Can indoor rabbits exercise outside in winter?

I was planning to keep my two rabbits indoors during the winter, but letting them go outside for a couple of hours a day for 'outside exercise' so they can get some grass and a change of scene. My plan was to keep the heating off in the room they'll be housed in so that the temperature difference is reduced. Will this be OK for them?

Tbh, there is no reason they can't be outside, if they have been outside all through the start of this year. They will be getting their winter coat, so they will be nice and warm, and you can just top the hutch up with more hay/straw than usual so they can snuggle in it.

Also, it is a good idea to get a hutch cover if you don't already have one, so that you can cover the hutch from any rain/snow/wind etc

If you do decide to bring them in for winter then they need to come in now to adjust to house temperatures. If the heating is off in the room they are in then they should be fine for a couple of hours out in a run during the day. If they are going to be in human temp rooms of 21 deg roughly then again on warm days outside a couple of hours is fine. But on very cold days of between 0-5 deg for example you will need to restrict this to more like half an hour or so. It's the sudden change in temp that buns can't cope with, but if they are just out for an hour's hop around and exercise they will keep themselves warm enough.

My buns are house buns at around 21 deg, maybe a bit less in the room they sleep in. As winter comes on we reduce the time spent outside to just an hour in the middle of winter, usually just coming out with us for a quick bit of fresh air and a hop around. On very cold days such as freezing or snow we keep it down to 20 mins half an hour - same as we would tolerate really.

My plan was to keep the heating off in the room they'll be housed in so that the temperature difference is reduced. Will this be OK for them?

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Muppet and Sooty are indoor rabbits all year round. That's pretty much what I do in winter, but the room my two live in is open to the lounge (heated) and kitchen (no heating - and not much cooking :lol so their room is probably quite warm when the heating's on. Unheated overnight all round tho.

Muppet likes to go out all weathers, so I just leave the door open for as long as he wants when I'm home. In winter this reduces quite a lot - I'm sure he'd be happy longer but I can only stand so much of freezing with the door open! It seems to work OK for us. (This will be Sooty's first winter with me, so we'll have to see if it suits her too.)

Tinkerbell used to sleep in the house and freerange but also went outside if she wanted, whatever the weather. I will be doing the same this year with Louie. I had no problems with Tinkerbell whatsoever

If they are indoor rabbits I wouldn't put them outdoors at all during winter unless the temperature is definately the same in and out.

Like people, rabbits need sunlight to make vitamin D.

My vet says rabbits should go outside for at least half an hour every day (he knows mine live indoors).

Muppet2 said:

Like people, rabbits need sunlight to make vitamin D.

My vet says rabbits should go outside for at least half an hour every day (he knows mine live indoors).

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What if their enclosure is next to a large window?

The need for vitamin D is over represented by many people. Humans get all the vitamin D they need from incidental exposure to sunlight. It's also included as a supplement in many things like SS. Unless you keep your buns in a basement with no windows it's not really a concern.

Aside from the sunlight issue....there is a very good article by Romain Pizzi in the recent issue of Rabbiting On where he describes how important 'being outside' emotionally is to a rabbit's general state of health. I.e. that rabbits when outside are functioning on higher alert and reacting to the sounds, smells etc around them and are consequently burning off more calories - this article was addressing the growing issues of obesity in rabbits.

My two are house buns but unless it is absolutely tipping it down they go outside for atleast half an hour a day - even in the middle of winter. Obviously in the summer they spend most of the day out there, except for the really hot part of the day. Sudden changes in temperature are risky for buns - but this means 'exposure' for a certain length of time. If it's a cold day I wear a similar layer to my house bun's 'thinner' winter coat and at the point I start to feel the cold, then they come in too....half an hour on a cold day as long as bun is hopping around and keeping moving is fine. On a sunny Autumn/Spring day they might go in their run for an hour or two. It's about being sensible. Being outside really perks my two up and stimulates their senses....and encourages a good 'burn around' to really get their guts mobile too. I personally believe that accesss to outside is very important for a rabbit's well being.