Two floor rabbit hutch any one got one?

[fidget]

Last year we aquired a rabbit , guinea pig hutch and separate run. As the hutch and run are separate every morning i get them out and each evening i put them back into the hutch. To save me this and to make things easier for my neighbours who will be caring for the pets while we are away, i have brought a combined hutch and run, with the hutch being on top of/ a second floor to the run. This ost a considerable amount of money, and my rabbit and guinea pig haven't taken to it at all!!! I can't get either of them to use the ramp to change floors. I even went out at past 9'o'clock last night and built tham a longer ramp thinking the other may be to steep! I really don't know what to do!

How long have they had it? Maybe they just need time to get used to it. Can you put tempting food at the top of the ramp to encourage them?

My partner bought one of these (hutch on top of run) as a present for Daughter's birthday yesterday - also bought rabbit of course - aforementioned rabbit - named chooch (some character in top cat) will only go up the ladder - I have to put him in the actual run!

Think it may be because he is still only weeny and ladder is quite steep but partner is making noises about making ladder longer and so less steep. Do think Chooch just needs to grow a bit bigger and get his courage up!!

Have to admit only brought it yesterday, so may be getting too concerned a little early! Have tried the food trick so far to no avail, but i'm sure if they get hungry enough...Both the rabbit and guinea pig are both almost 2, so I don't think its a matter of size as in Cooch's case.

Ha ha - yes think maybe you jumping the gun!! Think it must be a long way down for a little rabbit or guinea pig.

How often do you have to clean out a rabbit - DP says the he is gonna clean Chooch's hutch out every other day - told him he was a complete looney and I was sure that once a week would do. His reply was how would I like to wade around in my s**t for a week before anyone cleaned me out so I have given up!! Am I being a hutch slut??

I am currently considering buying one of these for our guinea pigs so I am interested in your problem. I would have thought that as it is new it would have none of their smells in it yet so they are probably a bit aware of an alien surrounding. I would just say leave them - let them get used to the hutch part - feed them in the hutch part and let them spread their smell - after a few days - lift them into the run area and leave them in there - if their food and familiar smells are upstairs then it would encourage them to go there. Good luck.

We have one of these for a rabbit and a guineapig. Have to admit it is not a huge success and I usually put them out (in the much bigger run on the lawn) when it is dry enough. The rabbit will use it a bit but the guineapig has never gone down the ramp on its own. We are on guineapig Mark 2 and the first one wouldn't either. Re cleaning them out. We need to clean out the hutch with the guineapig in at least twice a week because they are very messy. But we also have a rabbit on its own and only do him once a week as he is really clean. I think you are not meant to clean up after rabbits every day as they eat some of their own poo for some reason. (Though once a week is probably on the sluttish side!)

Boe - once Chooch decides on which part of the hutch he wants to p&p in (that's pee & poo) you could try and introduce a litter tray (just put some of their soiled bedding into the litter tray and put litter tray into the area of the hutch that they have chosen - my bunnies (yes I have guinea pigs and rabbits) quite happily do all their stuff in a litter tray filled with sawdust - at least this way you only have to empty the litter tray every few days - I then clean the whole hutch weekly.

Great idea - hutch training - am gonna send mail to DP, back to work and over 1,000 emails after 2 weeks off, so may not be high priority but should be far more interesting than all of the other stuff he has to deal with - will at least give him some sort of project to keep him busy and stop him looking at other peoples kids - not in a pervy kinda way but at the mo in a very broody kinda way (thought better clarify that!!)

I clean our rabbit and guinea pig out 2 to 3 times a week and daily in the bad weather as the rain always seems to get in and make the news paper soggy. I always thought that although rabbits poohed in the same place, guinea pigs do it where ever, wouldn't this make them hard to train? Ours both being almost two, I think it's to late now anyway!

Am a hutch slut then - thought once a week was good enough!!