Temporary Hutch - PICS

My rabbit's temporary 3x2x2 feet hutch.. The bunnies roam around freely in the house when the german shepherd is in the garden which is about the whole day.. The gsd goes to the garden at 8 am and comes back at 8 pm.. The german shepherd is harmless and the buns are not afraid of her but she has this annoying habit of licking bunnies hence I keep the buns away from her..

I have plans to get each bunny a 4x3x2 feet dog crate but right now there is no stock of the crate size I want.. The bunnies are about 5 weeks old now and they will be separated if they fight or sooner (I believe both are males).. I have ordered a hammock and many more toys.. Both the boys love their existing toys and they push around the ball and dumbell..

This looks ok to me as a temporary measure, they are only small just now. Ideally they will have more space, but you are working on that at the moment

Just one query - do they have hay? I dont see any.

That looks fine for temporary housing for babies! How did you end up with 5 week old babies though? Or did I read that wrong? Bunnies are weaned from 8 weeks.

I followed your earlier thread about these little babies you saved from a terrible fate.
I want to say well done for your endeavours so far.
It can be really hard to get things to the standard you want them when many of the things bunny owners take for granted are simply not available.
Here in NZ many things are not available so I have tried to concentrate on what the important things are.
For my buns I have tried to focus on the following basics-
Good diet, primarily meadow hay which I source from a farm, also good fresh vegies & small amounts of the best quality pellets, I use fruit only as a treat.
Finding a rabbit 'savvy' vet
Desexing
Providing plenty of living space & exercise space for my buns

I try & use my imagination & don't get too hung up about things like the lack of bunny toys. I just try to periodically review & improve things.
Some times less is more!
I find RU really helpful.
Theres some great advice to be had & peoples photos can give you ideas about what you could possibley do for your buns.
I'd also suggest that you try to connect with other bun owners in India, they may be able to help you find local solutions.
Your cages look fine & safe in the short term & as you say, you have larger enclosures in the pipeline.
I wish you all the best with caring for these little buns

Thank you everyone.. I took pics of the hutch at night when they had finished the hay.. I give them hay once in the morning at 6 am before I leave them out and once at noon when they have settled in one of the rooms.. I also give them hay at night but yesterday I dint place any hay in the cage since I was taking pictures and I dint want to show a messy hutch... You wont believe how quickly they finish hay, it takes them less than 30 minutes to finish a handful..

The bunnies were rescued from someone who planned to feed them to stray dogs, I am not sure about their history since the person who I got them from dint know anything but I do know their age since one of my friend has similar bunnies since many years and he told me that they are 4 weeks old when I got them.. You wont believe how tiny Milo was, Benny is slightly larger...

Thank you Kiwi Bron.. The crates are on their way, I had placed the order just before Diwali but unfortunately due to the festival season the store guy shut his store for 10 days and hence the delay and ordering and stocking... For any reason if the crates dont come in 2 weeks then I will be making 1 large 7.5x3x3 pen from hardware cloth + wood and I will be putting a partition in between.. I have worked out all the details but I just want to wait first since I have already given an advance for the crates.. The advance is non refundable if I back out hence I have to wait for 2 weeks..

I did connect with a few bunny owners in India and I was horrified at what they kept their bunnies in.. The largest cage I saw was a 2 feet guinea pig cage.. Apparently people here dont care as much as they should, the most common excuse is there is no place for humans and u care so much about animals!

You should make hay available to your bunnies at all times, they need to eat it to keep their tummy and teeth healthy.

All right, noted... From today I shall keep hay in every room so that they can snack when ever they feel hungry

P.S - Getting toys is not a problem as of now, some of my relatives stay abroad and they post me small items when ever I need them.. I tried getting NIC cubes from abroad but the shipping cost worked out to $50 per box hence I gave up the idea..

Looks good only thing I would say maybe add is a little blanket or small cushion they can snuggle up on well done for rescuing them they look adorable

Thats good about the hay
You seem eager to learn whats best for your new bunnies which is really good

You could try a carpet off cut or rug in the base of the cage. Thats what i have in the base of my crate.

Some fleece blankets are a good idea, my Herbie likes to fight with his and push it all about the place!

Kermit said:

Thats good about the hay
You seem eager to learn whats best for your new bunnies which is really good

You could try a carpet off cut or rug in the base of the cage. Thats what i have in the base of my crate.

Some fleece blankets are a good idea, my Herbie likes to fight with his and push it all about the place!

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Or lino, lino is pretty good cos if they wee in the wrong place, which they are more likely to do once they get a bit older and hormonal then you can clean it easier. Dunno how easy it is to get hold of that there.

Mine also love fleece blankets. I've managed to thwart the 'scrunching' by pinning the corners down with a chair.

Thanks everyone.. I want the best for my fur babies

I have ordered a hammock and a large sleeping cup which should be big enough for a while.. The 2 boys are not potty trained yet hence I am worried about putting in fleece or carpets.. I can get lino, I shall visit the shop tomorrow and see which option is the best

nikitanain said:

Thank you everyone.. I took pics of the hutch at night when they had finished the hay.. I give them hay once in the morning at 6 am before I leave them out and once at noon when they have settled in one of the rooms.. I also give them hay at night but yesterday I dint place any hay in the cage since I was taking pictures and I dint want to show a messy hutch... You wont believe how quickly they finish hay, it takes them less than 30 minutes to finish a handful.

I did connect with a few bunny owners in India and I was horrified at what they kept their bunnies in.. The largest cage I saw was a 2 feet guinea pig cage.. Apparently people here dont care as much as they should, the most common excuse is there is no place for humans and u care so much about animals!

Click to expand...

Really glad to hear they are great hay eaters, thats a real bonus for a bunny mum!
What a shame that there are few if any people keeping rabbits to a standard you aspire to in India. You will have to lead them all in the right direction!
I can relate to this issue in a way too. Here in NZ many people keep a single intact bun in a tiny hutch at the bottom of the garden. Usually purchased as a childs pet & they have long since got bored.
I just try & spread the word & lead by example.
Oh & if you are able to get your wee lads neutered when they are old enough you will find they will be easier to litter train.

I found Milo dead this morning in the hutch and Benny is not looking so good.. No symptoms other than lethargy, I checked the ears, eyes, nose, tummy.. I spoke to a few vets but none of the vets were of any use, all they said is that rabbits die without any cause, be careful or you will catch some infection from them...

I plan to give up keeping pets all together, I cant take this torment any more.. Which ever animal I rescue or try to help dies...I shall just keep my dogs and parrot since my family loves them.. I shall find good homes for the remaining mammals, rodents in the morning..

Oh no I am so sorry what a shame you tried you best .

I'm so very sorry, you done your best, and with you in your country under such difficult circumstances compared with ours here, they have had the best chance possible, please don't feel you failed them. x

Thanks Jubob and Bunny mum but I am feeling really terrible.. Benny is showing some signs of nasal discomfort and I have started nebulizing him with saline water.. Baytril is not available here, I searched a lot! Lets hope he survives.. I just feel that every rabbit I touch dies, I hate this feeling..

Please don't rehome them all. You clearly love them and are doing your best. Sending hugs.

Sorry to hear about Milo.

There is a lift of bunny safe meds here - do you have any of these avaliable where you are?

http://www.rabbit.org/health/antibiotics.html

Thanks.. I dont know what to do, and I am clearly at fault some where.. I will be sleeping over this matter and deciding what to do tomorrow..

My family is being a jerk over this matter and no one cares that Milo is no more.. Time to move out and get my own house!

I shall check the list in the morning, its been a long day, Benny has slept (its 12:40 am here) and I am extremely tired but cannot sleep..

So sorry to hear this sad news - you have been trying so hard for your buns. Don't give up hun your animals need and love you