RabbitPom – Thank you! Landlords, here, actually don’t take care of maintenance of yards at all unless you live in townhomes with no yard, in which case, the condo Board takes care of maintenance. We are looking at different homes for rent in hopes of finding something with a grassy yard, for a cheaper rental fee and are actually going to look at another place instead, so hopefully we find something without gravel. I have taken Crush outside previously, on his harness and leash and he absolutely loves it. Of course, I have to be RIGHT there, I mean, my dog is a houdini, so who’s saying my rabbit couldn’t escape his harness, or a loose dog wouldn’t spot him and run up, etc? So I’m REALLY vigilant about keeping an eye on my pets.
Currently, I have my rabbits in a spare bedroom, with free-roam time alternating(until they’re bonded, if ever) between the two of them, as I own two dogs and don’t want to risk anything by letting the four of them interact on ANY level. Too much risk, as my one dog is a Beagle. My puppy, however, ignores the rabbits as she was raised around Crush who was a free-roamer in his previous home with a Lab.
I’m definitely not looking to make this something where they stay outside for hours at a time. Just a few minutes here and there to enjoy being outside – and of course, ONLY if I can make something secure enough for their safety, and ONLY while supervised of course.
I’m strictly about keeping my rabbits as indoor buns too, but I can’t deny that Crush REALLY enjoys being outside when he gets the chance, even if it’s only for a few minutes here and there, so I’d just love to make a big, secure set up for them to be able to have some of that time in. If I end up anywhere with someone else maintaining the yard though or a yard with no private fence, it’ll be a no go anyway, as the risks would sky rocket at that point. I’ve had ice melt burn my dogs paws to second degree burns before, so I can’t imagine what the pesticides and herbicides could do to a bunny. It’s a HUGE part of why I don’t bring in natural wood from outside for them.
I’ll definitely PM Mocha.(would that be mocha200 or Mocha11?)
Again, it all comes down to where we’re living, and the circumstances of the rental, as I definitely don’t want any higher risks than there already are and if I do find them to be too great, my buns will just happily stay indoor bunnies. They’re quite content with free-roam time in the spare room anyhow.
Honestly though, it’s beginning to sound like it’s more and more risky and there’s not many pros, are there?
Thanks so much!