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Need help with housing?

M

megansmummy

Mama Doe
:wave:

I'm new here and we have just decided that we would like to add two bunnies to our family in the near future :) I have a budget of around £250-300 to get started with housing and up currently have nothing. These will be outdoor bunnies all year around :)

I had been looking at this hutch~
http://www.bitsforpets.com/5ft-doub...ouse-5ft-2ft-double-hutch-and-run-p-4547.html

But then when i was lurking and posted on another rabbit forum I saw some shed conversions (with attatched runs) etc which look amazing! :)

So now i dont know what to go for...i love the look of the shed conversion but im new to bunnies and am worried that being completly inexperienced I wont really know what to do to make it safe etc :?

I love the idea of buying something that i know is ready to go and safe! But i want to get the best for the bunnies that I can with my budget?

Also im not sure wether we will be getting a bonded pair from a resuce (this would be my prefered option but I have 3 young children and not sure if a rescue will re-home to us with the children?) or wether we will be getting two babies and have to keep them seperate untill they are neutered? I dont know how that would work in a shed or hutch? any help on that would be great :)

Any advice would be wonderful :)

Thank you! :D
 
Hello there and welcome to the forum.

I gather you want them to be outside not inside bunnies as you havent mentioned them being indoor

I think the shed conversions are the best and you can change the inside and move things about as often as you like. you can put platforms in there and other things to climb on and you can swap and change things so the bun dsnt get bored.

More importantly the buns will have more room in a shed.

there are lots of people on here you can ask about how to add a run to the sheds safely too
 
A shed conversion is really good in that is gives lots of space and often works out cheaper. They also have the advantage that you can sit in them with your buns and when its raining you dont have to get wet cleaning out.

My shed started as just a shed with laminate on the floor and a cat flap cut out so they can get to the run - its easy to do with a saw, wood and screws, it took OH about an hour. The run is screwed to the shed but can be unscrewed for painting etc. As long as they are both on a secure flat area eg concrete or there is mesh under the grass so they cant dig out it is secure. A lot of people have put boards around the sides of their sheds and insulated them and this can be an option but isnt essential

A bonded pair from a rescue would be your best bet as they will already be bonded vaccs and neutered. Pairs are harder to rehome too so you would be helping a rescue out. Some rescues rehome to young children some dont. If you have a look at www.rabbitrehome.org.uk you can see buns looking for homes. Some rescues rehome nationally too so you dont necessarily need to stick to just local rescues. Once you have seen a couple of pairs you like contact the rescue for a chat and ask what their requirements are as they do vary
 
I agree with Webble's post above.

I had a look at your link and I think that a shed and run would offer you so much better value for money, and more space for your money too.

I would recommend getting a pair from a rescue. Its a lovely feeling to give a forever home to rescue bunnies and also the rescue can tell you about their temperament, health etc. Added to this that they should already be neutered, vaccinated and bonded, will save you money and effort. :)

Good luck choosing - there are a lot of rescues on this forum so you could have a look at the Rabbits In Need section on here too! :wave:
 
i would go with a bonded pair from a rescue too. They come neutered so you dont have the stress and upset of getting them neutered either. As theres lost of risks involved in getting them neutered and the recovery process can be slow for females.

Bonding buns can be difficult, slow and stressful as well so the fact the buns come bonded it a relief too.
 
Thats great, thanks for all your advice :) I have saved some links to wendy house/shed conversions so will try and rope hubby in on the DIY side of it :lol:
 
hi and welcome to the forum, some good advice there so won't try to add to it :)

some rescues do rehome to households with children. i not long ago adopted bubbles from a rescue and i have a 2 and a half year old son :)



little-laura said:
i would go with a bonded pair from a rescue too. They come neutered so you dont have the stress and upset of getting them neutered either. As theres lost of risks involved in getting them neutered and the recovery process can be slow for females.

Bonding buns can be difficult, slow and stressful as well so the fact the buns come bonded it a relief too.
Click to expand...

i don't think that's quite accurate, neuters aren't risky if you have a rabbit savvy vet.
 
xx-snowball-xx said:
hi and welcome to the forum, some good advice there so won't try to add to it :)

some rescues do rehome to households with children. i not long ago adopted bubbles from a rescue and i have a 2 and a half year old son :)





i don't think that's quite accurate, neuters aren't risky if you have a rabbit savvy vet.
Click to expand...

putting a rabbit under always has risks and with female bunnys its very invasive so it is risky - but its something thats very much worth the risk because the risks of not doing it are far greater
 
Hiya... going back to your earlier run / accommodation discussion.. I am also about to convert a shed into my bunnies home (now that they are neutered and ready to go together).

Just wondering about advice for a run... would it be better to have a sturdier possibly bigger static run fixed next to the shed, on the grass, OR to have a moveable run to move around new grass every few days? I wanted to build a fixed run but am worried the grass will die pretty quick.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum

I have to say shed every time. Its great for space for the buns but its so nice to be able to go in and spend time with them in the winter..if you had a hutch you wouldnt spend hardly any time out there when its freezing and snowing. During the summer I have a small air con unit which keeps them cool but also a tiny radiator in the winter which stops them from freezing.. You can also build lots of extra levels to give them even more space and uses the whole area of the shed.

As for attaching a run, there are loads of ideas on here to help. I loved my bunny palace and enclosure before but now that we have moved to a bigger garden I cant wait for their new place to be built.
 
kt6382 said:
Hiya... going back to your earlier run / accommodation discussion.. I am also about to convert a shed into my bunnies home (now that they are neutered and ready to go together).

Just wondering about advice for a run... would it be better to have a sturdier possibly bigger static run fixed next to the shed, on the grass, OR to have a moveable run to move around new grass every few days? I wanted to build a fixed run but am worried the grass will die pretty quick.
Click to expand...


I have a wooden 6 x 4 ft run attached to the side of my shed on concrete which they have access to all day and then I have a collapsable run which is much much bigger and so they can get some speed up on the grass. I put them out on the grass for a couple of hours (sometimes more) each evening.
 
Joanne Jenkinson said:
I have a wooden 6 x 4 ft run attached to the side of my shed on concrete which they have access to all day and then I have a collapsable run which is much much bigger and so they can get some speed up on the grass. I put them out on the grass for a couple of hours (sometimes more) each evening.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying... I was thinking shed with 7 x 6 run attached, which will be on grass, so that will probably suffer, but the buns have run of the whole garden any time I'm home.

It's just the issue of when I'm out, do they have permenant fixed run in one place, which would probably be sturdier OR a lighter weight one that I can move around the garden every few days?!

Bunny decisions!!!
 
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