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advantages and disadvantges
- Thread starter gemleigh
- Start date
Elena
Wise Old Thumper
Mine live inside:
Disadvantages:
Mess - hay and fur can make a mess, personally I don't find it too bad but if you're houseproud then maybe you will.
Possible destruction - In my mind destruction either means a bored rabbit or inadequate proofing but some people may find it impractical.
Some people feel it isn't natural keeping a rabbit inside. Mine spend a lot of time during the day outside with me when the weather is good so for me personally I don't think this argument holds water.
Advantages:
Being around all the time - there ain't nothing like being woken with whiskers up ya nose :lol:
Being able to pick up on illnesses more quickly - having a stasis prone rabbits I find I subconsciously pick up on the signs then when he refuses pellets I realise that actually he's not been right during the day.
Smell - fresh hay, yum. If the smell is wee then obviously they aren't being changed often enough.
Protection from foxes and cats - I live near fields and woods, lots of foxes round here.
Semi-protection from illness - yes house rabbits can still get myxo and vhd but I think being indoors helps protect from things like flystrike.
They can't so easily eat something poisonous - I have control on what and how much they eat.
Less strange noises to upset Smudge - house walls offer a bit of muffling from the banging, revving, howling (those foxes again), etc.
Disadvantages:
Mess - hay and fur can make a mess, personally I don't find it too bad but if you're houseproud then maybe you will.
Possible destruction - In my mind destruction either means a bored rabbit or inadequate proofing but some people may find it impractical.
Some people feel it isn't natural keeping a rabbit inside. Mine spend a lot of time during the day outside with me when the weather is good so for me personally I don't think this argument holds water.
Advantages:
Being around all the time - there ain't nothing like being woken with whiskers up ya nose :lol:
Being able to pick up on illnesses more quickly - having a stasis prone rabbits I find I subconsciously pick up on the signs then when he refuses pellets I realise that actually he's not been right during the day.
Smell - fresh hay, yum. If the smell is wee then obviously they aren't being changed often enough.
Protection from foxes and cats - I live near fields and woods, lots of foxes round here.
Semi-protection from illness - yes house rabbits can still get myxo and vhd but I think being indoors helps protect from things like flystrike.
They can't so easily eat something poisonous - I have control on what and how much they eat.
Less strange noises to upset Smudge - house walls offer a bit of muffling from the banging, revving, howling (those foxes again), etc.
Last edited:
I agree with everything that has already been said , and would like to add the following...
Advantages to indoors:
Inside you spend more time with and therefore form a closer bond with your rabbits.
If free-range, indoor rabbits normally get a much bigger exercise area than they would outside.
You share the space available, so dont have to buy expensive setups, they just live in the house and use the furniture, just like a cat would.
As long as you dont have a chewer, bunny proofing is easy, you just need pen/NIC panels and some trunking.
You dont have to go outdoors in freezing weather to clean out littertrays everyday!
Disadvantages to indoors:
If they are not free-range for the whole day you need a big pen for exercise, house rabbits need as much space as outdoor rabbits, and some people wouldnt want or have the room for such a big area indoors.
You will get a few poops on the floor, even after litter training.
Some rabbits will see your furniture or wallpaper as a challenge to destroy, this risk can be reduced by getting the rabbit from a rescue, as they'll be able to tell you if they like to chew or not.
Advantages to indoors:
Inside you spend more time with and therefore form a closer bond with your rabbits.
If free-range, indoor rabbits normally get a much bigger exercise area than they would outside.
You share the space available, so dont have to buy expensive setups, they just live in the house and use the furniture, just like a cat would.
As long as you dont have a chewer, bunny proofing is easy, you just need pen/NIC panels and some trunking.
You dont have to go outdoors in freezing weather to clean out littertrays everyday!
Disadvantages to indoors:
If they are not free-range for the whole day you need a big pen for exercise, house rabbits need as much space as outdoor rabbits, and some people wouldnt want or have the room for such a big area indoors.
You will get a few poops on the floor, even after litter training.
Some rabbits will see your furniture or wallpaper as a challenge to destroy, this risk can be reduced by getting the rabbit from a rescue, as they'll be able to tell you if they like to chew or not.
William
Wise Old Thumper
Indoors is best for me.
I don't understand the "not natural" part of indoors. Is anything we do with rabbits natural? Its like the live feeding "it is more natural than pre-killed food" argument. Anyway, indoor rabbits can always be allowed outside in the day, even in the winter if you live somewhere warm like I do.
I don't understand the "not natural" part of indoors. Is anything we do with rabbits natural? Its like the live feeding "it is more natural than pre-killed food" argument. Anyway, indoor rabbits can always be allowed outside in the day, even in the winter if you live somewhere warm like I do.
*lily*
Wise Old Thumper
Advantages of indoors:- Rabbit has the freedom to come and go as they like, loads of space, interaction with you, you can spot changes in behaviour very quickly and easily.
Disadvantages of indoors:- Surrounded by metal panels to keep wires safe!, lots of fluff during moulting, you can't safely go to the fridge without a rabbit tripping you up to get there first!
Disadvantages of indoors:- Surrounded by metal panels to keep wires safe!, lots of fluff during moulting, you can't safely go to the fridge without a rabbit tripping you up to get there first!
DK_bunnies
New Kit
Mine are house rabbits - free roaming indoors.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Are there any?
Mine are past the teenage years, so there are no destructive behaviour at all.
The disadvantages are easily solved.
Advantages
- They wake me up in the morning by jumping into the bed
- They follow me around the house always wanting to be near where I am
- I can watch any subtile signs of them being ill before it gets serious
- They are pets and act around me just like a cat or a dog would
- I don't have to go out in the garden in the cold or in the rain to talk to them
- They are fully integrated members of my family as they live with us
Disadvantages
Are there any?
Mine are past the teenage years, so there are no destructive behaviour at all. - Until I found the right litter, their toilet smelled a bit (when it was past cleaning time)
- Until I got my Roomba Pet, I had fur everywhere on the floor
The disadvantages are easily solved.
MichG
Mama Doe
I have outdoors bunnies
Advantages
- They are all happier when outdoors than indoors and seem to be more relaxed and have more energy
- They can display natural behaviours such as digging
- They get a better diet (if on grass/free ranging and can eat herbs etc)
- No smell
- No hay in house
- No noise inside house
- It is lovely spending time with them out in the sunshine on good days
Main one for me is that they are much happier outside, its where (my) rabbits should be, I understand it is not like their "natural" environment but it's as close as I can get them to it. Just my opinion after seeing the change in my bunnies after being house buns to being outdoors, much happier bunnies, I would never have a long term house bunny, unless it was really poorly and couldn't go out.
Disadvantages
- You have to clean out in bad weather
- Feed in bad weather
- Spend time outside with them in bad weather/cold
- Flys
- You can't have a nice well kept flower/veg garden if you are going to let them free range :roll:
Advantages
- They are all happier when outdoors than indoors and seem to be more relaxed and have more energy
- They can display natural behaviours such as digging
- They get a better diet (if on grass/free ranging and can eat herbs etc)
- No smell
- No hay in house
- No noise inside house
- It is lovely spending time with them out in the sunshine on good days
Main one for me is that they are much happier outside, its where (my) rabbits should be, I understand it is not like their "natural" environment but it's as close as I can get them to it. Just my opinion after seeing the change in my bunnies after being house buns to being outdoors, much happier bunnies
, I would never have a long term house bunny, unless it was really poorly and couldn't go out.Disadvantages
- You have to clean out in bad weather
- Feed in bad weather
- Spend time outside with them in bad weather/cold
- Flys
- You can't have a nice well kept flower/veg garden if you are going to let them free range :roll:
GrahamL
Wise Old Thumper
BattleKat
Wise Old Thumper
I keep mine outside at the moment but may try bringing them in this summer if I can get my spare room sorted out to see how they do.
advantages for me -
The lack of mess and destruction. Eli eats carpet and that's not an easy thing to replace in a rented flat.
I enjoy having time out of the house to go and see them. It feels more like a break from my day. Even in the bad weather, I only go out to a shed so it's still nice out there. I like the noise of rain on the roof and sometimes go out just for that!
I think if I were a rabbit I would like to be outside, I enjoy the outdoors much more than indoors. Fresh air, the sounds and equally how generally quiet and peaceful it is. Mine seem to spend a lot of time in the most open part of their run so I assume they enjoy it too.
I can give them a large amount of space outdoors that wouldn't be so easy indoors, which ties in to being able to keep my flat looking nice without bunny proofing everywhere.
landlord doesn't mind them outside.
I foster dogs sometimes and wouldn't be able to if buns were indoors.
disadvantages for me
take up a large part of my garden
sometimes I can't be bothered to go outside.
to a degree, the higher risk of flystrike.
If they don't hate it inside I think I'll have them outside in the summer and indoors in the winter.
advantages for me -
The lack of mess and destruction. Eli eats carpet and that's not an easy thing to replace in a rented flat.
I enjoy having time out of the house to go and see them. It feels more like a break from my day. Even in the bad weather, I only go out to a shed so it's still nice out there. I like the noise of rain on the roof and sometimes go out just for that!
I think if I were a rabbit I would like to be outside, I enjoy the outdoors much more than indoors. Fresh air, the sounds and equally how generally quiet and peaceful it is. Mine seem to spend a lot of time in the most open part of their run so I assume they enjoy it too.
I can give them a large amount of space outdoors that wouldn't be so easy indoors, which ties in to being able to keep my flat looking nice without bunny proofing everywhere.
landlord doesn't mind them outside.
I foster dogs sometimes and wouldn't be able to if buns were indoors.
disadvantages for me
take up a large part of my garden
sometimes I can't be bothered to go outside.
to a degree, the higher risk of flystrike.
If they don't hate it inside I think I'll have them outside in the summer and indoors in the winter.
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:
(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:
