Care for rabbits?

Question

My rabbit was given to me a year ago and he's been living indoors since then, he's be neglected since young and he's now 2 years old and he's been living indoor all his life, I just bought him a hutch and put him in my garden just outside my garden door, will he be okay with the weather? Unfortunately he's a bit big for the hutch which I intended to get my friend to build a run alongside the hutch (like an extention) anybody knows how to homemade a run for him (need to do it cheap as I've invested on his hutch already)...Also sometimes i try to catch him but he is too quick and a few times when he was running around in the garden he escaped underneath fences and had to bother our neighbour to bring him back a few times...is there anyone know how to lure him back to the hutch? As he wouldnt let people hold him or carry him...please help as I reli dont have a clue how to care for a rabbit but I love him very much......

Answer 1

The House Rabbit Society can answer all your questions.

For more info:http://www.rabbit.org/index.html

Answer 2

Keeping rabbits indoors is not really that bad for them. If they are litter trained and allowed to run free, they get much more exercise and attention than outdoor bunnies. If you do keep him outdoors, its best that you at least bring him inside when its very hot or cold. I have an indoor rabbit and he's very happy. Maybe you should consider keeping him indoors for a while, just to see how he likes it. Rabbit.org has a lot of tips for taking care of rabbits, litter training, housing, how to get them to behave. There's a lot of info there that you might be able to use, I think they also have some cage plans. He's probably also a bit lonely out there all the time by himself. If you don't want to keep him indoors with you, he might benefit from having another bunny around.

Answer 3

You can intice a rabbit back using treats such as carrots - and only give that treat to him to get him back. They particularly like carrots (but they do contain sugar so only a small amount should be given.) A rabbit will get used to being handled it you start to handle them gently for short periods at a time - talking to them softly. Start by stroking him from a bit of a distance - as time goes by you'll be able to get closer and then eventually pick him up.

You should be able to make a run by making a frame with wood, and then stapling on something like chicken wire (using a staple gun!).

You can put the rabbit outdoors - but he may have some problems adjusting to the change in temperature. make sure you have something to cover any 'open' door to keep out the wind - and put in plenty of straw that the rabbit can warm in.

Place planks of wood by any places he can escape from. You'd be surprised at how high rabbits can jump as well - so secure any higher up gaps too!

Answered by Elisa (adult!) and Hope (age 8)

Answer 4

where are you? here in New England you could not leave a rabbit out all winter. I think he is a lucky rabbit to have found you. There are books in the library and stuff on the internet that you can read to learn how to care for him.

Answer 5

rabbits use to all be outdoors their fur thickens best to start them out in the summer and then build up to the winter.my rabbits live out all winter in a hutch and i put straw in the box when it cold they like winter better.one has a stairway it runs on when it snows, it runs up and down in the snow instead of staying in the warm straw.if there is a lumber yard close some will give you scraps to make a run, go to the library for a pattern or net it don't take much some wire and wood

Answer 6

1. Weather: Rabbits in "outdoor" hutches have more, dense under-fur than their indoor counterparts, so he'll feel the cold more - but, as long as his home is out of the wind (and the hutch doesn't get damp/leak) and you provide plenty of bedding, he'll acclimatise over the Summer, so should then be OK come wintertime.
2. Look in the local paper for 2nd-hand hutches/runs - you'll find one cheaper than making a safe (new) run from scratch for him.
3. As an ex-house rabbit, he'll like the freedom of your garden - with its potential of "available" food, so you wont lure him back easily! (Think about it from his viewpoint - what's available in his hutch that's better than the nice open-spaces your garden offers!) I'd invest in some rabbit wire and make your garden rabbit escape-proof ~ but remember, rabbits LOVE to dig, so you have to bury the wire nice and deep BELOW the fence line- else, he'll just dig underneath and escape again anyways...!
4. As he's escaped before, he really shouldn't be allowed in the garden "on his own" anyways - yes, to exercise under your watchful gaze, but as rabbits ARE fast, he'll be difficult to catch if he doesn't want to be caught, so investing in that 2nd-hand run will make BOTH your lives better...! (And thank god the neighbour doesn't have dogs!)
(& Good luck..!)

Answer 7

I would just reccomend you get a really high tight shut cage, because no matter what I seemed to do, my rabbit would always come out of its cage.

Answer 8

rabbits dig so you really have to watch him and depending on where you live he can freeze (in winter) also he will be easy pickings for hawks,and raccoons,among others. do your best to keep him safe. try to handle him a little more everyday.then he will get used to being held and moved.

Answer 9

hi
i think your rabbit will b ok outside just be careful ant night may be bring him in , but rabbits r out door creatures he /she will grow a winter coat , may be

Answer 10

Rabbits shouldn't be kept outdoors especially in the summer. They are very suseptible to heat stroke, hypothermia, flystrike, and predators.