Lulubooboo
Well-Known Member
I'm glad that it looks alright!!! The female usually gets let out into the dining room, because there's no carpet, but the male doesn't get to be out much right now, he and the female get to be outside in the fenced backyard when it's cool enough.Glad it went well! If you are interested in seeing how I've gotten my dogs to get along with my rabbits (no guarantee this method will work as it depends on the individual dog) you can see that here:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/introducing-dog-to-rabbit.html
If it is over 80-85F, it is better for them to be indoors in A/C. The setup you have for them now with the exercise pen is a decent setup. (Once you are able to expand it after blocking off the wood shelves, would love to see an updated photo!) Once expanded, you may be getting close to 30 sq ft which is a fine size. You don't have to free-roam. They will do just fine in the pen with supervised playtime in that room the pen is in. In other words, there is no need to put them back outside since your indoor setup looks like it will be perfectly acceptable.
What state are you in? There is a current outbreak of RHDV2 that is causing the recommendation that rabbits be kept indoors. You can read about that (and what areas are currently known to be affected) at this link:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/rhvd2-in-the-us-what-you-need-to-know.99131/
If you are not in a known area of infection, then it may be even worse to house outdoors as the vaccine won't be available. Yet this disease spreads rapidly and it's only a matter of time before it may reach new areas. [When it hit Australia, it only took 18 months for it to traverse across the entire continent.]
Anyways, I'd love to keep them inside, but my dad doesn't like it, and my mom isn't a fan, because they stink, and they're kind of in the way. So as soon as it's cool enough, they have to go out, unless I want to spend $100 on stuff to keep the female inside, but then the male would be alone.
I've heard about the disease, I'm in Washington State, which I think is one of the places that it is found in. We live in the city, so we don't see many wild rabbits or animals for that matter. I wish there was a vaccine . Thank you for all your help and info!