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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Out door shed

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    • Ayisha and Oliver
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        When we move , my dad is going to make me keep my rabbit outside I’ve tried to make him change his mind, but he won’t budge! But, he says he’s going to buy a big shed, and make it really nice inside. Also, I’m going to get my rabbit a friend! I need some help getting my dad to change his mind, if any of you have ideas that would help influence him, they would be greatly appreciated. I’m afraid I won’t be able to see my rabbit as much if he’s outside, and even if he has a friend I’m afraid they’ll be lonely. It makes me want to cry… . If I can’t change his mind, could you guys give me suggestions about how to style the sheds interior, and how to bond rabbits. Should I bind rabbits before we move or after? Thanks


      • Whobott
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          It would help to find out why he is keeping them outside for example if he thinks the bun bun smells then clean it better, change to a better litter, etc. if he thinks they take up too much room, then make its cage more space effective, if this is the case levelsare you friend once yu figure out why then just fix it (also being ouside is pretty dangerous) as far as the bondin goes i dont really know much about it bu i would think before is better because if you do it after they are going through the stress of the move then the stress of bonding, and if you do it before since they have each other the move shouldnt be as bad (this is my personal opinion idk if im right at all) hope this helped!


        • Deleted User
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            I am NOT having a go at you…. please don’t take my post to heart but I have to say it – why have a pet regardless of what it is if you can’t enjoy it?
            Even my dog’s spend 98% of their time indoors – they love us! My bunny does not approach an open door, the outside world is to scary for him. I get that you have to respect your father, but why did he let you get a bunny in the first place if his intention was for it to be outdoors – that’s not a pet, it’s an ornament – something to admire as you walk past to come inside.
            How can you have a indoor pet (looking at your avatar) and just put it outside? That’s SO NOT FAIR on you or your bunny!

            Please do NOT get another bunny – don’t let it be a victim like your current bunny is going to be.

            I know and expect to get bagged by my post – but I get angry when I know of another member here who is struggling to pay for a bunny (not hers) to be spayed out of her own pocket so it doesn’t get let go in the woods and she will try and rehome it to a good, loving home. Your post really distresses me, sorry. Maybe get your dad to read some of the forums on BB – for him to know that pet bunnies thrive being adored indoors!

            By the way, when I got my bunny, he turned my life upside down – ask any member here and they will confirm that. But he was my choice/decision, and I will not give up on him. He didn’t choose us – we chose him! It is our obligation to ensure he has a happy/wonderful life/existence on this earth.

            Please, ask you dad to read some of the forums before he puts your bunny outside – hopefully (not me) but other’s may convince him that he’s doing your bunny an injustice. Take care and hugs to you.


          • Hazel
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              I agree 100% with AndHenry. Do not get another bunny. You already know that keeping a rabbit outside in a shed is wrong, you shouldn’t put a second bunny in the same situation.

              Ask your father what exactly his reasons are for putting the bunny outside, then work on resolving those issues. I don’t know where you live, but a shed is a bad place to house a rabbit, they aren’t insulated, they turn into an ice box in the winter and into an oven in the summer. To make it even remotely liveable your father would have to insulate the entire shed, as well as have electricity in there and run air conditioning or heat, depending on the season.

              Like AndHenry said, why even have a pet if it will hardly be part of your life?


            • Ayisha and Oliver
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                I really really don’t want him to go outdoors. And believe me, I’m trying really hard to convince my dad otherwise. The reason I wanted to get a second rabbit was so that Oliver wouldn’t be alone in the shed. My dad said he could put at least $1000 into renovating the shed, but I still think it’s a bad idea, I just don’t know how to tell him so that he’ll listen to me!!! Its really stressing me out…. He doesn’t want my rabbit indoors bc he sheds, and bc he poops on the carpet sometimes, and the new home we are moving into is basically all carpet. I’m trying to figure out why he poops on the carpet, they aren’t little ones, they are like clumps of cecotropes. I think it has something to do with his diet which I’ve been trying to fix. If it gets better, do you think he’ll let me keep him in doors? I won’t get the second rabbit if I have to keep him out there i might cry.


              • Deleted User
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                  Oh gosh – I’m almost crying now…. Seriously get your dad to read some of the forums on BB – show him the photo thread of everyone’s bunny’s, that has to convince him, ha ha ha!
                  Has Oliver been neutered? If not, that will help immensely with his toileting behaviour. Honestly, you should have seen me and my hubby dealing with our Henry before he was neutered… we can laugh now, but it wasn’t funny at the time!
                  Oh, and the shedding – my Henry sheds 24/7/365 – GASP! I so get that, but a good vacuum daily does the trick! And I promise you, I hate vacuuming, lol! But you do what you have to.
                  Your Oliver looks so happy and content inside your home with you – it destroys me thinking he has to endure his life outside. It’s not his fault that he sheds fur – that’s a bunny thing, just like most cats and some dog’s.
                  If he has been neutered, you may have to restrict Oliver a bit more than you do now to help him to stop pooping on the carpet. My Henry is free roam 24/7 and since having him neutered, except for the odd poop that falls out, he is perfectly toilet trained. He sleeps under our bed, but still goes out to the dining room to use his litter tray – I have never had to clean up a wee since. And poops don’t bother me – I can vacuum them up easily. I just vacuum every day to keep his fur and the odd stray poop under control.

                  I understand you wanted to get an other bunny to keep Oliver company IF he had to go outside – I get that. BUT Oliver will and does LOVE you and your family than he will any other bunny. And it’s not fair to bring another bunny into a home that it won’t be loved and enjoyed they way you obviously love your Oliver now.
                  My Henry is a lone bun – I will never get him another bunny…. I want him to love ME!

                  We will always be here for you if you need help getting through a hard time. Please, don’t take offense to our strong advocacy NOT to put Oliver outside – we are passionate about our bunny’s quality of life – and our bunny’s first priority is to be within a family environment with you – his mum.

                  Show your dad your thread and our replies – show him you cared enough to ask and our strong reaction to it. Then click on some other threads especially the photo thread (you’ll see plenty of my boy there being cheeky (naughty), ha haha ha). Tell your dad that Oliver is your pet, your responsibility and ask what he expects of you to keep him indoors – then commit to it, just like we all do here at BB.

                  The solution is NOT another bunny, but getting your dad to understand that Oliver is your pet and your committed to do whatever is necessary to keep him indoors and give him the quality of life he (and YOU) deserve.

                  Good luck – and please let us know how you go…. You know I am gonna think of you both till I hear good news, ha ha ha!
                  PS – If your dad has a question, get him to ask – easy!


                • Toni
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                    Wow, that’s quite a budget….. tell him that you want to save him hundreds of dollars and, using only a small portion of that $1000, build your bunny a really sweet contained multi-level rabbitat in your room. Then the hair/poop will be almost exclusively contained – you can promise…and follow through on keeping it clean… and Oliver can come out for supervised play so if any shedding/accidents do happen, you can clean them up immediately. Just another option…maybe. Good luck, I’m very sorry you are faced with this, I can see how difficult it is for you.


                  • MoxieMeadows
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                      Here is a suggestion:
                      Keep him confined into your room. And keep your room clean. That will eliminate poop, and *almost* eliminate stray fur. Although being just in your room may be a down grade from what he’s used to (I don’t know what his current “territory” is like), but at least you’ll see him and he won’t be outside. I hope he lets you keep your bun inside!


                    • Hazel
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                        Posted By Ayisha and Oliver on 2/26/2015 12:55 PM

                        I’m trying to figure out why he poops on the carpet, they aren’t little ones, they are like clumps of cecotropes. I think it has something to do with his diet which I’ve been trying to fix.

                        Ideally you shouldn’t see any cecotropes, the bunny normally eats them. If there’s excess, that usually means the diet is too rich. What are you feeding him?


                      • JackRabbit
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                          The multi-level condo is a good idea. You could also put down a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet over the new, carpet (indoor/outdoor has a waterproof backing) and set up an xpen. A condo or xpen with indoor/outdoor carpet piece plus a small shop vac would take care of stray poop, fur shed, and anything else that could get on the carpet.

                          A shed is no place for a bunny. Bunnies are social creatures and like to be around their people. They don’t handle temperature fluctuations well at all, and have a limited temperature range they can live in — over 75F and they can die from heatstroke. A bunny in a shed completely defeats the purpose of having a pet bunny — for you and the bunny. Would your dad banish a cat or dog to live in the shed?


                        • Ayisha and Oliver
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                            I don’t know if he’s overweight, I’ve mentioned before that he’s kind of chubby… Which I s why we’ve been workin on his diet. I feed him half a cup of pellets each day (he’s 6 lbs) one fourth of a cup in the morning and a fourth a cup at night. With his dinner, I serve him veggies usually spinach, arugula, kale, dark lettuce. And I’ve stopped giving him craisins bc I found out they’re super sugary. I feed him pear sometimes too. That’s basically his diet. And he eats hay, but he’s not a big hay eater…


                          • JackRabbit
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                              Its really hard ti tell if a fluffy bunny is overweight unless he is grossly overweight (which your bunny does not appear to be). You could back off on the pellets a little to try to encourage him to eat more hay, or try offering a different kind of hay (orchard grass hay or a mix of different hays). Others may disagree, but I also wouldn’t give him spinach and kale in the same salad, seems a little rich (coming from a bunny mom with one sensitive tummy bunny!).


                            • Ayisha and Oliver
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                                Thanks, what do you recommend I feed him for a salad? I think Oliver might have a sensitive stomac also, I will try to back off a little in greens and some more in
                                Pellets


                              • Hazel
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                                  I would feed less pellets, as JR suggested. A 6lbs bunny should get 1/4 – 1/2 cup of pellets a day so you could go down to 1/4. That would be the easiest way to make his diet less rich. Pellets should be the smallest part of a buns diet. What kind of pellets are you feeding? Are they plain? Timothy or alfalfa based?


                                • JackRabbit
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                                    Adjusting his pellets a bit may take care of it, especially if it gets him to eat more hay. If not, you could start over on introducing greens like you would if he’d never had any — give him one type for a few days and then gradually introduce another, etc. Variety is important too once you determine what greens work and which ones don’t. Green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, basil, mint, dandelion, and wheat grass (a favorite with my buns) all seem to sit well with Moshi, but all bunnies are different so it can take trial and error. I’m still experimenting with Moshi’s diet and have recently even tried increasing his pellets a little (he had been getting 1/8 cup per day; he’s 4 pounds), but he eats *tons* of hay so definitely no fiber shortages with him!


                                  • Ayisha and Oliver
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                                      They are Timothy based pellets


                                    • JackRabbit
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                                        I would definitely try reducing his pellets a little (I would do it slowly) to get down to 1/3 cup then maybe 1/4 cup a day and see if that helps. Make sure his hay is fresh and fragrant. You’re not trying to reduce the amount he eats, just shift the mix (more hay, less pellets, find the best greens mix for him). It might turn out that the pellets are or are not the problem, but adjusting pellets when you have cecal overproduction is a good place to start. For right now, I would stop all sweet treats. Hand fed hay can be a treat, and you can hold back a little of his meal pellets and hand feed them like treats.


                                      • Whobott
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                                          Like henry said (erm yelled? Lol) the best option is indoors there is nobody who knows about bunnies that will tell you different! Now as far as your dad goes, trust me my dad wasnt too happy about getting one at all, but if you confine your bun to your room and keep i clean like others said it should be fine, if it isnt then thats just unreasonable, i out blankets/sheets down on my foor when hes out i used to put them all over but now its just where i know he “goes” somtimes ( you will learn the places) and fur…. Well…… Hmm…. Fur lol some bunnies have a few major sheds a year other tend to shed NONSTOP (sigh i have a nonstop shedder) but if you brush them real good and de-fur stuff every day (i do i every night) then that shouldnt be a problem either, and after (forcing lol) my dad to spend time with my bunny he actualy likes him and i he poops ouside his cage he doesnt mind anymore (he too cute for my dad) hope everything works ou!


                                        • Ayisha and Oliver
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                                            I don’t know if my dad will let me keep my rabbit in my room. He didn’t want to get a rabbit at first too, and he’s very particular about the cleanliness of things. Also, since it’s a new house, he wants everything to stay clean. My dad does like my rabbit, he thinks he’s very cute, but he does say “he’s just a rabbit” quite a bit… I had a talk with him this morning an he said he’s closer to allowing him to stay indoors, which probably means that he will say yes. I think if I can get my dad to spend more time with my rabbit he will begin to like him. My dad said he doesn’t like seeing me sad and I think my dads a very sweet guy, but i don’t think he understands the significance of having a pet rabbit…


                                          • JackRabbit
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                                              Ah, somebody’s a Daddy’s girl (I was too)! I am so going to make people hate me for saying this, but all is fair in love and bunnies . . . When your dad realizes how sad not having your bunny inside makes you and how happy having him inside with you makes you and how important it is to you, I’m betting he’ll change his mind. However, you still will need to keep the fur and bun’s area clean and experiment with his diet so that you’re doing everything possible to keep the new house clean to make your dad happy.


                                            • MissGabbster
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                                                Every one has given some good advice so far!

                                                When I first got Ox I was very concerned about how the carpet would fare so I layered very cheap, low pill towels in his cage everywhere the carpet is. Nearly 2 years later and the carpet still looks great! Even in the spot where he eats his salad (although I do tend to also add paper towels and an old shirt in that area as well. He’s a juicy eater.) I’ve also heard of people using fleece, low pill rugs, sheets, laminate flooring, carpet squares, cardboard. There’s so many options!

                                                For all the other areas he has his free time in a vacuum every week or every few days will keep it looking nice.


                                              • Eepster
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                                                  When my family goes on vacation and our bunny goes to my dad’s house, I put down a cheap rug to protect the floor.

                                                  You could get one now, to start showing your dad that with one the new carpet will be protected.

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                                              Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Out door shed