Help w Holidaying Bunny (was Riley's hutch)

Wondering if anyone had any feedback on this?

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=5865&pf_id=64817

My sister in laws bunny is coming to stay whilst they go on holiday. We have a spare hutch http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=811&pf_id=8197 which is the one we originally had waffles and DP in before deciding it was too small and it's only for a week and he'd get time inside with us every evening but I think it's a bit mean

On the other hand I've only got two weeks to sort it out before they go so can't order something from boyles or Moore etc and it's only for a week so I don't want to spend loads. So this one seems an ok price for occasional use (eg their bunnies annual hols or if ours need separating etc

Looks ok. You can get a welfare hutches hutch for 150.00. No run though but wonderful quality. Just realised the two weeks to sort it business.

Hope it works well. You can always get a nice clear tarp to put over it if its not too weather proof.

If it's only for a week then I would be tempted to use the one you already got, and cover the whole lot with a tarp to make the whole lot weatherproof. Especially if you can give them a lot of attention and free range time. If they're going to be shut in it full time then that is different. I don't think I'd want to buy a 6ft hutch and run for someone else's bunny for one week. (Although you could get another pair to put in it :lol

What sort of size accommodation is bunny used to? I sort of agree with Zoobec, it's not ideal but if it's only for a very short term and if it's not too substantially different to what he's used to, I'm not sure I'd buy another one for £150. What about second hand (but obviously would need a thorough disinfect) from ebay or similar, they don't tend to have a very high resale value so you might be able to get a bargain.

I don't think that one looks great value either to be honest. Chinese fur is unspeakably soft and will disintegrate really quickly (and is very easily chewed). It also looks as if the whole of the front doesn't open, with a large fixed panel in the middle, making it harder to clean and stress bunny out if you need to bend round and catch him. I think you could get much better for a similar sort of price.

Belated thanks for advice. Sorry.

So I went for not getting him a new hutch as it's only a week and he's used to a pretty similar size but with indor time too so he'll be ok

The roof and walls are waterproof but the patio is a bit uneven - only a few mm so he can't escape but when it's raining, the patio under the hutch gets wet. Can I do anything to keep the water out? Or should I put him on grass and hope he doesn't overeat and isn't a digger?

Thank you x

I think I'd be tempted to have him on the patio and put a tarpaulin over it to stop so much rain pooling underneath. I'd be worried on grass he might dig out.

Thinking about that.... I think I now have a plan. Roof is ok so if I tarp 3 of the sides, I have a supermassive potting tray that would fit inside except there's a bit if wood across the middle so if I put tiles etc on the floor so the tray will balance them I can put that in and put lots of hay in it and he'll be about as happy as I can make him
Am off tarp shopping today well, that and work

Thanks zoobec - I think we have a weird but workable solution

dumblepaws said:

Thinking about that.... I think I now have a plan. Roof is ok so if I tarp 3 of the sides, I have a supermassive potting tray that would fit inside except there's a bit if wood across the middle so if I put tiles etc on the floor so the tray will balance them I can put that in and put lots of hay in it and he'll be about as happy as I can make him
Am off tarp shopping today well, that and work

Thanks zoobec - I think we have a weird but workable solution

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Sounds good. I found the best tarp on ebay. It was clear and had holes with metal edging to put those elastic things through (hmmm not very clear cant find links either ).

Ha, got it (amazon)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...tarpaulin&sprefix=clear+waterproof+tarp,aps%2

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marquees-Ta...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412587105&sr=8-1&keywords=elas

Holidaying Bunny! Complicated!

Ok, so bunny is here.

Am still concerned about accommodation so have ordered some run panels which i can use to extend his cage and then use later with my bunnies.

Holidaying Bunny (HB) often sits with his front paws crossed. Any thoughts on why he might do thins? Thinking possibly as slidy floor and long claws, so have cut claws and hoping he'll not do this tonight.

HB also is not much of a hay eater and prefers pellets, herbs and carrots. Working on this. He's also not eating his pellets, so has basically had a handful of herbs and handful of grass in 24 hours. He doesn't seem starved. Thinking of syringe feeding as don't think he's got a blockage/bloat as he's eating, but wondering if should take him for a vet check - but OH says it would be hard to say to his owner (OH's sister) "hey, we took your bunny to the vet and he has x problems". I think he's okish - like not severely neglected, and is loved, but his human just doesn't spend every waking moment on bunny forums reading about how to care for him. Also wondering how I gently broach the hay/carrots thing.

My bunnies are dealing with mild referred agression and chasing/biting each other.

Wondering if I should just try and bond them for the time he's here? He's a probably not neutered probably male, my two are both neutered. But if they're scrapping anyway, he might as well join in, or it could settle down. Also them eating hay/being active and playing might help him learn what being a bunny is. And her seeing cute photos of him snuggling other bunnies might encourage her to get him neutered and get him a pal.

Help pls RU! x

Re the not eating pellets , is he eating enough other stuff to compensate? I definitely wouldn't try to bond them, it could cause the bond between yours to break, I'd make it so your 2 can't see him, hopefully that should stop the referred aggression. If you feed/look after yours first so you aren't going to yours smelling of him that should help too.

Thanks zoobec. I've got a windbreak so they can't see each other so hopefully my two should settle down - they were mutual grooming again tonight but who knows what tomorrow will bring

He ate a whole carrot today (oh gave it him as he was worried he wasn't eating anything)...and is having a few herb sprigs and then a break but coming back. His poos are just so tiny and squishy and dark. So he's not not eating, I think he just has a **** diet and maybe as he doesn't have competition for food he takes it slower? But it doesn't feel enough to me. We syringe fed him a tiny bit of critical care but it stressed him - but he ran off and ate some coriander... I got him an alfalfa ring to see if he would eat that so will see how it goes tomorrow....

Oh I like how RU does the *** when you say words you shouldn't ! Not needed that before! Sorry Ru!

I wouldn't put him in with your two either - I think it would just be confusing for all of them, and sad for him too if he made friends and then was taken away to be on his own again.

Re the food, I think it can take a while for their eating habits to change if they're not used to something, so I'd just persevere making hay available and hope he starts to realise it's for eating. Any chance there's anything up with his teeth? Kyla never used to be a hay eater but it turned out she had a spur that made that particular chewing action very uncomfortable for her. Do you have any dried leaves/grasses you could try him with too?

esupi said:

I wouldn't put him in with your two either - I think it would just be confusing for all of them, and sad for him too if he made friends and then was taken away to be on his own again.

Re the food, I think it can take a while for their eating habits to change if they're not used to something, so I'd just persevere making hay available and hope he starts to realise it's for eating. Any chance there's anything up with his teeth? Kyla never used to be a hay eater but it turned out she had a spur that made that particular chewing action very uncomfortable for her. Do you have any dried leaves/grasses you could try him with too?

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Thanks esupi - glad you managed to fix kayla
He's got dried plantain and dried nettles and hibiscus. I did him a yummy basked of that and some nice hays and fresh grass but he ignored it and waited for his carrot at 3pm...
Not sure about teeth - would be kinda hard to explain to his owner as she thinks he's ok. And she's kept him alive 5 years so for me to be all "I took him to the vet cos I want him to eat more hay" would be difficult especially if he died under anasthetic or something. Not eating at all is be straight therw but I think it's a mix of strange surroundings and me not approving of his diet...

Yeah - I know what you mean - so difficult. I often wish people just wouldn't tell me about their rabbits.
It sounds like you're doing everything reasonable for him. Maybe as he settles he'll start to explore and try the new things a bit?

Really hope so... Ive never been so poop obsessed!!

The alternative was someone popping in every other day to feed him... So this is better. I hope.

But how to you get a bunny who only eats carrots to do anything? Carrots aren't a treat as they're staple diet and everything else is less yummy. Stoopid bunny. He's a cutie though

Please don't put him in with your two - it will only result in stress for all three of them, possibly injuries and you could quite easily end up having to separate your own bonded pair. Even if you're bonding permanently, you wouldn't have a strong, settled bond by the time he's ready to go back. This is especially the case if he isn't neutered, which should be easy to tell if you pick him up and take a peek underneath - but normally I find that if there's any uncertainty over whether a rabbit is neutered or not, they're invariably not, because owners definitely know when they've had them done and usually say so. I would also think it would be unkind for a social creature to think he is getting a friend, only to discover that they are taken away again when he goes home, it would be a bit like waving a nice big present in front of you and promising it to you, and then taking it away again for you never to see it.

I would suggest keeping him well away from your two, the smell of another bunny, especially an unneutered one, can cause serious fighting and it's just not worth risking.

Good luck with him

Promise I won't put him in with my two and there as far away as they can be without bringing him indoors which I can't do as it would mess up his winter coat

Just need to get him doing proper poops though - and from a staple diet of carrot to nibbling hay...

How about grating the carrot and mixing it in with the hay to encourage him to eat it? And/or mixing grass/readigrass/herbs in with it :thumb:

Zoobec said:

How about grating the carrot and mixing it in with the hay to encourage him to eat it? And/or mixing grass/readigrass/herbs in with it :thumb:

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Trying that today - thanks
Will let you know how it goes!
Also given him fresh willow as denise said she's never known a bunny not eat that so fingers are crossed!

And windbreak is up so waffs and DP are ok again

Leaving them all to it and off to London for the day to see Memphis