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A rabbit needs at least four hours per day
of running time inside the house or in a fenced yard, supervised
by a human to prevent attack by predators. Our house rabbits
are often never caged, but if you find it necessary to keep
your rabbit confined while you are away, then be sure the
cage is at least 3' x 4' on the floor dimensions, and at least
2' high, so the rabbit can comfortably stand on her haunches
to look around. Large breeds (more than 6 lbs.) need an even
larger hutch to be comfortable and healthy.
The domestic rabbit is the same species as the European rabbit;
it is not related to our wild rabbits. Domestic rabbits are
not physiologically equipped to handle temperatures any higher
than about 78 degrees Farenheit. When it gets hotter than
that, the bunny *must* be brought indoors where there is air
conditioning.
Placing a fan near the bunny will not help.
Since rabbits cannot sweat, they cannot benefit from the evaporation
cooling that humans enjoy when the wind blows on their sweat.
If the rabbit absolutely *cannot* come indoors, you must place
the hutch in a very shaded area where the sun *never* shines
directly on the bunny. Even a half hour in the direct Florida
sun can be fatal. When the temperature rises above 78 degrees
Farenheit, place a plastic milk jug filled with frozen water
(keep a few of these in the freezer and rotate them into the
cage) in the hutch so that the bunny can rest against it to
keep cool, and also be able to get away from it if he feels
cool enough.
Most people don't realize that there is *no
such thing* as a hutch that is safe from predators. No matter
how sturdy the cage may be, a tenacious raccoon can grab an
exposed toe and proceed to chew off a foot or leg of the rabbit
trapped inside.
Sometimes, even the *sight* of a predator
can stress a rabbit so badly that she dies of a heart attack,
since she knows she has no where to run or escape.
It is thus vitally important to keep the bunny
indoors, safe from predators, *especially at night* when most
predators are active.
The sad truth is that rabbits living outdoors
simply can't be constantly monitored for the small changes
in behavior that can signal health problems. Being prey items,
rabbits tend to hide their symptoms until they are very sick,
indeed. If they live indoors with you, you can monitor them
very well, and because you become familiar with their behavior
patterns, you will notice if they are the slightest bit "off."
Even not eating for one day or hunching quietly in an unusual
resting place can signify that something is terribly wrong
with your rabbit. If this happens, do NOT WAIT for the condition
to get worse. If a rabbit does not eat for 24 hours, it should
be considered an emergency, and you should get her to your
rabbit-experienced veterinarian immediately.
We receive far too many messages from people
who write to ask why they found their hutch bunny dead, for
no apparent reason. They want to know what happened, and how
they can prevent this in the future.
Unfortunately, if the bunny was living alone in an outdoor
hutch, the owner usually has no idea of what symptoms of illness
the bunny was showing prior to death. Without this information,
we cannot even begin to guess at the multitude of possible
causes of death. This would be far less likely to happen if
the bunny were living indoors with the family. The signs of
illness could be detected before the problem became an emergency.
Leaving a bunny alone in a hutch (or even
inside) is not necessarily cruel in the sense that a hutch
bunny is in physical discomfort.
Rabbits deserve love and interaction with
their human families. They are not just giant gerbils or hamsters.
(In fact, they are not rodents at all!) Rabbits intelligent,
sensitive and have delightfully strong personalities. What
a tragic waste of a spirit to put one in a cage.
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