When to let outside of cage

[Arigg]

I just got two, male and female, netherland dwarfs.  Not the first time i’ve had a pair of them but it’s been a loooong time.  I am currently going through some issues with these two bugers.  One: they like to pee right off the edge of the litter box.  i’m not even sure if i have it in the corner they want but i’m sure i’ve got it now. They poop EVERYWHERE!! especially where they eat their food and timothy. i could be gone for 15 minutes and there would be a pile.  I have a two level cage and under the ramp in a dark room, for when they breed. i did this with my last two ND’s and they warmed right up to it.  but these two aren’t havin it.  it’s not totally dark, wasn’t able to put screen on the interior seperator b/c they would chew on it, so i bought an all natural but to put in that space and they don’t even use it.  the male just chews it.  he acts like he wants it gone but idk what to do.  i want to leave it in there for awhile and see if they warm up to it, but then again i want to just take it out from under the ramp, cuz he can’t move it out of that are with the ramp there, and put it somewhere else in the cage.  What should i do there??   Last night, my first night with them, i bought them a little bed and put it on my desk with i was Skype’ing with my girlfriend, their ‘mother’, and they loved it. but the male pee’d all over the dang thing.  He’s doing the same thing in the cage too.  They have really only pee’d in the litter box a few times.  i will post pictures of the cage here, i can’t do it on my profile for some reason.  Please help and any ideas will help.  i want to catch the problems now and fix them fast before they become life habits. Also…when can i let them run around the room?? i want them to have complete access to my bedroom or whichever room they are in, but i feel that it’s too soon.  i still have to bunny proof the room though, i let them out last night and i didn’t take my eye off them for a second and they did pretty good. i can’t really think of anything else.  SORRY FOR TYPING SO MUCH!!  i’m just in need of info 

[LoveChaCha]

You have baby rabbits, their habits are going to be messy and not really good, unless they are fixed. Boys should be fixed at 4 months, females at 6 months.

Also, I would recommend a high ended litter box. I would examine where they do their business, and put the box there. If there are any stray poops, just pick it up and throw it into the litter box. Rabbits are very intelligent and will catch onto things I have a large cat size litter box (no top) and I have wood stove pellets in it, along with some hay. It is absolutely normal for rabbits to poop/pee and eat hay. They should ALWAYS have a big supply of hay, as it is a huge chunk of their diet.

Some rabbits will pee in their beds, and they do it possibly because it is very soft. You do have young rabbits, and it requires a lot of patience. I bought up a 7 week old Nethie, and she is really well behaved.

Did you mention breeding? That is not a topic allowed on this board. We are a house rabbit community that advocates for spaying and neutering rabbits. They make better pets when they are not so hormonally driven.

 

[Tate]

Just to touch on a few things- and this answer doesn’t necessarily belong in the Habitats section, but as long as I’m thinking them – Yes, they will poop everywhere. It’s a young rabbit thing but even more so, it’s a non-altered thing. These rabbits won’t have any real litter habits until they’re fixed. You can train them to some degree and they do catch on quickly, but once they reach a certain age, usually around 4 months ish, those will go out the window. Also, they need to be separated immediately. It’s definitely not healthy for a female to get pregnant so young and it’s very possible that you would lose her while she’s pregnant or giving birth. They have the hormones, but their bodies just aren’t ready for it yet.
I would leave the hidey house in there. They will get used to it and probably use it at some point once they figure it out!
Again, the only way to alter a rabbit’s natural tendencies is to physically alter them- that is, spay and neuter.
Ok, this is off topic- I noticed that you have vitamins in the water bottle. These are unnecessary if you’re feeding a good pellet. Generally, it’s not even recommended to give them as they tend to discourage water use. On that note- what brand of pellets are you using right now?
Also, more hay. Like, just keep tons and tons of hay in there and place it in their litter box or in a hay rack over it.
Sorry for the spotty/off topic reply! Hehe.

[jerseygirl]

That’s a great condo. Good flooring choice.

I think a few changes will help get on top of the littering. You can even use less litter depending on how absorbant it is. The amount in there now would make them sit high and easily pee over the edge.
I’d go for a bigger box. Try rectangular cat boxes. Even 2 side by side. Pop the feeder above the litter box(es) and either hang a hay rack or put hay directly on top of the litter. If you put the hay on top, be sure to take out the soiled hay daily.
We don’t really train rabbits. It’s more about setting things up to take advantage of their natural tendencies. They poop where the hay is.

Is that a pile of fur on the bottom floor??  If it is fur, I’m worried about the amount. Your female may already be nesting or have had kits.  I’m not even sure they could pull that amount…

You mention in your intro thread you’ve only had them 1 day. Were they in together at the place you got them from?

[Beka27]

When you have a moment, please read the “Forum Rules and Guidelines” located here:  https://www.binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/a…fault.aspx

For your convenience, I have copy/pasted the excerpt which deals with the discussion of intentional breeding.  Since you have stated in two places (your Intro thread and this thread) that you have 1) no plans to alter and that 2) you have made their cage in a way to facilitate breeding, any litters that result from this pair will be considered intentional and discussion of these litters will not be allowed.  If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to message Binkybunny (Forum Administrator), myself, or any of the Forum Leaders (our names are listed at the top of each page).

From the “Forum Rules and Guidelines” referenced above:

 D.   Discussions of Accidental Litters, Breeding, Meat Rabbits: Discussions involving intentional breeding (of any animal) and meat rabbits are not allowed: IF your bunny is unexpectedly pregnant, then we are more than happy to help out and/or refer you to experts that can.  Though we promote rescue, we are not an anti-breeder site.  To find out why breeding discussions are not allowed see the FAQ.

 

•     Accidental Litter:  Sometimes this happens and we will do our best to help the pregnant doe and/or babies by providing advice to the  best of our knowledge.  However, posting future baby photos will be prohibited unless it is in regards to a health or behavior question.  Posting photos of the babies just  to share the cute faces will not be allowed.  The reason for this is it draws people in to our site , via the search engines, to the subject of babies and breeding (even though it was accidental).   We are focused on the individual rabbit and do not wish to encourage this subject for several reasons.  Again, please review FAQ .

•     Posts that imply intentional breeding are not allowed: Posts that mention pregnancy, new litters, kits, or babies may be considered as “intentional” breeding, if it is not clarified as accidental.  *NOTE: Repeat accidental litters from the same person will fall into this implied category as well (regardless if it was truly accidental over and over).  Again, a surprise litter that someone needs help with, and they continue to mention their kits’ progress is OKAY, but mentioning brand new kits in a way that implies new litters over and over is NOT OKAY.

•     Repeat Litter Exceptions: Certified Rescues can post about repeat litters.  Rescues many times are subject to getting rabbits in that are already pregnant.  They are allowed to use our forum to post about it in the RESCUE SECTION and use the forum as a resource for adoption. 

[Stickerbunny]

You said you had two others in your intro thread when you were young – a pet as a youngster and a pet as a an adult will be vastly different things. Even if you were the primary care giver, when young parents do help out.

They are baby rabbits. Litter habits will be off and with their hormones, expect a lot of marking (peeing on every thing). Getting them altered will help that a lot. Expect them to exhibit some more destructive behaviors as well as they get older – my female when her hormones kicked in dug my carpet and destroyed it, started chewing walls, etc. I would recommend a cat litterbox as well, the corner ones fill too fast and rabbits don’t like getting dirty. Also, since they are a pair, they may want to use the box together and they can’t in such a small one. Put a little litter, enough to cover the bottom but not enough to make them high up at the bottom and add some hay to the box. Also, what are you using as litter? Some rabbits don’t like litters that smell (like wooden pellets), my male refuses to use anything but paper.

As for the altering… it would be best for the bunnies to have them fixed. Females have a VERY HIGH risk of cancer if left unaltered (about 80%). Both genders may become aggressive and – even breeders don’t leave their males/females caged together as they will just constantly mate and even double litter, causing excess stress on the female. If you want them to be pets that are in good health and have each other for company, have them altered. It takes a lot of rabbit experience to properly care for babies anyway – there is no need to breed on your second pair of buns!

For when to let them out… let them out in a x-pen to start, then as they start to behave a bit more you can let them have more freedom.

[RabbitPam]

Hi,
I am afraid I must agree with Beka regarding the rules concerning breeding. I am going to place this post on hold for now while we consult with BB and give you a decision. Should you decide to get them speutered, and bond them without breeding them, we would be happy to continue to have you as a member here.

[BinkyBunny]

 Someone who is breeding rabbits, can ask questions about their individual bunny (as their animal companion) and they can ask questions about health, housing, litter training, etc.  The issue is you can’t discuss any aspect of breeding (which is why your post was flagged).  For a explanation of WHY we don’t discuss breeding please see https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx.  – click on “Q3”

So that can pose a real problem for the well-being of your bunnies because diet, housing, behaviors, etc, can vary a bit if you are breeding rabbits and we are not equipped to help you in that way. You would need to find a group that has some expertise in that area so your bunnies can get the correct type of care. Our suggestions for diet and housing, etc may actually do more harm if you still plan on breeding.  

  Also, due to the nature of the community, many of us are involved in rescue and with so many shelters already overcrowded with rabbits, discussions about breeding and new litters can become heated and therefore it is not discussed here. 

Our focus is on the individual non-breeding bunny and we are here to help you with how you would go about that.  If you are interested in reconsidering breeding and decide to focus on just the care of your two bonded bunnies, then we can help with information about appropriate housing, diet, behaviors, and spay/neutering. 

Thread is officially locked.  

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