Second bun???

[2manypets]

Well Im not sure what to do. I  have a 3 month old lionhead bun that I can’t really take out to play with until around 11 at night. When I do take him out its only for about an hour.  Do you think I should get another bun to keep him company and to play with? Or should I just keep him by himself? He doesn’t seem sad or anything but I don’t really know how a sad bunny acts.

[LoveChaCha]

Is your Lionhead spayed or neutered? You may want to wait until that is done. Also, if you get another bunny, it requires time to bond, but when they bond, they will become good buddies and keep each other busy.

[jerseygirl]

Personally, I don’t believe getting a 2nd would be the solution. As LoveChaCha said, they’d need to be fixed then bonded to live perrmanently together. Bonding can take a lot of daily time but also, what if they didn’t bond? Then you’d have 2 separate rabbits having to split that hour of out of cage time. You’d want to pull your hair out!

What about enriching Chocolate Chip’s () habitat? You can make them levels so they go up and down and get some exercise that way. Put different bunny safe items in there to provide some stimulation. Willow shelters or baskets, chew sticks of different woods, grass matts, cardboard, hay toys. Also, you could look at bunny proofing a pen and adding it to extend the current habitat. These things would allow more movement while your not there. You can then spend what time you do have for more one-on-one interaction with him.

[2manypets]

He is currently in a small superpet cage  http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind…Id=3202820 so there is not a lot of room to add stuff. I also can’t add on a pen because my dog goes in and out of my room all day and she would go after him.

 

[LoveChaCha]

How about an NIC grid cage? It could be 2 or 3 by 2. It would allow more room to move around and jump.

[jerseygirl]

Is the cage raised off the floor? I suppose you could do a NIC condo on top of some other furniture to keep it well away from the dog. Or some other multi level cage. If the current cage is too small to add things, definately don’t add another bun. Your bunny is still growing isn’t he? So he will likely need a bigger habitat just for himself yet.

[2manypets]

I had him in a NIC but he got his head stuck in the grid and I had to cut him out. I am making him a 3 long x 2 deep x 4 tall NIC cage (4 levels) for when he is older though.

[2manypets]

And if I got a second bun I would keep him in the NIC until (if) they are bonded then move them both to the NIC cage.

[LoveChaCha]

How big were the squares? There are smaller sized ones.

[2manypets]

They are 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.

[BinkyBunny]

You said that your dog would go after your bunny if he were in a pen, but does your dog bark or bother your bunny right now through the cage? Either way, is there a way you can keep you dog out of your room — a baby pen or ?? secured at your door? Your bunny definitely needs more room especially with the lack of free time.   See our habitats section. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/RabbitHabitats/tabid/71/Default.aspx (check out the “other” section.

That is more of the immediate concern before you bring in a whole other bunny (that would just make them more cramped). Later on, once you have a way to make it safer and add more room, and you have more time to bond (after your bunny is neutered), then getting a buddy may be a possibility to consider. But even then Jersey makes a good point that if they don’t bond, then it could really complicate things even more due to your situation.

So really, I think you can enrich his iife by figuring out a way to increase his living space and offering him things to chew on and play with. 

[2manypets]

No she does not because I have his cage blocked of in my closet. The only way I can give him more room is if he lives outside. I can’t keep the dog out of my room.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I hate to sound harsh but why did you get a bunny if you have a dog you can’t keep away from him, can only let him out an hour a day and cannot give him the necessary room to run and play? Is there a way you can address any of these things better? I would deffinitely not recommend getting a second bun before you can. Bonding can be difficult and stressful for humans and bunnies alike and then they will need double the space and time!

[Beka27]

This is all important info to know. So to answer your initial question, please, please, DO NOT get a second rabbit. You simply do not have the appropriate set-up needed for two bunnies.

[2manypets]

Well im sorry you all think im such a bad rabbit owner. I will be a good owner now and put him in the NIC cage so he can get his head stuck and hurt himself. Or maybe I will give him away as an easter gift so he will end up in a shelter a week after easter? Take him back to the gross pet store I got him from?

And I was JUST ASKING if I should get a second bun. I didn’t say im going to run out right now and buy another.

[MagpieBunnies]

I don’t think they were implying that you don’t take proper care of your bun. I can relate with the close living quarters and the limited time to play since I’m in college. I would suggest establishing with your dog that the rabbit is off limits. I have a 100lb giant schnauzer, though she’s never met Hemi, my first priority would be to teach her that the rabbit is now a part of the family and is not a chew toy. It’ll take some time but eventually she’d learn. Possibly getting a grid that is smaller would work for a pen? I found this on the bunny proofing page http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm and plan to use it when I move into the house I’m staying in for the summer. And the way they attach you can put a top on so it’s not as easy for your dog to have access to your bun. They’re pretty inexpensive, and you just secure them with zip-ties, and you wouldn’t have to worry about Chocolate Chip getting his head stuck. Its a win-win! He can have a larger living space, have room for more toys, AND be protected from the dog.

Best of Luck!

[2manypets]

I have not found any with smaller grid spacing or I would get them. It just seems like if you don’t have a whole room for your bunny and if you don’t spend all day with your bunny then you shouldn’t have one.

[MagpieBunnies]

I definitely can’t spend all day with my bun, and I definitely don’t have a whole room for him. BUT the link I posted in my last post has a grid that is small and it’s safe for the rabbits and it’s like $1.85 per grid or you can buy cage sets. (You’d have to by extra grids though because they’re made for guinea pigs and rabbits would be able to hop out). And you can build vertically to give your rabbit space instead of outward and horizontally. There’s a lot of really creative ideas that you can look at on the habitats page in the bunny info section of BB. Not everybody can devote whole rooms, but you can still provide a fun and interesting living space for your bun in other ways.

As long as you spend what time you can with Chocolate Chip and give him enough toys to play with he’ll be happy. Another bun probably just isn’t the best idea while you’re still sorting out how to get more space for the bun you have now, and then with the limited amount of time you have to spend with one you would then have to split between two. I really would suggest working with your dog though. I don’t have as much experience with rabbits as I do dogs, but I do know that rabbits are prey animals and so it’d be pointless to try and get him accustomed to hearing a dog barking at him all the time. The dog, however, can be taught to ignore the rabbit. I’ve obedience trained my schnauzer and many of my extended family’s and neighbors’ dogs. I recomend clicker training, everytime your dog goes towards the rabbit “click” and when she turns towards you and away from the rabbit give her a treat. If she ignores you, give a sharp but frank “no”. Don’t scream just be assertive. That’s the best way I’ve trained dogs to ignore cats . Unfortunately rabbits can’t give a quick swipe of a paw full of sharp claws at the dogs nose to re-enforce your training. It may take a couple nights where you have to sacrifice playing with Chocolate Chip, in order to train your dog.

I hope that helps! And definitely don’t give him back to the pet store or give him away for an easter pet , I’m sure you can definitely provide him with a better home than most can. You already show that you care about him and want a good life for him if you’re on these forums!

[Helenor]

I was able to find some of the smaller grids mixed in with the larger ones at Target. You could put the smaller ones on the bottom and the larger ones on top so the bunny can’t escape (I haven’t tried this though). My own bunnies live in a small 2′ by 4′ x-pen. I know it’s not ideal for them, but it gives them more room that the old cage my female had when I got her. I let them out to run around in my rabbit proofed room for several hours when I’m home as well. I hope when I have my own home I can give them more places to run around besides my room and a bigger x-pen as well.

I don’t think anyone is trying to attack you. I just think we all want your bunny to have more exercise and room. Adding another bunny isn’t necessarily the solution to the problem.

[Monkeybun]

Bunnies need alot of space, it is true. Having a dog that for some reason cannot be kept out of the room is not a good situation for the bunny, let alone trying to add another bunny. Another bun would take up twice the space until they could be bonded, IF they can be bonded. Is there a reason why the dog has to come in all the time?

[Beka27]

It was necessary for us to gather additional info to answer your initial question. I am sorry if you feel as if we were attacking you, that was absolutely NOT the intention. You mentioned a variety of concerns (limited time, possibly unsafe environment due to the dog in the same room as the bunny). These issues alerted us that, AT THIS TIME, a second bun might not be the best idea. The focus should be on providing adequate exercise time/space for the bun you have now, not on getting a second and embarking on a lengthy bonding process.

If you have other concerns and are open to suggestions, we’d be more than happy to help in any way we can.

[2manypets]

Ok, so apparently I am missing some huge cage with small bar spacing somewhere? Or is everyone else missing that he is TOO SMALL to be in a NIC because that is all everyone is saying to do to give him more space. Thank you MagpieBunnies for helping me. I will try the clicker training with my dog and see how that goes.

I don’t really know why this whole thread went to “get him a NIC” from “would a second bunny be good company while im not with chocolate chip?”

[2manypets]

Posted By Monkeybun on 04/11/2011 03:04 PM
Bunnies need alot of space, it is true. Having a dog that for some reason cannot be kept out of the room is not a good situation for the bunny, let alone trying to add another bunny. Another bun would take up twice the space until they could be bonded, IF they can be bonded. Is there a reason why the dog has to come in all the time?

She is small dog aggressive (we have small dogs) and we are working on training/re homing her.

 

[BinkyBunny]

I’m sorry you are feeling upset by some of the responses. I understand you feeling a bit defensive about part of it, and so I do recommend to everyone to stick with what is, and focus on the present and future, not what decisions were made in the past.

  Most people don’t have a whole room to devote….and who in the world can spend all day with their bunny?  So by all means, that is NOT what is necessary. There are just some basic time amounts and space requirements that are needed when you have a bunny. 

From your own original post, it seems you feel bad for your  bunny, otherwise you wouldn’t be trying to solve a problem. It was obviously bothering you enough to ask. And it was great that you did, because there are some good suggestions, and even if some don’t work for you directly, it can get you and other members to brainstorming about what may work in your situation and how to make things better and safer for your bunny. 

So just take a deep breath, and take a look at this thread as a whole, and you’ll see we are addressing your own concerns and are trying to help.

[Beka27]

I really hope you can figure out training for your dog or make other arrangements that will benefit everyone. So is the problem that this dog is aggressive to your other pets and that’s why she must be kept in the same room as the bunny?

NIC grids don’t work well with very, very young bunnies until they get bigger. Although, some people have successfully covered the openings with hardware cloth until the bun was big enough to not get his/her head stuck. Fortunately, the bun will be bigger very soon and then you can see what your options are as far as expanding the space.

[BinkyBunny]

 I agree about the dog training.  Great idea to work on a safer environment for your bunny.  

Also, NIC cubes or xpens aren’t the only ways to expand space.  Check out some of the really great DIY, large cabinet type pens that some of our members made (or had family members and friends make).   https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Rab…fault.aspx 
Once you click on the link, go to “Other” and the DIY cabinet type start on picture 9. 

Maybe something like that would work  Because of time limitations, you might be able to have a friend or family member help you out.  And you just take your time in building it.  

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