Keeping 2 bunnies in a closet?

[lifeasweknowit]

Okay the title is gonna seem practically abusive, but hear me out. I posted a thread a few weeks ago about my rabbit choking. i really have no idea what’s wrong with her, and neither does the vet. (if you haven’t seen my thread heres a breakdown: my rabbit who is 5 years old has been having “choking” episodes (not sure the REAL cause of it or what it even is) where bubble and saliva come out of her nose and mouth, she goes crazy in the beginning and runs around and into things then she goes limp and then after i do the centrifugal force and wipe away all of her snot she is completely normal in a matter of minutes. eating, running, coming when called… normal. her blood work came back normal (had that done twice), changed her hay (i really thought that was the issue but seeing as how it happened today again, im not sure), molar trims twice, and my vet found nothing out of the ordinary and yes she is a rabbit savvy vet).

I’m getting so desperate and just even more confused now. I’m trying to think of all the things I did differently in the past months (this first started – that i noticed 2 months ago and has happened 4 times), and one thing i did differently was remove the rabbits x pen – they’ve always been in the bathroom ever since i moved out of my own apartment like 2 years ago, but about a few months ago – i removed their x pen and had them free range in the bathroom – its a good sized bathroom btw. we dont use chemicals and keep it clean. but maybe now im concerned something may be related to that. I dont want to bring the xpen back out as i think it’s just too small for 2 rabbits, so i was considering transforming the closet into a bunny home. opinions? it has its own air vent (central ac/heat system – typical apartment) but it’s carpet but I would be able to spruce it up. 

the size of the closet is about 60″ x 100″ . so 5 ft by 8 ft. if i were to be able to transform this closet completely, would it be a good place to house my rabbits? they are 2 small holland lops. there is no window, there is a light switch inside – it’s attached to the bathroom and i would leave all doors open and use a baby gate to keep them enclosed there. I would still take them out – but would like for them to have a larger space than an xpen for when im not home. btw, i live in a 2 br apartment and it is very cramped in here so this would be probably the best next option – as the living room and kitchen just has no space, I mean if i NEEDED to I could make anything work – but it would require them being in an xpen if they were to move out of the bathroom/ didnt go to the closet. 

[Azerane]

The closet sounds like a great space for them. There’s plenty of room it’s just the carpet issue mainly as you said. The lack of natural light usa shame but not the end of the world, as you said there is a light that can just be left on. If there is an outlet and a shelf up out of the way of bunny teeth you could even plus in a lamp with a timer that would turn on and off at the same time every day ?

I’m sorry to hear that you’re still having issues with chocking. It’s it just on pellets or hay and veggies as well. Pellets cam be scattered or fed in small amounts by hand or from a treat ball if you need to slow bun down.

[lifeasweknowit]

Thank you for your reply! I’ve decided to simply expand their space into the closet – i found that to be the best thing for them since they have can have both the bathroom and closet to play in

[Azerane]

That sounds like a good idea. Sorry for the odd word or two in my previous post, I’m using a tablet which I’m not used to being auto corrected on and I forget to check.

[Snickerdoodle & Oreo]

I’m sorry about your bunny. That sounds terrifying.

I have a Holland Lop as well and she gave us a scare after a few coughing / choking episodes. We thought bunny sneezes were supposed to be cute, but not hers! We also had X-Rays done and nothing was found out of the ordinary. She’s in great health. Our vet ultimately told us that, if she eats and poops like normal without any nose discharge (which can be respiratory issues) that it’s normal for Lops! Because of their tiny snouts, Lops will sometimes have difficulty breathing, like Pugs or other short snout animals. We haven’t seen her cough again, but I also noticed that if she’s exposed to a draft, that may cause coughing.

Your bunny may be their own unique case, so please, don’t take my word for it and keep working with your vet. But I wanted to share our story, just in case it helps.

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