Firstly, I want to acknowledge that gosh is bonding a very resource-intensive task! There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment (and relatively less work) once rabbits are bonded, but getting to that point can take a lot. If presently you are especially anxious/distressed, I feel it is definitely OK to put a pause on bonding– if the rabbits are compatible, they will be able to bond regardless of when you follow-through with the process. It can be a stress-relief and less work to accept separated rabbits for a time so you can establish more manageable routines instead of juggling an evolving layout as bonding progresses.

I’m wondering how you feel about your daily routine? Do you feel it’s too much, too little, seems inefficient anywhere? That can help guide feedback/reactions to it.

Currently, it seems fine to me! Daily cleaning is definitely a chore, and also if we optimize the equipment we use and placement of things, that can help. This means having a cleaning station, using the best equipment for the situation, and the frequency matches outcomes. For example, daily deep cleaning, to me, seems unnecessary– daily small cleanings and then more spread out “deep cleaning” works a lot better for me.

Cleaning multiple spaces during bonding can be quite a chore! Personally I become more “OK” with a bit more mess when I’m bonding. A bit of extra fluff or hay on the floor isn’t a sanitary concern, so it’s OK to have things not be spotless! I also currently have 4 rabbits, and I have definitely changed my routine with 4 vs. when I had two.

Here’s my typical routine (for 2 bonded pairs):

-wake up, let buns out to exercise (they are penned at night).

-prep morning bunny salads and serve

-I clean litter boxes every other day (I do all boxes on the same day). If it’s a box-cleaning day, I do this after they’ve had their morning salad. I sweep up their pens, top up hay, and rinse/refill water.

-if it’s a non-box cleaning day, I top up hay and rinse/refill waters. I do some hand-picking up of poops and spot-cleaning if there’s a pee accident, but I don’t do a full pen sweep each day.

-they get a second salad in the evening, but it’s also totally fine to give 1 salad a day (so that could be a time-saving thing for you).

-Before putting them away for the night, I top up hay again and refill water. I give them their pellet ration when I put them away for the night (I scatter feed). I will sometimes give them a new toy (usually a palm plate or willow basket) for the night too.

Some differences between your routine and mine:

I do brushing and other grooming as needed, so when I’m petting them I will brush them if they are molting. If they aren’t molting, I don’t do much brushing. All of my rabbits are short-haired so they don’t need daily grooming like long-haired breeds. I also don’t keep a strict schedule on toys. Mine tend to like toys they can eat (baskets, grass mats, palm plates), so I just replace them as needed. I think it’s wonderful that you train your bunnies, but perhaps you could incorporate that into their feeding routine so it isn’t so much a chore?

I also don’t vacuum or sweep every day. I sweep when I clean their boxes, and vacuum once a week on average. I just spot clean as I top up the hay.

Hi,

We are in the same situation as you, with two bunnies housed separately. They are in pens side by side, so they are neighbours and share the same exercise space – the living room. Since we are just starting with the bonding, they cannot be let out of the pen at the same time. I agree that caring for bunnies separately can be a huge burden. Be positive though, this won’t go on forever, they will be bonded eventually and you can treat them as one 🙂

Our bunny care is like this:

– Wake up, prepare bunny salad (while preparing breakfast for ourselves)

– Give salad, let the bunny girl out for a quick exercise, about 15 minutes, then let the bunny boy out for 15 minutes (we eat breakfast, do the washing up, brush our teeth etc. during this)

– Fill hay, give fresh water, tidy up (just grabbing bigger pieces of cardboard and hay with hands or using a small broom) pen them up

– In case somebody is home during the day, we let them out of the pens one at a time, occasionally giving pellets as treats. They are more active after 5 PM, so we usually train after 5.

– In the evening we fill up hay, give fresh water. Every second day we clean their litterboxes. We use pee pads in the box under the litter, which helps a lot in cleaning. Sometimes I do a little vacuuming.

I think what really helps is having a routine for yourself. If you don’t have to think about it, just do stuff automatically it appears to be quicker. Also, we try keeping all the stuff we use daily close to the bunnies. If hay is at hand, it literally takes only two minutes to feed them.

I would recommend involving the bunnies in the cleaning, it makes the whole process a lot more fun. Our bunny girl loves to throw the broom around, and always helps us iron the fleece under the pen with her little paws.

Some hay will always be around, no matter how often you clean. I vacuum the room only once a week, and the rest of the days I just use a hand vacuum for a few minutes, sweep or pick things up with my hand. This is usually enough to keep things under control – at least for a week, until the next vacuuming is due.

I hope you will find a comfortable solution that fits you.

Hi… I also have anxiety and it is hard to take care of them sometimes. When it is hard I sometimes skip brushing them for that day or if their cage isn’t super messy I leave it be. When I can though this is what I do.

• 8 AM let them out for 15 minutes.
• 9/10 AM I let them out when I do school ( I homeschool ) normally they are out for about 1 hour and a half then.
• 4 PM I have them out for a half hour and every 3 days I brush them ( if up too )
• 8 PM I give them veggies, hay, pellets, fresh water, put herb mix on hay ( if up too ) clean cage ( if up too ), every two weeks I also trim their nails, and every other day I clean their litter box. I have them out for an hour.