"I brought my rabbit in (1/2 flemming giant, 1/2 californian) [born last March] inside since the weather here has dropped to -15 or so. I was told by a couple of people that she can not go back outside now when the temps get back up to the 20's or 30's. Where she is now it's about 58. Can I bring her back out? What should I do? I can't keep her inside all winter."

The people you spoke to are wrong. A lot of people think that once a rabbit has been indoors their coat changes. That is partially true, as you rabbit would have had to adjust from -15 to 58. If you brought her in for a week or two and then placed her back outside at -15, that would be a bad idea.

If you plan on putting her back out once the weather warms up than she should adjust just fine.

Think of it this way. A rabbits coat adjusts to the weather. In the winter they get a thicker coat to keep warm in the cold weather. In the summer they lose that undercoat to stay cool in the warm weather. Even indoor rabbits will add a thicker coat during the season change, it will just get less and less the longer they're kept as indoor rabbits. They will adjust to the temperature they're in constantly.

My rabbits are all indoor rabbits, and have been for years. I could put them outside during the day in the summer, but they would likely not do well during the night when the temp drops, and they definitely wouldn't survive a winter outside because they're coats have adjusted to being indoor bunnies.

As long as your rabbit hasn't been in your home for an extended period, and you don't place her outside from 58 to -15, but closer to the 58 mark, then bunny should be fine. Just make sure to give extra warm bedding.

I just have to add one thing. I'm not a fan of having outdoor rabbits. One of the reasons for this is that rabbits don't naturally live above ground outdoors. Most rabbits cannot handle being out in the open in the cold. Even with the right rabbit hutch it's still not ideal. You see rabbits are burrowing animals. They live in groups underground, where it's actually quite warm. They cannot handle extreme cold, wind, or being out in the elements, because they never are.

So make sure your rabbit has a place that's out of the cold, a well insulated hutch, lots of warm bedding, water, food, timothy hay, and if the weather gets too cold than definitely bring him inside.

Good luck, and we love pictures. :)

Speedy i.e. her name, has a great hutch, where she can get out of the elemets.(My brother made it) She is well fed, I assure you of that, and she has a beautiful THICK coat. I understand your concerns of outdoor rabbits. But we do take her out and my son plays with her... and so do I. Thanks so much for you info. It was very helpful! I'll post pics, but I am not sure how to do that! Please keep in touch with me. It's nice to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about. :)

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Originally Posted by Tammy76

Speedy ie, her name, has a great hutch, where she can get out of the elemets.(My brother made it) She is well fed, I assure you of that, and she has a beautiful THICK coat. I understand your concerns of outdoor rabbits. But we do take her out and my son plays with her....and so do I. Thanks so much for you info. It was very helpful! I'll post pics, but I am not sure how to do that! Please keep in touch with me. It's nice to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about. :)

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It sounds like Speedy is a very lucky, loved little bunny. Although with the mix you mentioned I'm betting she's not so little. ;)

We have a new forum skin on this site that all new users use, I'm on the old skin, so I really don't know how to post pictures using the skin you're on. There have to be instructions somewhere. I'll ask someone.

I have four rabbits. Yes, you heard right, 4. :eek: Most of them are rescues, one is a pet store bunny (I couldn't leave him there). They're all indoor bunnies, but I live in Canada and the winters are not outdoor bunny friendly. The reason I'm concerned when I hear of outdoor bunnies is that most people don't have an adequate hutch. It sounds like you have it covered, and I'm so glad you brought Speedy in when the weather got too cold.

My bunnies are a lionhead dwarf (Cotton), a lionhead/harlequin (Kilala), a rex (Oreo) and a heinz 57 (Thumper). Obviously my kids named them. :p

I hope you stick around the site. We don't get many rabbit questions here, and that's my specialty, my expertise, so I always get giddy when we get a bunny post. Any questions you have, ask away. You could also stick around check out the questions being asked and offer your insight to any you feel you have knowledge about.

Hope to see you around.