Help, one indoor, one outdoor!

[d0tti]

Tossing up between indoor/outdoor! Ugh.
Currently have my female bun inside and the male outside (yes, i am sexist) until he gets desexed this friday! I use my back room as her enclousure, it is a marble type floor, and a little fence to keep her in. His cage is large, a store bough hutch with a big run I had attached which i leave outside under a large shady tree.

I feel both have it pretty good, indoor/outdoor and when he is desexed can't decide where to put them both. I feel cruel leaving them inside, then read about how bad outdoor buns have it online! Help!

Do you have indoor or outdoor buns? What made you decide on their habitat location?! I need help with this decision haha, i am the single most indecisive human.

Thanks!

 

[whitelop]

I have an indoor bun, because when we got her we lived in an apartment and we couldn't put her out. Not that she would have been an outdoor bun though. haha.

I don't have a problem with outdoor buns as long as they're taken care of and paid attention to. Not just thrown in a hutch and forgotten about. Is your female spayed? If she is, after you get your male neutered(like a month after) have you thought about bonding them and putting them both in the house? Bonding is a long process, but it could be something to consider. That way they could both be in the house with you and they would have each other too.

As for outside, don't feel bad that you have an outside bun. As long as he doesn't get wet and has somewhere to rest his feet from the wire part of the hutch, fresh food, hay and water and some out of the hutch time. He should be fine.
But if you feel uncomfortable with him being outside, split the room you use for your female up into 2 equal but separate enclosures. After he is fixed of course.
That may not be giving you an exact answer, but its some ideas to consider.

If I were you, I would try to bond them and bring them both in the house so they can live inside. If they wouldn't bond then I would split the room up so they could both stay in. But thats just me.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Mine are inside because we have too much wildlife that would hurt them (fox, raccoons, neighbor dogs that kill cats etc). I worry about fleas and other icky things they might pick up and poisonous plants (we have lots of ivy in our yard). I take them to the park in a stroller so they get fresh air and sunshine. I also grow grass indoors to let them nomm and dig. If it snows this year I will bring in a litterbox of snow for them to play in. I let them experience outside in a controlled, safe manner.

 

[Tam O Ham]

George is an indoor bunny. Because I am an indoor person. And I like having her nearby all the time. Yep, that's my only reason for the indoor/outdoor decision.

 

[Imbrium]

mine are indoors - the weather here is brutal in the summers and even if it wasn't, I feel like they'd get less attention if they were outside instead of hogging up my whole living room. honestly, I think indoors is a better choice in situations where it's an option. I do have playpens set up into a run outside where my bunnies can play (under supervision) when the weather is nice, though.

 

[agnesthelion]

My two are indoors. I'm a proponent of having them inside. I just think that they get more attention and love being inside with the family. Weather where I live plays a part too. Our winters can be brutally cold and there would not be a way for me to spend time with them enough in that weather. Then our summers are hot and humid so I would worry about them tolerating the heat. To top it off we also have wildlife that I'd be concerned about hurting them. If it's a choice for you, I'd opt for inside. You can google the pros and cons as well. Most research leans towards inside being a better option. The lifespan for inside buns is even higher than outdoor buns.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[Kipcha]

We have indoor, our winters are far too harsh here (It can dip down as far as -50 on a bad day) and we have a lot of wildlife here. Coyotes, feral cats, hawks and we live right beside a provincial park so its not even unheard of to see cougars and bears and such in our neighborhood. Not to mention there are parasites and fly strike isn't unheard of here either, I would prefer just to play it safe and have them all indoors with me

 

[ldoerr]

Mine are indoors. When I breed rabbits they were kept outside, because that was the only area that would hold them. I noticed that they did not get much attention while they were outside. When we would bring some in for a various reason they would get tons of attention. Also the weather is a big factor when keeping them outside. Where I like the temps are in the 100s for 3-5months out of the year.

My rabbits are now kept inside. They get more attention now. They get out of their cages regularly to run. They are safer inside. There are just sooo many reasons to keep them inside.

 

[d0tti]

Do your indoor buns smell at all? Like, i clean her tray every day and i still smell a slight odor, whether i am paranoid or it is really there? I feel like i've wasted all this money on outdoor runs and hutches then just moving them inside lol. I definitely pay more attention to her because she is indoors so it is clear that i should be an indoor bunny-er.

Do your buns have free roam of the house or do they live in cages indoors?
I feel like such a n00b.

 

[Imbrium]

some people do free-range... the majority, I think, cage when they're not at home (and maybe at night) but free-range when they're home. seems like almost everyone has a cage of some sort (usually dog crate or NIC) to serve as the rabbit's personal area whether they get locked up in it or not. personally, I didn't feel like bunny-proofing or trust my bunnies not to wreck up the house, so I just laid out a tarp over my entire living-room floor, fenced the room in with x-pens and let them run around 24/7 (they have about 120 square feet of space; the min recommended is 60 square feet), plus they have a 3-story condo.

here's a great article on bunny-proofing if you think you might want to go free-range - http://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/8/PID/940/Default.aspx

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

Ruby is indoors. Miami is hot, I couldnt imagine having her outside. If it wasnt so darn hot, I would consider it, we spend a lot of time outside. I have a run set up but she really doesnt use it. I block a certain area of my yard with an xpen and she has roam of the rest, supervised of course

 

[d0tti]

Austin died today in the desexing surgery, the vet said it looked like calici, and probably was because i kept him outdoors pre desexing for two weeks. He was vaccinated today, but it was too late. I feel like the worst rabbit owner. He said, i just have to wait with Herman and if she is exposed she may be okay if the vaccine kicks in soon enough. Sigh. I am heart broken.

 

[Imbrium]

ray: I'm so sorry you lost poor Austin... that's everyone's worst fear when they take a bunny in to be fixed. when you start to feel guilty, remind yourself what a great life you gave him for the time he was with you - there are so many abused and neglected bunns in the world; Austin was loved and cared for during his short life. it's normal to feel like you could/should have done something differently after an unexpected loss, but wracking yourself with guilt can't change the past - shower Herman with love and affection and try not to beat yourself up about losing Austin!

binky free, little guy :rainbow:

 

[d0tti]

Thank you. Im still in shock. Xx

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry to hear! Remember it is not your fault. From what I read, there is no way you could have known he had calici. Take some time, spend it with the female and don't blame yourself. We're all here to talk to, we have all lost beloved rabbits