I have to admit, as Sunday approaches (the day I transition Blanco from the downstairs bathroom to his new outdoor home) I am experiencing a TON of GUILT.
I KNOW that his life outside in the hutch is still probably WAY better than the life he had before the shelter. I know that his life outside in the hutch is a better fate than the euthanasia he was facing at the shelter. But still I feel a ton of guilt for putting him outside.
Luckily the weather here in Southern California is mild through the year - it barely rains, never snows, and other than a few hot days in the summer and a few cold days in the winter (never below freezing) our weather is pretty darn spectacular. My husband said that he can build a 2nd hutch for the garage if we ever need to bring him in if we get rain or really cold weather, but the guilt is still there.
I think I mostly feel guilty because I want Blacno to feel part of the family. I wish I could make him feel as special as Jenny and Bela do inside (my cat and dog.)
But, I cannot.
We thought about trying to have an indoor hutch, but our house is very small and we just cannot accommodate in that way. He will actually have more space if he lives outside.
I also feel guilty that I will not be able to spend as much time with him as I do Jenny and Bela. For example, right now I am typing on the computer and Jenny is on my lap getting love and taking a nap...I feel bad that Blanco will not have this kind of attention.
I know that I will spend time with Blanco each day, but it won't be the same as the dog or cat just because they are inside. There are lots of people in my area who keep their bunnies outside, and I try to remember that it is not a BAD thing....I just need to really get over the guilt and just do my best to spend as much time as possible outside with him and give him attention. It might be different than the way the dog and cat can get attention, but he will still know LOVE and a happy home. I need to keep remembering that. It is STILL better than what his fate would have been....
It depends on the bunny of course, but you might find he is happier outside. I live in England, and have a big hutch and run setup in the garden. My bunnies, Mycroft and Molly, love it. I think they like the independence, and I spend two hours a day free ranging with them for bonding time. Mycroft might be happy as a house bunny, but Molly hates it indoors, she has a wild soul. ^_^ Also, don't worry about the biting, if he has only just been neutered then he will probably still have hormones raging. If it does continue, he might be territorial (like my Mycroft, who gets very protective of his food). When he's outside you can handle this better by moving food bowls to the front of the hutch so that you don't have to reach right in for them, and by only cleaning when he is off playing elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteFran, thank you so much for your input. It makes me feel better when I see all of the UK people on the message boards with outdoor, happy buns! We have seen SO much progress with the biting - I have been learning what makes him mad and how to make V E R Y slow movements so he does not get scared. Hope you and your buns have a great day! :)
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