Changing from hutch rabbit to house rabbit; I NEED TIPS!

[simbaandsmudge]

I have recently adopted two 8 week old female mini lops, who are not spayed. They seem to be getting on fine, apart from some chasing. However, we have a pretty large two story hutch (top part is a room with a nesting box and bottom is a run) and whenever one of the bunnies is upstairs and starts running around, the other bunny who is in the run gets startled and runs like crazy around her run and jumping in and out of her litter boxes (she runs around a lot but sometimes they get crazy speed) is this normal? Also, I’m considering changing them to house rabbits in my bedroom because their hutch is currently in our garage which is downstairs (the weather is storms and high winds where we live so I feel it would be cruel to keep it outdoors) and I have to walk pretty far to get to their hutch. I feel I can’t check up on their eating habits and health etc as often as I like. We are getting renovations next year and I was planning to change them to house bunnies in about a years time but I want to be around them more often. Do you feel changing them to house bunnies is necessary and what are some tips (if) so?

Also, my bedroom is fully carpet, is this fine for their feet? Do you have any tips to stop them from chewing on the carpet (if they do)? I also have pet mice on my desk in a bin cage of course, will the bunnies and/or mice be bothered by each other? My room is a decent size so it will be an upgrade from the hutch. If you have any tips and/or comments regarding these paragraphs please tell me!

[tobyluv]

It’s always better to keep bunnies inside the house, where they are part of the family. Even though the bunnies are in a garage and may be protected by weather extremes, parasites, predators, etc., it is still not as good for them as being in the house with you.

You will have to bunny proof any rooms or areas they are in when they have out of cage time for play and exercise. Go to the BUNNY INFO link at the top of the page here to see information on bunny proofing as well as info on housing, feeding, bonding, etc.

At 8 weeks of age, you will soon need to separate the bunnies. Even if they are both female (and sometimes they are mis-sexed which leads to unplanned litters) they shouldn’t be together once they start into puberty, which could be around 12 weeks of age. With the hormones that puberty brings, you can have territorial feelings and aggression, which can lead to fighting. If rabbits fight, they can severely injure each other. It doesn’t matter if they were related or litter mates, they need to be separated by the time they are 12 weeks old. They shouldn’t be housed together and they shouldn’t be out to play at the same time. They can stay in the same room, though. After they have been spayed and a few weeks have elapsed, you can start the bonding procedure. They only have a temporary baby bunny bond now.

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