Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE URGENT: Need advice!

Viewing 4 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • 3 posts Send Private Message

        Hey guys.
        I currently own 3 male dwarfs who currently have a very comfortable cage in my bedroom and have access to my whole bedroom 24/7. However, they are extremely bored (tried everything), ruin all my stuff I’m not joking haha, and seem to absolutely love their garden that I have for them and never qant to leave it.

        I plan on moving them to the garden permanently because they seem to love it! I’m getting a massive hutch that will stay open all the time. They will have access to my side garden, which is is quite big for 3 rabbits. I love in South Africa so I really don’t have to worry about any large bird predators or things like that.

        However, my mom is now saying that she feels that it’s cruel to put them outside. She doesn’t think they will be safe and enjoy it. Our weather st the moment I’d not cold but not hot hot. Its warm (just coming out of winter)

        Do you think this is a good idea or not…I need help I love my 3 boys!


      • jerseygirl
        Moderator
        22338 posts Send Private Message

          Personally, I really think they’d be safer inside. There are other things to worry about besides birds of prey. Insects, blow flies (can cause flystrike) spiders, cats, dogs, vermin carrying mites, snakes, people looking for trouble, extremes in temperature.

          You may have to pen out and area in room where they cannot get to your things. Then give them levels to go up and down (not near pens edge!) and give them things to keep occupied. Or perhaps ther is somewhere else in the house where you can set them up?

            What age are the bunnies? Are they desexed at all?


        • LittlePuffyTail
          Moderator
          18092 posts Send Private Message

            I think outside dangers are just way too scary. I belong to many rabbit groups on FB and too often hear of horror stories about bunnies that were kept outside. They are much safer inside.


          • Kokaneeandkahlua
            Participant
            12067 posts Send Private Message

              If your outside garden is super safe, can they not spend time out there but live inside? I feel there are other outside risks to consider-cruel children/people could come by when you aren’t home, dogs, cats or other predators;


            • vanessa
              Participant
              2212 posts Send Private Message

                I’m from South Africa too 🙂 But I live in America. I have a pair of indoor buns, and also a pair of outdoor buns. I started with all outdoor buns. I know this is an indoor forum, but since the question came up, here’s how I feel. My outdoor buns have a large shed that I built. It’s more of a hutch – 1/4 enclosed, 3/4 ventilated. It’s 4ftx8ft (about 3.5mx7m). And about 6m tall. Double story. Lower level is vinyl with nonskid clearcoat. Second level is wood. The enclosed areas on top and lower level have lots of hay. They have a 48ft perimiter run. If I had another bedroom in the house, I would bring them in. My indoor buns are super good. But I don’t have the space, and I don’t want to give them up, so they live outside. They require twice as much food in winter, and super thick hay bedding in a draft-free area. Predators can get to them and they have to where to escape – so their space must be super safe. Do some research on rabbit health and diseases in South Africa. I know in the UK they need vaccinations. I don’t need that where I live. Flies are your worst enemy. During summer, they lay eggs on or near the rabbits. Bottom line – you need to keep the rabbits safe from flies. The larvae will be ingested or eat their way through the skin. The results are disastrous. There are 2 products in the UK that are used to help with this problem. One requires a vet prescription, the other doesn’t. I can only get the one without the prescription which doesnt’ kill the eggs, but it kills the larvae once they enter the rabbit. So you still have to remove dead larvae. Sounds scary? It is. You will need to handle the rabbits every day to check for larvae lumps. Be sure their bottoms are clean, and change their litter box EVERY day. IF you are letting them poop on the ground, scoop up the poop EVERY day. Flies are no joke. I have experienced it. Hence – one of my pair are now indoors. My outdoor buns love being outdoors. They dig pits in the ground to keep cool in summer. They ignore the frozen coke bottles. I give them ceramic tiles in their shed to keep cool on, and the shed and most of the run are UNDER a LARGE TREE. This gives them 15F degrees LESS heat in summer. Winter here gets down to -18F. Waaay colder than South Africa. I dont’ give them heat. I want them to grow their winter coat. I do give them LOTS more food and hay, and they always have a super thick hay bed in their shed. In the lower and upper level. The shed is raised off the ground to help with insulation. I used to give them heat lamps, but they chose to hang out in the snow. They enjoy digging in the snow. They actually prefer the winter life than the summer life. But they o need a space to get out of the wind and rain. Check which direction your weather comes from. Face the entrance away from it. Make sure they have a large enough area that they don’t feel the need to dig massive holes. I have been able to tweak the size of my outdoor run by gauging the holes. Smaller space – more and deeper holes. Larger space, they only dig shallow pits to keep cool in.
                I have their outdoor run inside a fenced yard so I have a second barrier to keep them from escaping. One of my buns escaped twice – and she was quite wild at the time. Took me a few days to catch her each time. Have a good containment plan. I’ve used different options – wire buried under the ground (can rust and hurt them), logs piled up against the fence (them move them surprisingly easy), Concrete stones around the fence perimeter (good option), housing them in a concrete floor bird aviary (watch out for sore hocks). I settled on a large run within the fenced area. Somehow – they tried to escape the fence – get under it, dig, etc. In the run, they are further from the fence, and don’t try to escape the run. My male did jump his ramp, so I made a tunnel so he couldn’t jump it.
                I do wish you could find a way of entertaining the bunnies, and making a bunny proof space for them in your house. My indoor bunnies prefer the indoor temps. Buns in general prefer cooler temps. It is just much more safer indoors. I spend a lot of time outdoors so I get so socialize with my outdoor buns, but the indoor buns are the tamest.
                Many folks here have ideas on flooring options – perhaps cordon off an area with an x-pen that is bunny proofed. If they are ruining things, perhaps they don’t need access to the whole bedroom. Perhaps there is an area you could section off and make bunny proof?
                I do hope you are able to keep them indoors. If not – please be aware that outdoor buns need A LOT of extra care and protection. When something goes wrong – it can go wrong quickly.

            Viewing 4 reply threads
            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

            Forum DIET & CARE URGENT: Need advice!