Reasons to House Rabbits Indoors
Safer for the Rabbit
Indoor housing minimizes a rabbit's exposure to insects and predators. (We did say minimizes. Isabel still swore she'd spotted a dangerous hawk looming overhead in the living room. Luckily, he'd never see her hidden under that stool!) All too often we hear stories from people whose backyard hutch rabbits have gotten away or fallen victim to predators. Remember, rabbits are at the bottom of the food chain, so natural predators are numerous and many of them are able to bend or break wire or even open cage doors. Even if they're unable to get into the hutch, the presence of such predators can trigger a panic attack in a rabbit, during which they can break their own back or die from a heart attack.
Temperature extremes also create dangers for outdoor rabbits. Rabbits are especially vulnerable to high temperatures as they cannot sweat like people do and rely only on blood vessels in their ears to cool themselves. Heat is deadly to rabbits and temperatures of only 80 degrees and more make heat stress a real possibility. The cold Minnesota winter months also pose dangers.
Easier to Monitor Health
As prey animals, rabbits are very adept at masking illnesses. Think about it; if you're a sick prey animal living in the wild and you're behaving in a way that makes that apparent, you may as well paint a big target on your back. It is not uncommon for rabbits who are extremely ill to show no signs of illness until it has progressed too far. Because of this, it's important to know what is routine for your rabbit. How much do they drink everyday? How do they behave at different times of the day? What does their litterbox normally look like? Subtle signs of potential illness may more easily be overlooked if you don't have good daily contact with your pet.
More Human Interaction
Rabbits are communal animals by nature. Wild rabbits live in warrens of up to 100 animals. Even though our pet rabbits are domesticated, the need for companionship is so deeply ingrained in rabbits that centuries of domestication have had little impact. Rabbits crave social interaction, and most of us don't spend significant amounts of time in our backyards year-round. A lonely rabbit may become bored and depressed or hyperactive and destructive.
More Opportunities to Appreciate their Antics!
Let's face it, rabbits are adorable! Who can dispute that fact? Comments about rabbits being boring or not very bright seem to always come from those whose exposure to rabbits has been limited to backyard hutch animals. It's when they come inside and interact with us on a daily basis that we can clearly see how interesting they are. They love to run, dance, and jump (or "binky" as it's known among rabbit-lovers). They beg shamelessly for treats. They nip our legs to ask for attention. They contemplate and problem solve and devise clever ways to get into things they aren't supposed to. They jump on the bed and wake us up when breakfast is late. They become our friends and companions who love us unconditionally and offer support, comfort, and endless entertainment.
