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I'm considering evicting the bunnies...

giantbunnymummy

Warren Veteran
... to live outside rather than be housebuns. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, so could do with some help deciding.

At the moment they have a bedroom (free of furniture) to themselves, plus access to the landing and stairs - probably in region of about 150sq feet.

I've found a company that make dog kennels and have a quote for a full height (about 5ft8 ) large rabbit residence of 16ft x 6ft (house area of 6ft x 6ft, run area 10ft x 6ft or house 6ft x 4ft, run 12ft x 6ft). This would be on a patio, plus I also have an 8ft x 7ft run on grass for nice days.

Pros
1- House destruction ends (in last 48hrs alone they have eaten the plaster off a section of wall on the landing, ripped up loads more carpet in their room and on the landing and gouged chunks of wood out of the floorboards :roll:)

2- I can have a bedroom again (i'm currently on the sofabed as the rabbits ate my divan bed)

3- Cats and dog could be free to roam upstairs again

Cons
1- I'd miss them running about in the house!

2- Safety - I live in a very wet part of the country, my garden is always wet/damp and I don't know if it would be suitable for outside buns or not :? Also, we do have a fox and badgers that visit fairly regularly ... although deluxe rabbit pad/kennel is very secure.

3- Cost of deluxe rabbit pad approx £750 (plus delivery and installation)

Opinions / thoughts?
 
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If I had the option I would put my rabbits outside in a large kennel/playhouse. I would miss them but I would go and spend time with them every night and think they would love their own pad outside. My house is rented and they have chewed wallpaper etc and I have to watch them all the time (little *******):D. And I seem to be wearing, inhaling and eating fur all the time. Saying that I don't mind as they are worth it but my oh nags me all the time. So I think a large setup for you would be a great option!:wave:

ETA I guess I may be worried about foxes etc but as long as you have secure accomodation it should be ok.
 
Keep them as house buns!! I could never imagine "evicting" my bunny as she is so used to central heating and she is familiar with general house noises and knows the lay out of the house and has her favourite places to hide or lie down. I think they might get confused if they got put outside.

I'm not the most bunny savvy person mind you so no doubt someone with more experience will give you better advice, just my opinion though x
 
Thanks guys :wave:

It's such a tough decision because I want to balance what's best for the bunnies with what's practical - my whole house is a DIY disaster zone at the moment from trying to repair and redecorate from bunny damage :roll:

I should also add to the list of pros that the buns love being outside and binky like lunatics in their run - but hate it when its wet - so as the secure kennel run would be dry for them I was thinking that it might offer best of both worlds.

I don't know though, I'm feeling guilty just picturing their little faces looking at me from a kennel :oops:
 
Just wanted to add that if you are going to move them from Housebuns to outside buns I would get it done in the next couple of weeks at the latest before the weather changes or they wont cope with the change in temperature especially at night.

If you get a large walk in run you can sit out with them and have some away from the house time :)
 
I have both indoor and outdoor bunnies, I totally sympathise with the destruction because our bunnies eat everything, the skirting boards, the walls the lot!

The outdoor buns are in a Ryedale cage, it is completely safe, however we have recently had a fox in the garden, sadly the buns don't know they are safe so we have been bringing them in of a night time

so I don't really have an answer for you :(
 
I'm not sure. I like having mine outdoors but would love to one day have a toothless :)lol:) giant allowed to wonder the house.
 
mine are outside in a shed and happy, could`nt cope with the mess a house bun makes hay everywhere etc, plus we have 4dogs so it would be a disaster when i went out.
 
could you do a set up where they are in hutch/run whilst you are out but you have a tunnel or safe area in the garden & open the back door to let them run around either your patio when you are having dinner or come in and watch TV with you.

alternatively think that £750 would buy and awful lot of bunny proofing.
 
I know how you feel, sometimes you set up bizarre arrangements for all your pets and one day stand back and look at the whole thing and it seems odd that there are so many rules of which animal can go where and what has to be moved incase it gets damaged etc.
It does get a bit stressful, i quite like the idea of maybe a compromise, maybe just a rearrangement. When we had a bunny room, we had same prob, could you have laminate floor with rugs, at least it would minimalise carpet damage. Also then you could give them grass mats and they could chew and lie on them. Not sure about the plaster and skirting boards though ...........
Skirting boards are so annoying, can you put plastic ones up lol
We have done both, years ago we had them in cages in the living room, then they moved to their own bedroom, then we had a baby and moved and they had special shed buit and had run of garden, which they did love, but they werent as close to us if that makes sense.
Now we have three indoor buns in living room who are free range and can go in garden when patio door open and weather nice.
We have wood floor and a rug, they do get really excited about the garden though.

It is almost like you need them to have home in garden for nice days and play area inside for night and rough days.
If they went out every day, could they have smaller indoor house for night time and as they wouldnt spend as much time there they might be less destructive.

Sorry no help at all hey lol;)
 
Just wanted to add that if you are going to move them from Housebuns to outside buns I would get it done in the next couple of weeks at the latest before the weather changes or they wont cope with the change in temperature especially at night.

I agree with this, however, I would also be very concerned if I knew I had a fox that visited....simply because just being able to sense or smell a predator can be extremely stressful to a rabbit. If they are going to be outside then I would make my garden as fox-free as possible - high fences, ultrasound detector etc.
My two are house buns and don't make any mess or chew anything in our home at all. They go back to their hutch over night or if we are out (hutch in dining room) but make no mess in there either. We have always put this down to a high hay diet....keeps 'em busy all day and all night. (We don't feed pellets at all) it takes a lot of energy to eat hay and as so low in nutrition it requires them to eat for most of the day so keeps them occupied. This is just my personal experience though. Ours go outside for extra exercise and have a run in the garden for sunny days. I'm pro house buns but can understand that outdoor buns would be more practical for you, just please take precautions first.....allow coats to adjust to new temperature before winter and make your garden safe. :)
 
It is almost like you need them to have home in garden for nice days and play area inside for night and rough days.
If they went out every day, could they have smaller indoor house for night time and as they wouldnt spend as much time there they might be less destructive.

Have also experienced the above. On the days our two go out in the garden in their run for the afternoon and/or morning, they are so knackered from grazing and all that fresh air and being 'alert' which house buns have less of a need for, that when they come in they barely do anything to their hutch over night other than sleep, munch some more hay and veggies and sleep some more! :lol: So maybe you could find a compromise that makes you feel comfortable but also keeps them from under your feet. However, come to cold winter more than half an hour to an hour outside for buns used to warm temps is too much so you would be back at square one. :?
 
Thanks everyone :wave: I'm still completely unsure of what's best to do :?

I certainly take the point about weather and a quick move. Maybe I'd be better of planning it for next Spring (if it happens at all) so there's plenty of time to get everything sorted. My house is unheated at the moment and I only put the heating on when it's really cold (not before November and maximum temp of 17 or 18 degrees) so they've never experienced a 'warm' house :lol:

My neighbours feed the badgers (and therefore the fox), so that seems to be the main argument against the buns going outside - I'd hate them to be frightened at night :( Our gardens are about 50 metres long, and the badgers and fox are fed at the far end. Never seen them in my garden, but obviously I don't know what they get up to in the night.

Argh, decisions! :?:?:?
 
In al honesty I don't think I would put my buns outside if they were able to stay inside if a I knew there was a fox in the next garden. Even if it doesn't come in yours rabbits have a very keen sense of smell so who can say what affect it would have on them :?

We have already had a couple of nights that have dropped below 10 degrees and it is getting dark a lot earlier now.

If it was me I would wait and reassess things in the spring :)
 
I really do feel for you, i hate making those sorts of decisions i um and ar and whatever i do i decide i should have done the other grrrr.
Compromise i think it might have to be so at least you feel you have changed something for the better and are working towards a change, it sounds like it has come to a stage where something has to alter a little for everyone.
Good luck, maybe they have become bored and want a change too. Could you move them to a different room or revamp their room for them, like one of them wet rooms, all tiles, no damage can be done, just grass mats everywhere lol sorry that doesnt help.
Maybe some pictures of their set up and someone might have some suggestions?????, although i just love looking at everyones bunny room setups so could just be my curiosity lol xx
 
I don't think the garden room would fit anywhere on my house unforunately - we don't have a back door, only patio doors from my living room. Great idea otherwise :)

Tent? Don't worry, that'll be soon enough if Jester and Daisy keep going :lol:

Right - I've decided not to decide until next year, so if they do become outside bunnies they can move in spring.

Thanks again for everyone's input :wave:
 
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