Bunny Chooses to be outside

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May 28, 2020
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Hi all,

I have a single mini lop who is 13m and we have had him for just under a month. He has a cage but with one side taken off so he can come and go as he pleases. He has free fun of our living/dining room, playroom and a large section of the garden fenced off.

Most days he spends the entire day in the garden and playroom. It is largely where we spend our time also (2 adults and 3 kids).

Do you think he does that because he likes being around us? He is incredibly friendly but not a fan of being picked up and told where to go 😂

He will happily sleep in the middle of my 3 children running around and playing. How would we know if he was unhappy? Some days he spends all day in his cage if it's a hot day.

Also, I never actually shut his cage door and I'm 95% sure he doesnt come out at night as I often leave greens out and he doesnt touch them until morning and his toys are left in the same place I tidied them up to before bed.

We were considering getting a wife for him when COVID is all over and out shelter can help bond. But he has human company from 5am - 10pm every day. Is this enough for now?

Basically I'm not sure what my question is 😂 just does it sound like he has a happy life?
 
Hi all,

I have a single mini lop who is 13m and we have had him for just under a month. He has a cage but with one side taken off so he can come and go as he pleases. He has free fun of our living/dining room, playroom and a large section of the garden fenced off.

Most days he spends the entire day in the garden and playroom. It is largely where we spend our time also (2 adults and 3 kids).

Do you think he does that because he likes being around us? He is incredibly friendly but not a fan of being picked up and told where to go 😂

He will happily sleep in the middle of my 3 children running around and playing. How would we know if he was unhappy? Some days he spends all day in his cage if it's a hot day.

Also, I never actually shut his cage door and I'm 95% sure he doesnt come out at night as I often leave greens out and he doesnt touch them until morning and his toys are left in the same place I tidied them up to before bed.

We were considering getting a wife for him when COVID is all over and out shelter can help bond. But he has human company from 5am - 10pm every day. Is this enough for now?

Basically I'm not sure what my question is 😂 just does it sound like he has a happy life?
Obviously as a (very) new bunny owner - actually not even an owner yet - my opinion probably isn't as experienced as some others, but I would definitely say he sounds happy! Does he eat hay besides the greens?
 
Hi, from your description he has enough of attention right now, but he is only with you less than one month. It happens very often unfortunately that kids are losing interest in their new bunny after a few months, often bunnies are moved outdoors then and in that case it would really be nice if he had a companion.

Is he neutered, vaccinated? If so, you could look for a fixed female older than 6 months for him, so you can try bonding them together.

What is his diet? Does he have hay, what other food and greens and treats he's getting apart that?
 
Yup, unlimited timothy hay! Oh and grass as he is free to go to and from the garden. He occasionally gets handful of (home grown) parsley of a night time.
 
Oh he isnt my kids bunny, he's mine 😂 My kids are only little and way too young to care for a pet. He's my 4th baby ❤

Yup, neutered and vaccinated.

He has unlimited timothy hay, dried dandelions mixed in as it gets him more interested, 20g pellets, fresh grass and occasional parsley and celery

I'll contact the shelter we adopted him from and ask if they can let me know if a bunny that they think would be a match comes in.
 
That sounds good, shelters would often allow bunny dating you can choose a few rabbits you like and bring him so he can meet them one by one to see if they like each other so potentially can be bonded. Bonding is not always easy so it is important that you find a suitable partner for him, not that you like but he likes and they are showing signs that they can stay together for the future. Some shelters would do bonding for you, it could take time from a few days to few weeks and even months. Hopefully all will go smoothly for your bun
 
That sounds good, shelters would often allow bunny dating you can choose a few rabbits you like and bring him so he can meet them one by one to see if they like each other so potentially can be bonded. Bonding is not always easy so it is important that you find a suitable partner for him, not that you like but he likes and they are showing signs that they can stay together for the future. Some shelters would do bonding for you, it could take time from a few days to few weeks and even months. Hopefully all will go smoothly for your bun

Fab, yes the shelter has said they will help with bonding but only once COVID19 is over as they arent currently allowing visitors to the centre. I'm really nervous about the thought of a second. He is utterly perfect and I worry I wont be able to trust another bunny with so much freedom. I love that he can go wherever we wants and come up for sniffs and pets. I'd hate to have to cage him if another rabbit isnt as well behaved.

Oh, do have one question actually, his poos have gone really dark the last few days, I'm assuming its because he is spending way more time in the garden and eating more grass. I know pale golden poos are preferred, but very dark isnt a bad thing, is it?
 
Fab, yes the shelter has said they will help with bonding but only once COVID19 is over as they arent currently allowing visitors to the centre. I'm really nervous about the thought of a second. He is utterly perfect and I worry I wont be able to trust another bunny with so much freedom. I love that he can go wherever we wants and come up for sniffs and pets. I'd hate to have to cage him if another rabbit isnt as well behaved.

Oh, do have one question actually, his poos have gone really dark the last few days, I'm assuming its because he is spending way more time in the garden and eating more grass. I know pale golden poos are preferred, but very dark isnt a bad thing, is it?
Dark poos show that his diet is rich, that can be because he eats more fresh food and grass right now, if he eats more hay then his poos will be golden. If you don't see his cecals around it means he eats them as he should so you don't have to worry about, if you see cecals his diet is too rich and maybe you want to limit some foods for a while. Hay should make about 80% of his diet, but fresh grass is also fine if not sprayed with any chemicals.
 
Dark poos show that his diet is rich, that can be because he eats more fresh food and grass right now, if he eats more hay then his poos will be golden. If you don't see his cecals around it means he eats them as he should so you don't have to worry about, if you see cecals his diet is too rich and maybe you want to limit some foods for a while. Hay should make about 80% of his diet, but fresh grass is also fine if not sprayed with any chemicals.

No, I've never seen them. Actually that's a lie, in his first few days I saw them but I havent since then. Presume that was just the stress of moving house?

Should I be limiting his time in the garden? He honestly does spend all day out there. I opened up the door at 7am and he hasnt come in yet 🙈

Definitely not sprayed with anything at all except water. I have a 5, 4 and 2 year old so it's a play garden, not a show garden.
 
It certainly sounds as though he likes your (and your family's) company. Him hanging out with all of you is just adorable and is certainly an indication that he is happy. In the current arrangement, he is getting plenty of interaction per day (just being in close proximity counts!). If there are no intentions of banishing him to the backyard, then there is no compelling need to get a companion for him. If you'd like a second rabbit yourself, that's valid and is fine. But be sure it is something you also want.

Since "he has human company from 5am - 10pm every day" then getting a 2nd rabbit isn't an absolute must. If you want a 2nd, great! If not, no worries.
 
I agree. I would only get him a companion if it was what you wanted, if he didn't get a lot of interaction with your family, or he seemed unhappy being alone. And to me it sounds like he is perfectly happy with your family and the attention he gets.

It can be really nice for them to have a bunny friend, but you don't always know what you're going to get. There's always the potential for bonding issues, then bringing a new rabbit into your home could set off territorial marking, and you also don't know how good the new bun will be on being house trained. There could be chewing, normal rabbit destructive behavior, or potty training issues. So it's really something that needs to be carefully considered. No need to rush into anything until you decide it's what you want and you're ready for any potential problems that could come up.
 
Thank you both so much. Right now I dont particularly want a second rabbit but I also desperately dont want him to be lonely.

I'll just see how we go for now and maybe reconsider every 6 months or so.

Definitely have no plans to banish him to the garden ever.
 

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