For a few years, several rabbit owners are facing opposition for keeping their bunnies outdoors. But by giving them sufficient attention and care, you can keep an outdoor bunny healthy, active, and happy.
Before keeping the rabbit outside, you have to make sure that the bunny has a separate cage for sleeping, bunny buddies for being socially active, play toys, a clean area for exercise, and a cover for protection against the weather. By giving all the above requirements, your outdoor rabbit will be safe and satisfied.
The above necessities assure that your bunny is getting proper care. Here is a detailed guide on how to execute these five steps.
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Why Should I Keep My Bunny Outside?
Rabbits are active animals, and they often tend to move, run, exercise, and are curious all the time. It is not good to keep the bunnies in the same and small place as they may start to feel imprisoned and irritated. Many rabbits love to run on green grass and prefer to smell outside (fresh) air.
When you keep your rabbits outdoors, they will feel refreshing, and it is also natural for them as they live in the wild. Bunnies like to play and exercise about three to five hours a day, and this routine will be risky for rabbits to follow when you keep them inside your home throughout the day.
Moreover, rabbits are not indoor pet animals and are likely to face problems when stuck inside the house. The bunnies may face health problems, or sometimes they might break the nearby household objects.
Bunnies like to chew, and they will start chewing on everything you give them. When inside the house, the rabbits will bite the cables, slippers, books, TV remotes, and anything within their reach. If you keep the rabbit outdoors or in the garden, they will eat hay and grass. It is also one of the safest ways to keep your rabbit comfortable.
How Should I Keep The Bunnies Outside?
Never carry rabbits inside your house
If you never take your bunnies inside your home, there is no way for them to even think of getting inside. If your home does not have a small puppy or pet door, the rabbits can not get themselves in.
When you have a small pet door
In this kind of situation, it is better to give the rabbits everything they need while staying outdoors. When they are busy eating food or playing with toys, the rabbits would not think of coming inside even if they are curious. As the bunnies like to stay outside, do not bring them inside.
Neat cage and protection
Rabbits prefer to stay in a safe and comfortable area, so it is your responsibility to keep them in a place that protects the bunnies from outside forces. When they do not have a safe place, the bunnies will make a burrow or a hole in your garden. Keeping them in a cage is a good idea as it is an incredible shelter for rabbits and works as a playpen. Moreover, if you give your rabbit a bunny friend, it will be occupied with the new companion.
Purchasing A Nice Hutch For The Bunny
When you want to give your rabbit a safe and comfortable home, you should consider buying a good enough hutch. Rabbits, being active animals, need more space to run around, sleep, and play. Ensure that the pen has enough area for the rabbit to jump four or five times in every direction.
When your bunny does not have enough space to jump multiple times or can not run freely, it means that their pen is small. When you keep your bunny in a small cage, it is likely to face health complications. Getting it a large size shelter is better.
Here is the list of cages that you can buy for your bunny. Below hutches have sufficient space for rabbits to play with:
- Bunny Hutch Indoor and Outdoor-air 10
- Paw Hut Deluxe Wooden 2 Story Rabbit Hutch
- Coziwow 57 Chicken Coop Wooden Rabbit Hutch with Slant Roof and Run Weatherproof Indoor and Outdoor Use
- PawHut Wood 2-story Outdoor Deluxe 83-inch XL Rabbit Hutch
- PawHut 2-tier Wood Rabbit Hutch Backyard Cage
- Pawhut Solid Wood Rabbit Hutch with 2 House Levels and Patio Space
The above hutches have several features which help in keeping your bunny comfortable. They give shelter and protection from the weather and predators. These shelters also have enough space for rabbits to roam freely.
You can buy them online on websites such as aivituvin.com, overstock.com, and walmart.com.
Bringing A Bunny Friend To Your Rabbit
Many rabbit veterinarians are concerned about the outdoor bunnies. As the bunnies are sociable animals, they like to interact more. You may forget about the outdoor bunny if you are not the type to go outside.
Bunnies who stay indoors have better progress than the rabbits that live outside. The indoor bunnies are likely to get more human attention and have better protection against predators and weather. Due to work or other things, many owners forget about the outside bunnies. And the outdoor rabbits face more danger.
Even though it is better to keep the bunnies inside, you can try several methods to ensure that the outdoor rabbits have plenty of social or human interaction. The first way is to purchase two rabbits so they can accompany and play with each other. As the rabbits are social animals and like to make bonds, buying two rabbits together is the best option. You have to remember that not all the bunnies will enjoy other rabbits’ presence.
Even if you buy the pair of bunnies to ensure more social interaction, you need to interact with them. Though the rabbits have each other as a company, they still crave your attention. Never neglect the outdoor bunnies and pet them with care and affection by visiting them often.
Giving A Neat Area For The Bunnies
Bunnies like to stay in a safe, clean, and neat area, be it outdoors or indoors. It is crucial to often clean the cage of the outdoor rabbits as they get more dust and dirt.
While cleaning the bunny’s hutch, firstly pull out the old bedding and keep new bedding. When you are shifting, if you find any hay or other things, throw it in the dustbin. Use toxic-free disinfectants to clean the cage with a cloth and broom. You should also clean the food and water bowls. Moreover, it is better to clean their litter box area every day.
Your bunny will be happy to stay in a clean cage with neat surroundings. When you don’t clean its pen, the bunny might become sick.
Buying A Playpen For The Bunny
Bunnies prefer to spend more time out of their cage playing, running, and exercising. To maintain its health, your rabbit should exercise at least three or four hours every day.
It is a good idea to leave the bunny in a safe and large area to play more. For this, you have to buy a playpen as it has a spacious design with more safety features that allow your bunny to roam around securely.
Below are the best playpens which you can buy to give the rabbit a safe yet convenient place to exercise.
- Easyfashion 16 Panel Exercise Metal Dog Playpen
- All Living Things Rabbit Home and Play Pen Habitat
- MidWest Wire Dog Exercise Pen with Step-Thru Door
- Iris 8-Panel Plastic Exercise Dog Playpen
All the above playpens have adequate space that is more than enough for your rabbit to play and exercise. They also have other things like ramps, slides, and hiding places. Moreover, a few playpens have both water and food feeding facilities.
You can find them at stores like chewy.com, walmart.com, and petsmart.com.
Protection For Bunnies From The Weather
Bunnies that stay outside your home have high chances to face severe weather. The outdoor rabbits have to resist the peak summer days and snowy winter nights. All these harsh conditions will make your bunny sick if you don’t give them pepper protection. Here are a few ways using which you can protect your bunny.
You can keep a few frozen water bottles in the bunny’s pen when the weather is hot. It makes the rabbit rest in a cool area and helps in avoiding the heat. If the weather is warmer than usual, keep the cage under a tree or near heavy shades.
Bunnies can not release their sweat, so they are likely to get overheated, making them vulnerable to heat strokes. When the outside weather is above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it is good to keep your bunny indoors. When you leave the rabbits in temperatures over 85 degrees Fahrenheit, they will get heat strokes.
In the winter times, give extra bedding to the rabbit as it acts as insulation. Apart from bedding, you can buy heaters or heating pads for the bunny so it can escape the cold. Even though bunnies have thick and fluffy fur to resist cold, you should bring them inside your home if the temperature falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Final Words
Bunnies like to stay outdoors so they can have more space to run. They prefer to enjoy the weather when the surroundings have a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The rabbits only need to be indoors in case of harsh weather. Giving them a comfortable, spacious, and safe shelter will make the bunnies stay outdoors.