Putting an indoor rabbit outside...?

Question

My rabbit, Cosmo, currently lives indoors, but I really want him outside to eliminate the smell of urine, his daily messes from the rabbit litter, and to have my room back!!! Is there a particular way to make the transition easier on him, or can I just move him outside. I live in beautiful southern california so it never snows, rarely rains, and it's usually about 65 degrees this time of year. If I move him outdoors this weekend, will he be ok?? If it starts to rain, do I bring him back indoors?? Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Facts about Cosmo-
he's a 5 month old black flemish giant.
he lived outside as a kit, but moved inside at 11 wks of age.
he has a hutch about 5 ft wide and 2 ft deep which sits above the ground about 20 inches. attached to his hutch is a 4x4 ft rabbit run for him to run around in.
he has a beautiful, silky black coat.
his diet includes lots of water, pellets, alfalfa hay cubes, and lots of carrots.

Reasons for wanting him outside...

my room is too small to for both of us..
he chews on his hutch at night so i'm loosing a lot of sleep.
the smell from the anti chew sprays is beginning to give me a headache and I'm afraid it will make him sick.
it's frustrating to try and keep my room clean when all he does is trash it some more. He's already 8 pounds, so it's not like he's a small rabbit. Messes are his specialty.

Answer 1

Our Rabbit had been outside for 3 years! We put his cage on the ground, and let him come and go as he pleases! He could go into the yard and munch on flowers. or he could go in his cage! We also dug a area under his cage for him to go to get cool , or get away from any stray cats that may come into our yard! His cage was in a shady area, which is a must in the summer, depending on how hot it is where you live! I have a very hot summer, and in the winter when we get frost, we brought him into the garage! After a long life of 9 years, he passed away a couple months ago! But he had a very happy life, outside, and not locked up in a cage!

Answer 2

although i advocate house bunnies full time, if the weather permits and the run has a top and a bottom(rabbits love to dig!) there is no reason why your bunny couldn't live half and half. What would be even better is if he came in at night, and stayed out during the day. 4x4 isn't very big though, not like running around your livingroom.
If it even looks like rain, bring him in, even the thunder could cause him to panic.
I am curious about your reasons for puting him out. Rabbit boxes, when properly cleaned every day rarely smell. Is he neutered, because if not, that might be the cause of the smell. Males spray, and it is almost as bad as a cats.
Just a side note, he is 5 months now, he needs to switch to timothy hay and be weaned off the alfalfa, after a rabbit hits puberty, alfalfa is too rich for them.

Answer 3

i know you have a best answer but please take time to read this we had to young rabbit and we brought them inside expecting two happy rabbits well it was a mess! it smelled they were long haired rabbits there was hair everwhere! so we moved them out side one of them died due to an unknown reason but many dont live past 2 cuz there so vulnerable that first two years and by the time you know theres something wrong its to late and our other rabbit looked good and now we have a new plan for building a great large save hutch i would recommend outdoor hutches to anyone rabbit are not as happy indoors

Answer 4

Rabbits are better as indoor pets. Environmental changes [wind, rain, storms] and predators are the biggest dangers to your bunny. Raccoons, coyotes and stray dogs can easily get through a rabbit hutch and the results of these encounters are not pretty. Since he's a prey animal, he can go into shock if he can't get away from any perceived threat and die of fright. The safest place for him is inside. [at least at night]

Answer 5

if you live in a warm climate it wont be a problem,we have 2 giants(just lost one thru old age)ours have a hutch that is left open and they come and go as they please.they love playing in puddles in the rain,completely baffling us to the theory they cant get wet/cold etc,ours are now 6 years old and still going strong,we never have cats in our garden as the bunnies are so big!!neuturing will reduce the smell of urine as we had all ours done,it worked for the male but the girls still whiff a bit.im not sure the run is big enough tho?sounds like the size for a normal domestic size bunny

Answer 6

Ok first of all..sounds like he has very good living quarters for outdoors and since you live in a good climate there shouldn't be any problem. However, let me tell you this..I had a domestic rabbit and let him outdoors..he contracted a disease from wild rabbits. The domestics don't have the immune system to fight off those diseases. So be very careful that wild rabbits cannot get near him.

Answer 7

If you let him out, he needs to be protected from predators and high heat. You will also need to make sure he has the food you feed him now. You need to add greens to his diet like Romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley, etc. and use the alfalfa cubes as treats. We feed our bunnies hay as well. I would bring him back inside if it rains because it is not good for rabbits to get wet.

Answer 8

You should do it slowly to help him build up a coat for the cooler weather. Also make sure that he is able to get out of the rain, wind and everything else.

Answer 9

get a really good hutch, to keep him up off the ground. the build a pen on the ground for him to get out of his cage and run around while you are watching out for him.

Answer 10

there are no "indoor" animals as far as i am concerned, if your rabbit is in a pen, [safe from
predators,] and has a place to get out of the rain and sun
he will be ok and much happier outside.