letting bunnys go outside like the cats do ?

[Carmy]

Somewhere I have heard of someone letting theirbunnys hop around the back yard .My little girl would love this but I'mafraid they may take off.So far when we took them out we put them in apen about 20' X 20' but I/m scared they may dig out if I'm not there..any ideas ?

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Yes, rabbits are allowed to go outside. My twolive outside and I let them out in their run for a few hours every dayso they can get some exercise. I just have a puppy pen which works finefor me but if you are worried about your bun escaping then you couldput a roof on the run and either sink the edges into the ground, laystrong mesh (not chicken wire) around the edges or put the run onconcrete. Also remember to supervise your bunny while she isout in her run in case she decided to dig/climb out or a predator triesto get her.

 

[RO STAFF 2]

In your neighborhood, you have to watch for hawks and other birds of preyas well.

Ourpet rabbits are native to Europe, so there are certainparasites and other things to be on guard against.Make sureyou check with North American sites if you're researchingthatinfo.

And yes, those bunnies sure can dig! In Europe they live inunderground warrens. The fencing will have tobedeepin the ground, or they'll need constant supervision.

Checkout posts by Pet_Bunny,who is also near youand allows his bunny Pebbles some supervised outdoor time.(And MyBunnyBoys is in Alberta as well, and her three live outside in asecure hutch).

Welcome to Rabbits Only! :welcome

RO Staff

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Welcome to the forum Carmy! :wave:

What kind of bunny do you have?

Pebbles is a Netherland Dwarf and I had her for about 1 1/2 years now.

I let her out in an enclosed area of our yard for1 hour when I canplay and watch her.
I check for any holes or escape routes before I bring her out. I never leave her out on her own.
And I have some hiding places should she need some protection from the sun
or any stray animals that might come over the fence.

During the winter, I let her stay out if she is active and running around.
But when she starts to stand around the door or licking her paws constantly, I bring her in.

Rainbows!

 

[Y0tsuya]

We let our netherland dwarf go outside for thepast 5 years. He has the run of the whole yard, which isfenced in. When we first got him, he was kept indoors for afew weeks to let him know that's where he belongs.At night we would always bring him in. While indoors he wouldstill have the whole kitchen to run around in, only to go into the cageat bedtime. We would place rocks and bricks at the foot ofour fence to discourage digging. When he was stillyoung, he would still find an occasional weak point and digout. We got tired of knocking on neighbors' doors to chasehim back so we usually let him stay overnight. He'll alwaysbe back the next day, and the neighbors don't seem to mind.As he got older he became less adventurous. First he wouldstop staying out overnight, then he stopped diggingaltogether. Now he would wait on the back porch atsunset begging to be let in. I think keeping the bunny inhouse for a while is key. We once made a mistake of letting abunny out soon after acquiring him. He never came back.

 

[kfonz]

I used to let Bunny out on our balcony when wehad the railing covered. But new management said take everything off,so now we can't let him out cause he might fall through therailing! He used to love sitting outside and getting freshair. Now I just take him to the park! But I'm sureeveryone would agree rabbits love the outdoors ink iris:

-k