At a loss :(

Really don't know what to do with Jasmine.

Was hoping to get her a nice big hutch n run for the back garden so I can move her out of the spare room outside in the Summer.

Cutting a long story short, I now don't trust that my dog will leave her be (after recent events)

So what do I do? Rehome her? It's no life for her being stuck in the house her whole life! I have nowhere else to put her where she won't come to any harm. I'm worried she might be stolen if I put her out front as she's a castor rex rabbit and rather appealing to the eye.

Can anyone help?

Any advice on what to do would be appreciated or best places to rehome her near Fencehouses, Houghton le Spring? I'm worried the fact that she isn't spayed will hinder chances of rehoming her too

Sorry to hear you're in a quandary. Can you explain what happened with your dog?

Is outside still a theoretical option? What set up does she have inside?

Sky-O said:

Sorry to hear you're in a quandary. Can you explain what happened with your dog?

Is outside still a theoretical option? What set up does she have inside?

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He killed 4 chicks in my absence, pulled em out of their nest n left them all over the garden!! I know a rabbit is different and she'd be caged but I'm so worried that if he was left unattended with her out in her run, I'd be so worried he'd somehow manage to get in with her and then I know what I'd end up finding!

Can't think of anywhere outside where she'd be safe. I'd never be convinced he couldn't get into her run/cage.

Inside she just has an indoor plastic cage, the one's u can put guinea pigs in or a single rabbit. She's growing into it now so want her to have plenty space to run about, which is why I wanted to put her out in a big 2 tier hutch with run built onto the front.

Does anyone have one and are they secure enough?

Or am I going to have to rehome her so she has space, grass and no potential predators??

What about something like a 6ft by 4ft shed with a run attached that you can let her out in when you're home? And convert it so that it has good airflow and will stay cool in the summer?

If you make it strong enough and secure enough then hopefully she would be as safe as possible. You can also use padlocks and suchlike so that she won't be stolen by a person.

I think that with some creativity and effort on your part, that there is no reason why she should need to be rehomed; you just need to find a way to make her safe If she moves outside she will also need a bonded friend to ensure she is not lonely or bored.

Our run is fixed to the front of the hutch and I think it would be dog proof, it's also padlocked on as Sky-O mentioned. How is your dog with her in the house in her cage? Just beacuse the dog killed some chicks doesn't necessarily mean there would be a problem. Our cat used to pester our rats if he was allowed in the room where their cage was unsupervised but he doesn't bat an eyelid at the rabbits. He kills voles all the time though.

Thanks for the advice and reassurance. :thumb:

The hutch & run I have seen says it is fox proof so I think I'll go for that one. Nice big run for her to run around in which she'd be let out in every morning to mooch about as she pleases all day.



Or this one



I love this one as its a 2 tier but run not that big



The dogs would only be outside with her unattended for about 20 mins every lunchtime thru the week when I come home to let them outside. I'm thinking, if the run is fox proof, they shouldn't be able to get at her?? Otherwise, I'll be there when they are outside. I'll obviously try my best to make it clear they leave her alone. When we tell them to "Leave" my Mam's cats, they do leave them alone!

On the bonding side of things, is another rabbit the best idea or is a guinea pig a possibility? And how do I go about bonding them without a fight? Would they live together in the same hutch?

I'll be getting Jazz spayed before she goes outside too as she's started getting a bit territorial with me already in her indoor cage.

Thanks again x

Perhaps I've misunderstood but surely if you let the dog outside only when you come home for lunch you would be able to supervise dog and rabbit?

Only a rabbit is suitable for a companion to another rabbit.

Have a good read around the site and you learn all about bonding.

Would it be possible to fence off an area of the garden which would be a no go area for the dog in which you old site the hutch and run?

Do be careful where 'fox proof' hutches and runs are concerned, IMO they are often not and where there is a will there is a way for a determined fox and even the toughest of hutches.

Be careful to check the measurements of the hutches as its difficult to tell from pictures, the inside height of each tier really needs to be 3 foot so bun can stand on back legs and stretch/periscope. Also with tiered hutches and runs often the ramp impedes the useable space.

Are you putting the run on a concrete base? On grass bun can digging out or a fox/dog dig in. On concrete your Rex may get sore hocks unless you provide thick hay or rubber matting, this will of course get wet in the run unless you make it weatherproof with a corrolux lid.

There is no reason a bun cannot live happily in the house given enough space (the kind of cage you mention is ok for a bed/base but is no way big enough full time). Provided that she can be kept safe from the resident dogs.

What about a dog kennel and run? if it is strong enough to keep a dog in it is strong enough to keep one out. They also provide a nice big space in which to add shelves, boxes, tunnels etc.

The best companion for a rabbit is another rabbit. It is so sweet when you see two bonded rabbits snuggling and grooming each other

I know those runs sort of look ok but tbh I have seen the most dreadful damage done to wood and wire by dogs - there have been a couple of people on here who had their rabbits attacked through that sort of run.

I would not trust the dog unsupervised at all if he is prone to attacking things.

Typo

Last year my next door nbr had a beautiful harlequin buck they kept him in one of those hutches but he was always out in the garden running around I used to look after him while they went on holiday he was a beautiful bunny, then they got another akita pup , the dog grew and grew and grew , and started biting the rabbits hutch I kept telling them that dog is gunna end up in that hutch he won't he only wants to play , Famous Last Words, one Friday morning last year I was at the hairdressers and my sister was at my house ironing , while I'm in the hairdressers I get that phone call , I had to rush out the hairdressers in the car and home, they were at work there is a 7ft fence round the garden and the gate was padlocked I won't go into detail as it made me poorly I stood on a chair from our kitchen and hit the dog with the prop to try get him to drop the bunny but it didn't work, I rang the nbrs work and told him to get home ASAP and I got to tell him I TOLD YOU SO and I told him don't ever get another bunny while that's in the garden I coulda had that bunny in my garden but no it only wanted to play :evil::evil:

Thanks so much for all of your advice.

Would this be better?



Could then build some shelves/tables for Jasmine and her new friend to jump up on etc...

Have decided to get her spayed then leave her a month or so, then start looking for a friend for her

What do you think?

If I can get one of these, it'll go on the decking in one corner of the garden. Then going to dog proof that corner with wire mesh, then the hutch n run will go inside the dog proofed bit.

I realise the wooden decking will probably end up getting a good chew on, but I'll just have to play it by ear and maybe cover any badly chewed bits with a stone slab.

Will make sure I heep checking their hocks so they don't get sore and I'll probs put hay/straw down for them too.

They'll get plenty greens too so no need to lay turf. (Will pick grass, dandelion, clover, chickweed etc.... from by the house for them) Obviously will never be without hay too

What do you reckon?

Well, I dont know what to suggest, but there is no way Id trust the dog anywhere near the bunny.Supervised or not.
Sorry.Thats my opinion, and I mean no harm.xx

A proper hutch/run combo would probably be better, and if you were rescuing a friend I don't know what recommendations they might have housing wise. Personally I wouldn't have that because there isn't a lot of indoor space if they wanted to stay inside, it's like the chicken coops.
Wooden decking is alright though, I have it for my outdoor two and although it is chewed a little bit it isn't excessive and you can't tell. They stopped anyway.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm glad she'll be ok on the decking. No life for her stuck in the house. At least she'll have plenty of space to run around, company as a result (as we don't have the space inside to house 2) and fresh air.

My husband has agreed to help me dog proof the railing on the decking and build another railing, again dog proofed, so the hutch & run will have about a 1 foot gap all the way round the sides and front away from the dog proofed railings. He definitely won't be able to get at her at all

The time in which they would be outside unsupervised, like I say would be 20 mins on a lunch time when I let the dogs out and nip to the shop.

What we have in mind for dog proofing the railings, I'll be relaxed about the dogs being in the garden at the same time as her

Will be a few weeks before I can afford the hutch etc... especially with needing to get her spayed, so I'll keep you posted and share pics when we start. I'll be open to any suggestions as our project progresses

what are the exact dimensions f that? it looks really small to me . .

re decking - decking can be dangerous as their legs can go down between the decking and get stuck (and break).

I would only use decking with a LARGE footed bunny or if the decking is covered in slabs.


Also poo and pee fall down through the decking and are impossible to get to and then attract rats and flies.

dog -proofing railings - I dont know what your railings are like but I would be concerned the dog (or rabbit) will jump over them.

Can you not get a shed and run and never let the dogs alone with the rabbit?

my parents dog ripped the neighbours cat apart - and that was supposedly a placid dog (parents had only had it a couple of weeks so did not know that it was at all likely to do it).

The decking has tiny gaps. Too narrow for anything to go through so will be able to sweep any mess and she can't get her legs trapped.

Wooden railings are 4 feet high. Bunny run will have mesh over the top so bunny can't jump out and too high/awkward for dog to jump over.

This is the predicament I am in and why I have asked for advice. If I keep her she needs to go outside. If too dangerous Id rather rehome her.

I would get a shed and a run attached to that.
Bunny can be shut in the shed when then dog is out. I think it would be easy to tempt her back into the shed as every day you would feed her a tasty treat on your lunch, shut the hole between the shed and run, let the dog out, nip out, dog comes back in, hole between shed and run is opened. Everyone is happy and plenty of space for another bun too.

I have one like the second one is post 6 with a 6x6 run. A rottweiler tried and didn't get in it, but then again she's well fed and got bored after a bit. Just make sure you get a well made one with decent wire. At the end of the day any determined predator would be hard to stop. Does the dog live inside or outside? I don't see any reason why you couldn't have her as a house rabbit upstairs if she's in a decent sized room. You could still take her out to go in a run when the weathers nice and just keep the dog inside for a few hours. You could rehome the dog. Rabbits are much nicer than dogs. Or you could buy the dog a big kennel/run to go in then the dog can't get the rabbits or the chickens. TBH I had a Springer that killed some chickens and once he had the taste for it he could never be trusted. The last 4 years of his life he lived in a large out door enclosure (1/4 acre) and had a heated shed/ access to the garage and he couldn't be let off his lead on walks because he would just run off and find the nearest chickens to chase and kill. He also used to hunt and kill the wildie rabbits in the garden when they dug in to his enclosure.

I definitely wouldn't get one of those chicken coop type ones. A hutch with under run or wendy house would be better.

Jenova said:

I would get a shed and a run attached to that.
Bunny can be shut in the shed when then dog is out. I think it would be easy to tempt her back into the shed as every day you would feed her a tasty treat on your lunch, shut the hole between the shed and run, let the dog out, nip out, dog comes back in, hole between shed and run is opened. Everyone is happy and plenty of space for another bun too.

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What a bloody good idea!!! Why didn't I think of that!!!! LOL Thanks hun!! xxx

Kat1204 said:

What a bloody good idea!!! Why didn't I think of that!!!! LOL Thanks hun!! xxx

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I thought of a good idea? :shock: That never happens. :lol:
No worries, let us know how it goes. :wave: