To get rid of our pet rabbits??

[Mashedpotatobutty]

We have 2 rabbits who we have had for 4 years. Originally they lived outside in a spacious hutch with access during the day to a sectioned off area of the garden. Then we had some problems with the neighbours cats and dogs getting in to our garden and scaring the rabbits, clawing at their hutch and basically making it so that the rabbits couldn’t even go in their run without feeling threatened. We sorted the fence to stop the dogs getting in but the cats we obviously can’t stop climbing over.

So we moved the rabbits indoors. They had free roam of the downstairs and all was ok until they started chewing through wires and furniture after a year despite having lots of toys etc. We have now made them a large pen but since putting them in there they have decided they are no longer litter trained so the entire floor of their area gets covered in poo and wee. It stinks despite daily cleaning. My whole downstairs stinks and I’m at the point where I don’t know whether we’d all be better off trying to regime them. The children say they love them but barely acknowledge their existence.

WWYD??

Love the shed rabbit home!

French lips are the best! I've had several over the years.

Lops, not lips!!!

And my Rex rabbit

Unfortunately they have to be separated now though as their fights grew quite vicious (we did go through a full bonding process and they lived together for over a year before we had to separate them) which makes housing them more difficult!

The shed is great!
Honestly this is why I dislike cats so much,I have guinea pigs and it's a constant worry with them being harassed by neighbours cats while they are in my garden. Keep your pets in your own garden!

If you've got the dogs sorted then a couple of bunnies will get acclimatised to cats being around. Just make sure you've got your set up cat proofed so they can't get too close and personal.

I have the run attached to the hutch by these awesome outdoor tunnels you can get from a company called runaround. Then if the bunnies ever feel threatened they can whip back to their hutch. Having a safe space to hide is crucial for their well being and this set up is recommended by the RWAF.

It really depends how much the cats are bothering your rabbits tbh the occasional neighbourly visit from a cat won't cause any issues but if some cat is fascinated and spends their day trying to get at the rabbits, i can see why you put them indoors.

Please don't give them up if you can help it, rabbits are among the most neglected animals in the UK because people don't realise what high maintenance they are and shove them in a tiny hutch on their own.

The cats were a huge annoyance. We still have lots of bolting and thumping from one of our buns who is still terrified and reacts like that when he sees a cat through the window. He would thump during the night and I would be up and down to chase off the cat when they were outside. We already water pistol them as the cats behave like our garden is theirs completely. They sit on our furniture, are on our doorstep or decking when we get home and sit on our cats. I bloody hate the things. I tried one of those screechy noise makers but I can hear it myself so that didn’t last long. I think once I sort their toileting out, and they finish this molt which is another messy bugbear, then hopefully we’ll all be happy again.

Bunnies are a lot of work and they are so lovely, especially with each other, I would be devastated if they didn’t go to a lovely home and they do have it pretty good here.

You sound as though you have a lot of affection for your bunnies, it would be a shame to give them up.
We were looking at rabbits in Pets at Home yesterday, they usually have a few rescue rabbits there waiting to be re-homed. Apparently there is a long waiting list of rabbits waiting to go there that people no longer want. We are hoping to get a couple soon but it made me feel quite sad. Our last rabbit was a rescue from an animal sanctuary that was closing down and he was very happy with us until he passed away last year. We had him for a long time though.

Here he is, a gorgeous lion head.

Anyone who talks about 'getting rid' of a pet shouldn't own animals in the first place, imo.

Lots of washable rugs and runners for the Evil Buns of Doom. (Good job we live so close to an Ikea and its clearance rug department).

BEHOLD

Sethos the “get rid” title was out of desperation. They are well cared for and in my OP i talked about rehoming them as a final solution. They were never intended to be indoor rabbits but we have basically sacrificed an entire room so far to keep them, we don’t mind this but I am now at the end of my patience of having a really stinky house despite daily cleaning of them and I also spoke of how I was (but have now been reassured) concerned about their welfare therefore felt they’d be happier being regimes.

Loving all the bunny photos, but your floors still look so clean! Mine poop so much! I’m about to clean them out so will put a picture on after that when they’re more presentable.

Save a few poops over and put them in the clean box too!

Can offer no advice, sorry, I’m just here for the bunny photos

Our rabbits are in a hutch inside a shed (the summerhouse type) where they're warm and safe, as we also have a lot of cats and foxes in the neighbourhood. We get them out and put them in the run on warmer days and when we're at home, then back into the hutch before dark. So in winter they don't get out so much - perhaps just a couple of hours a day at weekends but during the summer they spend a lot of time outside. We might bring them in for a cuddle in the kitchen every so often but certainly wouldn't give them free range of the house as they'd wee, poo and chew!

They seem healthy and happy, and really aren't any trouble at all.

At last

Have you had them neutered? I have three houserabbits and their litter training improved greatly once they were neutered. Girls are not so good in my experience as the boys. Our girl bun still occasionally forgets and wees elsewhere.

There are some good tips on the RWAF website (Rabbit Welfare Association) about litter training issues. I do still have to clean their trays daily even though they are well trained.

Another thing that makes them smelly is if they aren’t eating their caecotrophs. They should only be producing the little round droppings. If you can see the ones like blackberries, which should be reingested (bunny’s way of chewing the cud) then there are likely to be diet problems. Try to increase their hay and reduce their pellets.

As others have said the cuddling is a sign that they are happy and contented. If you let them out to play daily as well I am sure you will see them binky and explore as well. Mine are completely free range in the house. They follow me round like little dogs and sit at my feet while I work.

Indoor rabbits always reek! They won't like being cooped up in a pen after having free range downstairs.

Ours were happiest with the whole garden to roam in (secure fences). If they have enough shelter (burrows, a shed accessed by a hole etc) they can avoid cats and other predators. After all, they are prey animals who evolved to detect and run from predators. Ours had a closed shed that we cut a rabbit sized hole in, filled with hay so they had a warm safe place to sleep. They also dug burrows and if one sounded the alarm they'd all flee down a hole!

What breed are they?

What about lining it with those big black sheets the are used to protect carpets. They are kind of corrugated and massive. It's simple to measure out and fold up the sides. It costs about two pounds for an entire sheet. It would then contain the hay, wee and poop and protect your floor.

Indoor rabbits always reek!

?
Granted, our experience is limited to one house rabbit, who’s been free range over the course of the past three years, but he doesn’t smell in the slightest, nor does his tray.

We bought a large off-cut of lino from CarpetRight for about £50 to cover our carpet, and then some of the ex-display carpet tiles for £1 a pop so that the buns have something to grip onto as they hop around. They're quick and easy to remove for cleaning (and cheap in the first place). You can also get washable mats instead if you prefer - depends if your problem is droppings or urine.

Plastic to line the inside of the hutch, it's so much easier to clean than scrubbing wood and doesn't retain the smell.

Good luck!

!

Like this...