need advice about dog issue with my buns

[crazylittlebunny]

When Im not busy with life stuff (I do work but its usually in the mornings), I bring my rabbits up (their enclosure is in the basement) to play. They are usually up from 12/1 pm to 8 pm so they get a good amount of play time (I think?). My little issue comes from the fact that my home has 3 dogs: rex, loki, and peanut (we took my grandparents dog when they both passed).

My rabbits don’t like the dogs and get nervous around them so when they are up for their (usually daily) playtime (they free roam), I put the dogs in the garage for the time being (and of course the dogs are let out multiple times to go potty). The problem arises when my parent get home and let the dogs in (even though I tell them not to), which scares the buns cause the dogs are hyperactive. Not only that, Loki has a bad habit of barking at everything little thing and when he does that, the other dogs will start to bark too (its chaos) and peanut has a bad habit of snapping/acting out toward the other animals. I do take and put my buns in a smaller room and shut the door so the dogs can’t get at them but its not enough and they still freak out (and no I can’t let them roam the basement cause the basement is (mostly) full of crap and my rabbits could get hurt/eat something they shouldn’t).

Im afraid that my rabbits will accidentally end up hurting themselves when they panic and try to hide (my doe has already dislocated a toe) and when I brought up my concerns to my parents, they tell me its “no big deal” and that my rabbits will eventually “just have to get use to it”. I try to put the dogs back into the garage but my parents just let them back in again. It frustrates me that my concerns are being brushed off and downplayed and I don’t know what to do.

Any advice on how I should go about this??

[pinkiemarie]

You said there isn’t space downstairs and it isn’t safe but I’m wondering if you can possibly move some things? Would you parents be ok with you doing some spring cleaning and getting rid of some things that are no longer used? Then you could get one or more ex pens to put together to make a safe space where they can’t get into anything they shouldn’t, and they’ll be more insulated from the dog noise. Of course the dogs could also be better trained but it sounds like that isn’t really on the table so it seems like your best bet is to try to make a safe space for the buns.

[DanaNM]

You need to keep the rabbits separated from the dogs in this situation. I think the suggestion of improving the basement for them to exercise in is a good one, or just keep them in the smaller room with the door shut.

The risk of something going wrong is too high in this situation for them to be in any areas the dogs have access to.

Sorry you are going through this. 🙁

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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