Efficient Multiple Bunny Care

[Sealy]

ooo! Such great suggestions and loved the pictures..everything looks so ...clean! :S

I wanna see messy so I don't feel so bad Actually with remodeling and building cages and routine care, I have come to accept it won't always look neat and organized...yet. But wait till I get my NIC furniture built lol.

I will come up witha chart/journal thing here very soon..but right now, I have my nose stuck in the Harry Potter book and will be scarce round here till I finish it. I.Must.Read.

Scritchies and snuggles to all your buns from me and mine



~Sealy

 

[JimD]

I think the key word is "routine". And try to stick to it.

My basement is now Bunny Wonderland.8 bunnies...each has a cage and attached Nic pen. They're arranged in rows with aisles that make it easy to go from one to the next in an orderly fashion. The pics in our blog were lost in the forum move. I'll repost the pics of the new bunnie room as soon as I get a chance.

Every Morning routine (6am):
Food bowls (breakfast rations).
Fill water bottles as needed.
Fill hay racks as needed.
Ear & Nose rubs.

Every Evening routine (7pm):
Food bowls (supper rations)
Fill water bottles as needed.
Distribute Hay cubes.
Ear & Nose rubs.
Free run time - worked on a rotational schedule so each night a differentbuns gets out for an hour or so.

Every other night:
Litter Pan cleaning - dump, clean (vinegar/Dawn/rinse&dry), refill.
Vacuuming cages/pens and room (rigged up ShopVac with a loooong hose that will reach entire room & all cages).

Once a week (usually on weekends)
Cage cleaning if needed - luckily only 2 of my buns make messes in their cages.
Clean/disinfect/sanitize water bottles and food bowls.
Supply run to Pet Goods.
Do any fixing up or maintenance to cages/pens/room.
Spend rest of daywith the buns, watching TV and hanging out (Yes....they have cable in the bunnie room!!).

Once a month
Check over time & nail clipping if needed.


The only thing left is the Woody Pet run....like every 3 or 4months. I pick up 16 bags at a time.

 

[Bassetluv]

iluvmybuns wrote:

Sealy don't feel bad, I only have 2 bunnies and there is hay EVERYWHERE!!!:dunno

You know, one morning I walked into 'the rabbit room' (previously known as my son's bedroom) and just stood there and sighed...hay was everywhere - spread all over the floor, under the chair, under boxes...

And then I laughed as I heard my dad's voice echoing in my head, something he used to frequently say to me when I was a young teen, and my bedroom was always a mess:

"I'd hate to see your house when you grow up. It'll probably look like the inside of a barn!!"

Boy, was he right...

 

[Daffy]

Does anyone with multiple buns keep them outside in hutches with runs attached and are these on grass or paving slabs? We are having a real problem with some of the buns pooing on the grass where its dificult to clean up properly. Anyone with any suggestions?

 

[Sealy]

Daffy wrote:

Does anyone with multiple buns keep them outside in hutches with runs attached and are these on grass or paving slabs? We are having a real problem with some of the buns pooing on the grass where its dificult to clean up properly. Anyone with any suggestions?

I don't have mine outside, but for getting the poo up, I think a wet/dry vac could work, just plug it into a heavy duty extension cord.

 

[Haley]

Just wanted to add, this isnt routine-related but for multiple bunnies its good to buy food in bulk. I found out instead of paying $8.00 fora 5lb bag of timothy pellets my local Pet Supplies Plus would order me a 50lb bag of Oxbowfor only $38.00.

Definitely helps when you have 7 bunnies in your home!

 

[maherwoman]

Oh, yeah...that's another thing...we buy Kaytee Timothy Complete for ours, and since we have yet to find it in bigger than 5lb bags, we buy a whole box (30lbs in all) at once. Not to mention, the place we order it through sells it to us at-cost...they don't even charge us the shipping!

Haley wrote:

Just wanted to add, this isnt routine-related but for multiple bunnies its good to buy food in bulk. I found out instead of paying $8.00 fora 5lb bag of timothy pellets my local Pet Supplies Plus would order me a 50lb bag of Oxbowfor only $38.00.

Definitely helps when you have 7 bunnies in your home!

 

[JadeIcing]

In 25 minutes we cleaned every cage. Which is 6, fed 7 rabbits, and 2 gps. We cleaned 10 litterpans, and fed pellets & fresh hay to everyone. That was changing the sheets under cages and re-covering tiles.

Routine and easy set-up.

This is the water pitcher we take.

 

[Sealy]

JadeIcing wrote:"
In 25 minutes we cleaned every cage. Which is 6, fed 7 rabbits, and 2 gps. We cleaned 10 litterpans, and fed pellets & fresh hay to everyone. That was changing the sheets under cages and re-covering tiles.
"

ooo! I envy your mad organizational skillz! :bow
I don't dare show what my Bunny room looks like right now. mmm mmm nope. I've got 3 in process cages being built, havn't vaccumed territorial poos today and just got my new boxes of hay in from Oxbow and grabbed handfuls out and dispensed in a hurry. ( All to be cleaned up before I go to bed tonight).
I do however, have a water pitcher that I carry around to fill water crocks with. Also a 2 liter cleaned out soda bottle of water when I don't have time to open cage dorrs. I just pour through the panel spaces.

 

[JadeIcing]

The boot serves to pour through cage bars.

 

[Chickenlittle586]

I wish i could be as organized as you JadeIcing. I'm jealous.

 

[clarzoo]

JadeIcing wrote: I wonder if care varies from indoor buns to outdoor buns.

My routine sounds similar to everyone elses. I house my 7 rabbits outdoor in a three-sided building. There is a wall along one of the long sides, and the other three sides are fenced with wire, but not walls. It allows for good ventilation and breezes.

I get up in the morning, let the dogs into the yard, go visit the rabbits. I fill water bottles and crocks, give them their morning feed. Right now almost everyone is on free-feed except for one rabbit, so I just top off feeders. Everyone gets a handful of Timothy hay. In the summer I make sure all fans are clean and running at full speed. Since my rabbits are one wire cages, I do a quick brushing off of the cage bottoms to remove any poo or hay. Give everyone that likes them head rubs and kisses. Check Mokey's bottom, cause she's prone to loose stool.

If I come home for lunch, mid-day, everyone gets checked again. I have an automatic timer set for a misting system that runs for a little bit in the hottest part of the day to help reduce the temps.

Night time routine is about the same. Check water bottles and feeders. In the hot part of summer, fans are left on 24/7, so I check them again. Some nights everyone will get a little treat. In summers it is just too hot for anyone to be let into the run to play. But in winter the rabbits that enjoy playing (I have two that don't, lol!) get let out to play in the playpen. Babies go out together, adults one at a time rotated throughout the week. Any cages with trays get dumped every few days.

On a weekly basis I check each rabbit over. Nails, grooming, etc... I also clean. Sweep floor of barn. I have three cages with trays, so those get washed and vinegared. Brush the hair off the fans really well. Empty and refill all water bottles completely. Clean if needed. Clean feeders if needed.

It seems to not take as long to do my routing as it took me to type out this post, lol!!