I think I have the best of both worlds
(though I realise not practical for everyone)
I no longer have rabbits of my own but my rabbits were outdoor rabbits in the daytime and indoors in a purpose built house extension(the rabbit room) at night.
This meant in the day they could come in and out of the garden as they wished and into the rabbit room and into the utility too if they wished to be indoors.
At night they were locked in the rabbit room which has 2 x 5ft hutches (which are never closed). (They all chose to sleep
under the hutch in lots of hay)I guess like a burrow?
I found their natural choice was to go out in the morning at 8am when I opened the doors, till 12 noon when they would come in and lie in the rabbit room or utility for a few hours.
They would go back out at about 2.30pm- 3pm and stay out till almost dusk when they would come in again of their own accord.(and I would lock them in for the night)
I have had many different rabbits and they
all followed this pattern.
(I do sometimes go out:lol: and have disrupted this pattern of course by shutting them indoors), but I believe this is the pattern they chose because its nearest to how they would behave in the wild....out early morning and late afternoon grazing and playing/digging then resting/chatting indoors midday and at night.
This means I do not have to go out in the cold and wet to change litter trays or to clean the rabbit room, and they have loads of space indoors and out which I know is safe for them.
I only have bunny friendly plants growing in the back garden(if you grow enough of them they can't eat them all:lol: and some hanging baskets well away from them in the summer. They love to have a long fast run on the grass and to dig in the borders.
I have never allowed them in the main part of the house as it's not
bunny-proofed (and would be difficult to do so as my son and husband both have electrical/computer bits everywhere!) Also I do have it quite warm in here awith the central heating and that wouldn't suit them.
There are also runs attached to the rabbit room where I lock them in when I go out so they can chose to graze(patio under the turf) or go back in the rabbit room.
I think it very much depends on the rabbits personality. I would say most buns would prefer to be outside grazing but some bunnies do like being indoors.
I guess some are more hardy than others- perhaps the newer fancy breeds like being indoors more?
swings and roundabouts.
sue:wave: