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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Hiking with rabbits?

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    • Rave
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        Hi! 

        So I have a question for you guys Im right now bonding Panda and Melody and its going great! Im going to harness train them both soon (They both panic and make it worse than it is when you pull a little in the leash.)

        After this is all done I want to get them used toa lot of activity where running and moving about is a everyday experiance from their side and when they are at that point I want to bring them on a hiking trip with me. (2 days)

        There are no bears, no wolf, and pretty much no eagels or other birds of prey (They are quite rear and do keep to the roads.) The only danger that we have for them in our forest are mooks and foxes. But I dont think there is to worry as mooks usually dont have any intresst in killing rabbits and as they will always be by my side so I dont think the foxes will come near them eater. 

        So to my question: can the rabbits sleep in a tent with me? And how oftain should we take a break from walking to let them eat hay?  
        Also do you think rabbits with the right training could do something like this? Or is it “doomed to fail”?


      • Roberta
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          I can see a huge potential for disaster. Harness walking even in a familiar area has risks as they can do serious harm to themselves. Out in the bush there are predators they can see and hear that you can’t. A circling hawk or eagle might appear a speck in the sky to you but they will be ableto see it. Their little noses will pick up every scent mark. I suspect they will be traumatised. Then what do you do if you are a days walk into the scrub and one of them needs emergency vet treatment. Then there’s fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and leaches not to mention ants and assorted mites.

          Foxes are not timid especially if they are hungry, ripping open a tent to get them would be normal, attacking you to get them would also be expected. Are you going to cart along a carrier on thevtreck so they have a safe place ? Because you certainly can’t tether them outside they will be gone in minutes. If the break away and run you would never find them and would be forced to leave them behind.


        • Roberta
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            Then there’s is the weather or fire to contend with.


          • Roberta
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              Oh and they could probably chew their way out of a tent in under a minute.


            • Rave
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                Where I live foxes are extreamllly timmid and will stay out of sight even if thay are hungry. I will bring a carrier that they can use as a hiding spot during the night I will abvioslly sheck them every night for flees, tick and so on.

                I wont stray to far into the woods eather as they are with me and I’ll bring a phone that is only to be used in emergency vet calls.
                They will both be on a long line each (2-3 m) that will be conected to my belt and will always have a hand free if for example a fox would show up and I needed to interfear.

                They will both ofcours be used to walking the forest and would never go on a tip like this if I eelt they where uncomfertable in the forest.

                The tent will be made out of 2 layers and I’m a light sleeper so will notice them on the forst one absolutlly! If they do ruin the tent (I’ll ofcourse prepare them for a tent before hand and have them used to it when we leave) Ill call my parents to come pick me up as it wont do with just one layer

                and as I say eagels and other birds of pray are highlly unusuall and mostlly live by the road side to eat from the hit animals here. They odnt hunt much
                And if the wether turnes to cold, or to warm for them, Ill call for a drive home. If it starts raining I’ll just place them in their carrier and put up the tent and move in for the day or until ther rain is gone completlly

                Thank yo for some gret consernes! These are great too keep in mind for me


              • Sarita
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                  It’s a terrible idea to take rabbits on leashes and definitely not a good idea to take them on hikes in the wood – who knows what they will pick up out there like ticks, fleas, and what else. Just not a good idea at all. And to be honest rabbits do not walk on leashes like dogs.


                • Rave
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                    Do you recomend me to have them loose then?

                    I do take my rabbits out on leash oftain (the two I have now have not yet been introduced to it yet as I’ve been working on tamtraining and just now she trust me enough to put a harness on her, an the other I got just last week)

                    I dont think its a problem to have them on leash if you get them used to it and teach them the “rules” of a leash. And I used with my last rabbit take dailly walkes in the forest with no problem. Ofcourse I sheked for tickes and fleas and such after each walk


                  • Sarita
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                      Well, I’m of the “doomed to fail” side of this because it’s just not a good idea to do this. How are they going to sleep in the tent with you? What makes you think they will enjoy this as much as you?


                    • Rave
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                        They will have, like they have in their room, a blanket that they sllep on inside of the carrier. The carrier will be open and they can rome the tent at nigt if they feel like it.
                        And I belive that they will like it as it will contain a lot of exploring and running. 2 things these two monsters love


                      • Little Lion Head
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                          I agree with everything Roberta said with the potential harms, danger, diseases, etc. Not to mention there is no way a domesticated rabbit would enjoy this. I imagine they will be terrified the entire two days. They are much safer and more content in your house with someone to look after them. If they get spooked by a new noise they could get tangled up and potentially choked by the leash. Rabbits are pretty lazy during the day, I can’t imagine they would want to get in that much activity so there are healthy hazards to look at that way as well. They should have 24 hour a day access to hay as well and they’ll need a lot of access to water, especially if it’s warm. I don’t know, this just scares me but then again I won’t even take mine outside into my yard.

                          Is there a reason you want to take them? This sounds like a trip for a dog; an animal that would actually probably enjoy the journey and bonding time w/ their human.


                        • manic_muncher
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                            Rabbits spend their entire lives trying to prevent being eaten by something. I think taking them into the woods, introducing them into an environment that would only heighten their fear drive is a bad idea, bordering cruel. I agree with LLH… hiking trips are for dogs.


                          • Rave
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                              It is a better trip for a dog Im sure! But Im thinking of this as a good way to work towards something, like a goal. Ill always have the hands free while we are walking so I if they tange or anything like that I can get right to it. If I feel my rabbits being terrified I ofcours ould just put them in the carrier and bring them out of there and go home

                              And my rabbits are not lazy at all, running around all day is fine by them xd And If I do notice them being tierd/wanting to rest, Well do that. IF we get 50 m in a day, thats all good haha


                            • Sarita
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                                Well you seem sure it’s a good idea so…I think you can see that most of the members just don’t agree. And you mentioned that both of your rabbits panic in your initial post so it certainly seems like they would not like it – I can understand though why you would like to do this with your rabbits but I personally don’t think this is something that a domesticated house rabbit would enjoy.


                              • Rave
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                                  Ofcours Im not gonna go on anything like this soon. I want them to feel safe and happy in new areas ( I bring them to diffrent places all the time to train this) And ofcours go good in a harness and build up the muscles etcc needed to do something like this


                                • Elliriyanna
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                                    rabbits are prey animals and naturally skittish in such environments … this would even be more fun for rats. I do not feel this is a good idea for rabbits all it takes is one second of you not completely paying attention for them to eat something fatal, get thorns, or of course parasites.


                                  • Megabunny
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                                      I get why you think this would be a great adventure and exercise for your rabbits, but who knows what they would nibble on along the way, along with everything else people have mentioned. Leashes have broken rabbits’ backs. I wanted to leash train mine, but I read everyone’s opinion about this and aborted that idea. While this may seem like a fun adventure for you, I guarantee you will be stressing out those poor rabbits like nobody’s business. You won’t be doing them a favor. Quite the opposite.


                                    • LittlePuffyTail
                                      Moderator
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                                        Sorry to be a downer but this is not a good idea at all. Aside from the danger of leashes and harnesses, rabbits are prey animals and are nervous in unfamiliar territory. Imagine all the scary, strange smells. They will not enjoy it at best and be terrified or possibly get seriously (even fatally) injured at worst. Stress can send a bunny into gi stasis.

                                        Like mentioned, this is more of an activity for a dog. If you care about your bunnies, please leave them at home.


                                      • Hazel
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                                          I agree with everybody else. Not a good idea. Rabbits don’t naturally roam, they are prey animals and stay in familiar territory where they know their way around and feel safe. They would never willingly put themselves in a situation like this, and for you to force them to is borderline cruel. They’ll be terrified.

                                          Having them on a leash is giving you a false sense of security. Yes, it will (probably) keep them from running away, but that’s about it. If they get startled and struggle against the leash, they can break their bones before you could even react. Concerning predators, they WILL come close to you, if they’re hungry they won’t care that you’re there. We have heard stories here about rabbits that have been attacked by hawks in their own yard even though the owner was standing 3 feet away. If your rabbits did get attacked by a hawk or fox, there would be very little you could do. They won’t sit still for you to intervene. They will be dashing here and there at lightening speed, by the time you could do anything, the rabbit will most likely be already dead or fatally injured. At which point you’re still stuck in the woods with no vet anywhere near you.

                                          Please don’t do this. Why risk it?


                                        • Sparky04
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                                            Honestly I think trying to get the rabbits to walk where and when you want them too is going to be incredibly hard. We used to take Mordecai out on a leash and he’d do what he wanted. He’d go the direction he wanted to go, at the speed he wanted to go. He’d stop for long times and lay down because he wanted to. I don’t think any bunny will walk nicely on a leash like a dog would. Also I’ve noticed my rabbits will have short bursts of energy, followed by lazy periods, so I don’t know how well your rabbits would like constantly walking.


                                          • Flopsie
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                                              sounds like you’ve made up your mind. It doesn’t really seem like a good idea to begin with. To be honest, it seems a bit like your own prerogative than your rabbit’s, but the truth is, they are your rabbits and you are free to do with them what you want. However, given the experience that all the member’s have had and based on that a question or an inquiry was presented, it seems like this is isn’t generally a good idea.

                                              At the end of the day you need to do what you think is right and you will need to accept the consequences both good and bad. General wisdom and evidence (as listed above), makes this seem like the rewards compared to the potential risks are not worth it. But again, it looks like you’ve convinced yourself of what you want to do already.


                                            • Flopsie
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                                                I also wanted to add that yes, we shouldn’t avoid doing things just because of the potential harm. We can’t live our lives like that. However, it is also responsible for us to mitigate damage or potential risk whenever possible. Sure I can walk across the middle of the street and avoid cars whenever I deem it right but it’s more ideal and safe to walk across at a crosswalk with a light. If you know that there are severe potential risks of doing things, then it is your responsibility to avoid as much risk or danger as possible. Pets, much like young children, are dependent on their caretakers to look out for them because they do not yet possess (or never for some animals), the ability to have foresight or careful examination of the situation at hand.

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                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Hiking with rabbits?