Is it natural to keep rabbits indoors?

I went out for dinner last night with my Granny and I'm going on and on about Mr Awesome himself, Carlton, and when I said that he doesn't go outside she said she didn't think it was natural or fair to have a rabbit as an indoor pet (she wasn't getting on her highhorse or anything, it was just her opinion, she is old after all! :lol. She's never owned rabbits and didn't even know what he eats :lol: I think her thinking it wasn't fair was based on the assumption that they eat grass and probably didn't think about hay!

I was kind of stumped as to what to reply to be honest, I do my best to bring a little of the outdoors, indoors (grass and dandelions to eat, etc).

What are the pro's and con's of being a houserabbit?

Are things like myxi and vhd less likely to occur in houserabbits compared to outside buns (with both having had vaccs)?

I want to have a "defence" should that comment arise again, all i could think of to say was "they're fine as house companions, it's a growing trend".

I'm useless when put on the spot! :lol:

Well we have both at the moment but not through choice, to be honest i favour indoor bunnies but its just personal opinion, and also varies from bun to bun, so weve found anyway. Somebuns just love to roll about in mud, dig giant holes and lie out in the sun all day. Some, like our Luna for example, enjoy lying out on the sofa with you in the evening and arent the sort to enjoy or even tolerate the outdoor lifestyle
Basically it obviously works for Carlton-she should see how happy he is and then decide!

In some cases it seems domestication has gone so far. My mum has a cat who refuses to step out of the house. Hes 11 now and has never been outside of the garden, despite always having access. Hed much rather snuggle up in bed with my mum. This is especially true if the bun/other creature has always lived indoors. They fear the unknown, then, and accept their surroundings

I DO think things like myxi are less common in indoor buns, as obviously theres no risk of meeting up with wild bunnies and other creatures. Theres still a risk though of course. Oh and they cant fall prey to foxes, no risk of getting cold etc, less risk of flystrike i think

Another great thing is obviously theyre often more part of the family, becoming involved in time watching telly, going to bed etc (see latest Luna pic!:lol and outdoor buns are tougher to spend time with especially in winter or severe conditions. I know we all try, but frankly, all our indoors buns have always had slightly more attention solely because were most often indoors and not in our yard. This obviously means you will be very quick to spot any illness etc too

Indoor rabbits get just as much exercise and often more-they have their greens and as you say a bit of the outdoors indoors, and basically i just cant see a problem. We were told to put up a stool by the window so Luna could look out, so we did, but she took one look and hasnt bothered since. All our buns have been happier inside, with one or two exceptions

So it depends on the bun, but the main thing is Carlton is happy and has a great life!

:wave:

I agree!

Basically domesticating any animal is not natural, even the biggest hutch and run isn't as big as the "great outdoors" but of course it's a whole lot safer!

I think so long as pets are well cared for there are lots of different ways too look after them, some may be better than others but it's all down to personal choice.

I think its fine,some rabbits do like the best of both though going outside on nice days
I think myxi in the indoor bun is very high risk if you have dogs,as that is how one of my house rabbits caught it

i dont think its natural to keep any pet full stop. but they are domesticated now thanx to our ancestors so in a whole unnatural situation keeping a rabbit indoors is no worse than keeping dogs cats or birds indoors

and judging by the binkys from pearl and the happy flops from alvin they aint pining for the great outdoors

my chipmunks tho should never have been an animal domesticated, poor stella hates being caged so indoors or outdoors is irrelivent shed hate either.

we have Berts indoors because he's a loner and we're in a flat. Given the choice, he would have a buddy and live outdoors with free access to come inside at will.
I've only had 1 outdoor bunny, ooommphety years ago, and it spent most of it's time indoors, so I can't really put the following points forward as unique to indoor buns, but..
I think you could argue that if a bun is alone, it needs to have more contact with you, and become part of the family, so as not to feel isolated. get bored, frustrated and miserable.
The bonding experience (for us) has been quite surprising, and I never realised just how much he'd need to have us around and how much he craves company, and I don't know if that would have happened outdoors.
Berts mimmicks us, he knows we have a room, and so does he. He knows our waking and sleeping times and has fitted in around them.
the other, probably most important thing, is that by having him here, we spot anything even slightly worrying as soon as it's there to see (which as we know can take a while), I know if he's not pooed, I can tell if he looks as if he's not moving properly, I can hear his noises, so i know if he crunches, (which he's done once), I can tell from his ears and position if his guts are playing up, and do something about it immediately, and I can gauge his mood.

So as unnatural as it is to keep any rabbit as a pet, I do think by having lone buns indoors you are giving them a better quality of life than outdoors.

I do think some buns do have a preference as well, I've read many times on here that people have started with their bun in/out and switched because it didn't like it

Mine used to be inside all the time, but now they all love a few hours garden access every week - I have some out 6 days a week in the summer.

It did take a couple longer to get used to it though. Smirnoff used to hide in a pet carrier & Rosie is always the first in the queue to come in:lol:

My bun are all indoor, as it's too cold in the winter, -20 C w/ wind chill factor can move to - 60 C. In the summer, I take them to my backyard to hop till Oct., then it's winter and no outdoor hopping until March.

My bunnies are outdoor but only because I can devote as much time outside as I do inside. I have the back door open so they can come and go as they please but they both seem to prefer the outdoors. Dylan is scared of the house and at his bravest he sunbathes on the backdoor mat. I think because he is an upeared bunny the house is too loud for him, every little noise puts him on edge and in an old cottage style house where the wood constantly creaks he is a little jumpy.

Arthur on the other hand loves laying on the carpet in the afternoons but naturally hops outside to his home at around 8pm every night. Its a nice mixture really

I totally agree rabbits can adapt and be happy in either situations, both have pros and cons as Maxi has already mentioned. I have owned both but I do lean toward your grans view. I think what she meant was is its not really mimicing their natural surroundings as it should do. I always try and aim to keep my rabbits as they would do in the wild : in a group, free range in my yard when I can supervise or out on grass all day in the fresh air in a run, hay ad lib, fed at dusk and dawn when they most active etc. They live in a shed, filled with tunnels and boxes and tree branches. Mine experience rain, wind, the cold - Of course you could argue well let them run free day and night that would be most natural but we have got to be realistic. Domestic rabbits share the same behaviour patterns but don't have the survival skills and should be protected from foxes, myxi, freezing cold etc. I think we should do what we can to treat them like a rabbit and not loose track of what they are.

I'll be honest, I keep my rabbits indoors for selfish reasons, they are my companions. However, I give them the best life I possibly can. I try to give them the best diet, cosy and stimulating environment and companionship (still learning on all fronts but I suspect even the 'experts' are learning new things still). I've one colleague who knew about house rabbits before knowing me but other people I talk to had not heard of keeping them indoors. My brother is totally against the idea of keeping them indoors (then he wouldn't expect a dog to be shut in a pen all day would he?) He has done no research whatsoever and probably thinks I'm the only person who keeps them indoors and that it isn't fair. Based on many things but especially the recent thread about how intelligent our rabbits are, I'd say most thrive on being inside. They seem to like to jump on the sofa to cuddle their human companions, come over and nudge for attention, stare (hypnotise) you when they are hungry - not that far different to cats and dogs then - people wouldn't dream of telling you cats and dogs should kept ouside.

Bit off-topic, but...

Has anyone elses housebuns tried to jump through glass patio/french doors? My Sh*tty used to do it quite often, although her eyesight wasn't great.

:wave: thanks for your views! I suppose as she's never seen abunny as a house companion, she doesn't realise how well they can get on inside. Carlton's a super happy cheeky monster being an indoor cutie. I do look forward to seeing what he thinks of the great outdoors in the future when he can have access to a garden.

It's not really natural to keep animals as pets at all

But if you do, you have to do what yo uthink is best for them - which is always going to be a matter of opinion rather than fact - and you cant deny theres advantages of being indoors: less risk of predators, parasites, more shelter, more interaction with their owner, etc

I do feel like they benefit from some time outdoors....but to be honest I've never seen any evidence of it. mine seem happy as long as they're clean, fed, and ecercised.

I think it depends on the individual rabbit. Carlton obviously does well as a house rabbit. Same as my Molly. He's a house bunny through and through. likes his home comforts. But our outside ones love the outdoors and lounging in the sun.

Keeping a rabbit fullstop isn't natural eg. if you keep it in a shed, hutch etc. That's why i try and keep mine as natural as possible.
I think that either way you keep a rabbit as long as they have plenty of room and are happy and healthy it doesn't matter.
Carlton is such a character and he's obviously happy! Nothing wrong with his set up, it's huge and he's happy

abbymarysmokey said:

Bit off-topic, but...

Has anyone elses housebuns tried to jump through glass patio/french doors? My Sh*tty used to do it quite often, although her eyesight wasn't great.

Click to expand...

Buu runs head first through the cat flap before checking its actually unlocked first :lol:

abbymarysmokey said:

Bit off-topic, but...

Has anyone elses housebuns tried to jump through glass patio/french doors? My Sh*tty used to do it quite often, although her eyesight wasn't great.

Click to expand...

nope, but Aemilia tries to dig her way out of the house! :roll::lol:

CottonMather said:

nope, but Aemilia tries to dig her way out of the house! :roll::lol:

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:lol::lol::lol:

Well,I'd like to think they're better off with a bit of both! We keep our Boris indoors but he is allowed outside on nice weather days (he actually refuses to go out if it's wet,rainy or cold lol). I usually take him out on a leash so the amount of time he gets out there is indeed limited,but we're planning on getting him a cage soon so that he can truly enjoy his dear backyard and live his life to the fullest! The only concern about doing that would be the cats wandering around in our neighbourhood...:?