Hi all, I've been going back and forth over this for a while, and could do with some advice/opinions.
My neutered male, William, is currently outside in a 4x4 playhouse with a 4x8 attached run. He lives alone, and I plan to attempt a bond with my young male, Roo, in the spring - Roo is currently unneutered, and living in half of my spare room, as I got him in September and he didn't have time to grow a winter coat.
In the meantime, I'm a bit concerned about William being outside by himself all winter, and debating moving him into the second half of the spare room. This is where I'm at at the moment -
Pros of moving indoors:
- it's impossible to keep the run area dry, and William frequently has a muddy, wet bottom. I'm concerned he's not getting chance to dry off properly.
- it'd be easier to keep an eye on him in case of illness.
- possible benefit of rabbit company from Roo, albeit from behind puppy panels.
- benefit of rabbit company for Roo, who is still rather jumpy and wary of humans. A confident rabbit would be a help to him.
Cons of moving indoors:
- less space inside - going from a 4x4 playhouse with 4x8 run, to an enclosure of 3.5x6. Although judging by poop output, he's spending the majority of his time in the 4x4 playhouse atm.
- potential to damage relations pre-bond, maybe, with Roo not being neutered yet?
- he does has a thick winter coat now, although the spare room is unheated and has the windows open.
I'm torn between William being bored, lonely, and soggy outside, and the reduction in space if I brought him in. Any thoughts?
My neutered male, William, is currently outside in a 4x4 playhouse with a 4x8 attached run. He lives alone, and I plan to attempt a bond with my young male, Roo, in the spring - Roo is currently unneutered, and living in half of my spare room, as I got him in September and he didn't have time to grow a winter coat.
In the meantime, I'm a bit concerned about William being outside by himself all winter, and debating moving him into the second half of the spare room. This is where I'm at at the moment -
Pros of moving indoors:
- it's impossible to keep the run area dry, and William frequently has a muddy, wet bottom. I'm concerned he's not getting chance to dry off properly.
- it'd be easier to keep an eye on him in case of illness.
- possible benefit of rabbit company from Roo, albeit from behind puppy panels.
- benefit of rabbit company for Roo, who is still rather jumpy and wary of humans. A confident rabbit would be a help to him.
Cons of moving indoors:
- less space inside - going from a 4x4 playhouse with 4x8 run, to an enclosure of 3.5x6. Although judging by poop output, he's spending the majority of his time in the 4x4 playhouse atm.
- potential to damage relations pre-bond, maybe, with Roo not being neutered yet?
- he does has a thick winter coat now, although the spare room is unheated and has the windows open.
I'm torn between William being bored, lonely, and soggy outside, and the reduction in space if I brought him in. Any thoughts?