Ask Miss Maddie
Resident NTRS House Bunny Goodwill Ambassador
ntrs_tx@yahoo.com
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Dear Miss Maddie, My rabbit loves being outdoors! He just loves getting fresh air and being on the grass. We watch him very carefully and sometimes we take him for a walk on a leash or harness. It is so much fun! We even know of people who keep their bunny outside to live in a hutch. Do you have any additional tips on keeping a rabbit safe while outdoors? |
Miss Maddie agrees with NTRS’s philosophy that domesticated house rabbits should be kept indoors at all times. Read about this topic here from a veterinarian’s viewpoint. A child may find it fun to play in the street; however, it is obviously not a safe place to be! Similarly, just because the outdoors may be enjoyable for us rabbits doesn’t mean that it is safe. It is hard to think a bunny shouldn’t be outdoors; however, the risk of harmful events is much less if you keep us inside. And in fact, the average lifespan of an outside rabbit is 4-6 years, while one kept indoors is 10-12 years!
The sanctuary believes in this so strongly that those who adopt rabbits from NTRS are required to sign the adoption contract agreeing to this indoor provision. NTRS has operated for over 20 years, and it is during that time, we hope others will benefit from what we have learned and that the heartbreak rabbit owners have experienced will educate and enable others to prevent from happening again. Do not ever leave your rabbit outdoors, even for the very briefest period of time. After all, why risk your bunny’s life and the possibility of immense grief when it is preventable? Here are four of the biggest reasons to keep your bunny inside 24/7.
Predators (even if you live in the city)!
In the length of time it takes for you to walk back into your house to go to the bathroom or get a drink, a stray dog or feral cat can be in your yard and kill your rabbit. A very kind and caring family found this out when they placed their rabbits outside for about 15 minutes in order to clean their cage area. They believed they knew all neighboring pets. Sadly, their neighbors had brought in a dog from a shelter, and in less than 10 minutes, he was in their backyard and shredded the rabbits. What an unnecessary and horrible loss of life.
Hutches or cages do not provide enough protection to make it safe to leave the rabbit outdoors 24 hours a day. Rescues receive many calls every week from baffled people whose rabbit died during the night while confined in a hutch. “I don’t understand, the hutch wasn’t even unlocked, and the rabbit didn’t have a mark on him. What happened?” With rabbits’ acute vision, hearing, and smell, they can sense the presence of a predator such as a raccoon even in your neighbor’s yard. S/he may panic and injure herself, and may even die of shock or heart attack. Remember, rabbits are animals of prey!
Don’t think your yard is free of predators just because you live in the city. Raccoons come up through storm drains and arrive in very urban areas. These agile animals can climb trees and open doors. Many raccoons can open hutches and wire cages. Other predators include coyotes, owls, hawks, possums, cats, dogs, etc.
Disease/Death from Insects
Flies (also known as cuterebra) will lay eggs on a rabbit’s skin, most often near the tail or genital area. As the eggs hatch, the larvae (maggots) burrow into the rabbit’s flesh and cause horrific pain and eventually death by eating healthy tissue from the bunny. This is usually not detected until the rabbit is dead or in shock from the extreme pain and toxins. If you have ever seen the movie Aliens and the alien comes out of the human, that is exactly how it looks and feels when the maggots come out of the bunny. The maggots literally eat the bunny alive.
Fire ants can attack a rabbit and kill it in less than five minutes. This has happened to people who believe there are no ants nearby. Mosquito bites cause tumors on the nose, eyes, and ears that can blind or kill your rabbit.
Heat Stroke
Especially in Texas, the heat can be extremely intense. A rabbit’s temperature can rise at an alarming rate and will literally bake the bunny. Rabbits are not able to tolerate temperatures very well above 80 degrees and cannot pant, so they cannot relieve themselves from the heat at all. They suffer terribly in heat and humidity. Imagine yourself in a fur coat that you cannot take off and sitting outside in the summer heat all day and all night long, everyday for 90+ days. Just the thought is unbearable, isn’t it?
The affects of heat can be cumulative although the effects may not be apparent immediately. Animals can suffer terrible sunburn when they are not used to being outside and a rabbit or dog left in the sun can be severely burned. They might start out in the shade but the sun moves and your pet often can’t. Don’t take the chance with your pet’s life. Think for a moment; our cousin, the cottontail, is never out during the day, only at night or early morning. That should ring a bell that other fur kids, especially domesticated ones, should not be there either.
Isolation: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Bunnies are extremely social creatures and require companionship. They do get lonely and feel it! People get little pleasure from rabbits who house them outdoors. Feeding and caring for them soon becomes a chore with no reward due to little or no interaction between the “caretaker” and the rabbit. Many people, realizing they made a mistake getting a bunny, dump their responsibility onto shelters or other people. Some simply forget to feed and water them regularly, whether accidentally or more or less deliberately. Either way, the bunny feels the loss and pain.
Other Factors
Additional reasons why rabbits should not be outside include theft or teasing by humans (such as neighbor children), access to poisonous plants, and exposure to toxic pesticides or fertilizers.
Collars, Leashes, and Harnesses
NTRS does not advocate the use of a collar, leash or harness for a rabbit. Although useful for cats and dogs, these items are not safe for bunnies. Collars are unsafe since rabbits do not have enough of a prominent chin to hold it in place. Often the collar will slip from the chin to the bunny’s mouth causing it to choke on it.
Rabbits have very delicate bone structures. There have been too many occurrences of broken backs and broken legs with harnesses and leashes. When trying to put a leash or harness on a bunny, it can easily be harmed through clumsy handling or through simply buckling and twisting in its owner’s grip. The same principle applies when it comes to walking the bunny on a leash. Putting a harness on a rabbit feels a lot like being gripped, even more so when the bunny finds the end of the leash and can’t go any further, which is when it is likely to panic. Also, this goes hand in hand with the “no outdoors” philosophy. There are too many uncontrollable factors. Sadly, as we know all too well, it only takes one “out of the blue” incident to cause your rabbit to panic and injure him or herself or one bite from a stray dog or feral cat to have an unhappy ending.
What to Do
Exotic veterinarian Loretta Pantenburg suggests setting up a play area inside your house. Include a variety of play toys, items to chew on, and ideally a companion rabbit. Provide a rabbit-safe environment, free from the worries of heat, stress, injury, trauma, and parasites, and your bunny won’t miss the outside. S/he will also enjoy a longer, healthier, happier life.
~ Information courtesy of Colorado House Rabbit Society and the NTRS Rabbit Care Guide.
The sanctuary believes in this so strongly that those who adopt rabbits from NTRS are required to sign the adoption contract agreeing to this indoor provision. NTRS has operated for over 20 years, and it is during that time, we hope others will benefit from what we have learned and that the heartbreak rabbit owners have experienced will educate and enable others to prevent from happening again. Do not ever leave your rabbit outdoors, even for the very briefest period of time. After all, why risk your bunny’s life and the possibility of immense grief when it is preventable? Here are four of the biggest reasons to keep your bunny inside 24/7.
Predators (even if you live in the city)!
In the length of time it takes for you to walk back into your house to go to the bathroom or get a drink, a stray dog or feral cat can be in your yard and kill your rabbit. A very kind and caring family found this out when they placed their rabbits outside for about 15 minutes in order to clean their cage area. They believed they knew all neighboring pets. Sadly, their neighbors had brought in a dog from a shelter, and in less than 10 minutes, he was in their backyard and shredded the rabbits. What an unnecessary and horrible loss of life.
Hutches or cages do not provide enough protection to make it safe to leave the rabbit outdoors 24 hours a day. Rescues receive many calls every week from baffled people whose rabbit died during the night while confined in a hutch. “I don’t understand, the hutch wasn’t even unlocked, and the rabbit didn’t have a mark on him. What happened?” With rabbits’ acute vision, hearing, and smell, they can sense the presence of a predator such as a raccoon even in your neighbor’s yard. S/he may panic and injure herself, and may even die of shock or heart attack. Remember, rabbits are animals of prey!
Don’t think your yard is free of predators just because you live in the city. Raccoons come up through storm drains and arrive in very urban areas. These agile animals can climb trees and open doors. Many raccoons can open hutches and wire cages. Other predators include coyotes, owls, hawks, possums, cats, dogs, etc.
Disease/Death from Insects
Flies (also known as cuterebra) will lay eggs on a rabbit’s skin, most often near the tail or genital area. As the eggs hatch, the larvae (maggots) burrow into the rabbit’s flesh and cause horrific pain and eventually death by eating healthy tissue from the bunny. This is usually not detected until the rabbit is dead or in shock from the extreme pain and toxins. If you have ever seen the movie Aliens and the alien comes out of the human, that is exactly how it looks and feels when the maggots come out of the bunny. The maggots literally eat the bunny alive.
Fire ants can attack a rabbit and kill it in less than five minutes. This has happened to people who believe there are no ants nearby. Mosquito bites cause tumors on the nose, eyes, and ears that can blind or kill your rabbit.
Heat Stroke
Especially in Texas, the heat can be extremely intense. A rabbit’s temperature can rise at an alarming rate and will literally bake the bunny. Rabbits are not able to tolerate temperatures very well above 80 degrees and cannot pant, so they cannot relieve themselves from the heat at all. They suffer terribly in heat and humidity. Imagine yourself in a fur coat that you cannot take off and sitting outside in the summer heat all day and all night long, everyday for 90+ days. Just the thought is unbearable, isn’t it?
The affects of heat can be cumulative although the effects may not be apparent immediately. Animals can suffer terrible sunburn when they are not used to being outside and a rabbit or dog left in the sun can be severely burned. They might start out in the shade but the sun moves and your pet often can’t. Don’t take the chance with your pet’s life. Think for a moment; our cousin, the cottontail, is never out during the day, only at night or early morning. That should ring a bell that other fur kids, especially domesticated ones, should not be there either.
Isolation: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Bunnies are extremely social creatures and require companionship. They do get lonely and feel it! People get little pleasure from rabbits who house them outdoors. Feeding and caring for them soon becomes a chore with no reward due to little or no interaction between the “caretaker” and the rabbit. Many people, realizing they made a mistake getting a bunny, dump their responsibility onto shelters or other people. Some simply forget to feed and water them regularly, whether accidentally or more or less deliberately. Either way, the bunny feels the loss and pain.
Other Factors
Additional reasons why rabbits should not be outside include theft or teasing by humans (such as neighbor children), access to poisonous plants, and exposure to toxic pesticides or fertilizers.
Collars, Leashes, and Harnesses
NTRS does not advocate the use of a collar, leash or harness for a rabbit. Although useful for cats and dogs, these items are not safe for bunnies. Collars are unsafe since rabbits do not have enough of a prominent chin to hold it in place. Often the collar will slip from the chin to the bunny’s mouth causing it to choke on it.
Rabbits have very delicate bone structures. There have been too many occurrences of broken backs and broken legs with harnesses and leashes. When trying to put a leash or harness on a bunny, it can easily be harmed through clumsy handling or through simply buckling and twisting in its owner’s grip. The same principle applies when it comes to walking the bunny on a leash. Putting a harness on a rabbit feels a lot like being gripped, even more so when the bunny finds the end of the leash and can’t go any further, which is when it is likely to panic. Also, this goes hand in hand with the “no outdoors” philosophy. There are too many uncontrollable factors. Sadly, as we know all too well, it only takes one “out of the blue” incident to cause your rabbit to panic and injure him or herself or one bite from a stray dog or feral cat to have an unhappy ending.
What to Do
Exotic veterinarian Loretta Pantenburg suggests setting up a play area inside your house. Include a variety of play toys, items to chew on, and ideally a companion rabbit. Provide a rabbit-safe environment, free from the worries of heat, stress, injury, trauma, and parasites, and your bunny won’t miss the outside. S/he will also enjoy a longer, healthier, happier life.
~ Information courtesy of Colorado House Rabbit Society and the NTRS Rabbit Care Guide.
