Efficient Multiple Bunny Care

[Sealy]

It seems in just a very short period of time I now have a house full of buns O_O ( 4 new additions of my own rescuing & my mother's impulse buying =2 more. She decided last night the novelty has worn off already so now I have them :S)
Two more NIC cages being built this weekend, I'm going to have to buy stock in the company. heh
My questions are: :
For those of you who have multiple buns, what is the most organized, efficient way of physically) cleaning, feeding, etc.?

I decided to make record keeping sheets on each bun and record everything daily ( including routines & etc) I would think this would be one of the best ways to get to know them so I can more quickly identify any problems. Before I type out a master sheet, is there a software that would make this easier? Or a master sheet already compiled?

The biggest problem I am having right now is being unorganized in their care ( and also having to work on building more cages and moving furniture around) is that the physical care is taking away from our cuddle/bonding/grooming times. I want those back!
Also, am I the only crazy person who seems to have hay EVERYWHERE?!?

~Sealy

 

[pla725]

Welcome to my world. I have four plus a foster. I've hay and whatever else scaddered everywhere. I need more space!

I'm currently looking to buy a condo. I live in a one bedroom apartment (flat) now.

My care schedule is twice a day. In the morning I'm feeding, tidying up and getting ready for work. Evening is feeding, tidying up, cleaning litter boxes, and whatever else.It can be overwhelming some days but I love my rabbits.

I don't have a master plan or anything. It has just become routine for me. Even when I sick they get taken care of.

 

[Sealy]

LOL and what a world it is to be in! I really am enjoying it, even though it can be overwhelming at times.
My routine right now is similiar to yours. When I wake up, on my way to make coffee, I check buns, make sure everyone is breathing and ok. I make a mental note of who needs what. Afer coffee, I commence with daily bun duty... clean litterboxes, vacumm up poop that has been scattered that the dogs havn't already 'cleaned up ' :S ( which reminds me , I HAVE GOT TO make guards for the cages)
feed, water and give pets and rubs. Throughout the day ( I work at home) I am constantly checking on them, refilling water, hay as needed. Night time I repeat the process, except for litter box changes. This is when I usually will do my holding/cuddle/grooming/checking body over for problems thing.
I too live in a relatively small place..one end of the house, BIG living room, a bathroom, small hallway and a bedroom. I have decided I just may not need furniture anymore. Living was going to be HALF buns, now is whole living room of buns. the couch must go! If I wasn't getting so old and arthritic, I would just have bean bag chairs. heh.

~Sealy

 

[Flashy]

I have 15 and I've had to sort of get into a routine with it all.

I keep a calendar of who I have cleaned out and when.

I operate from memory as to who gets what amount of food, who has what favourites, who likes what toys, who gets on with whom, who gets new hay at certain times, etc.

But basically in the morning I feed and water them, and extra hay to those that get it. In the evenings I sort out the litter trays, any water bowls with stuff in them, then they often get a tiny treat.

But I'm also flexible with my routine, in that sometimes they get random treats, or whatever in the middle of the day just to be different and stuff.

It's not hard when you get used to it. The hardest bit is the expense.

 

[iluvmybuns]

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

 

[Sealy]

I am seriously thinking of just removing what I have down now and go to the wood subflooring and just cover it all with hay. Talk about providing unlimited hay If it weren't for inviting bugs and maybe sticking my feet, I would do it..:biggrin2:


iluvmybuns wrote:

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

 

[Celestial Wind]

Like Moominmoo I have a bunch 13 to be exact. I get up at 6:30 every morning (even weekends) to do morning bunny & Doggey chores luckly the dogs do there business while I am caring for the bunns I feed 1/2 cup pellets to all the bunns give hay to who needs it and top off all water bottles then its into the house to get ready for work. when I get done work at 5 I go right out with the dogs and do night bunny chores 5 bunns got to go into runs for a hour then they get switched up with 5 more till everyone has had a good run then 1/2 more cup of food for who needs it more hay and top bottles off again then when I get in I go :bed:thats a typical day.

On the weekends trays and cages get cleaned with a power washer (bunnies out of course)saw dust gets added to the floor of the barn and trash gets taken out.

 

[Celestial Wind]

Sealy wrote:

Ithe couch must go! If I wasn't getting so old and arthritic, I would just have bean bag chairs. heh.

~Sealy

you know sealy you could probally figure out a way of making a couch out of NIC's it could be both a couch for you and a cage for the bunns :biggrin2:

 

[JadeIcing]

I wonder if care varies from indoor buns to outdoor buns.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

you know sealy you could probally figure out a way of making a couch out of NIC's it could be both a couch for you and a cage for the bunns :biggrin2:Celestial Wind i was thinking the same thing, she could even make nice coffe table to go with her couch, lol



i have a routine and i have 1 bun, lol, but it is the animal routine for all the animals. A routine just makes everything run smoother. As soon as i get up i go to the rabbit,guinea pig, and lizard cages and gather up litter boxes, food and water bowls, and then head to the kitchen. When in the kitchen i empty the bowls ,rinse them, and empty the litter pan (2 times a week i will leave it sit with vinegar in it to really clean it up), feed the cats,and dogs, get the veggies ready ,rinse pans out dry and fill with litter, clean the cats litter box (its in the wash room next tot he kitchen), take the dogs out. Then i head back into the living room and fill the bowls with the pellet food, and then give everyone back there veggie bowls (at this time the Guinea pig is running all over the place wheeking her little heart out, it is so cute she has gotten a little routine down and boy does she love her fresh veggies), water bottles and litter pans. Then the kids come down and expect i do the same for them :shock: :biggrin2:



this makes life so much easier, and when a monkey wrench gets thrown into my routine, boy i am all miscombobulated.

 

[bat42072]

my hubby got tired of the hay on our carpet... he put my nic cages in the kitchen/dinning area and now the clean up is a snap... everything i need is there the trash can ... the water and food...Now i just go down the line... everyone is in one place...so simple

 

[Celestial Wind]

theicequeen99121 wrote:

you know sealy you could probally figure out a way of making a couch out of NIC's it could be both a couch for you and a cage for the bunns :biggrin2:Celestial Wind i was thinking the same thing, she could even make nice coffe table to go with her couch, lol

OH Oh what about end tables....we could make a whole line of NIC furniture that doubles as pet cages HUMMMMM I think we have to paten this idea LOL.

 

[Sealy]

rofl Y'll are crazy.. smart crazy though! Those are some of the best ideas I've heard of yet. The wheels are turning in my head for all kinds of plans... I am going to replace the vanity in my bathroom.. a NIC vanity would just fit the bill. ooo the possibilities!

~Sealy

 

[Flashy]

I'm not sure an NIC would make a great bath sitting next to your vanity case in the bathroom), but it could make a lot of mess, lol.

 

[maherwoman]

Hi!

I have four rabbits currently (all girls) and am expecting three more in September, plus a bonded pair I'll be boarding for a friend...so I know a bit about what you're going through!

First of all, I keep all the bunny supplies (extra stuff we're not currently using, like water bottles and litterboxes, their pellet food, their bag of oats, etc.) in a large bin next to one of their cages (on the left, behind Sunny the cat), as well as their wood pellet litter (in the Home Depot bucket), so everything's in a handy, nearby spot.

The hay is in it's own two large containers (we buy 120lb bales), and those are within a yard of the cages. (There's a door way to the left of the most lefthand cage, then when you turn sideways to your left, you'd face the hay.) Here's a pic:

I basically do everything once a day in the evening before I go to bed, so I can know for sure they have everything they need before I go to sleep at night (not to mention, Maisie's a nighttime eater, so it's more convenient for her). Also, I decided to do things at that time of day because that's when they're the most out-and-about in their cages and available for love.

I fully clean out their litterboxes every other day (dumping completely, and once a week soaking with vinegar and scrubbing with the scrubber I use only for that purpose).

Basically, I just go 'round the circle of cages, dump the litterboxes one at a time and do a sort of assembly line sort of thing. (I take their food bowls out WITH their litterboxes, so I can dump out any powder from the food into their dirty litter to dump it all at once.) I dump all four litterboxes...fill all four with their wood pellet litter...then put the hay on top of their litter...then put each box back in their cages. Once the boxes are handled, I fill all four food bowls...then put them back in.

My husband is in charge of maintaining their water, which he checks at the same time I'm doing their nightly routine, so it can all be done at once, and so my three girls that will be spayed soon (especially my VERY cage-aggressive Maisie) aren't too irritated by the invasion of their space.

And, of course, after I put the litterbox and food bowl back in each cage, I stop for a good five minutes at each cage and give each girl lots of love.

I would have to say that, aside from their time out running around, this is their favorite time of day. They get all their favorite things at once: clean litter, fresh hay, pellet food, and lots of love.

Hugs!

Rosie and the Gang :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[HoneyPot]

To save time, you can also do the litter care on a rotating schedule. Meaning... instead of cleaning all litters in 1 day, you do 3 one day, 2 another etc. since they may not need a full cleaning every day.

Also, try using Microsoft Excel to make your chart. That's what I would use, and have across the top the days of the week and down the side the bunnies and then in the cell for that bunny and that day, have the tasks:
Feed
Water
Hay
Litter Clean

Maybe include a row for yourself to
Buy Vegetables
Buy Litter
Clip Nails
etc.

and just fill in and check off as you do it...

I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with - I know a lot of people on here could use something similar!

____________
Nadia

 

[polly]

I have 18 at the mo, i get up in the morning chop the veggies gte the feed bowls from the house and the poo trays , then go out to the shed feed all the buns in there (i always do them in the same order) do poo trays and get water. Then take everything back into the house for the other buns.

I buy everything in bulk as it is muvh cheaper than petshops, if there is a farm store near you then you can buy bales of hay and bedding.

Have fun

 

[Roxie]

put the veggies on a plate every time and feed them at the same time. if you want you can pre meausure the pellets so you dont have to stress bout it during feeding time. clean cages when buns are out running around. keep water bottles next to cages so you dont have to go away to fill water bottles/bowls Good luck!!

~Hannah and Roxie

 

[bluebird]

With over 30 bunnies too care for i have a schedule.2 days for cleaning or 3 if needed.everyone gets fed right after breakfast.tattoo once a month and trim toenails.getting ready for shows.playtime etc.bluebird

 

[gentle giants]

I have close to thirty bunnies right now, and I do my cleanings on a rotating schedule, because with work and kids I just don't have time to do all of them in one day, at least not on a week day! What I do is, I will clean out two or three every night at second feeding, and the mess goes in a large trash can I keep lidded to avoid flies and smell. Then, on Saturday when DH is home to watch the kids, everybody gets cleaned out again, and the barrel taken away and dumped.
My bunnies get thier physical checkups when I do their nails, which is also usually on a weekend. It keeps me busy, that's for sure, but I have had chickens, or rabbits, or some kind of animal all my life, and for the short period when I lived in town and didn't have any animal chores, I felt like something was horribly wrong! LOL