You have got your house rabbit safely housed and comfortable with good, absorbent rabbit litter and a sufficient supply of comfy rabbit bedding, but when the sun starts to shine, many pet owners are tempted to let their rabbit have a run in the garden.
Making sure your rabbit gets regular exercise is vital to their health and well-being. However, with this in mind, there are certain safety factors and precautions that you should make when you let your rabbit out to play in your back garden and we shall examine some if these here.
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Pests
Flystrike is deadly to a rabbit and can affect not only outdoor rabbits, but indoor bunnies too. This is caused by the green bottle fly, and other fly types, which lay eggs on live rabbits.
These flies are attracted to damp fur and a wet or dirty groin area. Overweight, elderly or long-haired rabbits are particularly at risk because they are unable to clean themselves properly.
It helps if you regularly check your rabbit to make sure your pet is dry and clean when it is let free. You can also cut down the risk of flystrike by using super-absorbent rabbit litter and rabbit bedding such as SmartBedz. This soaks up urine and helps keep your rabbit dry and comfortable.
Another benefit of SmartBedz rabbit litter and rabbit bedding is that it is a natural odour suppressant - and suppressing odour helps make your rabbit less attractive to flies. Make sure you spot clean your rabbit’s cage daily and replace the dirty rabbit litter with a clean layer of SmartBedz at least once a week.
Before you set your rabbit loose in the garden, be sure to inspect your rabbit’s skin and fur, especially the behind area, and again before you bring your pet in. If your rabbit has any pre-existing skin problems such as wounds or sores, it is best to keep your bunny inside until these are healed.
There are also other insects can put your rabbits are risk. Fleas can cause disease and the deadly virus myxomatosis is transmitted via biting insects such as mosquitoes, mites and lice. Some inspects can also be transmitted via dust from hay. However, SmartBedz rabbit litter and rabbit bedding has been heat treated to help eliminate pests and to keep your rabbit healthy.
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Escape
Younger rabbits and more inquisitive species will want to explore and can easily burrow, dig, or squeeze their way under fences. They can also make small holes in mesh fencing.
Carefully examine your garden or courtyard area and actively look for any escape routes and block them. If it is impossible to make sure your garden is completely secure, you will need to provide an enclosed run of some kind.
The minimum recommended size of an enclosed run is 6 ft x 4 ft and there are various runs available - or you could even make your own. Make sure the rabbit run has a roof to keep predators out and to stop your rabbit escaping. This should be tall enough so your rabbit can stand on its hind legs.
Ideally you should attach the run to your rabbit’s sleeping quarters, so it has a shaded area and somewhere to hide. If you do this, make sure its sleeping quarters has a layer of rabbit litter or rabbit bedding to keep your pet cosy and comfortable.
Rabbit pens can come in many forms, some of these are: apex runs (which can be folded flat when not in use), wire runs (best used under supervision), metal runs, wood and mesh runs, and aviaries.
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Attack
Rabbits are prey animals and will be of great interest to predators such as foxes, cats and dogs. Remember that foxes do not only roam the countryside, but can also be found in urban areas too. You will need to provide a run with a roof on to protect your rabbit from attack.
Make sure that the roof and sides of the run are firmly fixed so the rabbit can’t push them open or they do not get blown away. The wire mesh should also be small enough to prevent predatory animals putting their paws through.
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Stress
Even if they are not actually under threat, rabbits can get very stressed if they sense other animals nearby. You can spot signs of stress in your pet if they are trying to hide, thump the ground with their back feet, and are constantly upright, sniffing and listening with upright ears. On the other hand, a relaxed rabbit is one that is feeding, lying down or sitting with its ears flat.
Again, the solution to a stressed bunny is to provide an enclosed run and or temporary hutch for your rabbit to hide in. Otherwise it may well try to escape and a frightened rabbit is extremely hard to catch!
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