# Should I or shouldn't I?



## HayHey0248 (Jan 21, 2012)

Hi all! :biggrin2: I am having some trouble deciding over this rabbit housing problem. 
I am getting my rabbit soon and were i am, we are in summer and it is gradual getting hotter and hotter every day. (around the 30s c)
And I am not sure of to keep my rabbit inside or outside (considering my mother who is not to keen on them). I know inside has massive benefits though, especially as its getting hotter.
But I found a local 'Mens Shead' that may be able to make me a custom built rabbit hutch (outside + not to sure on price), that my mum is pretty happy about.

I really want my rabbit inside but my mother is not to sure and would rather have time to think about it once we've had the rabbit for awhile (one month?). Should i bother getting the 'Mens shead' to make me hutch for the meantime until my mother can make a decision (and it to go to waste if she says yes, plus may be costly) or should i go with a temporarily, sort of NIC cage on the veranda until she can make up her mind?

This is soooo hard! Please help. 
ray:


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 21, 2012)

Plus one more thing, if he was to be aloud inside, would we have to keep the air-conditioner on all day? Because we have one of those air cons were you have to keep a door open for it to work.


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## ZRabbits (Jan 21, 2012)

:wave:

Welcome, new here too and also new with rabbits. 

Congratulations on your new bunny, and Hats off to Mom, though not sure about this, working along with you to help you make your goal, having an inside bunny.

I would go with the NIC crate right now. As the trial period goes, you really don't want to spend a lot not knowing where your bunny permanent spot will be, inside or out. 

Looks like you already have an excellent plan for, if Mom wants them outside, to keep them in out of the heat. Regarding the AC, I do run the AC all day during the summers, but I'm the one who pays the bills, like your Mom. I'd discuss with Mom what it would cost. 

Hoping all goes well. Inside or outside, your bunny will love their permanent spot, because of you. 

K


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## Bonnie Lee (Jan 21, 2012)

Hey welcome to RO 

I live in Australia too so I know how the heat gets ha ha
I have indoor bunnies and we don't have the air con at all
and the bunnies are fine inside without it but if I notice
they're getting hot I will put a frozen bottle or two in with them and I've heard of people putting ice cubes in 
their bunnies water bowls before also.

I've also had my bunnies outdoors on a hot day when inside
wasn't an option and with the frozen bottles they did really good and if they're in a shady spot it usually helps a lot for the hutch to stay cool.


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## LakeCondo (Jan 21, 2012)

Is the veranda in the shade most of the daylight hours? 

Also, a ceramic tile doesn't get as hot as the ground, so get a couple the rabbit can lay on.

And see if your mom is ok with keeping him inside the first 24-36 hours. Then after you've done that & he's outside, see if he can come in after you're home from school until sunset & it cools down. Having a nic setup will make bringing him in temporarily easier.


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 21, 2012)

That sounds really good LakeCondo! :highfive: Also yes the verandah is covered by shade and it doesn't get as hot as the backyard, and its right near the backdoor near the kitchen.
We acualy have some spare tiles from my art projects and stuff so that would be great. Could i also use those coloured play mats that join together?


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## LakeCondo (Jan 22, 2012)

The only thing with the tiles, which I forgot to mention before is that they shouldn't be SO big that the bunny slips while trying to walk on one. So maybe several should be used but put so there's hopping room between them. You'll figure it out once he arrives.

Other people have used those play mats, but it all depends how much your rabbit will be chewing on things. So you could try them, but remove them right away if they get chewed on. I ended up with a sisal rug, as that's at least a natural material if it had gotten chewed on. That's for under an xpen, but there are smaller sisal mats that cats use for scratching.


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 22, 2012)

Alight that sounds good.  I just when shopping today to look for some Organize it! cubes but i cant find ONE!
I've been to, Target, Bunnings warehouse, mitre10, and a few other small shops but have had no luck. The only places left to try that were not open today is Kmart, CrazyClarks and Things. I really hope they have them because the only thing left would an xpen, but they are so expensive here and i don't know what to do about the top. I'll need to cover it up.
I guess if i dont find any NIC panels i can just order them but they wont get here in time...:?


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## MarisaAndToby (Jan 22, 2012)

Some people also use the largest size of dog crate, they're big enough for a small rabbit and you can build your own shelf in them for a second level. Just a thought in case the cube cage doesn't work out.


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## lapaki (Jan 22, 2012)

Yea, frozen water bottles work well. I freeze 1.5 liter water bottles and slip them into cotton tube socks (to absorb the condensation) and leave them where my bunny likes to sleep during the day. When it gets hot he'll stretch out near a bottle and lean against it. He ends up cooler than I am!

I also have a small Window AC in the bedroom that's much cheaper to run than the whole house AC. On the hottest days we can retreat into the bedroom, close the door and chill out without racking up a ridiculous electric bill.

As for housing, you might want to consider a folding exercise pen. They are very versatile, and can be used indoors or out. For outdoor use you should probably cover the top (tarp, wire panels, fitted cover), but for indoors you can usually leave it open.


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## Nancy McClelland (Jan 22, 2012)

We don't have a choice here--during the summer months it's just too hot to keep any outside.


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## patches2593 (Jan 22, 2012)

i would have him/her inside and build a cage out of the nic panels. i love it so much!!!!! and its easy and there are so many ways to build it. i totallly reccommend it!!!


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## LakeCondo (Jan 22, 2012)

If you want to go the nic cube route, but can't get them until after your bunny arrives, you can buy some cake/cookie cooling racks & put them together. I used 6 to make a carrier for Honey. Of course the bottom rack has cardboard on it so she can walk on it. This probably would be temporary, but [depending on their size] you could use them with the nic panels when they arrive, like as a ledge or ramp in a cube. I got mine at a dollar store & would have wanted more than 6 if Honey were to be in it for more than a few hours, but on the other hand yours will be small when she comes. Anyway, I just thought I'd mention this option.


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 23, 2012)

Well today i searched high and low for NIC panels or anything similar but couldn't find a single thing!!!:X I spent nearly the whole day searching every shop in my town but nobody had any.  
So im going to have to order them, but today i bought a temp 8 panel X pen for $50 at Crazy-Clarks which i set up in the house.

My mum is actually joining a wood working class and is going to make me a hutch!  We will put it on the verandah and he'll only stay their while im at school (holidays right now though) and at night. What would be a good design for the hutch?


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## LakeCondo (Jan 23, 2012)

Well, just look at some of the pictures people have posted on RO of theirs and also do an online search & see what the ready-made ones are like. It needs to be untreated wood & not stained or painted so your bunny doesn't get sick.


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## lapaki (Jan 24, 2012)

*HayHey0248 wrote: *


> Well today i searched high and low for NIC panels or anything similar but couldn't find a single thing!!!:X I spent nearly the whole day searching every shop in my town but nobody had any.


Bummer about the wire cubes. They are readily available in the US (even in Hawaii). The ones at Target are crap (openings are too big). I get mine from K-mart and those are nice.


*HayHey0248 wrote: *


> ...but today i bought a temp 8 panel X pen for $50 at Crazy-Clarks which i set up in the house.


Why do your consider the X-pen temporary? Many use those as permanent housing solutions. For outdoor use you would want to get, or make a cover. And if the pen is shorter than 36 inches (91cm) you might need a cover indoors. My bunny, Zoom-zoom can jump 36 inches, and he's not very big (2kg).

However, since you have it indoors for now, it might be a good time to try and endear your bunny to your mother (work on litter box training asap, since that's usually a big concern). Maybe after a few weeks (or days) of living with the bunny indoors in the X-pen she might reconsider her stance on the outdoor hutch.

Although it's great your mom volunteered to build you a hutch. That's pretty cool!

I personally prefer to keep the Zoomer indoors. But he's a good, non-destructive, bunny. He doesn't run around chewing up everything in sight like my friend's spawn of evil disguised as a bunny (lol). Zoomer free roams in my house (no cage). But I do have an X-pen for the odd times I need to contain him.

In general rabbits are very smart & food motivated, and pretty trainable.

Of course, learning what you want, and wanting to do that can sometimes be very different things. Such is the case with the spawn of evil, Chewy, who is very aware of what he's not supposed to do, but he just does it anyway.

You (shouting): "Hey, what do you think you are doing!"

Chewy (with a look of utter disdain): "I'm eating your HDMI cable, again, what does it look like I'm doing?" (gives you the butt) "You humans sure are are dumb."


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Jan 24, 2012)

I know that some people have used other wire shelving systems. They would be a bit harder to use, but you can get it cut to the size you want. They should be easier to find and hopefully not as expensive. They also seem to have some different bar spacing, so could get get what might work for you.


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

Well it's temp because i have to wait for the yes or no from mum, and if it's no then i wont be used but only for a grass run. :expressionless


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

Here is one pic. I've added a water dripper over the water bowl since then. Plus put a roof on top like a clear mesh.
Is it ok?


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

Opps! It's quite BIG. :lookaround:blushan:


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## ZRabbits (Jan 25, 2012)

I think it's perfect. You really got a nice set up for your bunny. 

Can't wait to see a bunny in it. 

K


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

Thank you soo much! You dont know how happy that makes me feel.:hugsquish::innocent:biggrin2: I hope bunny loves it too!


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

hehe.. here are some toys for bunny that I made. I'll stuff hay in the holes. XD


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

Well I think I'll make a new post in Introductions when bunny comes! Then I'll post more pictures!


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## ZRabbits (Jan 25, 2012)

*HayHey0248 wrote: *


> hehe.. here are some toys for bunny that I made. I'll stuff hay in the holes. XD


For all those store bought toys, which are now in a box, ignored by our boys, what you have made is the ultimate in bunny fun. We now just use toilet paper rolls, boxes, rug rolls which they love to crawl through. 

Great Job. Your bunny will love you for this. 

K


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

He's home! He did really well. He explored his new cage and went straight to him litter box and ate and went to the toilet. Then he started cleaning himself their. I think that means hes relaxed?


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## HayHey0248 (Jan 25, 2012)

sorry for the bad spelling im so exited. Right now he's drinking. I'll move this to introductions now.


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## ZRabbits (Jan 25, 2012)

*HayHey0248 wrote: *


> He's home! He did really well. He explored his new cage and went straight to him litter box and ate and went to the toilet. Then he started cleaning himself their. I think that means hes relaxed?



Congratulations! sounds like it all went well. My boys did the same thing. They found their litter box, and went to town. 

He sounds like he's relaxed enough. He will experience certain things that will make him tense but in a couple days he will have forgotten all about it. 

Can't wait to see the introduction.

K


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## LakeCondo (Jan 25, 2012)

Congrats. I think it's interesting that you have a bowl with tan outside & blue inside. That's the style I have, in various sizes. So now I know they're international.


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