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Moving indoors?

rotts05

Young Bun
Hi, I am new here and looking for some advice. We got an 8 week old Lionhead at easter with a young guinea pig. They lived together until I noticed Rosie rabbit being a bit pushy with Penny pig so they are now separated.

Penny pig now has 2 new girlies to live with so she is happy.

I feel sorry for Rosie now though, for a couple of reasons I am considering moving her indoors but wondered how difficult this would be. The reasons for wanting to bring her in are 1- she is alone! 2- although she can go in the garden when the weather is good it isn't enough for her I feel. 3- she has ridiculous fur, she has long fur all over, not just on her head and sawdust gets matted up daily (I frequently have to trim the fur from her eyes and bum for her comfort).

If I bring her inside for good I don't want her in an indoor cage, I would like her free range so to speak. I have a dog and a cat who both are very used to her hopping about them when outside but they would never be left unattended anyway. She would be in the kitchen overnight but allowed free run of the house during the day when we are in.

My concerns are mainly to do with litter training... I am sure there are threads on the forum regarding litter training so I will search shortly. What I am asking is do you think Rosie would prefer this and would it be an easy transition for her / us?

Any advice would be great!
 
I would suggest binning the sawdust for a start. It's not good for their respiratory systems and it know for harbouring mites plus if it's getting stuck in her fur all the more reason to swap it for something else. Sounds like she is about 5 months old, am I correct? If so she is old enough to be spayed and can be paired with another bun preferably a neutered male. This should make her loads happier and you won't need to move her inside. You can still litter train if she carries on living outside and this will make things more hygeinic and easier for you to clean.

Hope that helps. Just read it back and I sound like I'm lecturing you, didn't mean to so try not to read it that way if you can :wave:
 
Rhian33 thanks for the reply. Spaying her and getting a male is something I am considering, thanks.
I quite like the idea of her moving indoors so will keep researching all options :)
What alternatives to sawdust are there? I have read about megazorb (or something like that) but have yet to track any down.
 
Rhian33 thanks for the reply. Spaying her and getting a male is something I am considering, thanks.
I quite like the idea of her moving indoors so will keep researching all options :)
What alternatives to sawdust are there? I have read about megazorb (or something like that) but have yet to track any down.

You can use megazorb or carefresh in her litter tray but I suspect that will get stick in her fur too. I line my buns litter tray (outdoors) with newspaper then a layer of straw then topped off with hay as they like too poo and eat at the sme time. Gross I know but if you change it daily then it's not too bad. If you do move her indoors then it would be a good idea to give her a whole room or more space and access every day to the garden (weather permitting). It's not essential they get outdoor time but highly recommended if you have a garden.

If you are looking for a male there are always loads on here looking for homes or if you give a rough area of where you live then someone can point you in the direction of a good local rescue. Good luck with the litter training
 
I agree, bond her with a friend and she will never be lonely again :love:

Megazorb you can buy from online stores like The Hay Experts and they will deliver it right to your door so no carrying anything heavy back from the shops (I plan to re-order mine every time I'm down to a third left so I'm never caught short!) I love Megazorb because a huge bag like that is very cheap compared to the same size bag of sawdust from places like Pets @ Home :shock: My current bag has lased me more than 2 months of daily clean-outs and I'm not even halfway through the bag! :D I always put a layer of hay on the top though so this should help prevent the litter from sticking to her fur.

Another popular option is just newspaper with big handfuls of hay on the top :wave: It won't absorb quite as well as something like Megazorb will and it won't cover any of the smell of poo and pee :)lol:) but it works.
 
Thanks, i will certainly give a pal for her some more thought. I have to sort out neutering first though. I am quite keen on having her as an indoor bun as well though, so if we do take on a neutered male it too would be as an indoor rabbit.

How many people on here have indoors rabbits?

Outdoor access isn't a problem, I have a garden which i can let her run around free in, we have only recently 'rabbit proofed' it and she loves the freedom from the run.

I am in Bolton, Lancs BTW.
 
How many people on here have indoors rabbits?


Quite a lot ;) Mine are a bit half and half, they're outside at the moment but will be coming inside on cold winter nights. They're generally free to come and go as they please through the back door all year round :wave:
 
Tigerangel your Lionhead is lovely and just like one I had a few years ago. I wrongly assumed that Rosie would end up with a coat like that, not yet.... Is there still time for her to lose some of her coat? She literally has the long 'mane' from nose to tail. She is 5 / 6 months old.
 
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