Bunny Picnic!

[KimberlilyKC]

Hey, everyone. I was thinking that sometime this spring/summer, it might be fun to take my rabbits outside and let them play in the yard. I was thinking H-harnesses and short leashes would probably be best, and I would bring along a familiar blanket and a box for them to hide in, as well as litterboxes, hay, and water. I would bring them early in the morning or in the evening, to avoid exposing their eyes and delicate skin to strong sunshine.

Have I thought of everything? Have any of you guys ever done this, and if so, what was it like? I can easily picture my bunnies being excited and happy in this magical world where grass, clover, etc. grows from the ground they're standing on, and the YouTube videos of bunnies digging 8-feet long tunnels are adorable. :biggrin2: On the other hand, I can just as easily imagine the odd sounds of cars in the distance and the neighbour's dog barking, as well as giant trees looming overhead and wide open spaces, being terrifying from a bunny perspective. What have your experiences been like? Did your bunnies have a wonderful time or was it stressful for them and not at all worth it?

I look forward to your responses!

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I know a lot of bunnies enjoy being outside. With mine that was not the case! I have two little ones who are scared of everything, especially birds. Going outside is quite traumatic for them, and they spend most of their time trying to hide near me for comfort. We also have a road behind the backyard, so the sounds of cars whizzing by scared them too.

We could not do leashes or harnesses, as neither bunny would take to it. What we used was the North State Superyard portable play yard from Walmart. I checked out Walmart's website and it looks like they raised the price again

Anyhow, don't let this deter you. Ours are quite skittish and scared of everything...even birds chirping on the Discovery Channel. I think most rabbits have a better reaction to the outdoors than mine

 

[hartleybun]

what about a large run - then the bunnies wouldnt need harnesses or leashes. my rexes lovetheir garden- it's totally bun friendly with no poisonous plants, lovely grass and a couple of apple trees

 

[KimberlilyKC]

Thanks for your reply. I'm fond of playing nature sounds off my computer, and Kiwi & Coco don't seem to mind that, so maybe the birds chirping outside won't bother them either. Hopefully there won't be many crows around at the time! As for other sounds, there is the occasional car on our dirt road, so hopefully that won't scare them too much.

I'll keep the play yard in mind if my bunnies don't like the harnesses. It is a bit pricey, though, so maybe my boyfriend can build something similar instead. The only problem with this is that we have groundhogs that live in our yard and under our house, and I worry that if my bunnies like digging they might stumble upon one of their tunnels and take off inside! We were digging up a garden plot the other weekend and my foot sunk into one of these! (I hope the groundhogs don't eat all our veggies...)

From browsing around this forum I see people have discussed similar subjects and lots of people have pictures of happy-looking rabbits in gardens and backyards. I think I might just give it a try once the weather improves. :biggrin2:

 

[KimberlilyKC]

That reminds of me of a question I'd been meaning to look for an answer to: I know rabbits are allowed to use apple tree branches for chewing purposes, but what about if they're actually ingesting it? I noticed Kiwi doing that, so I took it away from him just in case.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

All of our rabbits love to chew up apple branches--they came from a tree in our front yard, so we knew they were chemical free. They've been "eating" them for 4 years now with no adverse effects. Not sure anymore of the list of verboten branches, but, I think peach and apricot aren't good. Have to consult the library again.

 

[tonyshuman]

For my guys, I have used pens and leashes. Only Muffin likes it, either way. All she likes about it is that the ground is a buffet! That bunny would eat non-stop if she could, perhaps because she was once underfed in a bad situation. Tony spends all his time hiding in plain sight, trying to chew the harness off, or grooming the awful dirt off. The two little ones haven't done it much cuz they're the bf's and we only have one tiny harness, but they weren't that thrilled about it. However, some bunnies love it, like Mouse_Chalk's crew.

Mini dog H-style harnesses are best.

 

[SunnyCait]

I've used the small dog H-harnesses in the past and my rabbits loved being able to be outside. The sights and smells provide a good variety, it's like, well, when you go outside! It's a change of scenery.

Since day one with MJ I've taken her outside with me while I take the dog out to go potty, and she isn't bothered by any of it. I haven't used a harness with her though, she's had a pen. When we move I am going to make her a large outdoor run where she can hang on the cooler nights out with us, since we're outside people.

But it really is all depending on the bunny. Like us, they're all different. My rabbits have always liked it, but I know some who don't like it at all. I think exposing them to new things when they are young will make them less apt to be scared or nervous when they are older.