Outdoor bunnies - Enrichment ideas

[BlancoBunBun]

Those of you who have outdoor-only bunnies, what are some of the ideas you have for toys and stimulation? My bunny is in a large 2 level hutch but during the day I have been letting him also have access to an x-pen area to run around a jump. I have some cardboard boxes, willow sticks, balls, wicker hiding areas, toilet paper toys, and a step stool in the x-pen but I'm looking for more ideas.

Also, how much time realistically do you get to spend with your outdoor bunny? I do my best to sit outside and play with him / pet him as much as possible, but feel guilty that he is not inside getting the same kind of attention as the dog can when I am doing things in the house.

i do plan on trying to find him a friend in about a month to help- he just got neutered so I wanted to wait a bit.

I know I will probably get flamed for keeping him outside and asking these questions, but I'll try anyway.
We can't have a rabbit inside the house, so we have tried our best to make the best life for him as possible outside. He was on death row at the shelter with an "aggressive" label, so I stepped in and adopted him before he was euthanized. I like to think that the life I am able to give him outside is still much better than being killed.

 

[sungura]

I made balls for my rabbits from a cardboard tube and stuff those with hay, they love throwing them around, but my buns are inside. I like being able to let them run around while I am cleaning or on the computer

 

[Azerane]

There is nothing wrong with an outdoor rabbit who is well looked after. I feel like the reason there's so much stigma against outdoor rabbit keeping is because outdoor rabbits are more easily forgotten by owners that aren't super keen on them. However, I'm sure there's indoor rabbits that are stuck in cages all day and mistreated too.

Toys:
Hard plastic baby keys
Stacking cups
White pages (phone directory with cover ripped off). Be aware you will end up with bits of paper EVERYWHERE!
Tunnel (cat play tunnels work well)
Fleece blanket (to dig at and rearrange)
Stuffed animal toy (no beanie toys, no plastic eyes/noses)
Slinky (lots of rabbits seem to love these, I would make it a supervised play only toy though)

Also, stuffing a carboard box full of crumpled up paper can be fun, because Bandit spends a long time taking it all of the box. Then I just put it back in again

 

[Ivythelionhead]

I think an outdoor rabbit can be as happy as an indoor one my bunny loves those jingley cat balls you can get with the bells inside them she picks it up and shakes it and then throws it when she's done she also loves bird toys

 

[jenniferdavidson]

My rabbit lives outside too and I agree: as long as you're providing properly for the rabbit, outisde living is fine. I have my rabbit in a chainlink dog run. It's fifteen feet by five feet and six feet tall. I've put a top on it and buried wire so that she can't escape through digging. She's a flemish giant so I feel like she is getting so much more stimulation and exercise than I could possibly give her inside. I check on her three times a day and I like to sit in with her for at least an hour every day and play with her. I actually just put the kiddie pool (that I bought for my dog, who never touched it!) into the run and filled it with dirt and she likes to kick it all around and dig for her toys etc. She has a blast! I have her litter trained so in circumstances like today (it was 30 degrees Celsius outside) it was waaaaay too hot for her outside so I brought her inside for the day and put her in her dog crate. Boy was she cranky! Now, she's back outside since it's cool in the evenings. She sleeps in an insulated dog house that I bought second hand which keeps her cool in the summer and warm in the winter. She's pretty much the most spoiled rabbit ever I plan on putting down straw for her this winter and that will help to keep the cold from coming up from the ground. I think I'll try the cardboard box filled with shredded paper though- great idea!!!

 

[jenniferdavidson]

Here's a pic of her chillin' in her dirt today
What a spoiled rabbit