what happened?

[sarasaphantasia]

so my bunny coraline has been acting a little skittish recently and i dont know why. its actually about the time i said she was going all lazy. what are some things i can do to bond more with my bunny?

[Sarita]

You mention in another thread she is housed in the same room with your ferrets and they are natural enemies. It’s possible she is nervous around the ferrets. I wouldn’t house my rabbits and ferrets in the same room.

[sarasaphantasia]

well she has always been around them and it never bothered her before. in fact they all ignore each other pretty well. plus i dont have a choice really. if they cant both ignore each other in my room then either i get rid of one species or someone lives outside, and i dont like those options. i love all my critters.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Do you mean being frightened of something? Or just not wanting to be petted, etc.?

I find with mine (especially scaredy Eddie) that the best way to make them not as nervous and/or skittish if they become frightened is to just ignore them and not make a fuss. My naturally instinct is to go after them and pet them and make sure they are ok all the while cooing at them. I finally realized one day that I was being an idiot and it’s best if i just leave them alone. lol They get over whatever frightened them and come out from hiding quicker.

[Beka27]

I would also recommend you figure out another housing arrangement. I think housing a rabbit and ferrets in the same room is asking for trouble. This should be a number one priority to ensure everyone’s safety.

[sarasaphantasia]

Ok then who has to live outside then? mu bunny or my ferrets? i cant move them anywhere. none of them are allowed in the other parts of the house. like i said they dont bother each other. so what exactly is it i am suppose to do?

[Karla]

I don’t think either of them should moved outside.

Is your bunny used to the ferrets meaning that they are out together, or do you mean that Coraline is used to sharing a habitat next to them?

I don’t know the background story – is Coraline new to your house and the ferrets, and that’s when you realised she was skittish, or has she lived with them for a good while before becoming skittish? And has something else changed? For instance, my bunnies are incredibly skittish the day after my boyfriend has throw a party – every time! So, have you had visitors staying for a good while or something else that has changed in your household?

Can you describe when and how she is skittish?

[sarasaphantasia]

she has lived next to them for some time …pretty much they have lived in the same room since i have had coraline. they do not play together because of the ferrets nature. shes been a bit skittish since we moved really. the only thing her and the ferrets share is the play space but not at the same time . it has always been that way. she does get excited watching them play though ^^. they dont bother her in the cage though they have far too much trouble to get into then to play with the bunny. lets see i let her out to play and she goes out of her way to stay away from me really….wont let me pet her outside the cage. i dunno i dont remember scaring her in any way. you know i do have this friend that stays prtty much every other weekend, shes a loud person too maybe this disturbs her. at our old house my friend and i never went in my room that much so they would get disturbed i guess but in the new house we spend alot of time in there. maybe thats why…..

[Andi]

Sounds like the changes with moving and even your loud friend may have put your bunny off her regular self. How long since the move?
I would just try to keep up bonding with her and keep her feeling safe, which may mean having less excitable or loud people over

My bunnies get upset if children are around, two even freak out if we have pet a strange dog and smell ‘different’ to them.

[sarasaphantasia]

its only been a month or so since we moved in and we have been taking forever to settle things in place.

[Andi]

Yeah, that’s probably just it. I have one rabbit who stresses out over getting his caged cleaned, moving his whole house is tramatic LOL

[MirBear]

my rabbits live outside, if you were to move a species out doors i suggest rabbit, and depending on where you live (i know its almost fall here and its getting cold out) i suggest doing it soon so she can grow a winter coat. (its just a heavier coat so she can deal with the temperatures better)

i have pics of the hutch mine were in last summer/fall it was two small for 2 rabbits but a nice size for one. we moved and now were planning on building a larger hutch.

i don’t suggest having rabbits outside but as a last resort.

(dont mind the mess of over grown plants i took it a week befor we moved and since we were moving in a week we didnt bother cutting anything)

[sarasaphantasia]

i suppose, but i dont like the idea of her outside because i wont get to see her as much.i used to have a bunny i kept outside he hated it and i dont really want to do the same to coraline…plus she is already my spoiled little house bunny. with her in my room she gets to see me all the time.

[MirBear]

it is up to you, dont feel like im trying to perswade you to do something k?
i was just thinking if you HAVE to put a species outside a rabbit will stay in your yard and be easier to catch than a ferret if it escaped

[sarasaphantasia]

yea true, but as it is i know they dont have to go outside. people keep suggesting they should be moved and the only place to move really is outside. i think they are fine where they are i only wanted ideas on a new cage arrangement. but i am gunna try some cube ideas this weekend.

[Sarita]

No, don’t put your rabbit outside – it’s a terrible idea and you don’t sound like you want to do that anyway. I think you can make it work inside for both Coralie and your ferret. I agree that the change has unsettled her and once you get into a routine she will be fine. Rabbits are creatures of habit so change makes them nervous.

[sarasaphantasia]

so cube wont work for ferrets? then what do i do….? i want coraline to have a pen but the ferrets have to be above her pen somehow.

[Sarita]

You know, I really have no idea about ferret housing to answer that question.

[Andi]

Ferrets can squeeze through the NIC Cubes, I actually had some squish right through the bars of their carrier LOL… if they can fit their head, they’ll manage their body as well. NIC’s are not small enough.
What is your set-up now? Why do you want to change it?

[sarasaphantasia]

i posted a picture of the setup. i dont really want to change the ferrets setup unless there is an option i guess ( i know they fit through the cubes i tried once before) i did find however that there are smaller shelves that have a smaller mesh i could possibly make a cage out of i dont know i will have to go look it it more though. i want to make my bunny setup a little better like a pen or something i mean its not as if it bad right now, she chills in her cage then runs all over my room then chills in her cage.when shes chillin in her cage the ferrets play a nice trade off. the ferrets only play once though bunny plays multiple times….ferrets are so lazy><.

[Otti]

Well, you could make a cube condo for your bunny, as wide as that nook is, and maybe 2 cubes deep – two levels would probably be best. You could give it a top that is sturdy and large enough to place the ferret cage on top of it. Then you could make sure to line at least the top grids of the rabbit’s condo and front grids (the ones that would look out towards the rest of your room) with a smaller mesh of some sort to prevent the ferrets being able to get into coraline’s cage during their play time.

I would suggest lining coraline’s cage with the mesh on the outside, which would hopefully prevent her from hurting herself on any sharp edges. Basically you would need to make sure that any side or part of coraline’s cube condo that would be accessible to the ferret’s when they are out playing, is properly reinforced so that they can’t get at her.

I don’t think a pen would work for your rabbit in your situation, because from what I’ve heard, ferrets are really good climbers and have been able to get out of all types of pens (just from reviews of pens I’ve read while trying to buy one for myself). This also means that they would be able to get into any pen you would put coraline in, unless it had a top to it. Also, most xpens have pretty wide bars, so the ferrets might be able to slip right through and into the bunny’s space, even with a top. You’d still have to line the pen with mesh, so it might just be easier to use cubes, since I think it’s easier to add tops to those and levels.

does that make sense?

[sarasaphantasia]

yep.

[MirBear]

Posted By Sarita on 08/24/2010 06:18 AM
No, don’t put your rabbit outside – it’s a terrible idea and you don’t sound like you want to do that anyway. I think you can make it work inside for both Coralie and your ferret. I agree that the change has unsettled her and once you get into a routine she will be fine. Rabbits are creatures of habit so change makes them nervous.

 

sarita, not sure if that was in response to my post, but anyways, i had said that i wasnt trying to get her to put coraline outdoors but if she had to put a species out, i would suggest rabbit because if anything happened and they got out a rabbit is easier to catch and more likely to stay in the yard than ferrets, i was not suggesting that she should decide to put coraline outside. just if she had to i would suggest rabbit over ferret

[Monkeybun]

Problem with that Mirbear is that more things would prey on a bun than a ferret, and bunnies tend to get scared easier too

[sarasaphantasia]

you guys both have the cutest little pictures for you avatars lol ^^ so adorable….now if only real bunnys looked like that.

[MirBear]

they were drawn for us by one of the members on here.

[sarasaphantasia]

oh awesomeness

[Author]

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