Is it safe to move my indoor rabbit to an outdoor metal cage?

Hi, it is best to keep rabbits inside at night in very hot or very cold weather. They can go outside in nice weather and back inside at night. Predators love rabbits, since they have no way to fight back if another animal wants to eat them. Also, outside they are prone to get fleas, ticks, and other external parasites on their bodies. They can also get internal parasites from eating brush and dirt. If you live where dogs and cats go, I would only allow your rabbit outside in a very secure cage. Make sure it is large enough for the rabbit to get exercise, has shelter, and food and water available. It also should go underground a half a foot so predators cannot dig under the fencing. So in light of the set up it takes to safely keep a rabbit outside, it is better to keep them indoor where they are safe. Rabbits can be leash walked with a small harness for outdoor activity. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I recommend introducing Fluffy in a large clean cage with plenty of room for her to move around and clean soft bedding such as Care Fresh or soft wood shavings with plenty of food, toys and ideally a sheltered portion of the cage where she can hide/not be visible. Rabbits are prone to overheating and should be maintained at a temperature of about 15-21 C (60-70 F). If moving her in the winter, be sure to put her cage far from heater, if moving her in the summer (now I assume it is summer in Australia), just make sure that her room is air conditioned /does not get too hot. Offering fresh veggies and treats daily will likely minimize the stress of the move. In addition, try to keep Human/pet traffic/noise in her room at a minimum. Good luck!

Hello. Yes, it is safe to bring them indoors when it is especially cold & wet. They would do best in a cooler part of the house, even the garage, but they will adapt nicely when out of the worse of the weather. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As long as your bunnies are indoor only and are protected by either windows and/or screens, they are safe! If your bunnies are going to be outside, they need to be strictly supervised, so that a cat does not attack them. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. It is not cruel to keep a rabbit indoors if you supply a good environment, proper diet, & plenty of activities & stimulation. You can take her outdoors for short periods & only allow her to graze grass that is clean & never sprayed with fertilizers or herbicides. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don't generally recommend to do this. Another animal could break into the cage and harm the hamster. The temperature may get too cold or too hot. It's best to keep it inside where it is safe and the temperature is controlled. I hope this helps.

This sounds potentially quite dangerous as Bun Bun could suffer trauma or predation while out on her adventures. I would recommend keeping her in a rabbit enclosure or a closed room inside your house, especially when you’re leaving the house and not supervising her. She can free roam when you’re there to keep an eye on her, but if you’re opening the door to leave or having people over, she should be confined. This will prevent her running out the door again. As for not remembering your sister, she probably does but may still be on high alert from her outside events and may need some time to calm down and respond more normally to people. As a prey species, rabbits are always on high alert for dangers, and the chemicals in her body need some time to adjust to the change in scenario.