Extreme make over bunny edition?

Hi everyone

So the boys are going back on 21st to be rebonded and their living situation I have been thinking about a lot after talking with some friends and other members who are more experienced than myself, especially when it comes to two or more buns, my previous ones as a child were single buns (20 odd years ago I’ll add lol!).

Anyway I’d like to kind of do a poll of options of people’s experience with the different options I’m concerning and what works best. My aim is for the boys to feel safe but minimise any tension that can be bad for bonds, one bun very occasionally tried to hump the other and this we think may have caused the fall out. I’ll post pics relevant to each option but try not to be blinded by some of the beautiful set ups I’ve found as examples hehe! .... anyway I’m going on!!!

So current situation of living before the fall out; our “hutch” is open all day when I’m here and buns and cats get all of downstairs, I go out, cats stay in living room and buns in kitchen. Bedtime they go into their hutch and have pellets and shut in, cats sleep in kitchen....all was fine for 8 months doing this.

Options are;

A) stay as we were with hutch shut at night (please excuse my bridesmaid boxes currently in there!)

B) still use the hutch but put a small pen on the front so they can be in a bit more space

C) get rid of the hutch and create a bunny pen with door so they are in a big pen at night (plus a lid to keep cats out)

D) get rid of the hutch and have bunnies in the kitchen all the time at night and cats are relegated to sleep in the living room

In my head I’m worried more room = more room to hump etc or something to kick off if I’m not there....but maybe I have it backwards and smaller spaces are just for bonding. We also don’t have a huge amount of space, I’ll post the room we have on a reply.

Please chose the option you that you have experienced as working best and I welcome any other comments with your choice [emoji4]

Thank you x







And the monkeys



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This is the kitchen, the round table we are currently selling and having the fold away one for more room.

So pens could go where the hutch is now, or by the radiator in that corner....just so you can see space etc. Please excuse the mess today is tidy day lol!










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I was the same as you, worried more space would encourage chasing however when my two where kicking off it enabled Maple to run away from Dennis. I actually found it worse when they where confined. I would scrap the hutch and go for MPH style pen that can be opened for free ranging times

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P.s like your kitchen . That's my style

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loobers25 said:

I was the same as you, worried more space would encourage chasing however when my two where kicking off it enabled Maple to run away from Dennis. I actually found it worse when they where confined. I would scrap the hutch and go for MPH style pen that can be opened for free ranging times

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loobers25 said:

P.s like your kitchen . That's my style

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Ah see that’s already helpful thank you loobers! That’s exactly what I was worried about but so glad you’ve had an improved experience from creating more space it’s really reassuring!

Hehe! Thank you [emoji4] it needs a new kick of paint but I love the farmhouse style. X


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I’m inclined to go with D. Get rid of the hutch, bunny proof the kitchen/dining area and make it the boys’ permanent space. You’ve got a decent amount of room there so you could replace the hutch with a hide or two, put in tunnels and other boredom breakers. If you get those wooden tunnels from Manor Pet Housing (I think the Hay Experts do similar ones as well), you could put them along the walls which would protect the skirting boards.

I think the more permanent space they have the better. If one of them is in a bit of a strop it’ll be easier to keep away from each other until it passes.


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Scrappy's Little Helper said:

I’m inclined to go with D. Get rid of the hutch, bunny proof the kitchen/dining area and make it the boys’ permanent space. You’ve got a decent amount of room there so you could replace the hutch with a hide or two, put in tunnels and other boredom breakers. If you get those wooden tunnels from Manor Pet Housing (I think the Hay Experts do similar ones as well), you could put them along the walls which would protect the skirting boards.

I think the more permanent space they have the better. If one of them is in a bit of a strop it’ll be easier to keep away from each other until it passes.


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Thank you for your input SLH I really appreciate it.

Yeah I have been googling a few pens and other hidy things etc, we don’t have much money at the moment so can’t get posh stuff yet but I’m up for a diy job or just something that will work for now like boxes etc might work.

I feel bad for the cats but saying that they do spend most of the day with me sleeping in the living room so wouldn’t be a huge change.

One problem I’d have to solve with this option is my kitchen door, they are original doors so I don’t want to attach anything in them, but apparently they are tasty like an aged wine lol, the ones upstairs while confined to one room for bonding....the door had to come off because it was under attack lol!

It’s affirming to have another vouch for more space = more of a calm equilibrium though.
Seems odd they were out and had all of downstairs when the fallout happened....but that’s another story haha!
Thank you [emoji4]


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I would be inclined to go for D, or at least work towards that :thumb: you can have a poll on the thread if you wanted people to be able to vote for it :thumb:

Zoobec said:

I would be inclined to go for D, or at least work towards that :thumb: you can have a poll on the thread if you wanted people to be able to vote for it :thumb:

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Thank you for your input too [emoji4]

Ahh I had no idea lol! That would have been easier lol! Shows my lack of tech skills there haha!


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Well, my thoughts are this: - I'm loving your posters. Very chique. Love them. I'd also be tempted to move the litter tray away from any electrical sockets or at least cover the open sockets (sorry, I'm just quirky like that), and I'd go with the free roaming kitchen area - just because that's more or less what I've got here although no where near as super duper as what you have or even better, Loobers' set up - which is just ace. My two hooligans have just a cosy area which is semi enclosed but free roaming so they just have free access in the kitchen and then the living room where we are. We've got carpet and foam tiles under the carpet to insulate from the cold but it's certainly warmer than outside for them. Sorry, not a huge amount of help but I hope you find something that works for your bunnies.

I like the posters too. Where did you get them?

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Craig 1965 said:

Well, my thoughts are this: - I'm loving your posters. Very chique. Love them. I'd also be tempted to move the litter tray away from any electrical sockets or at least cover the open sockets (sorry, I'm just quirky like that), and I'd go with the free roaming kitchen area - just because that's more or less what I've got here although no where near as super duper as what you have or even better, Loobers' set up - which is just ace. My two hooligans have just a cosy area which is semi enclosed but free roaming so they just have free access in the kitchen and then the living room where we are. We've got carpet and foam tiles under the carpet to insulate from the cold but it's certainly warmer than outside for them. Sorry, not a huge amount of help but I hope you find something that works for your bunnies.

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Haha! Thank you [emoji4] my favourite one is in the living room where the hutch originally was when it was just Truffle, I’ll ad a pic of it .

The litter tray is there because....let’s just say the animals told me to put it there haha!! Normally I have pet remedy diffuser plugged in there too but as no buns are here it’s open at the moment, but I totally take your point in board and if we get rid of the hutch I’ll secretly slide the tray back more so they don’t cotton on lol!

No thank you that is really helpful and still one of the options I gave so I really appreciate that maybe I could think about wha you’ve done with the semi enclosed area but made in a way that if I needed to make it more permanent I’d say the cats yowl all night in the living room, I can do the pen instead.
Thank you


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loobers25 said:

I like the posters too. Where did you get them?

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They are from “supreme” rabbit foods. When I worked in a vets I kept one from one of their fancy vet magazines (which is my favourite) but wanted the others from the campaign, so my other half emailed and asked and they sent them over



Here’s the others closer






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How are they getting in with the bonding? Did you decide on a lay out?

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daphnephoebe said:

How are they getting in with the bonding? Did you decide on a lay out?

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Hey DP :-D

So we decided on a pen for nighttime and free roam all the rest of the time and kitchen when we are out (cats will be in the living room when we are out).

But to continue the bond at home we’ve had to have the pen in a funny shape to make a smaller space to start them off and get bigger until they have the pen. Then we will use our big puppy pen around the outside to get them further out until they can use the kitchen etc etc.

We picked them up this morning from the bonders, they said the boys have been ok with each other but take it slow at home.
Since getting them home everything has been absolutely fine, no funny business and I’ve even caught Truffle grooming Luther a few times! Which is unbelievable because when they first bonded, grooming didn’t happen till 3 months after! So I’m chuffed!

I’ll still be spending my night tonight on the sofa in the next room to be sure, but so far I’m feeling pretty confident in them (and super proud of them!) x


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Truffpuff said:

Hey DP :-D

So we decided on a pen for nighttime and free roam all the rest of the time and kitchen when we are out (cats will be in the living room when we are out).

But to continue the bond at home we’ve had to have the pen in a funny shape to make a smaller space to start them off and get bigger until they have the pen. Then we will use our big puppy pen around the outside to get them further out until they can use the kitchen etc etc.

We picked them up this morning from the bonders, they said the boys have been ok with each other but take it slow at home.
Since getting them home everything has been absolutely fine, no funny business and I’ve even caught Truffle grooming Luther a few times! Which is unbelievable because when they first bonded, grooming didn’t happen till 3 months after! So I’m chuffed!

I’ll still be spending my night tonight on the sofa in the next room to be sure, but so far I’m feeling pretty confident in them (and super proud of them!) x


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I'm thrilled to pieces to read this

Forgive me not getting back to you, but I know you know why.
Hugs and I will be in touch soon xxx

This is great news

MightyMax said:

I'm thrilled to pieces to read this

Forgive me not getting back to you, but I know you know why.
Hugs and I will be in touch soon xxx

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Aww thank you :-D it’s all been a bit surreal how they have been today!

Of course! I was going to message you tomorrow to see how you are and if there’s anything I can do. Please don’t worry about us too much, we aren’t going anywhere [emoji4]
Hugs and bunny nose bumps back xxx


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Zoobec said:

This is great news

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Thank you!
We are thrilled, I know it’s not over yet but so far I’m feeling super relieved lol!


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