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Indoor rabbits going outside

MarshMellie

Young Bun
Bonnie and Roo are 12 weeks old now. We've had them since they were 8 weeks old. At the moment they are indoor rabbits. They are free ranging. At night and during the day they are free in the dining room and when we are home they have the lounge and kitchen too. They have been vaccinated against myximatosis and vhd. On Monday we are getting the last bit of our fence fixed and the garden will finally be rabbit proof. We have cat flaps thanks to a previous owner, so our intention is that eventually Bonnie and Roo will free range downstairs in the house and outside in the garden (it's secure and there are no cats in the area). I'm just not sure how to go about introducing the garden to them. I don't want them to have too much grass too soon as it is a new food for them, and I don't want them outside when it's dark. How do you get them back in? Does anyone else do this? Does it work? Any advice would be appreciated!
 
Rather than completely free-ranging, why don't you get them a run? It will limit the grass they can eat, and you can obviously catch them a lot easier to get them back inside! Plus it's much more secure.

I'd gradually build up the time they are allowed grass, monitoring their output carefully, until they don't seem to have an issue.
 
We do have a small fabric run that I can put outside that we used inside to slowly increase their range. I was planning to use that initially, but longer term I was hoping they could free range. I'm not sure they would like being confined when they can free range opinside. Or am I being silly?!
 
I personally wouldn't be happy having buns free range the garden unsupervised. It's not just cats you have to worry about. Foxes are always a threat, and crows wouldn't hesitate to attack a young rabbit.
 
I'm pretty confident that there are no foxes either as our neighbours Bantam chicken free range during the day. Crows though would be a different problem. We do get those around. Might need some more thought then.
 
I would start them off by a small area and see how they go, increasing as time goes by. The best way to get rabbits in is at meal times, so don't go feeding them then let them free range as they have no incentive to come back :lol: Make very sure there are no gaps under the fence, they only need a small space to squeeze through. I have never been bothered by birds of prey but I suppose it is always a risk, especially if the bunnies are small. Foxes can clear a 6' fence with no problem but it does depend on your situation as to whether foxes can access your garden.

We don't advise that rabbits can go in and out during the winter due to the difference in temperature which can upset their respiratory system. So this could cause a problem. You could hand pick a little bit of grass each day so they can be acclimatising themselves to it. If they eat green veg now then it shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Are your rabbits both boys? and are you waiting to have them neutered in 2 or 3 weeks time when their testicles have descended. Or are they big breed bunnies? Boys sometimes fall out at around 14 weeks so be forewarned :D
 
I'd suggest a run too, although be careful of a fabric one, they'll be able to quickly eat their way out of that.
 
Doughnut is an indoor rabbit but she goes in a run outside. I wouldn't want her free ranging as there are cats and foxes about also they can't eat any flowers which are grown from bulbs as they are poisonous. I would definitely get a run.

Why don't you start picking some grass for them, a handful a day to get them used to it. Then you can let them out for a little while every day. I find Doughnut's stools are loose on the grass but it's good for their digestion. I would also put a tunnel or hidey hole in their run so that they feel secure.

To get them in just offer them a treat, they will soon coming boucing over. I transport Doughnut outside in her carrier, she jumps in when she wants to go outside then jumps back in it when she's had enough
 
They are both girls so we wouldn't let them free range until they were spayed, which will be November time, so I suppose based on what Tonibun said that they wouldn't be allowed to free range until next spring. We definitely don't need to worry about foxes, our neighbours Bantam chicken have been free ranging for 2 years now and their fences are lower than ours. My main concern was that we have a lot of Red Kites in the area, but a work colleague is a bird expert (he's been on the One Show - that's my claim to fame) and he's said that the Red Kites won't be a problem as their feet and claws are too weak to catch a fully grown rabbit, they can just about manage to get babies, but don't normally go for them. On the grass front I'll start bringing some in for them, they have been having cabbage every day since before we got them from the breeder so they are already used to some fresh food.

It was my daughter's fourth birthday party today, we had 15 children and 11 adults in the house and garden. We out Bonnie and Roo in their cage for the first time in ages and set it up outside. It was their first time out and they seemed to really enjoy it! Roo spent most of the day lying on her back in what was supposed to be the litter tray. They were totally unfazed by all the screaming children. There were in a quieter and shaded part of the garden, but I was expecting them to be a little bit freaked out. I think we will start with time in the garden in the fabric run and go from there. I'm most concerned about plants from bulbs being poisonous as we definitely have some in the garden.
 
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