Harness

[Lucky_2017]

Hi guys! I went to my local pet store today to buy my rabbit some treats but ended up with a harness. The lady at the pet store said that they are naturally grazing animals so they should go outside. I researched what temperatures they can tolerate and apparently it’s 1 degree at the least. So I took him outside and he loved it! It’s was about 5-7 degrees outside so not too bad. The trouble is though is putting the harness on. It’s a bit of a struggle and I’ve heard the rabbits can die of fear, but the thing is he isn’t scared, he’s just angry. He gets angry at me a lot [emoji23] when I’m trying to pick him up etc. But when he actually has the harness on he loves it. Just wondering if all this struggle is bad for him?

 

[Lucky_2017]

 

[Hermelin]

First you should harness train and not just put everything everything on fast, you should start slow and let the rabbit get used with the harness and associat the harness with something positive. Many start to fast with harness and leash which can lead to the rabbit get hurt instead of taking it slow and let rabbit take it’s time getting used with the harness.

Use treats when you put the harness on and off, and just let him roam around with just the harness so he get used
With it and know it’s something good. After a while they often stay calm when you put the harness on.

 

[Blue eyes]

Don't trust pet store employees. More often they provide wrong information. For instance, while rabbits can certainly handle colder temperatures, it is NOT good for them to experience sudden, extreme temperature changes. So if the outside temperature is more than 15 or so degrees different than the indoor temperature, they should not go outside.

Rabbits have a difficult time regulating their body temperature. Those sudden temp extremes are very stressful on them.

(Rabbits that are housed outdoors are able to gradually get used to the change of temperature.)

It isn't necessary for your rabbit to go outside. Yes, grazing is natural. That is what they are doing while eating their hay -- grazing. They can do that indoors just as well.

Also, if you decide to take him outside in the Springtime, be careful. Suddenly eating a bunch of fresh grass would be considered a diet change and could cause some digestive issues. (of course, the grass would have to be free of pesticides, fertilizer and weed control)

 

[Lucky_2017]

Ok, thanks for the advice, I am slowly introducing him and I let him out for two minutes tops. [emoji195][emoji1305]