The short answer is NO ! For longer one, keep reading the article 🙂
Rabbits are not dogs and walking them on the leash is not something they will enjoy. Of course, rabbits are very different in personality, maybe you are lucky one who has a bunny that likes to go for a walk outside. However, most of them are not thrilled with the idea.
What can happen during the walk? What are the dangers? If you still want to take a risk then how to prepare your rabbit for a walk? What is the basic equipment?
Table of Contents
Why Do People Like to Walk Their Bunnies on the Leash?
People like to walk their bunnies for different reasons. Walking a rabbit on a leash is more popular in Europe than in the USA but still, there is a number of people in the States that like to walk with their bunnies.
Although the rabbit community is rather divided when it comes to this issue, one part thinks that walking a rabbit on a leash is completely OK. The other half disagree.
Many rabbit owners think that their bunnies need fresh air and extra exercise outside.
Some people think that it is quite normal to walk a rabbit on a leash, same as you would walk a dog but it is very important to say that rabbits are not dogs and never will be.
Dogs are usually trained to walk on a leash and listen to your commands. Rabbits are not. During the walk with a rabbit, you will have to listen to what your bunny has to say and go wherever he wants to go. So if you think you can walk a rabbit you are wrong, your bunny will walk you.
If you think that you will go for a walk with your rabbit and you have an exact route you consider the best for this, just forget it. You need to go where ever your bunny goes. If he wants to sit and watch something, you will have to stand there, if he wants to run, run together.
Don’t try to make him do something he doesn’t want to. Don’t drag him for any reason. If you want him to do something, for example, to jump over something, offer him a treat, that might works.
Some people like extra attention they get from other people they are passing by. People are usually commenting on how the rabbit is cute, bringing owner small talk and attention.
What Are The Dangers if You Walk Your Rabbit on a Leash?
There are many dangers lurking out there.
- Predators
- Pesticides
- Insects
- Other pets
- People
- Vehicles
- Sudden sounds
Rabbits are very low on the food chain so predators can be a problem ( both on foot and with wings) Even though you are constantly with him, bad things can happen. For example, the hawk can spot your rabbit and snatch him very quickly, leaving you shocked and disabled to help your pet.
Rabbits have very sensitive systems so pesticides in the grass or trees can harm them seriously.
Insects are another problem that could cause damage, especially thick and fleas.
Other pets such as dogs or wild animals even wild rabbits can be a threat. Not only they could attack your bunny but also your furry friend could catch some disease from them.
Don’t forget other people who could accidentally hurt your pet or cars and other vehicles. When it comes to the vehicles, even a loud sound is a threat to your rabbit that could make him act frenetically and unpredictable.
Sounds are a pretty tricky problem. Rabbits have a sensitive sense of hearing. They hear things, humans don’t or they hear things much before humans do. For example, they can hear the plane noise before you become aware of the plane in the sky.
Your bunny could be freaking out and you are simply not able to detect the source of that fear.
When the rabbit is afraid, his frenetic behavior poses a big threat to his health. For example, he could start spinning around ( trying to run away ), gets completely tangled, risking on cutting his airflow.
When rabbits become tangled in the leash, this raises their anxiety, causing discomfort. Even if their unexpected behavior doesn’t hurt them, they would feel very uncomfortable and scared.
Although rabbits have strong muscles they have very fragile bones. So if they tangle in a leash, they risk spine injury and bone fractures.
How To Prepare Your Bunny For A Walk?
If you still want to take a risk and walk with your bunny on the leash, let’s check what do you need to do before.
First of all, think about your bunny- if he/she is tamed and completely trusts you then you can go for it and try. One the other hand if your bunny is scared to death when you even open the fridge, maybe you shouldn’t torture him/her with an outside walk.
Purchase the basic equipment which is harness and leash. I will not be dealing here with different brands and their pros/cons here but I will share with you what I have found as the best solution.
Many owners find a step in ( for small dogs) and vest harness as two best options. If you have to choose between those two then go for vest harness, the majority of owners vote for it.
Vest harness is designed to prevent the rabbit to take it off easily.
When it comes to leashes the best is to get elastic one with a small treat bag on it where you can put a few blueberries for example. Some owners use a classic nylon leash.
The thing is the most rabbits don’t like harnesses at all, that is why it is important for the rabbit to get used to harness and then to go for a real walk.
It is recommended to put a harness without a leash on your rabbit and let him wear it for some time while you are at home. If your bunny refuses it, don’t force him. Be patient and keep trying but don’t be too pushy.
Once he gets used to it ( if he gets used to) you can try to go for a walk. If you have a back yard, it can be a perfect place to start. After several walks in your back yard, you can try to go further. A meadow with fresh grass( not treated with pesticides ) would be a perfect choice just always pay attention to predators and other pets.
Don’t walk on the sides of the road even if you think that road has low traffic.
Don’t tie the leash on anything, it should be always in your hands and never leave your bunny unsupervised while you are outside.
Don’t leave your kid or any other kid hold the leash .
Never use a collar.
Remember that leash is there only to prevent your bunny from running away, nothing else.
Final Thought
Whatever you do it is important to know how to do that and what are the possible consequences.
People have really different experiences, from a very positive one where rabbits get thrilled when they see harness and leash as that means they are going outside to negative ones where bunnies died from cutting their airflow as they get tangled in a leash.
The safest place for pet rabbits is your home. Outside area( even if it is your back yard) hides a wide range of dangers for them. If you still want to walk them around on a leash, no problem, just be aware of all bad things that could happen and take all precautions you can. Good luck!
