New owner, how are my rabbits living conditions?

[mistermoogle08]

Hi everyone. I have two female netherland dwarves that are both a little over a year old. Due to my original plans of getting ferrets but instead getting bunnies, I have a ferret nation cage(which is similar to the midwest critter nation) that I keep inside in my bedroom. I used to keep both of my bunnies cages on the floor side by side, but due to hot weather, I have moved them upstairs to be with me in my bedroom with my air conditioner and humidifier so I keep their cages set up how the cage was intended. My rabbits are un-bonded as they will not be getting fixed for another month so they have completely separate compartments at the moment but a ramp can be added to combine the whole unit. Since I have dogs and a lack of space I sadly can not give them full access to my room to wander around all the time, but I have a playpen and take them out for at least an hour a day a piece to stretch their legs. Here is an album of the cage: http://imgur.com/a/XmsgC

My questions are; do the rabbits have ample living space or are my cages too small? Are there any little toys or essentials I am missing or that you suggest? Do my rabbits look like they have enough to keep them entertained?

 

[Devi]

The cage is fine as long as they get the 4-5 hours required out of cage time.

 

[Sophie's Humble Servant]

Your ferret cage is cute but in my opinion it is too small for your rabbits. You said that you give them an hour or so to "stretch their legs" outside the cage but this is not long enough. If you were to say that you had that door open all day and they could come and go as they please well that would be a different matter. If it were me, I'd look into selling your ferret cage and investing the money to build a nice pen for them out of NIC grids or at the very least get them an extra large xpen(the kind you get for dogs). Although you would have to make sure it was safe and there was no way for your dog to have access to them.

 

[majorv]

Given your situation, and it sounds like it's temporary, they can make do with the time you give them, for now, IMO. Once you can bond them and open both sides up they'll have more room. Also, once bonded, you can let them out together which would allow them more time out of the cage. However, if for some reason they don't get along and the bonding doesn't work then you'll have to re-think things because your current setup wouldn't work well long term.

 

[Aki]

I agree with what was said by others. One hour is not nearly enough. It will certainly be easier to manage once the 2 of them are bonded so that you can let them out together, but they will need 4-5 hours outside of their cage. How about attaching the play pen to the cage so that they can have free access to that? (once they are both spayed and bonded, of course). That takes quite a lot of space, though...
You say you have dogs so you can have your rabbits run freely. Is it not possible to just close the door of your bedroom (if there is a door)? I have a dog also, I just put a baby gate in front of the (bunny-proofed) room where the rabbits live to avoid accidents and it works fine. I would rather the dog and rabbits got along and shared the whole house, but my dog is too rambunctious and, the top rabbit of my warren being almost 6 already, I don't want to take risks...

Well, it's not easy to find solutions, but in any case, the 1 hour out of 24 ratio should be improved as much as possible. For toys and stuffs, you'll find good suggestions on the forum - toilet paper rolls filled with hay, suspended metallic balls you can fill with hay, fresh wood sticks, cardboard boxes, cushions, potted safe to eat plants (like basil) are favorites of my rabbits. They also LOVE sisal, coconuts or seagrass mats, that they can scratch. It also helps keeping their claws short. Ball-like treat dispensers are also good and encourage the rabbits to exercise a bit...

 

[Buns4Life_Cinder]

Share pics please

 

[ladysown]

I think it's fine for them honestly. I know the standard by house rabbit society rules is they HAVE to have 4-5 hours of exercise daily, but what you have to remember is rabbits are so adaptable.. they live by what their owners are able to do for them.

You have unbonded rabbits, living with dogs, they get separate time out to stretch and explore. You can't give them 8 hours of your day... you need to have a life as well.

I think you are doing well by your bunnies and should not be worrying on it. They have a ledge to jump up and down on. Food, water, toys, a place to stretch out on. You are talking contented rabbits. Add to that time out to run around and explore everyday. They are set for life.

freedom from predators and food to eat. life is good in their eyes.

 

[Buns4Life_Cinder]

Ya i have school sports chores and a whole bunch of other stuff so while im getting ready for school i let my bunny out for 30 minutes then when im at home i let her out for like another hour and shes fine!!!

 

[stevesmum]

Time outside a cage is not just about exercise. Giving the rabbit some freedom allows him to express himself and show you his winning personality. One hour a day to "stretch his legs" is, in my opinion, woefully insufficient.

 

[mistermoogle08]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! After hearing all of your comments about the importance of giving your rabbits a lot of space to move around at all times, I talked to my brother about trading bedrooms. He wasn't happy at first, but he is a animal lover too and understood the importance of me having the bigger bedroom. In his room he has a walk in closet with wood floors and a window, I use the term closet loosely; when he and I used to share a room I kept my twin sized bed in the closet to sleep in and still had a isle to walk in an out of. That way they will be kept separate from the dogs, have plenty of space and some natural sun light. I'm going to start bonding my rabbits about a month after they get spayed, fingers crossed, and if they take to each other I'll be able to just build a ramp going in and out of the cage and they can free roam over the closet and I'll put a baby gate up that I can open and close when I want them to come play with me in my bedroom. If they are unable to bond I'll just give the closet to one, and the room is big enough that I should be able to just keep the other in a playpen in my new room for a permanent spacious home.

 

[BlazeBunnies]

I believe that the cage you have is fine for a little while. Once you bond it might be good to sell your cage and either make or buy another cage/hutch they can go in and try to give them at least 3 hours out of the cage , 1 hour is not nearly enough

 

[Buns4Life_Cinder]

AWESOME!! Your bunnies will luv it.