Hi, yesterday I brought home my new boy Alfie. 9 week old REX rabbit. Last night we lifted his hutch into the garage as we have a heavily wooded area at the end of my garden and I was a bit concerned about cats and foxes frightening him and giving him a heart attack. The hutch is right next to the back door of the house and is very secure so I'd be flabbergasted if a fox or cat was able to get in but how safe will he be and how likely are they to give him a heart attack if they approach the cage?
Rabbits and other animals
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Chester1_andblueberry
Well-Known Member
Umm a hutch should be pretty sturdy and they really shouldnt stress him as long as the the fox or cats paw doesn't fit through they should be fine maybe cover it in a blanket at night. But every rabbits different so that'd be my opinion. 
also congrats on being a new bunny owner
also congrats on being a new bunny owner 
How your bunny responds to potential threats depends on him. Each rabbit is different -- some more nervous than others. Even the shadow from a bird of prey passing overhead can freak some rabbits.
I don't know the climate of wherever you live but you will also want to guard against mosquitos and flies.
Temperature can also be a factor. Rabbits are pretty good with the cold, but they can't take much heat.
If you browse around this forum, you will see that many bunny owners house our rabbits indoors. Mine have always been housed indoors. Many, however, aren't aware of how much fun (and how easy) it can be to house a rabbit inside where it can become part of the family. If this is something you've not considered before, you make like to take a browse here.
I don't know the climate of wherever you live but you will also want to guard against mosquitos and flies.
Temperature can also be a factor. Rabbits are pretty good with the cold, but they can't take much heat.
If you browse around this forum, you will see that many bunny owners house our rabbits indoors. Mine have always been housed indoors. Many, however, aren't aware of how much fun (and how easy) it can be to house a rabbit inside where it can become part of the family. If this is something you've not considered before, you make like to take a browse here.
Lokin4AReason
R.I.P Little man ....
welcome to the board first of all =0)
the question is, what do you want from your new little companion ... ?
just to have him/ her like a dog or cat ( free roaming w/o some interaction ) or have interaction on a daily basis ... ?
you would be amazed at what these little individual(s) can show you if you just give them the time.
for me, I interact w/ my two for at least 4 to 5 hours letting them do their bunny business w/ also interacting w/ them =0)
the question is, what do you want from your new little companion ... ?
just to have him/ her like a dog or cat ( free roaming w/o some interaction ) or have interaction on a daily basis ... ?
you would be amazed at what these little individual(s) can show you if you just give them the time.
for me, I interact w/ my two for at least 4 to 5 hours letting them do their bunny business w/ also interacting w/ them =0)
Thanks for replies everyone!! I have had bunnies before and they have always been housed outside. I live in Scotland so other than the odd "hot" day generally the rabbits can cope and I have lots of options for keeping them cool.
We did consider keeping Alfie in the house but after a lot of thought we realised we would have to completely renovate the house to make it bunny safe (we have open back wooden stairs for example which would be really dangerous for him).
My main concern really was cats/foxes etc because previously I lived in an urban area where foxes, cats etc were pretty rare but I see them much more often now that I live in the country.
I will definitely interact with him on a daily basis. The weather is nice at the moment so I have been spending a couple of ours just chilling in his run reading a book and letting him sniff around and get to know me. In wetter/colder weather he will get in to explore the house (supervised). But there will definitely be lots of interaction from him!!
We did consider keeping Alfie in the house but after a lot of thought we realised we would have to completely renovate the house to make it bunny safe (we have open back wooden stairs for example which would be really dangerous for him).
My main concern really was cats/foxes etc because previously I lived in an urban area where foxes, cats etc were pretty rare but I see them much more often now that I live in the country.
I will definitely interact with him on a daily basis. The weather is nice at the moment so I have been spending a couple of ours just chilling in his run reading a book and letting him sniff around and get to know me. In wetter/colder weather he will get in to explore the house (supervised). But there will definitely be lots of interaction from him!!
