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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 6 months ago by Pipje.

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- 09/14/2014 at 8:33 PM
  blcran
  Participant
  1 posts
  New rabbit owner. We have an 11 week old Polish rabbit named Isabella. We have two story hutch with a ramp that connects both floors. I put the litter box on the lower level in the back corner with her hay rack above it. The lower level has no floor but sits on top of concert. The upper level has a plastic slide out tray and one end that is all enclosed as a hide box. I put only bedding in the litter box. Her food and water dishes our on the top floor. She spends most of her time on the bottom floor. She keeps peeing in a corner on the top floor in a place where I can’t put the litter box. I have been soaking up her pee with bedding and then putting back into her litter box. A couple of questions….should I move her litter box up to the top floor and put it in her hide box? Is it okay for her to be down on the lower area at night? (I can close a door over the ramp so I can keep her on either floor.) Does she need a bed or something in the hide area? Can you put a towel up in the hide area for her to snuggle with? or should I close the door at night so she can’t go up and is down on the lower area with her litter box? Any suggestions would be great!
- 09/15/2014 at 1:25 AM
  LongEaredLions
  Participant
  4482 posts
  Moving to habitats and toys.
  First off, is your rabbit housed outdoors? We here at BB recommend, for your bunny’s safety, that they are kept indoors. So that should definitely be a first priority. Secondly, you mention a plastic slide-out tray. Does that mean that the top level has wire flooring? Most cages with slide-out trays do.
  I would think it would be ok for her to be in both levels at night, but I couldn’t give you an answer for sure as I have never used a hutch. You could put some cozy towels and beds in her hide-box.
- 09/15/2014 at 2:35 AM
  Pipje
  Participant
  73 posts
  Take a look at the habitats the forum users here https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/GreatHabitats/tabid/229/Default.aspx
  This is a houserabbit site so if your bunny isn’t inside, bring her in!
  
  The hutch you describe isn’t big enough, especially if your bunny is in there all the time. I know they sell these hutches for bunnies, but they are a remnant from when rabbits were kept in the back garden for meat, so quality of life was not an issue and no one knew what bunnies were even like. They have lots of energy and need lots of space just like cats!
  Second levels like that don’t count for floor space and things like the ramp take out much of the space on both the top and bottom for being viable. Not being able to put the litter tray on the top floor is a massive clue that it isn’t big enough.
  
  I had a similar hutch because I was also ill informed when I got my first bunny, so I attached a dog exercise pen to the front of it (about £30, with a roll of linoleum for the floor) so my bunny could have a home base in the hutch, but also plenty of space to stretch and run (and also house his toys, boxes and litter tray) in the pen. Litter habits tend to improve when the bunny has a happier space to live in, and being able to come and go as they please from their house to their exercise area is a massive plus (just by opening the pen up to the rest of the room) Always picking up the bunny to remove them from the hutch can be very scary for them.
  
  I hope you find some inspiration in the habitats section, please let us know how you get on!
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