Nighttime accomodations? (Dog vs bunnies)

[elemenoperica]

I recently adopted my bunnies, William and Henry, from someone who could no longer keep them. I took them in because I couldn’t turn away two sweet boys who were about to become homeless. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into… as much as I love them, I’m a bit overwhelmed because I’m having trouble encouraging the bunnies and my many other rescued “children” get along. I built a NIC Condo in my room, and this works well for them; they can come out into my room safely and play while I’m here, and they seem to be satisfied with the condo. However, the problems begin at night. A year ago I rescued a sweet terrier named Russell; he’s very needy, and demands to spend as much time with me as possible. Russell normally sleeps in my bed, but now that the bunnies have moved in he cannot come into my room. He is very excitable around small animals and I’m almost surprised that William and Henry have remained as calm as they have the few times Russell got close to their condo, barking and lunging. I know that bunnies can be frightened to death (literally) and I certainly don’t want anything like that to happen.

My dilemma is this: I am not one to confine rabbits to a small cage; I think this is cruel except for short periods of time. However, I can’t throw my dog out every night without feeling super guilty as well. I don’t have the space to set up a second condo. So I’ve considered setting up a nighttime hutch or large crate in another room, and transferring them into it before bed. This way they can have the spacious condo during the day, without being disturbed by the dog, and a quiet secure space to sleep at night. Then again, they don’t always seem to sleep at night…

Is this an appropriate arrangement for them, or too much of a sacrifice? Having many animals can really be a challenge… I want the best for all of them. Russell may be re-enrolled in obedience school to help us deal with this, but in the meantime I need a solution.     

[Deleted User]

I am a new bunny mommy (about Feb. I got Boston) and from my experience, I think your buns will be okay without the spacious condo at night. Because my boyfriend and my own’s schedule is so sparactic (school and work) sometimes Boston gets to come out 8 hours a day, sometimes just an hour. Bun’s have great memories and she knows we are not abandoning her on the days she only gets an hour, I think she really knows that we were just busy that day, we will make it up to her.

So what I’m trying to say is Don’t Stress!!!! Your bun’s will be okay overnight in a smaller condo, just let them get used to the livnig quarters so its not a shock to them when they have to go there at night.

[Beka27]

bunnies are not fans of change tho. moving every night to an entirely different place may stress them out, not to mention wreak havoc on litterbox skills. could you set up an xpen (just for nighttime) around the condo so there’s some space betw/ them and the dog? maybe after a few nights your dog would not try and bother them too much. that’s my thought… maybe someone else has a better suggestion?

[MooBunnay]

I agree with Beka that setting up some kind of “buffer space” around the condo would be easier on both of you. An ex-pen surrounding the condo would be a great idea, and then putting a sheet or something over the expen so that the dog cannot see the bunnies.

Bunnies are “crepescular” (sp.?) which means that your bunnies are active in the evening and early morning hours. In fact that very early morning hours are when my bunnies play the most, so I think that putting them in a small condo all night would prevent a lot of their activity. I think the ideal solution would be finding a room where the bunnies could live both day and night and have a large condo.

[Kitsufox]

I kinda agree that working on the dog’s rabbit-manners is probably the best route. Though it will take time and a million corrections before it works. But the long term ramifications of not having to live in fear of the dog getting into the bedroom with the rabbits will likely outweigh the work that will go into the matter.

You’d be surprised by what dogs will happily tolerate with just a bit of work.
It’s also sursprizing what some individual rabbits will have no fear of (granted, my Pheobe is a bit of an adventurer, and Crash is a 13 year old and nowhere near as high energy as a terrier)

[Beka27]

that’s a funny picture kitsufox! your dog looks GIGANTIC in comparison!

[elemenoperica]

An xpen around the condo is a good idea, but I have no doubt that Russell could get through/over/around it, unless it is massive. Hmmm.

[Alicia Conklin]

I have a similiar personalitied (is that even a word?) dog..she is very needy and has to be around me constantly.  The first day or two that we had Tucker she was obsessed with his cage.  But after she was allowed to be around it for a while she calme down.  I have no doubt that if she was allowed free with him she’d still go after him, but now she will actually lay down right outside the cage, as will my bigger dog.  I’d go with the x-pen idea outside the condo and put a sheet over top to discourage his attention from leading there.  If it’s only at night when he should be sleeping maybe it will be ok if he’s craving your attention and you are in bed sleeping?  And as long as the cage is big enough where the rabbits have a place to get away from the side of the condo even if he did get over the x-pen the rabbits should be safe. 

[MarkBun]

Remember that terriers were bred as rat catchers and that buns are, in their eyes, just big rats. It is in their nature to get and kill them. You can tell this when you give them a toy to play with and they shake their head side to side quickly – that is what they do to snap the neck of the rat.

Getting a terrier to become friends with bunnies would be quite a challenge – if it’s possible at all. Your best bet would be like others have said – to put the buns out of sight of the dog. Even a sheet over the condo would work (until the bun’s pulled/nibbled the sheet to death). Some cardboard clipped to the side of the condo at night to block the vision of the dog would work as well. He’ll still be able to smell them but if he’s more into you than them, he’ll probably not go looking.

[Gravehearted]

yes i would be cautious too, since bunnies have very delicate skin and a playful dog could do serious damage. I also really like the x-pen idea, it gives the buns a lil more room to roam, but also keeps them safe.

[kimberleyanddarren]

for now maybe you could put the buns in the bathroom? this is usually a safe bet because their is usually no cables or whatever, and then the dog could come into your room at night? this might be a sort of short term solution while you work on the dogs manners

[Kitsufox]

I’ve found that hiding things from your dog makes them more curious about that thing.
While them playing with one another is probably never going to happen (Heck, Crash thinks rabbits are just very small dogs and I still don’t let her and Pheobe actually play) it should be fully possible to address the aggression issue and create an insulated area around the rabbits and get the dog used to being around them without chasing them.

I’ve kept cocker spaniels and cockatiel’s at the same time. It’s all about Cesar Millan’s favorite phrase: “Exercise, Discipline, Affection”. If your dog is balanced, and you make sure they’re never completely unsupervised together you can reach a point where a status quo, one favorable for everyone in the house, can be reached.

Terrier or not, a dog is still a dog. and any dog can be taught to accept “Humans will not tolerate your aggression towards these animals”

There’s no reason to segregate he family when some work on just dealing with being in the same room is all it will take.

[Bunstheboss]

Hi Elemenoperica. I have 5 dogs, 2 cats and 2 bunnies. The bunnies were the last ones to arrive. My dogs all sleep in my bedroom, each in his bed, except for my tiny nut fat Lhasa Apso (on my bed, snoring) and Bonus (border collie) who asks me for permission to jump on to the bed at around 5.30 a.m each night(of course he is allowed). My cat Charlotte also sleeps on the bed. My bunnies have their on room and when the dogs are outside, they are given free roam of the ground floor of the house. They sleep in their room.

If I were you, I would move the bunnies out of the room at night and let Russell sleep as he used to. Changing Russell’s routine goes in detriment of himself and his ever possible relationship with the rabbits. Anyway, I would really think twice before trying to bond him with the bunnies. Terriers have a very strong prey instinct and even if he gets obedience training, it would be very hard for him to control himself. Not impossible, but hard. One of my dogs in particular also has a very strong prey instinct. She can deal now with seeing the bunnies around (the bunnies have an enclosed area in the garden for themselves only, and a huge wheeled cage I sometimes get them into, when I want them to spend time with all my menagerie), but I would not risk having them loose together. All my dogs are obedience trained (I am a dog trainer), still, it is hard to go against instinct. It is a good idea for the dogs to see that the bunnies are part of the family and allowed to be in the living room and spending time with the family. That helps all animals to get used to one another.

So, I hope I have been helpful. Good luck and keep us posted!

[elemenoperica]

Thank you all for your help. I know this will be a challenge, but I plan on working with Russell diligently to get him to the point where he can be in the same room as the buns (safe in their condo). Russell is very prey-driven; he treats our cat like a toy, but she seems to like it. (Of course I wouldn’t allow him to touch the bunnies.) The other day I brought him into the room with his gentle leader and leash on, and a few treats. I made him sit about 8 feet from the condo, and when he was quiet, I gave him a treat. Then we moved up a couple feet; I made him sit and down, and when he was quiet, he got a treat. And so on. The buns were pretty calm through this process; they even came up to sniff us when we were about 2 feet from the condo. I don’t really know if this is the best way to train him to chill out around them. I was a bit concerned that he’ll associate food (treats) with the rabbits. But frankly, praise doesn’t do anything for him when there is something as exciting as a rabbit nearby. He did seem to force himself to calm down, if even for a few moments, to get the treat.

Bunnycraize, since you have experience dog training, what do you think about working with Russell in this way (using treats near the buns to reward his calm behavior).

[Kitsufox]

I don’t think that you have anything to worry about with the method you’re using. You’re rewarding him for calm in the presence of the rabbits. He’s getting food for not chasing the bunnies Since trying to eat the bunnies = no food… He’s learning a good association.
Generally speaking, positive reinforcement of behavior your want is far more effective than negative.

Given some time and patience he will definitely be able to learn to be in the same room as them (in expens or their Condo).

[Bunstheboss]

Don’t worry about using food. It is ok. What is important is that you use positive reinforcement. You should increase gradually the time he remains calm, i.e. keep him in a ‘stay’ position (either down or sitting) for 10” and reinforce, then 25” and reinforce, when you get to 45” (approx.), start getting nearer the cage. It is always a good idea to start with longer periods, before the stimulus becomes stronger (being closer to the bunnies). If he understands ‘no’, you can use it, not in an angry voice, but as a way of ‘informing’ him what he is doing is not what you expect. Anyway,. I would really try not to change his routine. If he notices the bunnies have ‘stolen’ his right to be in the bedroom, they will not only be prey, but objects of his jealousy as well.

Good luck!! Hope it helps!

[BinkyBunny]

You’ve received some great advice and caution tips. Please keep us updated on how things progress.

[KatnipCrzy]

I guess the only thing that I can add- is that if the bunnies are in a cage on the floor- they are at a prey level.  Now it may not make a bit of difference to the terrier- but having the rabbits higher could maybe make them feel more secure. 

Again, I am not sure if this will help in your situation at all.  But for others trying to introduce a bunny to their household- it could make a difference.  My bunny has a cage on wheels inside of a NIC pen.  But when we first got her- I found it helpful that she was not on floor level when introduced to our dogs.  But our dogs did not bark, or were not frantic to get to her.  They are Australian Shepherds- herding dogs- so their insticts with bunnies are different although still possibly dangerous.

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