Where do you keep your rabbits?

[Vince]

So recently I’ve been wondering is it better to keep your bunnies inside your house or out in the garden. I have a female that lives inside the house and a male that lives outside and is allowed to go everywhere in the garden. Between the two of them the girl is way more friendly because we spend time with each other but the male is skittish sometimes and is angry most of the time. Soon I’m going to spay them and they are all going to live outside together, I want to know if this is a good idea and if they are still going to be super friendly because sometimes when I let her go outside she runs away and doesn’t go back in. I’m scared they aren’t going to be very friendly and I want to know your opinion on this and what do you do. They are both mini lops btw.
I don’t want to keep them outside but my family say they stink because of their pee and don’t want to keep them inside. Is there any way I could persuade them.
Also the doe has just given birth to 3 babies (unless I haven’t counted them properly) and we are planning to keep 1 or 2. The problem is that in three months we are going on holiday to Brazil for a month and we don’t know if it’s good to keep all of them outside. By the time we do go to Brazil they will probably all be spayed/neutered and not be much of a problem but I’m scared that after a months time they will kind of forget us and be all skittish.

 

[Hermelin]

I have two outdoor rabbits and one free roaming indoors.

The one being skittish will always be a bit skittish but both outdoor rabbits will run up and greet you, beg for being petted and cuddle with me.

Even though some periods, they will only see me max 1 hour during the day and the rest they have each other.

Keeping rabbit outside all depends how safe the cage are, size, environment, disease and predators.

For example I live in an area where we have rabbits disease so I have to vaccinate all my rabbits twice every year and have the typical predators (foxes, goshawk and eagles) So I have to think about all of those things to keep my outdoor bunnies safe.

So indoors are better but some rabbits prefer living outdoors than indoors.

Try to chance litter or clean the litter box often. Rabbits dosen’t smell if you have good litter. You can also use a litter box which they have to jump into, will stop the smell to spread out.

Depending on how long you are away the rabbits might get skittish in the beginning after you get home, because they will have to bond again with you. But also the one who take care of the rabbits will have an impact if the bunnies will be skittish or not.

Remember when I was away 2 months without seeing one of my rabbit, he was skittish in the beginning but was back to normal after 2 weeks.

 

[rocket'smommy]

I have two outdoor rabbits and one free roaming indoors.

The one being skittish will always be a bit skittish but both outdoor rabbits will run up and greet you, beg for being petted and cuddle with me.

Even though some periods, they will only see me max 1 hour during the day and the rest they have each other.

Keeping rabbit outside all depends how safe the cage are, size, environment, disease and predators.

For example I live in an area where we have rabbits disease so I have to vaccinate all my rabbits twice every year and have the typical predators (foxes, goshawk and eagles) So I have to think about all of those things to keep my outdoor bunnies safe.

So indoors are better but some rabbits prefer living outdoors than indoors.

Try to chance litter or clean the litter box often. Rabbits dosen’t smell if you have good litter. You can also use a litter box which they have to jump into, will stop the smell to spread out.

Depending on how long you are away the rabbits might get skittish in the beginning after you get home, because they will have to bond again with you. But also the one who take care of the rabbits will have an impact if the bunnies will be skittish or not.

Remember when I was away 2 months without seeing one of my rabbit, he was skittish in the beginning but was back to normal after 2 weeks.

Herm, what litter do you recommend?

 

[Blue eyes]

It sounds like you have more to consider than just whether they will be housed indoors or out.

Having two adult rabbits that will both be fixed, they can usually (not always) be bonded together. If you add in a 3rd (or 4th), there's a good chance you'll have bonding troubles. Rabbits do well in pairs. Trios or groups are much more difficult to achieve. By keeping 1 (or 2) babies, you'd risk having the older 2 break their bond (once they have bonded). --{baby bonds don't count as true bonds and it isn't advised to try to bond a baby with an adult because the onset of baby's hormones can upset or break the 'bond.'}

Soo... one of your considerations has to do with the 1 or 2 babies you were thinking of keeping. If you do this, you may want to try to bond the older pair and then house and keep them totally separate from the baby(s). If you kept 2 babies, they could possibly bond to each other once they've both been fixed but there are no guarantees. Another option would be to keep 1 of the babies and after he or she is fixed, try to find a bondmate from among other, already fixed rabbits (like from a rescue).

Another consideration is what to do concerning your upcoming trip. In 3 months time, the babies will be about to turn hormonal. They need to be separated from each other or they could suddenly fight. Those fights can be vicious. There also isn't really sufficient time to try to bond the older 2 rabbits together before your trip since momma rabbit will need the next 2 months with her babies. That only leaves 1 month to try to bond so close after having a litter. So it may be necessary to keep each rabbit (baby and adult) separate during your trip. Bonding may have to wait until you return.

Then that brings us to your original question about indoors or out. That may depend on which rabbits bond and how many pairs you have. Your weather permits for outdoor housing (with the right set-up). Indoor housing typically allows for more human interaction with the bunnies (as you have already experienced).

Where I live, it is far too hot to house rabbits outdoors. All of mine have been indoors. They do not smell. Their cage does not smell. I do not clean out their litter every day -- it still does not smell. There is a way to have indoor rabbits without odor. In fact, I've created a website to demonstrate and show how this can be done. The most advantageous litter set-up is all that is needed. Wood pellets (different from wood shavings) is my preferred litter. Other's use pelleted paper litter (that would be my 2nd choice). This page explains how I set up my litter box.

If you are able to switch to an odor-free set-up, then that hopefully opens up the option for your family to house a pair indoors.

Didn't mean to overwhelm you with all this writing. Hopefully this will provide the info you need to help you decide what is best for you and your family.

 

[Vince]

It sounds like you have more to consider than just whether they will be housed indoors or out.

Having two adult rabbits that will both be fixed, they can usually (not always) be bonded together. If you add in a 3rd (or 4th), there's a good chance you'll have bonding troubles. Rabbits do well in pairs. Trios or groups are much more difficult to achieve. By keeping 1 (or 2) babies, you'd risk having the older 2 break their bond (once they have bonded). --{baby bonds don't count as true bonds and it isn't advised to try to bond a baby with an adult because the onset of baby's hormones can upset or break the 'bond.'}

Soo... one of your considerations has to do with the 1 or 2 babies you were thinking of keeping. If you do this, you may want to try to bond the older pair and then house and keep them totally separate from the baby(s). If you kept 2 babies, they could possibly bond to each other once they've both been fixed but there are no guarantees. Another option would be to keep 1 of the babies and after he or she is fixed, try to find a bondmate from among other, already fixed rabbits (like from a rescue).

Another consideration is what to do concerning your upcoming trip. In 3 months time, the babies will be about to turn hormonal. They need to be separated from each other or they could suddenly fight. Those fights can be vicious. There also isn't really sufficient time to try to bond the older 2 rabbits together before your trip since momma rabbit will need the next 2 months with her babies. That only leaves 1 month to try to bond so close after having a litter. So it may be necessary to keep each rabbit (baby and adult) separate during your trip. Bonding may have to wait until you return.

Then that brings us to your original question about indoors or out. That may depend on which rabbits bond and how many pairs you have. Your weather permits for outdoor housing (with the right set-up). Indoor housing typically allows for more human interaction with the bunnies (as you have already experienced).

Where I live, it is far too hot to house rabbits outdoors. All of mine have been indoors. They do not smell. Their cage does not smell. I do not clean out their litter every day -- it still does not smell. There is a way to have indoor rabbits without odor. In fact, I've created a website to demonstrate and show how this can be done. The most advantageous litter set-up is all that is needed. Wood pellets (different from wood shavings) is my preferred litter. Other's use pelleted paper litter (that would be my 2nd choice). This page explains how I set up my litter box.

If you are able to switch to an odor-free set-up, then that hopefully opens up the option for your family to house a pair indoors.

Didn't mean to overwhelm you with all this writing. Hopefully this will provide the info you need to help you decide what is best for you and your family.

Sorry but I didn’t mean to say they all are going to live outdoors, I meant that the mother doe and the father are going to live outside together and the two that we are going to stay with are going to live indoors (sorry for not making it clearer). This thread is pretty old and by the time I made it I only saw 3 babies, in reality there is 6.

 

[Bunnysdreams]

I mostly have my rabbits inside, but if it's nice outside I'll let her out for around 1-3 hours. I don't wanna keep her outside since almost all of my neighbors have cats and they can easily go in my garden.