Moving outdoor bunny inside

[Amber]

Hello! I’ve tried searching the forums for something on this topic but all I can find are people moving their indoor bunnies outside.

I’ve had my rabbit for about 5 years, and for all this time I’ve had him outside in a nice hutch. The hutch has two parts: an open-walled side and a warm, closed-in side. I have recently moved and my new landlord has asked if I could move him inside and get rid of the hutch as they are doing landscaping in the backyard where I have him.

Obviously, I would much rather have my bunny inside than outside so I was very happy to do this. I’ve created a bunny condo out of wire storage cubes and made a couple platforms for him to jump on. My biggest concern is that it’s fairly open, meaning that everywhere is exposed. There’s no place dark for my bunny to hide, so I wasn’t sure what to do about that. I have a small cardboard box I was going to cut a door in for him to use and put a spare towel in there for him to use as a bed. Would this be a good idea for a bed, or is there something else you’d suggest?

I was initially worried that he might go to the bathroom in this cardboard box, but a friend suggested I put his food, hay, and water near the litter box so he’ll leave his little hidey-hole. He’s a clean bunny and only goes to the bathroom in one corner of his hutch already. I had litter box trained him once while he was outside, but he out-grew his litter box and I never got another one, so I was thinking it might be easier to re-train him to use the litter box.

Thanks in advance, and any other advice would be welcome as well!

[Brambino]

If it’s very open it might be worth covering one side with a towel or something to start with. If he’s nervous it means he only has to worry about 2/3 sides of the cage and gives him a ‘safe’ dark side where nothing can sneak up on him. My bun is a scardey bun and really appreciates this.

[Amber]

That’s a good idea. I might cover up the side where his litter box is to encourage him to go over there. Thank you!

[Azerane]

A cardboard box hidey house is a great idea, as is draping a towel or blanket over part of the condo to begin with. You may find he gets used to it, it really depends how nervous or settled your bunny is. Hooray on moving him inside I would think he should litter box train fairly easily if he’s done it before.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Awesome! Let us know how it goes!

[Meg]

Yes yes! An upside-down cardboard box with two doors (each on a different wall) has been loved by many a bunny. (They like having a sheltered, dark clubhouse with a roof, and two doors makes them confident they could escape if needed — their favorite.) And yes, you can litter-train him easily, I’d bet. If he doesn’t go for the litterbox initially, move it to whatever spot he’s using.

I’d be curious if anyone else uses a bed — my bunnies just kind of lounge on the carpet, and haven’t been much into towels or blankets except for chewing them up. (; I got them one of those oval cat beds a while back but they started eating the floor, so I cut it out and now they have just the soft oval perimeter that they like to snuggle in and/or against sometimes.

Good luck and welcome home (indoors), bunny!

[Amber]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I’m taking him to the vet today for a checkup and then I’ll be moving him in tonight! I’ll see if I can post some pictures and let you know how it goes

[Vienna Blue in France]

Welcome Amber !!
Yay for indoor shared-space bunny

Beware about putting a towel in the cardboard box as a lot of bunnies think soft towels/blankies = toilet area…! You can try – but just be aware.

I have a big bunny who is 70/30 out/indoors and has her litter tray outside.
I got a huge cardboard box from work and cut holes in it for to play with when she comes inside….
Only thing was, Zou thought it was a toilet area (nice and sheltered from perverts watching!)

So I’ve come to a compromise as she LOVES being in the box and throwing her toys around in it (which, I have nicely tidied away the night before!)…. I now have a second, mini, litter-tray IN the box (holes cut in the side to attach litter tray and prevent it from becoming a throw toy!).

Don’t expect the holes in the cardboard to remain the same size – they are JUST asking to be chewed !! LOL (Mine have both been joined up by a chewed line, making it look like a pair of glasses has been cut into the box!!)  

[LittlePuffyTail]

You will enjoy having your bun indoor so much!

[Amber]

I really appreciate how helpful everyone is! I’m very excited, I feel like I’m getting him all over again

Currently, I have a couple holes cut in the cardboard box. I full expect it to be destroyed in a week or so

As for a towel in the cardboard box, I just have a single towel across the bottom of the cage for traction so he doesn’t slide on the plastic tray I’m using as a floor. I figured a towel is easy enough to wash if he has an accident, and the plastic I can just wipe up. I didn’t know if he needed something squishy to sleep on. Outside, I always loaded up his hutch with hay. I’d rather not have loose hay inside his cage, just in the hay feeder.

[Amber]

The vet gave Professor Bananas a clean bill of health and he’s all moved in! He promptly hid in the cardboard box for about 20 minutes, thumping his back leg but he seems to be warming up to it. He’s digging at the towel on the floor and rearranging his food bowl, and now he’s chowing down on some hay.

I’ve got his litter box in a dark corner of the cage, threw some poops in there, and put the hay feeder right next to it for optimal bathroom comfort. He seems to be having fun exploring, though he does return to the cardboard box every so often. He keeps pushing it up and looks at me angrily if it gets stuck.

I wanted to upload some pictures, but I’m not sure how.

Here are some links!

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

[Q8bunny]

Aww… Professor Bananas will soon settle in fully eventually… how exciting! He’s such a cutie.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Professor Bananas ! lol

[Author]

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