bunny going outside from being indoor bun

Hiya

Just a quick question - my bunny Benji is an indoor bunny but is out alot during the day and early evening if its dry but as its going to be getting winter soonish i want to start getting him more used to being out longer as i want to bond him with my other five buns at end of sept and want his fur to get adjusted to the outside temperatures. The problem is i have over the last couple of weeks being putting him out slightly longer each day with the hope of eventually leaving him out all night in his new hutch and so he doesnt feel totally scared at just being put straight out but my worry is we were meant to be having decoraters coming today at 8.00 am and were going to be here all weekend and he has our whole landing to himself that i thought id better put him out last night so i wouldnt have to put him out really early today he didnt look too happy and was worried about him all night but now my problem is that we botched the weekend up and it is meant to be next weekend the decorators are coming now and my dilema is -

Do i keep him out at night now that he has had one night out or do i bring him back in tonight and put him out slowly again till next weekend when he will have to be out again all weekend when the decorators come or will that upset and confuse him as i dont wont to do that but at the same time i feel really awful that he has been put out last night when i wasnt really ready to do that - the latest hes still been out in his hutch and run is about 11.pm and then back out next day about lunchtime so now not sure what to do for the best for him.

Sorry this is so long and ive rambled a bit hope it makes sense but i feel like a big bad mummy for putting him out and not sure what to do now for tonight.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Im going out for a wee while but hopefully someone will have answered by the time i come back and i will look into it and see what anyone thinks i should do.

thanks in advance
gill:wave:

Hiya,

Given then he has been going out for quite some time now I would think he will be fine.

You could put extra warm things in his sleeping area, and also drop down a hutch cover for a while.

Dont worry I am sure he will be fine, bunnies cope better with the cold than do with heat...

Hiya :wave: I should think it would be best to leave him outside now hes been out for one night otherwise he might get confused next time you put him out overnight thinking he'll only be out for one night then in again.

My house bunny (lottie) was bonded with my outdoor bunny (george) 3 weeks ago now and she was put outside around 2 weeks ago, she has been totally fine i have wooden shutters for the front of the cage of a night and i make sure their bedding area is full to the roof with straw

Im sure he will be fine I think we worry more than they do :lol: Let us know how he gets on xXx

BTW Benji looks adorable

inside bunnies out

:wave:Hiya thumper and boo thanks for your reply i appreciate it and i agree they probably cope better than we think but i just felt that i wasnt expecting to do it so soon i wanted to do it more slowly but i agree it wouod confuse him more to bring him in and then put him out again i just feel bad as he loves it indoors.l

Becky 86 thanks so much for your reply it has helped me alot and i feel a bit better for leaving him out as i said above i just feel i wasnt ready to put him whole hog out just yet i had a wee k or so to graduually do it and i feel bad as he really was a very happy indoors bunny but im sure by the end of september if he bonds with the five of them and he has all the space they will have he will be happy its just that he loved being indoors so much and enjoyed following everyone around ect but i will keep bringing him in still for time in so he doesnt feel he cant come in at all hope thats is okay

thanks again for replies i feel a bit better about going to bed without bringing him in but still feel a bit guilty and worry about him

thanks for saying hes adorable as i agree i love him to bits

inside bunnies out

:wave::wave::wave:Hiya thumper and boo thanks for your reply i appreciate it and i agree they probably cope better than we think but i just felt that i wasnt expecting to do it so soon i wanted to do it more slowly but i agree it wouod confuse him more to bring him in and then put him out again i just feel bad as he loves it indoors.l

Becky 86 thanks so much for your reply it has helped me alot and i feel a bit better for leaving him out as i said above i just feel i wasnt ready to put him whole hog out just yet i had a wee k or so to graduually do it and i feel bad as he really was a very happy indoors bunny but im sure by the end of september if he bonds with the five of them and he has all the space they will have he will be happy its just that he loved being indoors so much and enjoyed following everyone around ect but i will keep bringing him in still for time in so he doesnt feel he cant come in at all hope thats is okay

thanks again for replies i feel a bit better about going to bed without bringing him in but still feel a bit guilty and worry about him

thanks for saying hes adorable as i agree i love him to bits

I agree. Now is the ideal time to leave him outside 24/7 in order to let his coat build up. He'll be fine. Where will you be doing the bonding?

Hiya capel We are getting a new garage built in september which will be done in a day as its a wooden one so am hoping to bond them in that as its completely neutral to all of them and will if necessity sleep in it with them for a couple of nights as it will have heating and lighting but still really nervous about bonding a six group as have only bonded two mixed pairs all be it that went smoothly as i think i did all the right things bit diff with a group though i know so maybe nearer the time i will be on here asking for lots more advie.

thanks for the reply appreciated.

gill:wave:

Leanne and I bonded her 3 pairs into a harmonious group of 6. It went very smoothly with only one slight hiccough:lol:. We did it in an 8x4 pen in my late father-in-law's house.We reckoned later that it might have been better to use a smaller pen but that was all we had at the time and it also meant it was big enough to jump in if necessary without trampling frantic bunnies underfoot:lol:

thanks again capel for replying and the fact that youve had experience with amixed group gives me hope and hope you dont mind if i call on you for your help and advice nerarer the time. Ill bear in mind the run size and see what i come up with. Whatr did you put in the run with them did you put food and hay and toys or nothing at all?

thanks again

take care:wave:

We put in a couple of litter trays and a table..hang on..here's a piccy!

There is a 6th bunster hidden from view. I've also got some videao footage of some of the scraps they had which will give you an idea of what behaviour to ignore!! I can send you the llink if you want. You can see there's a small puppy pen in there as well. Leanne put it in during the night when one of her rexes was getting a bit too overbearing so she isolated him in there so she could get some sleep and the next morning let him out and all was well!

Hiya capel

thanks so much for that picture it really helps me jput it into a reality and gives me great ideas on how to work it. If you send me the link for the video footage that be great too as i can get an idea as you say what to ignore or intervene so brill help for me much appreciated again.

gill:wave::wave:

I'll pm the links to you.

thanks capel much appreciated have had a look at them bit scarey whenb you actually see it in reality must make sure im not alone when i do it. Did you have that run in your lounge and did you have to sleep with them for a few nights or how long would you reckon it took generally and when did you put them back into their home together.

thanks for the link though so helpfull.

gill:wave:

We we fortunate enough to be able to use my late father-in-laws house which was empty. We took them over there around 10 am and Leanne slept there that night(her bunnies!!) and was confident enough to put them back in the shed the following afternoon. I think there were a few minor scuffles when they went back into their shed which she'd totally neutralised, but not bad enough to make her sleep out there. I think she nipped out to check on them a few times but that was all. I'll get her to pm you with more details if you like.

Hiya capel

that was great for you to have a house to use, ive got a friend that i could possibly use her mothers house who is now in a home but i guess it depends how long it takes to bond as i could not live there indefinately!! but that would be good if it took such a short time like yours.

If you could get her to pm me with more details that b great and i can judge a bit better my best plans.

thanks again for your repy

gill:wave::wave: