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looking after family rabbits

amyandmillie

Young Bun
hi everyone,
my mother in law and my brother in law both have house rabbits, they are all going away on holiday in a few weeks and have asked me to care for them at my house,
i was planning on keeping one in the bedroom and one in the kitchemn and giving them there excerise (they only have 2 hours each a day) seprertly,

they don't know the sexes of the rabbits but i am going to ask them to find out before i have them and was wondering if they are the same sex if it would be a problem keeping them both oppisite sides of my bedroom in their cages? i know if there the same sex i won't be able to as it woudl drive them wild but i could i if they are oppisite?

also when i give them the excersise it would need to be in the lounge, if they are both opposite sex would this be cruel to them because of the scent of the other one?
 
No, the scent wouldn't be an issue to them.... but it might be to you because they will probably urinate and poo all over if they can smell each other :)

Do you know what size cages they have... is two hours actually all they ever get... :)
 
they have small indoor cages and both work long hours and let their rabbits out 2 hours at most every night,
i have had endless arguements with them about there rabbits, i have had rabbits my whole life and know they need company and excerise, but they don't listen to what i say

thye both also asked if i would let them run out in the grass of my garden but i said no, i don't think its fair to let them have a run around outside and graize on the grass to then send them home to their flat when they don't get this
 
If they're opposite sexes and un-neutered, the male will probably 'spray' when he gets a whiff of the female. So you might want to think about exercising them in the kitchen or a utility room where surfaces and floors are easily wiped down.

If they're same sex then they'll be very interested in scent marking where the other bunny has been but this usually involves 'chinning' things to rub the scent from the gland under their chin. It's odourless and colourless to us.

I wouldn't let them go right up to each other's cages because they could well bite or 'box' each other through the bars and cause injuries. As you've got them for such a short time, I'd keep them entirely separate. But exercising in the same area shouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as you're prepared for scent marking and spraying (from a male). Mind you, the females can also spray urine around a bit when they're marking their territory.
 
they have small indoor cages and both work long hours and let their rabbits out 2 hours at most every night,
i have had endless arguements with them about there rabbits, i have had rabbits my whole life and know they need company and excerise, but they don't listen to what i say

thye both also asked if i would let them run out in the grass of my garden but i said no, i don't think its fair to let them have a run around outside and graize on the grass to then send them home to their flat when they don't get this

Awww that's so sad, and good of you to try and educate them. Yes, two hours is no where near enough exercise time :( I'm not sure how else you could get through to them where that is concerned...perhaps print off some care leaflets from the rabbit welfare association :)


As Mackers said, I would not let them go up to each others cage as they can give one another nasty injuries through the bars.

It is also a good idea to exercise them where there is a floor that can be easily cleaned, if not, definitely keep them in seperate rooms at all times (to save your carpets).
 
they have both done research on the internet about rabbits so do know, unfortunatly thye want a rabbit and that seems to be the final word from them,
they tend not to mention it much now as they know how strong my views are

they will be kept in the bedroom and excersised sepratly in the loungue where i have wooden floors, so they will never be able to get to each others cages,

what do you make of them sharing a bedroom at seprate ends?

thanks for your help everyone
 
they have both done research on the internet about rabbits so do know, unfortunatly thye want a rabbit and that seems to be the final word from them,
they tend not to mention it much now as they know how strong my views are

they will be kept in the bedroom and excersised sepratly in the loungue where i have wooden floors, so they will never be able to get to each others cages,

what do you make of them sharing a bedroom at seprate ends?

thanks for your help everyone

keeping them in the same room so long as they are in their cages should be fine :)
 
great thank you, i guess i am going to have 2 weeks of cleaning up a lot of urine, ooooh fun:D

i have a rabbit outside and we are about to bond her with a male to keep her company, but they are out in the garden and in their hutch overnight so that should not cause any problems at all, they won't even know they are here
 
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