What's the better option?

I have 2 options for housing my bunnies and neither are ideal. One (where they currently are) outside in a 2 tier hutch which has perspex (flat) on one door, slatted and ventilated perspex on another door pn the bottom level. Theres a blanket over the open part (when very cold) and lino over the other at night. Each level has a ventilated panel between the doors.The hutch is quite spacious but i'm worried they are getting cold.

I have a fit 3 year old buck dwarf lop (Jeremy) and a poorly doe dwarf lop (Jasmin) who is 6 and in the vets today having various things done including an x ray of her back legs because she may have arthiritis. She has also lost a little weight due her continous dental problems (related to maloclusion) and may be feeling the cold more than she used too. They are not hugely active in their hutch and spend most of the day laying together.

The second option is to bring them both in but they will have to share a small indoor rabbit cage (rabbit 100 i think) for a large chunk of the day while i'm at work, then come out to play in the lounge in the evenings and on my days off.

We don't have a shed and our garage leaks and is dark and in a compound away from the house so they are not shelter options unfortunatly.

I prefer option 2 of bringing them in so they won't get frozen water bottles and cold bedding (not wet) any more which i doubt is doing Jasmin any favours. Although I'm worried about the lack of space they will have indoors. My partner thinks leaving them outside is better because of the extra room. they don't have a run at the moment because they kept sitting in the wet areas then hopping into the hutch and had no where that stayed dry.

I'm going to ask the vet when i collect Jas, but would appreciate more opinions. Thank you

Can you bring them indoors and add a pen onto the cage? It is too small for during the day but you can quite easily get some pen panels or a puppy pen or something and attach it onto the cage.

I would go with option 2, especially as you say you have a poorly bun.
Is there any way you could extend the indoor cage at all? Like adding a run on made up of nic cubes or something?
Alot of people also have large dog crates with a second level built in as the base for their bunnies, maybe that could be an option for you.

I brought my 2 in last month and know that I made the right decision, I dont think they would have done too well outside this winter.

purple_x said:

I would go with option 2, especially as you say you have a poorly bun.
Is there any way you could extend the indoor cage at all? Like adding a run on made up of nic cubes or something?
Alot of people also have large dog crates with a second level built in as the base for their bunnies, maybe that could be an option for you.

I brought my 2 in last month and know that I made the right decision, I dont think they would have done too well outside this winter.

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Thanks for the replies, At the moment the cage is off the ground so i can't really add a pen. It's someting I may be able to do with a big re-jig of the room (which is a small box room). I'm searching for a unit that will fit the space, that i could convert to suit them, preferably with a second level and then get a baby gate so they have a little extra hopping space but i've not had much luck so far. I need to find something strong enough to hold my snakes viv on top and protect all the wires in the room. I've bought some plastic conduit tubing to cover the wires, will i need extra protection form a wood panel too for example.

Do you think the cage option would be ok for temorary housing when i pick Jas up from the vets, as she will have been inside in the warm surgery so would be a shock to go out into the cold surely. I don't want to split my bunnies up.

The dog crates are quite sturdy. Well my one is. I have no idea how heavy a vivarium is though!

For wires I normally say have two lines of defence. Plastic conduit is good but some bunnies can chew through it (*cough*Mini*cough*) so I normally recommend putting NIC panels in front of them too.

Like this...



Since I've been doing this I haven't had any problems with wires being chewed.

Schuette said:

The dog crates are quite sturdy. Well my one is. I have no idea how heavy a vivarium is though!

For wires I normally say have two lines of defence. Plastic conduit is good but some bunnies can chew through it (*cough*Mini*cough*) so I normally recommend putting NIC panels in front of them too.

Like this...

Since I've been doing this I haven't had any problems with wires being chewed.

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Any opportunity eh? :lol: :wave:

But yes, dog crate + pen == good

Those blocks are an excellent idea for covering the wires and the skirting board as well, i didn't know they came in a smaller mesh size. I have a dog crate in the garage from introducing my cats to each other so i'll see if that fits in my room. I'l try and get pics of the room up later to see if any more ideas come up, its really small and i'd imagined as being wider (it was full of stuff while we decorated some other rooms so i couldn't get inside and my chinchilla cages take up most of the room,and they hadn't been assembled).

That crate looks good as well!

GrahamL said:

Any opportunity eh? :lol: :wave:

But yes, dog crate + pen == good

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It explains it better than me. A picture and a thousand words and all that :lol:

samurai said:

Those blocks are an excellent idea for covering the wires and the skirting board as well, i didn't know they came in a smaller mesh size. I have a dog crate in the garage from introducing my cats to each other so i'll see if that fits in my room. I'l try and get pics of the room up later to see if any more ideas come up, its really small and i'd imagined as being wider (it was full of stuff while we decorated some other rooms so i couldn't get inside and my chinchilla cages take up most of the room,and they hadn't been assembled).

That crate looks good as well!

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A box has about 6 mesh and about 10 of the wider ones I think. I usually use the mesh at the bottom and then the wider on top if I need it higher.

GrahamL said:

Any opportunity eh? :lol: :wave:

But yes, dog crate + pen == good

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i was thinking about doing something like tht when i get scooters do crate gonna be funny to see how he handles having all the space.

shadow05 said:

i was thinking about doing something like tht when i get scooters do crate gonna be funny to see how he handles having all the space.

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B&G don't mind being locked in their on the rare occasion they are, but they spend a lot of time in there, even during free-range as its their 'safe area' and they feel comfortable in there.

Thats where they litter tray, fleeces, toys etc are.

We just get the occasional mad bunny 500's + binkies when they are out free-ranging as they are now

GrahamL said:

B&G don't mind being locked in their on the rare occasion they are, but they spend a lot of time in there, even during free-range as its their 'safe area' and they feel comfortable in there.

Thats where they litter tray, fleeces, toys etc are.

We just get the occasional mad bunny 500's + binkies when they are out free-ranging as they are now

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Mine did! Mini would chew at the bars and the wood surround even when it was only for 5 minutes while I hoovered :roll: And yet they spend about 50-60% of their time in there.

Schuette said:

Mine did! Mini would chew at the bars and the wood surround even when it was only for 5 minutes while I hoovered :roll: And yet they spend about 50-60% of their time in there.

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I've actually taken to locking them in at night over the past week or so im ashamed to say

Ginger's learnt to escape, even with the sheet on top, so i tend to lock them in at about 1am until i get up at 6:30am at which point they come back out again.

They often sit and play in there and chase each other up and down the ramp, then flop on the lovely fleece Blackers sent me

How much are the dog crate thingys if you don't mind me asking? I really want to bring my buns in but there was a wire chewing incident earlier in the year (£100+ ) which is why they're in the garden, but it's soo cold i'd rather have them in until next summer...

GrahamL said:

I've actually taken to locking them in at night over the past week or so im ashamed to say

Ginger's learnt to escape, even with the sheet on top, so i tend to lock them in at about 1am until i get up at 6:30am at which point they come back out again.

They often sit and play in there and chase each other up and down the ramp, then flop on the lovely fleece Blackers sent me

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Yours is bigger than mine . Better that than them escaping and hurting themselves

paulinejoe said:

How much are the dog crate thingys if you don't mind me asking? I really want to bring my buns in but there was a wire chewing incident earlier in the year (£100+ ) which is why they're in the garden, but it's soo cold i'd rather have them in until next summer...

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Mine was about £50 from P@H - it's only a 3 foot one so that's quite expensive. You can get cheaper on Ebay. Mine is quite sturdy though and fits what I need.

GrahamL said:

I've actually taken to locking them in at night over the past week or so im ashamed to say

Ginger's learnt to escape, even with the sheet on top, so i tend to lock them in at about 1am until i get up at 6:30am at which point they come back out again.

They often sit and play in there and chase each other up and down the ramp, then flop on the lovely fleece Blackers sent me

Click to expand...

i didnt think ur rabbits would have been able to get out of the pen didnt think they could jump that high bloody hell better watch scooter hes got a nack for escaping :shock:

Schuette said:

Yours is bigger than mine . Better that than them escaping and hurting themselves

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Yeah i know, i planned for the larger one as i knew if i had to lock them away for any reason and with the 2nd level, they do have a half decent amount of space.

I'd rather they be safe also. The living room can't be bunny proofed so its safer for all involved.

I had contemplated bringing them upstairs into my office, but i'd miss them too much in the evenings and they would get a little less space most of the time.

paulinejoe said:

How much are the dog crate thingys if you don't mind me asking? I really want to bring my buns in but there was a wire chewing incident earlier in the year (£100+ ) which is why they're in the garden, but it's soo cold i'd rather have them in until next summer...

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i paid £36.99 from ebay for my 48" one (4 ft x 2.5ft x 3ft)

2nd level gives it a whole new dimension.

Shops sell them so much more expensive than ebay. The one i have is £130 in our local garden centre.. :roll:

shadow05 said:

i didnt think ur rabbits would have been able to get out of the pen didnt think they could jump that high bloody hell better watch scooter hes got a nack for escaping :shock:

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Biscuit can do 4ft high if he tries.

Ginger can just about do 2.5ft high if she tries, but then she has to have a lie down for about an hour before she can move again