Hey All,
I would first like to say this forum is incredible. I have been looking into a pet rabbit for the better part of 3 months and this forum has been incredible for knowing what to expect, how to prepare, what to do, etc. As my name kind of dictates, I am a law student so I am OCD about researching and this forum has been phenomenal. I can also HAPPILY say, today Lilith (lily for short) has officially joined my household and is spending some time in her cage while I do my 2 hours of class today. Now to start, I am going to let her have 48 hours to herself, no interference, but I may sit outside the cage and read, watch netflix (with headphones) etc. so she gets used to my presence. However, I have 3 questions I am hoping you long time bunny owners can help me with. As such, I will present facts, issues, and then the question.
First the Facts- New 11 week old female bunny (spayed), dutch, living in 2 story NIC condo (2 grid by 3 grid but second story is currently blocked to limit her space for behavior and litter training).
Issue- I SOMEHOW will manage to not try and pet her or invade her space despite her absolutely gorgeous fur (except food and cleaning ONLY pee and putting it into litter box). However, now I have to start planning some free run time so she can be strong and her muscles don’t atrophy.
The Question- Do you guys limit roaming time/space in the early weeks for litter box training. I feel letting my bunny get free roam of my apartment or even just my bed room for 2 hours will be counter productive to litter training and the concept that I should limit her space. So how do I balance this need to let her run and explore with litter training? Would setting up a 4×4 xpen for the first few weeks be good? Should I limit her time out to say 2 hours? I just don’t understand how I can litter train and limit her space when I am also supposed to give her all of these hours outside the cage to run and explore (though I cannot wait until I can give her the run of my room ). Any tips?
Second Question: I currently am limiting Lilith to only the first floor of her condo for litter box reasons. So after she gets used to that, I have 2 options, (1) open the second floor to her, or (2) attach the open of NIC grids as a front yard (not just for run time). Which do you guys think should come first? I think the second floor will likely be first.
Third Question: I am headed home for Easter Break (bad timing I know) for about 3 days, so Lilith is finally coming home to meet the family very excited, and yes I know the potential issue. My plan is to bring along the XPEN, lay a sheet down underneath, and bring her hay rack and litter box and some toys. Is this good? She can stay in the open and I will likely be able to even get her outside depending on her mood, timing, general acclimation to new environment.
Fourth Question: Thought of a fourth as I was doing this haha. Any ideas for keeping the hay smell out of my bed room? I am thinking large plastic container that seals. Also do females mark territory? I don’t want to start picking up her poo from first week if she is just using it to mark.
Thank you all so much, and I will keep this updated with further questions (though i do have a 3 inch binder full of resources haha).
P.S. I will have photos ready shortly, I don’t want to bombard her. My avatar is her adoption photo. I also will get some pictures of my cage setup because I think its slightly ingenious haha. My father is a wizard with carpentry and we got some cool stuff.