i mean even if there not wild i mean there rabbits they like it outdoors as long as they have a place to get out of wind and rain. I keep all my rabbits outside and they seem to like it. But if you feel the need to have it indoors then litter train it and you'd have to clean its cage alot. :/ i vote outside. :D

Answer 24

bunnies like to live in small spaces (like burrows) in nature, it makes them feel safer. therefor, rabbits do in fact like living in their cages. both my rabbits are in "large" cages with wooden "huts" inside for them to snuggle in. however, i let them loose in the bathroom, with the door shut, and sometimes in the living room. only let them out if they are in a safe area where they cant electrocute themselves on power cords or chew on your furniture. they are easily potty trained. the exercise is good for them. if you bond with your rabbit, it might enjoy chasing you, and sitting on your lap on the couch and watching tv with you. mine do :)

Answer 25

indoors.

Answer 26

inside

Answer 27

bout.but ıf u sometımes kepp ıt out door make shour some one ıs wıth ıt!!!!!!!!

Answer 28

definitely indoors because outside a predator can get them or scare them to death.  They are so social they love being around people and can easily be litter box trained.  They make great pets

Answer 29

Inside!!!!! My neighbors rabbit froze to death in a block of ice! No matter what season or what you give them, bunnies will always be uncomfortable outside! Put your bunny's cage on a table and attach another table to that one. Let the bunny hop around on the tables as much as he/she wants. Put towels or blankets on the table and never close the cage door. They will love you forever! If you put it outside you have to buy all this stuff to keep the bugs away and you have to deal with a rotting wooden cage. It is also super hard to clean an outside hutch. Inside is just easier on you and definitely on the bunny. They will hate you if you put them outside.

Answer 30

Some cautions for both options. If you keep your bunny inside, you can potty box train them-but- they will chew on everything! Our bunny chewed through every cord in the house, even though we watched her as much as we could.

Outside you have to be able to keep the bunny from overheating in the summer. A sprinkler on top of his/her cage helps keep them cool during the hottest part of the day. Also if you let them loose in the yard keep a close eye on your bunny so he/she won't get into any fertilizer or poisonous chemicals in your yard. They are very curious and will try to nibble on everything! Best of luck to you!