Why Should Rabbits Live Indoors?
San Diego House Rabbit Society recommends your companion rabbit be housed indoors. There are several reasons to house domestic rabbits indoors:
Rabbits who are kept outdoors are exposed to predators, parasites, pesticides, and dangerous temperatures.
Their expected lifespan doubles when they are kept indoors.
Most urgently, housing your bunny indoors will make them significantly less vulnerable to RHVD2 and myxomytosis (another fatal viral infection that is not currently spreading in our area).
Additionally, a hutch rabbit doesn’t receive as much attention as a rabbit that is housed indoors with you—even if you have the best intentions from the start. Personalities emerge when your rabbit gets to know you, and one of the ways they learn to trust you is through quiet observation.
Rabbits who live indoors:
Are generally safer from anxiety and stress, predators, heatstroke, extreme cold, and parasites.
Enjoy companionship with humans and sometimes other gentle animals.
Have a tendency to live longer, because they are safer from poor weather conditions, threatening animals, and they are generally happier, socialized rabbits.
Are more likely to bond with humans and enjoy their companionship, and are not as easily forgotten about or given away.
As prey animals, rabbits hide their illnesses. When they live indoors, you can notice their eating and behavior changes quickly, because you can observe them closely.
Can have all their care needs met in an indoor with enrichment, activities, and companionship (with a human family or rabbit partner).
Rabbits who live outdoors:
Are more likely to be preyed upon, or frightened to death without contact with a predator.
Are escape artists that can wiggle their way out of cages and dig under fences. This often leads to lost pets because they cannot find their way back.
Are often dull, uninterested, or easily frightened because they are less socialized and cannot observe daily activities.
Have, on average, a much shorter lifespan because of the many risks and hazards associated with living outdoors.
Rabbits have a hard time regulating their own body temperature, and staying cool is especially difficult. They can experience heat exhaustion in temperatures above 75 degrees. Even if you do not have central air conditioning, house them indoors with insulation, fans, and some frozen water bottles. In the winter, if your house is warm enough for humans, it’s usually warm enough for a bunny.
As prey animals, rabbits hide their illnesses. If they live outdoors, you’re less likely to notice the subtle changes when they are sick, which could be the difference between life and death.
