Friday 29 May 2015

3 Reasons Why Bunnies Should NOT be Housed Outdoors

1. Potential attack by predators
  • Even if the cunning predator fails to completely get hold of the bunny, the bunny could be left with severe injuries and in considerable distress.
  • It is known that the mere presence of a predator could trigger an extreme reaction and cause the bunny to die from a heart attack.

2. Poor weather conditions
  • High temperatures on a hot day could result in heat stroke
  • During a heavy rain or a storm, the bunny would feel cold and lonely as well as intimidated by the loud claps of thunder.

    (Rabbit Sarcasm from Bunnyhugga)

3. Lack of bunny-human interaction
  • A bunny housed in an outdoor hutch cannot possibly receive as much attention as a bunny living within your home. After all, how much time do you intend to spend in the yard? Consequently, the bunny tends to be afraid of humans as he/she is not familiar with them.
  • You may not catch the bunny's subtle changes in behaviour when he/she is sick. Being prey animals by nature, bunnies hide their illnesses so as not to be seen as an 'easy target'. (For me, only after taking care of my bunnies for several years have I been able to distinguish between a 'I'm a bit bored' and a 'I'm uncomfortable' face!)

Besides the three main reasons above, there are still other problems like: possible theft by humans, the bunny digging a burrow and eventually escaping ...

An indoor bunny would be much happier than one kept outdoors, and isn't a happy life what we all want for our animal companions? 

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