Housing Rabbits Indoors
Since they are part of your family, rabbits should be housed indoors with the rest of the family. It is not appropriate or safe to house a rabbit outdoors.
Reasons why rabbits should be housed indoors:
- Rabbits are social beings that love the company of other animals and humans. Your rabbit will be happier and friendlier living inside the home with your family.
- Our four-season Canadian climate is not appropriate for housing rabbits outdoors. It’s too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, and too wet the rest of the time!
- Parasites like mites, fleas and other bugs can cause major health issues for rabbits including fly strike, which can be deadly.
- If your rabbit is housed outdoors, away from you, it is impossible for you to properly observe your rabbit’s health.
- An outdoor hutch, pen or other enclosure can never provide full protection from predators. Housing your rabbit outdoors means you are risking death.
Some rabbit owners enjoy bringing their rabbits outside for supervised outings. If you wish to do this, please ensure you:
- Place your rabbit in a secure pen or fenced in yard – check for holes/gaps around the fence. Rabbits can dig very quickly. A dog pen or pen made for NIC cubes works very well.
- If using a harness and leash, ensure the harness fits your rabbit correctly and that you only take the rabbit to a safe area away from dogs and other predators. Public parks can be very dangerous!
- Supervise your rabbit at all times.
- Ensure your rabbit has access to shade and fresh water.
- When you bring your rabbit in, check him/her over for any nicks, cuts, or insect bites etc. Rabbits can easily pick something up when outdoors.
Kingston Animal Rescue is working hard to change the way the world (starting with Kingston and area) thinks about animals and to ensure they have the proper knowledge when it comes to their animals. We will continue to add information on these pages to help inform the public about the wrongs that are out there. If there's ever something missing that you'd like to see please don't hesitate to let me know!
