After people's thoughts on rehousing an indoor rabbit outdoors in a hutch.

I have a two and half year old female rabbit named Molly that has always been kept as an indoor pet. Due to a change in circumstances I face having to give up my home and move in with a family member for the short to medium term. I cannot keep Molly indoors in my new accommodation although the home owner has said I can keep her in a hutch in the garden if I like. Obviously the last thing I want to do is let my misfortune have a detrimental effect on her quality of life. So, I am torn between attempting to re-home her as an indoor pet OR taking her with me and housing her outdoors. I have had no luck on the re-homing front as yet and I am worried that she won't receive the care and attention that I have given her if I let her go. At the same time I worry about how she will react to being kept outdoors. I would appreciate you guy's thoughts on my dilemma....

As long as your bun is happy and healthy, up to date with vaccination etc, I don't think there's any reason why she cannot go outside. It would be nice to get her a friend if possible, just so she's not out there "alone". There are lots of examples of outdoor housing here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?311878-Outdoor-Housing It's whether you can afford an appropriate set up and whether the garden will have enough room/whether your friend minds bunny taking up room.

Is there any chance at you could have her bonded with a friend to live outside with? Going from indoor to outdoor living on her own could be upsetting for her as she will see you less.

Hope all works out ok xx

Rabcat said:

Is there any chance at you could have her bonded with a friend to live outside with? Going from indoor to outdoor living on her own could be upsetting for her as she will see you less.

Hope all works out ok xx

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Agree with this. If she is to move outdoors summer is the best time to do it anyway.

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time

I moved my two indoor bunnies outdoors 2 years ago. They absolutely LOVE it! The only problem with moving them outside is the time of year - in Winter it's not really fair as they won't have a winter coat, but this time of year is perfect. This is the time of year I moved my two out.

When keeping outdoor bunnies it's definitely very important to have 2. A single bunny outdoors will be very lonely, as you won't be able to spend as much time with them as before.

Windwhistle Warren in Gloucester and Fat Fluffs in Solihull have loads of bunnies - all very cute! They'll bond for you, and they'll come neutered and vaccinated. I think the adoption fee is around £50-60.

This hutch and run combo is a great size, and very inexpensive for what it is: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350758325427?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649. It also doesn't take up much room so it should fit in any size garden. You'll want to get some sort of shower curtain or clear tarp to cover the top of the run to keep the rain out, and perhaps some timber panels to put inside the mesh windows for very cold weather, but it's a great hutch.

It would also be good to attach it to another run if possible, but at 6 x 2 x 2 and 6 x 4 it meets the old RWAF recommendations. They recently increased it to an 8 x 4 run, but this setup is pretty damn close.

If the garden is an odd size/shape and you can't get away with the above setup, you can get a 6 x 2 x 2 hutch (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350566100664?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649) and connect it using the runaround tubes to a run. This is the connection kit: http://www.runaround.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/connection-kit-3. And here's an 8 x 4 run: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MASSIVE-R...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item35c9982b2f, or an amazing 8 x 6 run that should only cost £120 with delivery (plus he builds it for you!): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8ft-x-6ft...155?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ac6a7e273. If money isn't too much of an issue, you can get the hutch from him too and get him to build it all: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/large-rab...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item4ac6b417ce.

EDIT: Here's a link to our local rescues http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/centres.asp#Worcestershire

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lovely-Ex...522?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cd37261fa I found this which isn't too far away, and seems a total bargain! 6 foot long, times two Would need a good scrub and a coat of cuprinol but looks pretty good! You could make a hole and a step to give your bun(s) two levels, or use the top one for storage!