how to transition an outdoor rabbit to be an indoor only rabbit

[shawnwk1]

okay so as i said in my other post i may be getting a 5 month old mini-rex rabbit from a 4H girl who bred his mom for 4H and is getting rid of him because she is no longer breeding for 4H and needs the extra room. i have a couple questions actually.

he is an outdoor rabbit now that comes in occasionally for bonding time or whatever, but just as a personal choice i don't feel comfortable with outdoor animals because of predators here as well as the weather so he will be an indoor only rabbit (if i get him). how do i transition him from living outdoors to indoors without overheating him?

also how hard is it to litterbox train a rabbit that's only lived outside?

how do i transition him from pellets to only hay and fresh fruits/veggies without upsetting his system (it's a personal choice not to use pellets and one agreed upon by my vet, but nothing against those that do use them)?

finally what problems can i potentially be facing with him not being neutered yet? will he be peeing all over the place? even though there aren't any other rabbits here now will there still be dominence issues with him and the other animals (they are all neutered except the rabbit)? can he be neutered nowat 5 months old?

oh and of course here's a picture of him (from the breeder)

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It can be easier to just bring the rabbit inside than to take an indoor rabbit and put it outside. I would just bring the rabbit inside, but into a cooler area of the house. You may also want to turn down the heat a bit so it is not as hot. As he gets more settled, you can move him to where you want him. The rabbit may moult within a couple weeks of coming inside due to the temperature change. He looks like a rex or mini rex, so his coat won't be as thick as other breeds.

I don't think it is much harder to litter train a rabbit that has lived on wire than one who has not. Most of the rabbits I have now were on wire before I got them and only have has been a challenge to litter train. Amelia and Kraken litter trained in a couple days while Lillian took a bit longer. Being an intact male can make it harder, so you might not see the results you want until he is neutered. The one rabbit I have who is not totally litter trained (he does go in one area of the cage, so at least there is that), is a very hormonal intact buck.

Diet transitions need to be gradual. Don't just take away the pellets and give a bunch of veggies, this is a recipe for disaster. I would keep him on the diet he as been on for at least a couple days while he settles in. You can then start adding veggies, but one at a time. As he gets used to the veggies and you give more, you can reduce the pellets. Depending on what and how much he has been fed, you can reduce the pellets earlier, but still give a fair amount while he adjusts. It will take a few weeks to a couple months to fully transition him.

If his testicles have dropped, he can be neutered. Ask your vet about when they will do it. How he will act depends on him. Some bucks will spray and pee all over while others are easy to litter trained and more well mannered. If you get him neutered, any hormone related issues should dissipate quickly.

 

[shawnwk1]

sweet thanks. yeah he's a mini rex and adorable as all heck lol. i did end up getting him today and just got him home from a vet visit to be sure he's ready for surgery. other than some loosness in his knees that the dr said to watch out for, but hopefully he should outgrow it and some discharge deep in the ear indicating possible ear mites (which he was treated for just in case-dr couldn't even see any mites so they are deep if he has them) and some sore hocks from being on wire he looks very healthy. he goes in tuesday for the big surgery.

i do have a question though. what can i do about his sore hocks? will they heal on their own now that he's off wire?

 

[MiniLopHop]

Why would anyone have a mini rex on wire? Then again my mini rex came from wire too

Gary is 6 months and I have had him for about 6 weeks. It was a little bit of a challenge to litter train him because he was all hormonal and kept spraying his bunwife. yuck! He stopped as soon as he came home from getting fixed and has been a perfect gentleman since then.

You can get A&D cream where they sell baby stuff in the pharmacy to put on his hocks, but they should heal pretty well now that he will be on better surfaces.

What are you going to name your new baby? He looks super cute!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Everything seems to have been answered. We still give our bunnies a small quantity of pellets as well as the all-you-can-eat hay buffet and veggies twice a day. He's very cute too.

 

[shawnwk1]

Thanks ill try to get more pics since that one doesn't even look like him. He is so tiny and cute lol. He weighed 4.75 pounds at the vet.

I sure hope getting him neutered will take care of any bad habits he may have so its good to hear there is hope lol.

I think I'm going to stick with the name she gave him of Chance. It kinda fits the situation right now. He's got a chance at a new great life and we get a new chance at happiness, fun, and love with rabbits (hopefully really a healthy one this time)

 

[shawnwk1]

here's a couple pics. i guess he does look darker and bigger in pics (he's way lighter than he looks)

and the onry little guy definitely is a curious little guy. i let him out in his room to explore and laid of the floor and when he wasn't trying to get where he's not suppose to be he was running circles around me, sniffing me, and using me as a spring board (i think i'm his favorite toy right now lol)

 

[LakeCondo]

Congratulations.

 

[shawnwk1]

thanks

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

awwww I. Love. Your. BUNNNY!!!!! Congrats! I've got a mini rex but she's white with that color spots.

 

[qtipthebun]

Oh he's precious! Q-tip the mini rex says "ooh la la". I love my mini-rex...she's the most curious, cuddly bunny I've ever had.