Why an Indoor Bunny?
by Dana M. Krempels, Ph.D.
Every year, thousands of "Easter bunnies" are taken home, played
with for a few hours and then dumped in a hutch to be forgotten for
most of the rest of their lives. Not all hutch bunnies get proper
care, and many of those "Easter bunnies" die before they reach the age
of one year. Here are some ways you can avoid the health problems so
often seen in bunnies forced to live outdoors in Florida or other
areas where summer temperatures are very high.
SIZE OF THE CAGE
A rabbit needs at least four hours per day of running time inside the
house or in a fenced yard, supervised by a human to prevent attack by
predators. Our house rabbits are often never caged, but if you find
it necessary to keep your rabbit confined while you are away, then be
sure the cage is at least 3' x 4' on the floor dimensions, and at
least 2' high, so the rabbit can comfortably stand on her haunches to
look around. Large breeds (more than 6 lbs.) need an even larger
hutch to be comfortable and healthy.
DEALING WITH THE HEAT
Here in Miami where the summer weather often means 95+ (Farenheit) and
95%+ humidity, rabbits in outdoor hutches die in droves. The domestic
rabbit is the same species as the European rabbit; it is not related
to our wild rabbits. Domestic rabbits are not physiologically
equipped to handle temperatures any higher than about 78 degrees
Farenheit. When it gets hotter than that, the bunny *must* be brought
indoors where there is air conditioning.
Placing a fan near the bunny will not help. Since rabbits cannot
sweat, they cannot benefit from the evaporation cooling that humans
enjoy when the wind blows on their sweat.
If the rabbit absolutely *cannot* come indoors, you must place the
hutch in a very shaded area where the sun *never* shines directly on
the bunny. Even a half hour in the direct Florida sun can be fatal.
When the temperature rises above 78 degrees Farenheit, place a plastic
milk jug filled with frozen water (keep a few of these in the freezer
and rotate them into the cage) in the hutch so that the bunny can
rest against it to keep cool, and also be able to get away from it if
he feels cool enough.
THE DANGER OF PREDATORS
Most people don't realize that there is *no such thing* as a hutch
that is safe from predators. No matter how sturdy the cage may be, a
tenacious raccoon can grab an exposed toe and proceed to chew off a
foot or leg of the rabbit trapped inside.
Sometimes, even the *sight* of a predator can stress a rabbit so badly
that she dies of a heart attack, since she knows she has no where to
run or escape.
It is thus vitally important to keep the bunny indoors, safe from
predators, *especially at night* when most predators are active.
GENERAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING
The sad truth is that rabbits living outdoors simply can't be
constantly monitored for the small changes in behavior that can
signal health problems. Being prey items, rabbits tend to hide their
symptoms until they are very sick, indeed. If they live indoors with
you, you can monitor them very well, and because you become familiar
with their behavior patterns, you will notice if they are the
slightest bit "off." Even not eating for one day or hunching quietly
in an unusual resting place can signify that something is terribly
wrong with your rabbit. If this happens, do NOT WAIT for the
condition to get worse. If a rabbit does not eat for 24 hours, it
should be considered an emergency, and you should get her to your
rabbit-experienced veterinarian immediately.
We receive far too many messages from people who write to ask why they
found their hutch bunny dead, for no apparent reason. They want to
know what happened, and how they can prevent this in the future.
Unfortunately, if the bunny was living alone in an outdoor hutch, the
owner usually has no idea of what symptoms of illness the bunny was
showing prior to death. Without this information, we cannot even
begin to guess at the multitude of possible causes of death. This
would be far less likely to happen if the bunny were living indoors
with the family. The signs of illness could be detected before the
problem became an emergency.
Leaving a bunny alone in a hutch (or even inside) is not necessarily
cruel in the sense that a hutch bunny is in physical discomfort.
However, having lived with rabbits indoors for over 15 years now, I
can say with certainty that most of them crave social interaction
and affection from their humans. They are, by nature, very social and
loving. Being stuck outside in a hutch all alone is NOT a fun life.
I would no sooner stick a bunny in an outdoor hutch all day than I
would do that to a Golden Retriever.
Rabbits deserve love and interaction with their human families.
They are not just giant gerbils or hamsters. (In fact, they are not
rodents at all!) Rabbits intelligent, sensitive and have delightfully
strong personalities. What a tragic waste of a spirit to put one in a
Give your bunny a chance to show you what a wonderful member of the
family s/he can become. Bring him/her indoors where s/he belongs.
You'll wonder how you ever went so long without a HOUSE rabbit!
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