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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Convincing parents to let bunbuns live inside

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    • Laylabunny13
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        Firstly, please do not give me hate because my bunny lives outdoors. I admit I did NOT really research enough before i got my bunny, although i have now and she lives a very good life. I just want to make it better.

        So basically, my bunny lives outdoors. I didn’t know rabbits were better off being inside when i got her (in fact i was planning on getting guinea pigs, and that would be TERRIBLE for them living outside!) But now i really want to convince my parents for her to live inside, or at least sleeping inside. I do the best possible i can for her, and my parents are really good with her. My mum paid for her to be fixed and vaccinated, and pay for allot of her veggies, but they just don’t want her to live indoors. They do know it is better for bunnies to live indoors, but whenever i ask or even bring up the subject they come up with a new excuse, sorry, ‘reason’ . I managed to prove most of these wrong (lol). The latest one is the fact that Layla doesn’t like being indoors. And the thing about that is  well, that isn’t entirely wrong. I regularly bring her inside  for floor time as our garden is no where near secure enough, and she loves it. So far (nearly a year) there has been no carpet digging, peeing, cable chewing or furniture destroying. Although we noticed when she was indoors after being fixed, when she was actually staying the nigh indoors, she wouldn’t go to the toilet. she had a litter tray, but she is only partially litter trained. (i have tried many times, but she has a double story hutch and there is a wee spot upstairs were she goes) i got really worried, i thought she may of had a blockage. I urged mum to take her to the vets, but they said she was fine. Just to see I put her back in the hutch outside, sure enough she went up to her spot and went pee and poop. I left her in there for a while, and she kept going regularly. So the solution, i have seen many cage tour were people have a x-pen hutch combination. I think this is what i want to do. She has meter and a half long run permanently attached to the hutch, which i would put her in while i was at school (beside cold or rainy days) and depending on the weather until dinner time. Then i would put her in the pen and hutch at night and shut my door in the afternoon and night. This would be good, because she is outdoors allot in the day and warm and social at night. It will help allot with bonding with her, and benefit her health. I just don’t know how to tell mum and dad without them getting frustrated. Please help! They know i want the best for her but they are just so reluctant. I have space if i re arrange my room a bit and have enough money to buy a big x pen. PLEASE HELP! i want the best for her and i really need some help! Luckily it is spring here so it is quite warm ( but not to warm) outside, but i still want her inside. Even if it isn’t until the end of summer. Someone please help me in convincing them!

        p.s sorry for the SUPER long paragraph 


      • litheandgraphic
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          Firstly, hello and welcome!

          Secondly, good on you for trying to bring your bunny indoors. As you’ve found out, bunnies tend to have much happier, healthier lives indoors.

          It would be very easy to do the hutch/x-pen combination in your room, since you say you have enough room, although I would encourage you to alter the hutch so that it does not have a wire floor, as this is bad for their feet. The reason she isn’t going to the bathroom anywhere but her hutch is because she has already designated that as her “bathroom”. This is great, because it means that you can put a litterbox in her bathroom corner and she should take to it basically right away. If the litter training and/or smell is a concern for your parents, you can tell them that she should take to a litterbox very easily, and that if you change the box once a day or once every other say, the smell is hardly noticeable if at all. They certainly smell less than guinea pigs!

          Tell them that bringing her indoors will help make her a regular member of the family. It will greatly improve her health and reduce the chances of her getting sick or scared, which means that you’re also taking preventative measures for her going to the vet later on.

          Tell them that you will take full responsibility for her area being clean and presentable at all times.

          Good luck!


        • MoveDiagonally
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            Hello and Welcome!

            No one should give you grief. It sounds like you really love your bunny and want what’s best for her. It’s also wonderful that your parents seem very on board with keeping her healthy and properly fed.

            On your bunny not liking being inside. Rabbits are creatures of habit and like what they’re used to. So, I’m sure it’s true that right now your bunny doesn’t like being inside because it’s different and not “home”. I’m also sure she would behave differently once she acclimated and was used to it.

            Do you think you could convince your parents to allow a trial period? Like a week to a month of having her live inside just to see how it works out. Maybe you can offer to do extra chores around the house or something like that. During the trial period you would have to make sure to be very vigilant and minimize/eliminate any issues they could perceive as negative. Hopefully once the trial would end they would come to enjoy her being an inside pet or at the very least see it’s not a bad thing.

            Best of luck to you!


          • kirstyol
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              When I was a teenager I had a rabbit in my bedroom in an outdoor style hutch, I used to get up in the morning and open the wire door that way she had the option to sit in the darker part if she wanted or could hop out through the open door. Mine free roamed without a pen most of the time but if I was in school or something I had something similar to the x-pens you get now that I just put around the hutch and left the door open for her as usual. It eliminated the need for a litter box because she could go back into her hutch and she never once peed outside of it. Perhaps if you explain to your parents the sort of set up you are thinking about and the amount of space it will take up they might agree. also if you point out that the pen will stop your bun from getting in trouble while you are not there that might help convince them. I honestly never had a problem with this set up in all the years I had snuggles. She had also started off as an outdoor bun (I adopted her from someone who kept her outdoors which is why I had an outdoor hutch indoors) and she adjusted well to being indoors, it just takes a little time that’s all.


            • MK
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              751 posts Send Private Message

                Only things I can add are 1. Be respectful when you tell your parents your plans. After all, it IS their house, and being calm and respectful will show them that your are mature enough to handle this. 2. Keep the bunny’s area (If you do get her to live inside) VERY clean. You don’t want any complaints about smells. best of luck!! (Oh btw, I made the same mistakes with my first pair. Good for you being responsible )


              • Laylabunny13
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                  Thanks so much all of you! That is a great idea about the trial period, hopefully they will agree to at least that. if i explain to them i would put her in the run on nice days so she still goes outside regularly ( i think Layla would like this more anyways) My grandparents are over from Aussie at the moment but they go back in a few weeks, so i will have the room for the new setup! Fingers crossed, i might make a slideshow or presentation thing as to why i want her inside and the setup and all that  


                • Laylabunny13
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                    hi im back! Realized i missed a few things. About the litter box- the fact she only goes in one area WOULD be very helpful, if it weren’t for the fact that the one spot she chose to go was the ONLY spot in the entire hutch were it is impossible to put a litter tray so i have to clean and scrub the hutch very often. I mean she would probably be easier to train once indoors, but its a bit annoying because that will likely be another reason why my parents wont want her inside.   Also what would you recomend for flooring? she probably couldn’t have fleece ( she is the kind of bun who ignores toys but destroys anything she shouldn’t) i was thinking linoleum flooring, but thats is quite expensive and i really only have enough to buy a decent sized pen and cheap flooring, what do you use in your setups? unless of course your buns are free range (my dream!)   please if possible get back to me as i need to organize everything before i even ask! Love Georgia and Layla bunny


                  • MK
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                    751 posts Send Private Message

                      Try for laminate wood flooring planks. They are inexpensive and easy to clean, you can buy them by the box and sert up a pretty large area. but you have to make sure that the edges where the adhesive is are out of your bunnies’ reach (ie, outside the edge of the pen) I don’t know where you live but I know Home Depot has them, and they should probably be at any home improvement store.

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                  Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Convincing parents to let bunbuns live inside