Inside or Outside for little bunnies!? (update)

[FireTigeris]

Ok, I don't seem to have the ability to make a poll - I think that's a GFM thing.

But Rabbits, Inside or outside?

I had two mix medium rabbits "Dawn" and "Dusk"- one escaped "Dusk", assumed dead.

I went and fixed the pen (12 feet * 20 feet * 8 feet) and went and picked up a new bunny at the feed store, did all precautions for disease/parasite transmission (QT)

Introduced to my old female( 8 months old) "Dawn" - it was beautiful, the intro was flawless

this new bunny is just by chance a Jersey Woolie (They are actually lionhead) ... I thought it was just a young baby...

So do I go get another one (got another one) and keep them in a (3 foot * 2 foot * 3 foot) - two and 1/2 level cage inside OR put them in the huge covered run.

I didn't really want a specialty rabbit but that's what I ended up with...

SO

IN or OUT

 

[mom2jedi]

Hmmmm, very good question. Sounds like you have lots of space for them either way. It just comes down to which way works better for you. I started with my buns inside but I knew they were going to be outside eventually since hubby was building a big hutch for them. They are very happy with the extra space but I do miss them being inside.

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Jersey would probably do better inside IF you want a nice coat. You'll have to brush him at LEAST every other day (every day is ideal) to prevent wool block due to them ingesting loose fur.

BUT if you clip him he'd be just as fine outdoors once he has a bit of a coat, depending on how cold it is. Long haired rabbits with full coats are the biggest pain to keep clean when outside. I kept my guys clipped for sanity's sake, they happily roamed my yard. My buck looked like a big white wooly caterpillar before he got clipped

I just had patience and a pair of scissors, left mine with a half inch or so of fur (regular length coat) and brushed them down every other day or so just to catch any loose stuff. They had really bad wool block when I got them though, so they where already pretty high maintenance just to keep him pooping properly.


I personally prefer my rabbits outside though, since they live in my chicken tractor. They like their fresh grass

All I do is give them some grain, make sure theres no injuries, and check if they somehow managed to dump an obscene amount of poop and shavings into their water again

Gotta love bunnies. I have two breeding does, two 3 month old future-breeding does, one buck (he has a messed up ankle, so he's living the good life in my brooder until he heals) and one older doe with epilepsy. She always looks like death warmed over, but she's still pretty spunky and seems happy enough.

 

[FireTigeris]

Ok update they are not Jerseys they are lionheads - hope they don't get epilepsy...

They are a lot less long haired - and they just need to be cute, they are 8-10 weeks old each (picked up another one in case I keep them inside).

We think they will have outside and inside time everyday in summer.

(I am in north FL)

 

[cat1994]

Hi, I keep my bunny outside all the time. When he was a baby i would take him inside a lil each day. Other then that he lived in my rabbit hutch, now that i have chickens i built a yard for them that the rabbit could not get out of and put his hutch in it. I would let him out when I was home. Then I started letting him out in the mron and put him up at night. Now I never put him up, he just goes in and out as he pleases. One time he did get out (because i left the door open) but i just called his name, picked him, and put him back. Im the winter I fill his hutch full of hay to keep him warm.

this is my bunny in the chicken yard, the chickens and the bunny get along great

here he is goffing off in the yard

 

[FireTigeris]

Ok, but these at best are 3.5 pounds - about pet rat sized

 

[BarkerChickens]

Mine are outside. We built a covered pen for them (8'x8') and buried chicken wire down 18", so they can't dig out. We built a den, but they decided they'd rather dig their own.

This winter, we will build a den again and cover it with straw to keep it warm and dry during our winters. My bunnies prefer running around and get cranky all caged up (running around the house isn't an option since they'll eat my wires, cables and baseboards

).