• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Indoor/outdoor all year round? Opinions please.

xClairex

Alpha Buck
Ok I'll try and not ramble on too much but I am about to move house (just decorating right now and will be in new house within 3 weeks) and the new house has a cat flap in the back door and the back garden is a nice size.

Now I have grand plans for the house and garden, it is going to be a bunny paradise...I hope!
This is what my pair will have, things will be done a bit at a time especially the outdoor stuff.
- Large area under stairs with no door will have a large dog crate, litter trays and their blankets.
- A ramp will be built up the stairs so they can get up and down easily.
- My bedroom will be their base as usual, so litter trays, blankets, toys, boxes etc.
- Living room will have their armchair in and they will be able to wander about the house freely.
- Then I am going to have an aviary built around the whole back garden, it'll attach onto the side/back of the house. I know this'll be expensive to do but my garden will then be 100% predator proof and the bunnies can come and go as they please :)
- I'll have large planters all round the garden with bunny safe herbs and things in.
- A corner digging box filled with sand.
- Industrial tubes around the garden(got these off a building site years ago)
- Tree stumps around the garden.
- A cheap hutch in one corner so the buns can sleep in there if they feel like it (they will NEVER be shut in it)

I think that's all I've thought about for now. Any other suggestions welcome.

My question is though, can my pair be indoors AND outdoors all year round? Or would I need to keep them inside during the winter?
 
Louie lives indoors but goes outside every single day. I leave the back door open so he can come and go as he pleases when someone is home.
 
Your ideas are awesome, I would love to do all those things! :wave: but yes you should really keep them inside all winter as the temp change going in and out is not good for them. Then when spring comes you can let them out/back in no probs :wave:
 
Louie lives indoors but goes outside every single day. I leave the back door open so he can come and go as he pleases when someone is home.

I do the same as you, leave the door open for a while each day, benji goes in and out as he wants, my vet said this is perfectly fine for him, she said he will know when he's cold and come back inside which he does:thumb:
 
You can do that. But how old are they? I would limit a younger rabbits pair outside. Also at night I would bring them inside where they have no outside access or outside in a fully closed heated hutch or a heated barn. Not to get you worried, but winter time is often of time of frozen rabbits, just make sure you have direct heat on them such as a heater. And also remember winter time is also a time of hungry predators, so make it predator safe and keep yourself safe!


Hope you have a toasty winter!
 
Thanks for the opinions so far everyone :)

My pair are 6 1/2 and 10 years old, so not young buns.

I'm having the aviary with a roof built around the whole garden so the whole thing will be predator proof.

I think I may let them stay out until a reasonable time in the winter and then bring them inside so they aren't out overnight, although I'm sure they are clever enough to come in if they do get cold I just wouldn't want to risk it.
In fact knowing my 2 I'll spend loads of money getting the outside all safe for them and they wont step foot out there :roll:
 
About 15 years ago I had a house rabbit who one day learnt how to use the cat flap leading to our yard, never bothered blocking it up as never thought a rabbit would use it! Our yard was a stone wall all round so safe apart from above so I put wooden uprights on the walls (walls about 5ft and uprights another 2ft, meaning we could stand up out there, and covered with netting). I found that as soon as it became dusk he would bring himself into the house and head back to the living room, he also wouldn't go out if it was wet. We never had much heating on as we both came from old farm houses so not used to it but we never had a problem with it, I think a rabbit knows what is best for them.
 
Thanks KatP, I think my 2 are sensible enough to know when to not be outside (but we shall see!)
I'm excited to get the garden and everything done, just need to find someone in my area who does aviaries and puts them up for people :D
 
Back
Top