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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think thathat my pet rabbits are quite happy, actually?

59 replies

rainbowfudgee · 15/05/2018 14:59

My friend keeps posting 'ban the hutch' petitions on FB. I know they are aimed at me.
I have two dwarf rabbits who go into a hutch at 9pm to sleep and then are put into their run at 7am where they have breakfast. They spend most of the day in the run, which is large and on grass, plus a couple of hours' free hopping time in the garden
The garden is very secure as it is walled. We keep an eye on them when they are out in case local cats jump over the wall etc. I usually bring them in the house in the evening to cuddle them which they love- they are really friendly and like hopping around the lounge as well as being handled.

Personally I think it's terrible to leave rabbits in a hutch all day and a couple of people I know do this. But as a sleeping area surely it's ok? Luckily DH or I are at home every day so we can give the rabbits lots of time and space.

OP posts:
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Frequency · 15/05/2018 15:02

Where should pet rabbits sleep if not in a hutch? I've never heard of ban the hutch, do they propose banning only hutches or are they against keeping rabbits as pets?

Pengggwn · 15/05/2018 15:02

Sounds fine to me.

JenBarber · 15/05/2018 15:03

They're fine. They need plenty of bouncing time which yours obviously have.

I have a house bunny who has free roam of the existing extension and garden but mostly goes into her cage at night.

redexpat · 15/05/2018 15:03

Sounds good to me.

Pompom42 · 15/05/2018 15:04

Yes don't let it get to you, take no notice

Original poster
rainbowfudgee · 15/05/2018 15:05

I think her point is that if hutches weren't sold, bunnies wouldn't be shoved in them 24 hours a day. I'm not sure what alternative most people would use apart from letting them go free range indoors. ..however we were worried about them chewing cables, getting stuck behind furniture etc and our cat can't really be trusted with them. We keep her indoors when the rabbits are running free in the garden.

OP posts:
HarrietKettleWasHere · 15/05/2018 15:06

Well the purpose of a 'hutch' traditionally was somewhere to keep rabbits before they are culled as food. Rabbits as pets shouldn't be shoved in a hutch at the bottom of the garden ful time, as sadly many are.

Hutches just for sleeping are fine, although haven't used one. Our rabbits were either free range or they lived in the house with us.

PinkHeart5914 · 15/05/2018 15:08

I bet they are happy! 😃

I have one rabbit. Me and dh saved her from a home where the silly student that had her was keeping her in a bloody shoe box. No outside, Nowhere to hop about inside just 1 rented room so kept her in a shoe box.

Now she is with us she has free run for inside the house & garden but does sleep In a 2 storey hutch and I am a stay home mum so there is nearly always someone home. Does she look sad becuase she sleeps in hutch to you?

to think thathat my pet rabbits are quite happy, actually?
to think thathat my pet rabbits are quite happy, actually?
to think thathat my pet rabbits are quite happy, actually?
Frequency · 15/05/2018 15:08

It's Green Party thing according to Google. They want to ban all hutches and cages for birds and rabbits, but not ban keeping them as pets which is fucking stupid if you ask me.

I don't know much about rabbits but I have a caged bird. He gets out of his cage daily but chooses to snuggle rather than fly. His cage is far larger than the size of the cage the RSPCA suggests for his breed and has lots of toys and activities and treats.

The only time he's in it is when the kids aren't home and I have the windows open to air the house. Birds need quality air. Poor air quality will have a greater effect on tiny birds than people. If I can't cage him to open the windows how do I keep him healthy?

The Green Party have not thought this through at all.

HarrietKettleWasHere · 15/05/2018 15:10

What a stupid policy.

peepshow · 15/05/2018 15:11

It sounds like they have a great life!

But surely she is petitioning against rabbits being locked away 24/7, not the setup you have?

My guinea pigs have a very spacious hutch each (as they fight and cannot live together) they also have a very large run each, which they get access to all day/night as the hutch doors are just left open.

frozenmash · 15/05/2018 15:11

Sounds perfect to me. They have freedom to hop around and graze in the day and then they have a safe, dry place at night and they have indoor visits too with human interaction. Not the same thing as rabbits that are doomed to 24 hours in a small hutch.

duffed · 15/05/2018 15:12

Do they have access to shelter whilst in the run? I think that's the only concern really if they are only in there for sleep.

Original poster
rainbowfudgee · 15/05/2018 15:14

Thanks, I feel better now! I'm probably over thinking it.

I knew the rabbits would take up a lot of time and space so we made sure we could accommodate them in amy enclosed garden and run before we got them.

Having them sitting on my shoulder, chattering their teeth happily and snuggling under my chin or kissing my nose shows me they must be OK!

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowfudgee · 15/05/2018 15:15

Duffed they have an igloo and play tunnel in their run, I didn't want to clutter it up with loads of stuff as they can actually run in ithe if it's fairly clear... they tend to snuggle up against each other when asleep in the run which is cute.

OP posts:
Luisa27 · 15/05/2018 15:15

I think your bunnies are very lucky to have such a lovely life!

Lilyhatesjaz · 15/05/2018 15:16

We used to keep our rabbit in a similar way I let her out first thing in the morning and called to come back to the hutch at night she was very happy for the 8 years we had her

EscapistTendencies · 15/05/2018 15:17

You sound like you're providing everything they need. Unfortunately many people assume it's ok to keep rabbits in hutches 24/7, I've even seen people advertising tiny hamster style cages as rabbit cages. A friend of mine works in an animal rescue centre and was recently brought a rabbit in a hamster cage that had never been out the cage Sad. There is a lot of ignorance around rabbit care. RWF run a campaign called a hutch is not enough which seems more apt. All animals need a safe space for sleeping so banning them seems silly but I would like to see retailers take more responsibility in pointing out that a hutch is just that, not somewhere they should be kept all day.

duffed · 15/05/2018 15:17

Sounds lovely :)

QueenOfAccidentalDeathStares · 15/05/2018 15:17

just hide her posts - select the "don't show me posts like this" button

cadburyegg · 15/05/2018 15:18

Your rabbits sound happy and better cared for than the majority of the rabbit population.

That being said, 10 hours a day is actually quite a long time to be in a hutch, and most runs, even "big" ones, are quite small. What happens in the bad weather/in the winter, do the rabbits still get lots of run around time? Do they have adequate shelter in the garden?

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 15/05/2018 15:23

I think it's nice your bunnies have a place to relax by themselves at night but have bags of space to run around in by day.

Original poster
rainbowfudgee · 15/05/2018 15:25

Cadbury I think my buns are asleep most of the 10 hours as it's at night.

We've been lucry with the weather recently, but we also have a playhouse which they can shelter in during bad weather.

OP posts:
mirime · 15/05/2018 15:26

Our rabbits slept in a hutch overnight and were out most of the day - no run, our garden was enclosed and the rabbits were more than capable of terrorizing our cats, who knew to avoid them!

The rabbits used to come in the living room as well, never chewed any wires, but that was more luck than anything else.

immortalmarble · 15/05/2018 15:27

Bunnies should have a hutch. They burrow in the wild. They don’t like being exposed because they are prey animals.