Rabbit advice please

suki1964

ClareEmily wrote: »

Suki until you have had a house rabbit you really shouldn't comment, so many outdoor bunnies are kept in a cage in the bottom of the garden and completely neglected.

Who voted you god to decide who could and could not have an opinion?

Im well aware that rabbits make house pets - we had house bunnies as kids BUT they had their runs ahd hutches outside and werent indoors all day in dedicated room, they were bought in in the evenings and days when we were home. Most of the time they had their hutches and at least 20 sq foot of lawn to run around in. Rain or shine,not just when WE decided the weather was good enough - they had a free run when it suited them


So am I now allowed an opinion? Have I passed your criteria?

4li5on

Our house bunny lives indoors all of the time - due to our 'curcumstances' it isn't safe for him to be outside in a run unattended.

We've had him nearly 3 years and he's only ever lived indoors and played outside now and again. We've had no probelms with him at all. As long as the windows are open and his cage is kept clean, he's fine.

He has free run of all of the downstairs of the house and is allowed upstairs if we are with him.

OP - nip into a carpet shop and see if they have any cardboard tubes - they are really strong and take some chewing through! Daft as it may seem, we asked for a tube at the deli in a supermarket one day - the member of staff had pulled the last plastic bag off the roll and was going to bin it. It's only about 8 inches long and maybe 1 inch diameter but very think - he's had hours of fun playing with it as it's also quite heavy!

You don't always need to spend to keep them entertained.

As for the climbing idea, I wouldn't recommend it!

ClareEmily

Suki I am also entitled to my option, and in your first post you just stated the following:
"Keeping them inside doesnt sound to me to be a very healthy envoirment".

Which is completely untrue, I don't want to argue and we will just have to agree to disagree.

suki1964

ClareEmily wrote: »

Suki I am also entitled to my option, and in your first post you just stated the following:
"Keeping them inside doesnt sound to me to be a very healthy envoirment".

Which is completely untrue, I don't want to argue and we will just have to agree to disagree.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone having a different opinion then mine.

What I objected to was you telling me I had no right to voice my opinion,

Read it again , I said "doesnt sound to ME" that is ME, not anyone else, not you or Mrs T opinion - just MINE

helping_hubby

From my experience our bunnies love boxes. If I put a box all closed up, they make their own holes where they want them. If I put lots of boxes they almost make tunnels out of them so they can run through one box straight into another.

We bought Gizmo one of these:
http://www.bunnybasics.net/new-bunny-warren-and-interchange-pack-p-1087.html

But he's nearly chewed it all now. I feel for my neighbours though as he makes a racket moving it around and chewing it. No complaints yet though

I also put treats (bit of carrot) inside a loo roll and stuff it full of hay either end, but they've sussed that one now and get straight to the carrot.

I sometimes put some pellets inside an egg box. Again they've sussed that too.

You could try hanging a treat from above where they'd need to jump on a box to get to it?

UKTigerlily

Nothing to add but reading it made me think what lucky Rabbits they are! Many are left in hutches all the time with a tiny run (If lucky) & yours have tons of room, i'd love to see some pics when you're done the improvements for them!

clutterydrawer

Everyone is allowed an opinion on how animals should be kept - but until the animals learn english, these will have to remain opinions, rather than hard facts.

Personally i keep my rabbits indoors because my last two were pulled out of a locked hutch and killed by a fox. I dont want a repeat of that. In addition it enables me to spend a lot more time with them so I will pick up straight away if one of them is becoming ill. They get a lot more exercise now too because when they lived outdoors, they wouldn't come out of the hutch when it was raining!

I get a lot of my rabbits' toys from www.thehayexperts.com . But their favourite, and cheapest, toy was this maze i made from boxes:













the holes all align so it can be rearranged in any configuration - they never get bored

UKTigerlily

clutterydrawer wrote: »

Everyone is allowed an opinion on how animals should be kept - but until the animals learn english, these will have to remain opinions, rather than hard facts.

Personally i keep my rabbits indoors because my last two were pulled out of a locked hutch and killed by a fox. I dont want a repeat of that. In addition it enables me to spend a lot more time with them so I will pick up straight away if one of them is becoming ill. They get a lot more exercise now too because when they lived outdoors, they wouldn't come out of the hutch when it was raining!

I get a lot of my rabbits' toys from www.thehayexperts.com . But their favourite, and cheapest, toy was this maze i made from boxes:













the holes all align so it can be rearranged in any configuration - they never get bored

That looks great & no doubt provides plenty of stimulation!

mcmanlyn

Clutterydrawer that looks like an amazing Bunny Krypton Factor I love it!

*goes off to find some boxes to build one for her house bunny*

skye

do you give panacur regulary? mine went a bit miserable (but still loved my attention) and then stopped eating, vet couldn't find anything wrong and he started flopping over the next day. he was successfully treated for E.Cuniculi - but has to have panacur regulary. You can buy it at pets at home as well if you speak to the vet there. - The panacur leaflet says rabbits are to have it 2-4 times a year.

Theres a leaflet here:

http://www.intervet.co.uk/Products_Public/Panacur_Rabbit/040_Publications.asp