Will it be enough space?

[Lux]

Hello all! 
I have 1 rabbit now, Atlas a 10lbs flemish giant mix buck. His current cage is 3.5ft wide x 4ft long x 5.5ft tall with 3 levels, he is allowed free run of  bunny-proofed room for several hours a day. He has seemed lonely since I got him so I decided I would get him a friend to bond to, long story short the breeder I was planning on getting a flemish giant from I am now getting two baby does from in a few weeks. 

The new rabbit area is 4ft wide x 12ft long and will be penned in with an x-pen. If they are still allowed to run a rabbit proofed room  for a couple hours everyday will that be a big enough “cage” space for two full flemish giants and my 10lbs mix? 

Also should I leave my boy’s cage in there as his “home base” or should I remove it once they are bonded? Will the girls need their own home base too or will the whole pen be home base for them. 

Last question, how many litter boxes should I provide for them once everything is settled and they are bonded, one for each like cats or will 2 be enough since that is what will best fit in the area?

[Megabunny]

That’s going to be a LOT of big BIG rabbits. I’d think seriously about this. I don’t know if that area is going to be big enough once they’re full sized. Plenty of people have trouble bonding three rabbits. And they have to be separated or spayed before they get too old. And what if they don’t all get along? That really sounds like a lot of work, especially if you don’t have a room you can dedicate to these giants. I’m guessing the boy is going to need to remain apart for a long time. I’m sorry I don’t have the answer for all these questions. Your breeder might have some ideas, depending on what kind of breeder she is. You could ask some of these on the bonding thread. I don’t know much about it. HOpefully this will get the ball rolling on some answers if it moves up the line on the thread.

[JackRabbit]

Honestly, his current cage sounds cramped for a flemmie. He should have floor space to hop at least 4 times, room to completely stretch out, and enough “head room” to fully periscope without touching any “roof”. The 4′ x 12′ sounds more suitable for your current flemmie mix alone, particularly since he only gets run time for several hours per day. Could you give him that setup? My 3 lb bun’s 3 level condo is larger than your 10 lb bun’s and I’m feeling guilty that she doesn’t have more floor space in there, plus, her’s is also 5.5 ft tall and the levels could not be any lower for her.

Megabunny is right about the separation period and about bonding. Assuming you are able to get all three bonded, I would think the three need at least a full room with plenty of open run space, and at least 3 litter boxes (each with a hay source).

[Lux]

Atlas (current bunny) is out for about 2hrs in the morning and another 5hrs in the evening, when my boyfriend isn’t home he gets full reign of the home, but when he is he is in a 12ft x 12ft room for his out of cage time. 

The girls I was planning on spaying at 5 months after talking it over with my vet and the breeder. I know he would have to be away from them until after they heal from their spays.

I talked it over with my boyfriend and he said we can move a china cabinet out of that room which will make the pen area “L” shaped and adds another 4ft wide x 5ft long section, the measurements are from where the pen was going to be. I am trying to convince him to let me have the whole playroom as a bunny room but he is resisting at the moment. But currently I made a little diagram of what the area is shaped like and lengths

       ________9ft______
       |           |
       |           |
       |           | 4ft
       |      5ft         |     
       |            —————
       |             |       
12ft |     |
       |             | 8ft
       |             |
       |             |
       |             |
       |     4ft   |
        ————

[JackRabbit]

Glad to hear your guy is getting lots of out of cage time. I was picturing him in a condo smaller than Kieko’s most of the time.

You’re going to need the whole play room down the road if you get all three bonded, and I imagine, with two flemmies and one flemmie mix, your big bunnies are going to make sure your boyfriend knows! My bunnies are tiny comparatively, but from the BBers with active big bunnies, I’m not sure there’s an xpen (unless covered) that will contain 3 potentially curious flemmies. One BBer (Manic_Muncher) that I know of has a young female flemmie (Bonnie; along with two other bunnies), and she might be a good one to feel out on flemmie space requirements. I haven’t seen her on in a little while, but you could pm her and I’m sure she’d give you some ideas.

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