Rabbits can live happily indoors or outdoors, as long as a suitable accommodation is used.
A hutch is not enough for your rabbits this is a big issue so make sure you provide plenty of space, security and enrichment.
Your Indoor Bunny:
Your bunny will want to explore but it is best to restrict him to only a few areas avoid stairs, avoid places where he can chew wires, poisonous plants, new furniture, other pets like dogs, cats and reptiles, and areas where drafts or doors where he could escape, rabbits should be supervised when out roaming about the house.
Your bunny should still be provided with outdoor activities, so they can graze on grass, make sure there is security for your bunnies see this picture belew.
Making your own personalized rabbit friendly house is a great idea, check out this picture below from ‘The rabbit house’ with a bunny house made under the stairs, with great access too and a great area for bunny to see whats going on and to be happy to be in with his humans.
Your Outdoor Bunny:
A large run attached to a good sized hutch suitable for your bunnies size is recommended, minimum of a 6ft that is permanently attached to an exercise space that is a minimum of 8ft x 4ft. Also providing grass access is a great way for bunnies to get a natural source of their daily diet.
You can grow your own grass in plastic dog beds or large plant pots, make sure to use compost soil that doesn’t contain pesticides and that is labelled organic. It is important not to feed grass cuttings from lawn mowers. Check out this Picture of Louie in his grass bed
Think about the cold and warm weather when your bunnies are housed outdoors, it is best to shelter their hutch from the cold and thermal covers for their runs, or bring inside if temperature are below 7 degrees, and shelter from the hot sun if the temperature exceeds 28 degrees.
How many bunnies can live together?
It is important to make you aware, rabbits in the wild there is only one male know as a buck, numerous males that live together should be separated or until neutered as fights will break out.
Most or all rabbits prefer to live with another rabbit for company, this means they are able to carry out normal behavior like grooming and playing.
Check out my Louie and Casey pictured here socialising. Please read on for further information about rabbits and guinea pigs.
It is important to note rabbits should be monitored if guinea pigs are out exercising with rabbits but they should Never be housed together. Rabbits have powerful back legs and can seriously injury guinea pigs if in their way or if they disagree with eachother.
It is important to note that rabbits can have fights and injure one another, it is truly important to look into how to introduce a new bunny into the household with other rabbits to avoid injuries.
Written by Michelle Darby SVN
