In addition to the more traditional choices of a cat or dog, furry rabbits can also be kept as pets. Rabbits are an alternative for pet enthusiasts because, fortunately, they don’t need as much attention and upkeep as other types of animals.
Very often, rabbits are incredibly bubbly and make excellent companions. They also share the best traits with dogs in that they become loyal to their owners.
These animals are pretty active, and they would prefer to walk around occasionally rather than spend all day in a cage. Unlike in the wild, where rabbits are known to construct underground shelters, pet rabbits would likely require the owner to create a habitat.
It’s best to keep rabbits away from extreme temperatures. As a pet owner, there are specific things you must know about this animal, particularly its housing. This article will help you figure out how to provide a pet rabbit with the ideal living environment.
Can a Rabbit Live in a Garage?
Ideally, a rabbit should be housed in an enclosed structure. This is because you would need to protect it from extreme weather.
In terms of shelter, you may consider providing a tiny shed just for the rabbit. However, if you prefer to keep your pet outside your main house, a garage should be the least of your options. Why? Because harmful exhaust fumes from your car or heat from how busy the garage is could endanger the rabbit’s health, you don’t want that, do you?
If you must keep your rabbit in a garage, ensure that the garage is empty – no cars or other obstructions. Also, it would be best if you endeavored to improve the living conditions of the rabbit by providing adequate lighting and ventilation.
Disadvantages Of Housing Your Rabbit In A Garage
When you weigh your options, you could discover that keeping your rabbit in a garage has more drawbacks than benefits. Let’s find out the downsides of allowing your rabbit to live in a Garage.
1. The Neglect Of Your Pet
Unlike when it’s kept indoors where you could easily see and care for it, leaving your rabbit in a garage can cause you to lose track of its general body well-being.
Rabbits are high-maintenance pets that require specialized attention, housing, and lots of human interaction. Now, the garage is most likely an isolated part of the house that you rarely use; leaving your rabbit in there can cause you to forget to check on its welfare.
Your rabbit could also feel depressed from loneliness, and you would not realize it until it is too late. Once your pet passes away, It will be hard to forgive yourself.
2. Prevents the Rabbit From Roaming Around
One superb way your rabbits feel like they’re a large part of your family and life is by letting them roam free in the home. That way, they can race around the house and display the uniqueness of their personalities.
However, when in the garage, the rabbit has little to no room to move about as there might be vehicles and other equipment that prevents this.
3. Safety Hazard
When the rabbits stay in the garage alongside you, your car, and other items, it is exposed to various kinds of safety risks. Worse still, if your garage lacks ventilation, this could make the temperature too hot and uncomfortable for the rabbit.
Besides, the garage might be too stuffy for the rabbit to live in, and this will reflect poorly on you. When the rabbit runs out of air to breathe; as a result, the effect may not be irreversible by the time you realize it.
Additionally, because of the garage’s overpopulation, unforeseen events like electrical wire can ignite a fire, causing an avoidable danger or death for your pet.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Living Environment for Your Rabbit?
The best place for rabbits to live is inside the home. That’s because living in the house allows you to monitor the rabbit’s activities constantly.
When trying to choose a living environment for your rabbit, there are a couple of factors to take into account, which include:
1. Space
As mentioned earlier, rabbits are energetic creatures constantly searching for open spaces to run, hide, and move about.
Whether you decide to keep your rabbit in a shed or a cage, you must ensure to provide it with enough room and space to move freely.
2. Temperature
Sometimes, you might not want to install a thermostat inside your rabbit’s shed or cage. This makes it impossible to control the temperature of the rabbit’s living environment as much as you want.
Whatever you do, understand that rabbits do not perform well under extreme temperatures. So you must be careful to protect them at all times.
3. Cleanliness
Choosing a clean place for your rabbit to live is equivalent to ensuring their proper health and wellbeing. You must dedicate time to cleaning the rabbit’s space as constantly as possible. Cleaning any materials used for feeding and caring for them is also crucial because bacteria can cause your pet’s health to deteriorate rapidly.
Can You House The Rabbit In A Cage?
Yes, you can allow your rabbit to live in a cage. Nonetheless, the cell should have ample space to let the rabbit move freely without obstruction.
Asides from the space, you need to include a simple lock. This is because locking the rabbit up in a tiny cage for an extended period can cause a range of health-related issues, which includes obesity and other deformities.
Naturally, rabbits are social animals that like to explore; you need to let them out of the cage at least once in a while to exercise and equally explore their immediate surroundings.
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Can You Leave Your Rabbit Out Of Its Cage For A Long Period?
Every rabbit owner must learn this part of caring for the animal; it is more of a requirement than a choice. If you own a rabbit and have extra time on your hands, you can participate in the simulation process as well.
You can accomplish this by building actual hiding areas that your rabbits could use as retreats or scattering carrots in key locations so your rabbit can have a snack while exercising. Your pet’s happiness, while these activities are going on should also be considered a type of recreation.
What Temperature Best Suits A Rabbit?
Rabbits tend to not thrive so well in freezing weather and scorching ones. This is why you need to be conscious of the temperature in the dwelling of your rabbit.
If given the proper husbandry, rabbits can tolerate temperatures of about 40°F or even lower when necessary. If the temperature goes below 20°F, the rabbit might feel very cold. In cases like this, taking precautions to make your rabbit feel comfortable, especially outdoors, is essential.
How Do You Care For Your Rabbit During The Winter?
The winter has a high amount of cold that could harm humans and animals. But you don’t have to worry as there are specific proactive measures you can take to protect your rabbit from the damaging effects of winter. Here are some of them:
1. Provide your rabbit with a hutch
If your rabbit lives outside, building a hutch for the rabbit will help prevent the cold from engulfing it when it penetrates its cage.
2. Make sure your rabbit stays warm at all time
Here, you can add newspapers or magazine pages to the shelter of a pet rabbit to keep it warm. If possible, use the newspapers as flooring to prevent the rabbit’s bare limbs from touching the shed’s plain, cold ground.
Moreover, you must ensure that during this period, no liquid, including water, comes in contact with your rabbit.
Is It Ok For Rabbits To Be On Concrete?
It is not a bad idea to construct a shelter for your pet rabbit on concrete flooring. That’s because it’s much safer and gives your rabbit better balance while running. Concrete is also a far more sensible choice of flooring, mainly when it is used for the rabbit run.
In contrast to grassy flooring, it would be difficult for your pet rabbit to dig through concrete flooring. This means that you stand no risk of losing track of it.
Additionally, concrete floors do not require any extra measures or routine maintenance, which makes them a “low-effort” option.
Final Thoughts
Before acquiring a rabbit, you need to understand why you want to get one. This will guide you better in making decisions that will benefit your pet’s well-being.
Overall, you can keep your rabbits in the garage, but there are a lot of risks that come with that. From pet neglect to safety hazards, there are so many downsides to it.
Ideally, you should house your pets in your home. They will feel protected, and you also find the opportunity to care for them properly.