Obviously, in the wild, rabbits do live outside. In fact, they live outside the entirety of the year. They do not hibernate. Rain, sleet, or shine, they are going to be out there scavenging for food.
Of course, we can’t imagine that it can be a pleasant experience for a rabbit to be outside all the time, right? Their fur coats can only get them so far in the blistering cold. As a result, many people do ask the question as to whether their pet rabbit can live outside all year round.
On this page, we are going to answer this question for you, as well as give you a little bit of advice on how you can make everything as simple as possible for both you and your rabbit.
Can Rabbits Live Outside All Year Round?
Absolutely!
The rabbit is built to live outside. It has been built to tackle all sorts of temperatures. This is why the rabbit is such a prominent animal in most parts of the world. They are incredibly hardy.
Even in the winter, the rabbit is going to be able to live outside. Yes, they will get cold on occasion, but they can still live outside and it isn’t going to make them sick.
As long as you give them a good diet, then they will be getting all of the nutrients that they need to grow a thicker coat to help them get through the long, winter days.
Should Rabbits Live Outside?
This is probably the bigger question. Our answer is ‘probably not‘. In our opinion, rabbits should be living inside…or, at least somewhere sheltered like in a garage or shed.
So, why shouldn’t they live outside? Well, think about it for a second. You, as a human, are perfectly capable of living outside for prolonged periods of time.
Get a tent and a sleeping bag. As long as you have food, then you will probably survive.
Now, do this in the winter. You would survive, but it certainly wouldn’t be the most ideal situation in the world.
Same thing for a rabbit. Yeah. They can get through it, but they are hardly going to be comfortable when they are outside.
Remember; it is going to be a lot easier to control the temperature of where your rabbit lives if they are living inside. You have no control outside, and many locations have had some really cold winters as of late.
That is before you even think about the excess heat in recent years.
Not only this but if your rabbit is living outside, then you are going to be depriving them of all sorts of interaction with you. Part of the fun of owning a rabbit, or any pet for that matter, is that they are fun to cuddle up to and play about with.
If you have your rabbit outside, particularly during the winter months, then you won’t be interacting with it quite as much. Not only this but when you finally do interact with the rabbit, they will probably be scared of you, which is going to take away a lot of the fun from the experience.
What If Your Rabbit Must Live Outside?
Well, as we said; you should probably try to ensure that they are living in a sheltered place. Placing the rabbit cage or hutch in a garage or a shed should be fine. Try not to keep their hutch outside in your garden. It is going to be exposed to the elements, and the animal really isn’t going to like that.
When the winter months start to roll in, you will want to cover up the hutch with a tarpaulin or something similar. This will go a long way towards helping to regulate the heat for the animal.
You will also want to make sure that the hutch is raised from the ground. This prevents dampness, which can lead to mold which will kill your rabbit. Obviously, you will still want to be cleaning the hutch out regularly, just as if they lived inside.
Don’t forget to interact with your rabbit every single day when they are living outside. Do not skip a day. It won’t be beneficial for you or the rabbit! You may even want to bring them inside on occasion.
