Free Roaming

So, my harlequin buck free roams. He was a escape artist when he was younger and I just gave up caging him up. He now runs free anywhere he wishes. I am having great success with this. I can tell he is happy, healthy, and he is a well muscled rabbit. I can catch him when I need to, so he is still my herd buck.

When i tell people, some people react like i am crazy. What is everyones thoughts on this? I really like it, and the rabbits is liking it is well. He has run of the barn, and is outside a lot too.

Your buck may be doing fine, Jesse, but there can be problems with free-range rabbits. Suppose a doe escapes too and and they set up a feral population? It is hard to forsee where that might lead.

Don't you worry that a predator will find him one night? I would close him up at night for his own well-being at least, and, as Maggie says, feral populations of rabbits have been very destructive.

Predators will catch on that there is lunch at your house eventually--I have seen it happen with flocks of chickens, for a year they wander around and roost in trees and then suddenly in the course of a week or two something comes along and gets them one by one. Something to consider.

But I don't think its fair that my neighbors let their cats roam the neighborhood to poop in my garden, so my bias is that all domestic animals should be under their owner's control and restricted to their owner's property at all times. It isn't enough that the dog or cat is friendly, or "mostly" stays home for me. In fact, I feel the same way about kids, but that is a whole other topic...

A whole outdoor warren might be perfectly reasonable if well-maintained--say in the center of a 200 acre spread and carefully culled to keep the population low, and had guardian dogs or planned for a certain rate of loss. But you'd have to be darn sure those rabbits would never get away from you to cause problems elsewhere.

And as you said, he is an escape artist. Please consider carefully if this is really a responsible choice for you--I don't know your exact circumstances so I can't say, but I think there would be serious draw-backs to "free range" bunnies. tings that probably wouldn't be apparent until it was too late.

A few draw backs to your "Free Range system"
is: The rabbit is left susceptible to any range of little beastie manifestations.
Fleas, Ticks and any number of intestinal infestations.
It's your choice, but if I had my druthers I'd prefer that they were housed in a cage
just so I could better watch them and know when and where they are at,
Ottersatin,

I grew up with basically free range guinea pigs and rabbits. Eventually they die. Quite tragically sometimes. Even in a fenced yard. Then you have a predator who will roam your property or fenceline just waiting for another chance or sometimes not waiting. The years without death did not make up for the mangled or curled up bodies that inevitably happened. Also if you are in town people occasionally feel the need to rescue your loose critters and we had lots go missing.

I do not tend to worry about predators. We are far enough away from any bushes to make a big fuss, although i do take that into consideration constantly. He is smart enough to go in the barn at night most of the time and he has been fine for a long. I hope i dont jinx anything

He shouldnt get any infestations or anything. I treat him for the same stuff i treat my other rabbits for. Worms and fleas and stuff. And my barn is kept clean. Nothing he can get into

personally i would see if i could just keep him confined in the barn some how. If it is big enough then see if he will stay JUST in there. It is a thought i wouldnt worry about bushes the biggest predators around here are the hawks and owls they take chickens rabbits small cats and small dogs even anything they can get thier claws into

Ya, especially with winter coming he wont be able to get out of the barn. Right now i actually don't think he can either. He tends to find ways though!

Overall i like the freeroaming. He is a very happy rabbit.

90% of my chickens were killed in the open. The other 10% were in their coop with the door open. Several of our guinea pigs were killed under our porch. 2 of our rabbits were killed in the garage hiding behind a freezer. It doesn't take bushes and buildings are no deterrant to predators unless they can't get in.

Jesse L":3nj8g73w said:

Overall i like the freeroaming. He is a very happy rabbit.

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It sounds like you've already made up your mind that this is the best life for your buck and are looking for people to agree with you. I think there's a list somewhere like that -- chinbunny?? :lol:

I don't think you will find too many people HERE that will agree it is a wonderful life to roam free. As everyone has pointed out, the danger of predators, the problem with parasites, are all too real to a free ranging rabbit. If we all said "yes, great, go ahead", then newbies would read the list and release all their rabbits to who-knows-what kind of (think U of Vic) chaos. A responsible breeder/list has to be careful what recommendations are made in print and how they can be interpreted by ANYONE who comes along reading a public list.

So I join the rest of the responders in agreeing that a free-roaming life is full of risk and not a good idea. All it takes is one hawk, one fox, one coyote and then it's too late for you to say: oh, maybe this wasn't a good idea. Please, work on making the barn escape proof so you can enjoy your buck for many more years.

Do you remember Jess...your concern one day when you weren't sure where he had gotten off to? And that you might have to get a new buck.

That's the concern that you'll need to be living with every day that you let him roam free.

Personally if I were you... I'd put him in the back pen where you had the ducks last year. You should be able to easily secure that for him.

The only reason that he started this was because i could not keep him in a cage. That is the only reason. I would never of thought of free roaming. I just gave up catching him every night and every morning.

The barn is being sealed up this weekend and i am moving the heater into it. So he will be in for the winter

Everyone has good points and i regret letting him free roam everywhere, as happy as he is.

How can a free roaming rabbit get more parasites that a rabbit in a cage? Im just wondering. I have never had a problem with external bugs or anything.

Well if you are willing to accept that he could be eaten or he could run away or anything like that & you believe he is happy, than keep him free roam

I have a free roam BEW Lionhead buck & he is quite content, he goes back to his cage to eat & drink, he stays in on his own when the weather is bad, he's a happy camper, we have coyotes & everything, as we have a bush right behind the house, he is smart enough not to go in or close to the bush. I have no intentions of caging him, as he is happy AND healthy.

Jesse L":1ogduzs3 said:

How can a free roaming rabbit get more parasites that a rabbit in a cage? Im just wondering. I have never had a problem with external bugs or anything.

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Firstly, in rabbits, neither have I, thankfully. But...

A rabbit in a clean cage, with a wire floor, some distance from the ground, can't contact the soil or its own poop, nor can it reach other rabbits' poop, wild or tame. If there are raccoons, opossum, skunk, squirrels, cats, or rats that might cross your property, then there are those animals poops in the soil too, and with them any parasites those animals may have been carrying. As a rabbit digs and runs and later grooms themselves they can catch these parasites. Also mites, lice, and fleas may be present in the grass from wild or domestic trespassers.

Now if that rabbit is in a colony setting you may have some of the same concerns to watch for. But if they are roaming free, they may become infested without you noticing, so watch extra closely, especially in the spring and summer.

Also, without meaning to be rude, I am having trouble understanding how a rabbit can routinely escape a well-made, latched cage. If there are holes or gaps, wire them closed. If he's going out the J-feeder, get a lid. If he is unlatching the door, use a snap swivel hook, like what is on a dog leash. If he is bending a corner of the door, use TWO snap hooks, one on each corner. Or replace the cage. Am I crazy? Are some rabbits really that clever about escaping? I may just have world's dumbest bunnies... :shrug:

I do know that some rabbits can be quite persistent...and you'll think that you have them locked in THIS time...only to have them get out again. Had one buck like that...very persistent lad...until I figured out how to keep him locked up. It was good for my brain to figure out how to out smart him.