Buns moving indoors...questions galore...HELP!!! :D

[SianD]

:wave: currently myself and my OH live with parents, our buns (a bonded trio) live outside in a playhouse & run set up. Found out today that the council have awarded us priority bidding for social housing, which means possibly moving into a one bedroom flat with no garden.

Typically 1 bedroom council flats in my area are quite compact, thinking ahead I am wondering how we'll manage to squidge in 3 buns. Have a few questions niggling away, if anyone can help :wave:

- what do you think would be the best set up for 3 buns? I was thinking just a pen with a roof.

- what would be the minimum amount of space 3 buns would require? Free ranging would be available in the morning, during the evenings at certain times throughout the weekend. I don't know how big the flat would be so have to bear in mind that to start off with I might not be able to give the buns as much space as I would like them to have. I am thinking that the buns will be 24/7 free range eventually but to start off with they would have to be contained.

- are indoor buns stinky? what with 3 buns...all the poop, wee, hay...does it generate quite a stench sometimes or do you get just that general bearable 'animal' smell?

- do rabbits moult indoors? do you find that fur gets everywhere?

- anyone have indoor buns and suffer from hay fever? does having hay in the house set it off?

- where do you store your hay? I get mine in black sacks from the farm shop...can't have bags of hay sitting around...would smell like a farm :lol:

Are there any cons that you guys can think of with having indoor buns? apart from chewing wires, digging carpet etc etc

Any other tips/ advise? :wave:

Thank you

 

[Alibunmum]

Will answer the ones I can.

I clean out litter trays every day and out the waste outside. This means there is no smell In the house at all.

Yes, they moult and the hair can get left around the house.

My OH has horrible hay fever but three hay in the house doesn't affect it.

My hay lives outside as a bale and I take in small bags as I need them.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[SianD]

Will answer the ones I can.

I clean out litter trays every day and out the waste outside. This means there is no smell In the house at all.

Yes, they moult and the hair can get left around the house.

My OH has horrible hay fever but three hay in the house doesn't affect it.

My hay lives outside as a bale and I take in small bags as I need them.

Hope that helps a bit!

Thank Ali...I suppose with squidging the buns in will have to see what space is available and then go from there main concern would be the smell...one has quite a sensitive nose and any 'off' smell sets me right off everyone keeps saying that 3 buns in a small flat would make the place smell rotten :?

 

[Alibunmum]

Thank Ali...I suppose with squidging the buns in will have to see what space is available and then go from there main concern would be the smell...one has quite a sensitive nose and any 'off' smell sets me right off everyone keeps saying that 3 buns in a small flat would make the place smell rotten :?

Not at all, as long as you keep the trays cleaned daily there won't be any smell. People who think rabbits smell tend to have had them as kids and only cleaned them out weekly.

 

[Elena]

For housing, maybe you'd like to check out the sticky, link in my signature.

As for the others...

No they are not stinky as long as you change litter trays regularly. I do one pair's tray every day and the other every other day.

Yes they moult! Mine are currently moulting and it does get everywhere, a quick whoosh with the hoover gets most of it but it is a pain. I usually find mine moult lightly a couple of times, but this year they are all moulting very quickly and it's a biggie so I'm hoping that will be it until the end of the year.

I have (or maybe had) hayfever but I seem to be cured. I think exposure has greatly helped.

My hay lives outside in the garage.

As for other issues I can't think of any apart from chewing. I'm very careful about what I leave in bunny reach.

 

[SianD]

Thank you for your replies :wave:

I think for housing I'll put together some NIC cubes to make a base and have that attached to a penned area. Just wondering how much floor space as a minimum would be comfortable enough for 3 buns to have.

 

[Nick10]

Have you checked with the council they will allow 3 rabbits in the flat? That's a big reason why we get animals handed over as their rented accommodation won't allow it. I hope that's not the case for you though:?

I would say having had house rabbits for 3 years there are pros and cons. I personally won't have them in the house again when they are no longer with me as I find no matter how fastidious you are there is a lot of mess generated, there is a smell even when you clean the litter trays every day - might not be with one but 3 will do a lot of pee!!

They are lovely to have near but mine have access to the garden every day as well and given the choice they would rather be out there for the most part, even in winter. I don't know how old your buns are but if they have been outside in a shed/run for some time then it will be a big change for them to have to live inside permanently without being able to even go near outside. I know a lot of people on here will disagree with me but I personally do not feel comfortable keeping rabbits solely in the house as they need to be able to experience the outdoors like they were meant to do, not just kept cooped up inside for our own benefit.

I think its important you look at both sides rather than just the positives otherwise you might find yourself living in a big rabbit hutch rather than the buns living in your flat!!!

 

[Elena]

I don't have any problems with smell at all, and I have a friend who has very sensitive sense of smell. My lionheads get their box changed once evry two days, my lops once a day.

The only time the smell is a slight problem is when they eat thei cecals as they choose to eat them right under the bed :roll: but once they've eaten them the smell goes pretty quick.

 

[Sky-O]

My mum has a very sensitive nose and with many bunnies inside she doesn't ever comment on any smell. I can't smell anything, but if she can't, then it must be ok. It's just a case of keeping them clean and making good use of litter and suchlike.

 

[rachglos]

I have 2 buns indoors.
They do not smell, I empty the trays every other day & put fresh hay in twice a day, I have friends who comment on the smell of hay but never a nasty smell.
My hay is stored under the stairs, clean, dry & out of direct sunlight.
Yes during a moult you will have fur everywhere, we clean & vacuum most days, we have 2 rugs that the buns love the snuggle into & most of the fur stays on that - we have a dyson animal & it was the best purchase ever.
We have had free range indoor buns for around 4 or 5 years now & as much as their fur gets on your nerves, they chew laptop cables/skirting board/carpets/sofa & loads of other things I love it & would never put them permanently outside again, they go outside every day but only for a few hours.

I love the security knowing they are away from cats & foxes, I love seeing the interaction between them, I love them jumping on the sofa for a cuddle, I love the fact I can tell if they are ill very quickly.... I love having them in the house!

Good luck

 

[SianD]

Thank you for your replies

Quite looking forward to it, just need to invest in a good vacuum cleaner just fingers crossed that we do get a council place that it has a nice open living room or something so the buns can have a sizeable chunk of it

I have checked with my local council and there are no restrictions conerning pets that would affect us, hosing association properties have a no pets policy but typically the properties they list are ones that we would not be eligible for.

I would prefer to have outdoor buns or indoors with access to a garden, if we have to move into a flat though then that's ok...the buns will still have plenty of room and will have a decent life nevertheless