SummerTheAnimalGirl

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Apr 7, 2022
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Hello everyone!

I am getting 3 outdoor mini lops. They will all live together in a spacious hutch. I was wondering, do any of you bunny lovers have any tips for me?

Thanks all!
 
I am getting 3 outdoor mini lops. They will all live together in a spacious hutch. I was wondering, do any of you bunny lovers have any tips for me?
Tips:

If you want them to live together without injuries or reproducing, they should all be neutered/spayed.

If you get bunnies that are all supposed to be the same gender, and you want to let them grow up a bit before neutering, check genders regularly (maybe every month or so) in case whoever sexed them the first time made a mistake. Hopefully you can catch it before they are old enough to produce an unexpected litter. (If you do find an unexpected litter: be ready for another one a month later. The buck probably rebred the doe as soon as she finished giving birth, before you even saw the first litter.)


Water is very important, both in hot weather and in below-freezing weather. In winter, water bottles (the kind with a little spout and a ball) are a very bad choice, because the ball freezes so fast. No matter how much water is inside the bottle, it does the rabbits no good when they cannot get it.

Rabbits sometimes dump their water dishes, or sit in them. LARGE dishes make this less of a problem-- my favorite dishes held over one quart of water, which made them difficult to dump, and unpleasant to sit in. It also meant they took a longer time to freeze than small dishes, so the rabbits had water available longer. Heated dishes would also help in winter, but be careful that the rabbits cannot chew on the cords.
 
Hello everyone!

I am getting 3 outdoor mini lops. They will all live together in a spacious hutch. I was wondering, do any of you bunny lovers have any tips for me?

Thanks all!
If they are all females you don't have to spay them but if you don't I would recommend you breed them at least once, or spay them. We had a female neatherland dwarf that was bred at least once (by the previous owner) but we never spayed her. We tried to get her spayed but things kept stopping us so we decided not to and she lived a good 10 yrs. If you have any males you will most likely have to fix them. I've heard a few people have success with keeping non-fixed males but most people have very bad time with that.

The rabbits diet should be at least ~70% hay.
 
Note that I wrote this up for house rabbits, so some may not apply to your setup.
You'll need a large enclosure, not those tiny tight cages that pet stores supply. You'll want to build a large pen, and since a rule of thumb for a house rabbit is an X-pen, maybe about that much space per rabbit. Not entirely sure what the square footage of that is. Rabbits are litter trainable, so as long as the house is bunny proofed, you should be just fine letting them roam. Unless you have other pets such as cats or dogs. My cats don't mind her too much, rabbits are very territorial, so once she gets to know her new space, she will probably hold her own up against a cat. Dogs on the other hand, it depends. My Labs like her, though she is afraid of them. They leave her alone for the most part.

To setup her new area, get her a large cat litter box, the bigger the better. I use a cheep 6$ low sided plastic bin I got at Winco. As long as its very large, and the sides aren't to high, any rectangular bin will work. You can use a covered litter box too, and that will also double as a hiddey house. To setup the litter box, you'll want to fill it with a thin layer (you don't need much litter) of pine pellets, or paper litter are most common. You don't want to use kitty litter since it contains clay, which is toxic if ingested. I use a 40/60 mix of paper litter and pine pellets. Paper on top just for a bit of cushion. You'll then put the hay directly in one side of her litter box. If your rabbit tends to only poop on the side without hay (Aspen does not, she moves it all around the box) then you only have to put litter on that side. Rabbits will mostly poop where they eat hay, so having the hay in the litter box without a hay bag is your best bet.

To potty train her, place all poops outside the box inside her litter box, and wipe up and deodorize the area where she peed. It could take from a few days, to a few weeks to litter train her. As long as your consistent, it should go just fine.

With that in mind, you'll need a hidey house. I don't suggest getting a fabric one until she's potty trained, since cleaning those are a pain. You can get seagrass ones on Amazon, but for potty training I like the large Oxbow woven houses since they don't have a bottom. Then they can't pee or poop in the house, and get it dirty. I used a seagrass house before Aspen was potty trained, and they're impossible to clean. Just found this wooden one without a bottom, and it looks good too! Rabbits like to have two exits in their houses, so keep that in mind when looking. The Oxbow one doesn't have that. You can use a cardboard box as well for short term. Just make sure that it doesn't have any tape or color on it that she might invest. She will eat/chew it up, so any boxes with dye should be avoided.

For feeding and water, a cat water and food dish with a stand is good. It keeps them from spilling it which is a plus. You can also get large cat bowls at Ross Dress for Less, and they have orem fabric hidey houses as well for once she's potty trained.
Don't use a water bottle though, since it can be hard for rabbits to get enough water from those. A large cat water bowl is usually suitable. I use a cat food/water dish in a stand, it holds about 1/2-3/4c of water, and I have to refill it daily.
You'll also need some kind of mat or blanket to cover the floor if its slippery. Rubber mats (Ross Dress for Less) without a lip may be more suitable until she's potty trained. They're easy to clean, and rabbits may decide they like peeing on soft things, so putting blankets down may encourage her not to use the litter box. At least it did for Aspen.
When you choose a rubber mat, keep in mind that if your rabbit is an aggressive chewer, she will destroy any mat or blanket with fibers or weaves she can pull out. Depending on your rabbit, you will probably want blankets or rugs in her area with very tight weaves, and nothing made of seagrass.

Rubber mats that are flush with the floor are probably a good choice. I used a mat with a lip, and it was destroyed by the next day. Something like this would probably be suitable.
Once your bun is potty trained, then reusable puppy pads work great! Thats what I use for Aspens area.

For diet, you'll want to give her high quality rabbit pellets, I use Small Pet Select, at about 1/4c per 4lbs of body weight. You can give her this daily. Along with that, a large handful of organic lettuce mix, spring mix works great, or other greens with each meal. I use carrot tops, radish tops, and then get organic spring mix for the rest of the time. Rabbits can eat most all lettuces other than Iceberg. No cabbage, or spinach either. She will also need unlimited Timothy, Orchard Grass, or other hay other than Alfalfa at all times. Rabbits can go into GI stasis quite easily, and keeping hay available at all time is vital to their health. They will eat a lot of hay, so you may have to replenish it daily.

Toys are also very important. Cardboard cat scratchers make great toys, but you can also get hay twists, wood toys, and other toys at pet stores. You can make your own toys with pinecones, tiny branches tied in a bundle with food grade twine. You can also use small pieces of fire wood soaked in fruit juices as toys. I soaked some plain wood chews from my feed store in mango juice, Aspen loves them!
As for other supplies, you'll also need kitten/cat nail clippers, a rabbit comb, the hair buster comb is great, though its very pricey. Having a basic first aid kit is also important.
Lennon the Bunny does have some good Youtube videos, though I've also heard its not the best source. I love RabbitsOnline for my rabbit questions, they have a great forum with helpful members.
Trying to think of other things I need to include, bunny proofing maybe, but you don't have to worry about that quite yet. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Sorry for the novel btw. :D
 
If you buy all three rabbits of the same gender or babies, they'll likely get along fine. Until they don't. Once rabbits reach 6 months old, they become hormonal. This can lead to aggression (towards you and each other) and they may become territorial.
Getting them all fixed is the best solution, but rabbits don't always get along, even when raised together. Then they'll have to have separate housing, which no one wants to deal with.

The best thing to do is to adopt a bonded pair, or three, that are already fixed. Most rabbit rescues have plenty in need of homes.
Mini lops are pretty popular, so there's a good chance you'll find some in a shelter or rescue.
I personally would go with a pair, since they'll he easier to find and won't make their enclosure crowded.

What type of enclosure design are you planning on making for them?
I recommend solid and easy to clean floors. Such as tile or vinyl, since they'll stay cool and can't be chewed on.
One level where they can run around in is much better than multiple small levels. Though if it is a walk in design, lofts are a good way to make use of vertical space. This is another outdoor enclosure with a ramp up to a loft space
1655918764126.png


They'll need a nice big litter box, especially with two or more. Something like a large, shallow storage tub will be perfect. Avoid cat litter, since the clay in it is toxic. Pelleted pine litter is a smell free and easy to use.
The litter box should be placed in the corner, and filled up with lots of hay in the back. Rabbits under 6 months should have Alfalfa, but if you adopt adult rabbits, they should either have Timothy, Bermuda, Oat, or Orchard grass.

Adult rabbits should have about a handful of fresh spring mix veggies daily, along with ¼ cup of timothy pellets each.

A large water dish, instead of a bottle is important. Rabbits can become dehydrated with a bottle, especially in the summer, and the bottles can sometimes cause spinal issues. Something heavy, like a ceramic bowl, will prevent them from knocking it over.

Treats, such as banana, carrot, apple, and herbs can be offered in small amounts.

They should have lots of toys to help keep their teeth down and prevent boredom. Avoid toys with dyes. DIY toys are easy to make and just as fun as store bought ones. Apple and willow sticks make great chews too.

Plenty of hidey houses are also a must. Rabbits, being prey animals, need safe places to hide in. Cardboard boxes work fine and can be chewed on (just remove tape and don't just boxes with ink). Cat hides are a good choice too, so long as they don't decide to eat them.

For the first week or so, as hard as it is, it's best to leave them alone and let them settle in. This can be a stressful time for them, so it helps to give them their space.
Once they've gotten used to their new home, you can start bonding with them. Laying on the ground, so that you're closer to their level, will make you seem less intimidating. Try not to pet them or pick them up, and instead let them come to you. It may take some time for you to earn their trust, or, they may enjoy being pet from day one. Each ranbit is going to be different.

Hope this helps!
 
The only tip I have is do NOT buy a prefab hutch. Those are absolutely horrible. Last for only a year (if not less) and usually aren’t big enough. Good luck!
I do agree with you, It is just Unfortunately impossible for me to build my own right now! I found a really spacious one, with good reviews tho. So I am hoping it will work till I am in a position where I can build my own. Great tip tho. Thank you so much!
 
If you buy all three rabbits of the same gender or babies, they'll likely get along fine. Until they don't. Once rabbits reach 6 months old, they become hormonal. This can lead to aggression (towards you and each other) and they may become territorial.
Getting them all fixed is the best solution, but rabbits don't always get along, even when raised together. Then they'll have to have separate housing, which no one wants to deal with.

The best thing to do is to adopt a bonded pair, or three, that are already fixed. Most rabbit rescues have plenty in need of homes.
Mini lops are pretty popular, so there's a good chance you'll find some in a shelter or rescue.
I personally would go with a pair, since they'll he easier to find and won't make their enclosure crowded.

What type of enclosure design are you planning on making for them?
I recommend solid and easy to clean floors. Such as tile or vinyl, since they'll stay cool and can't be chewed on.
One level where they can run around in is much better than multiple small levels. Though if it is a walk in design, lofts are a good way to make use of vertical space. This is another outdoor enclosure with a ramp up to a loft space
View attachment 3158866

They'll need a nice big litter box, especially with two or more. Something like a large, shallow storage tub will be perfect. Avoid cat litter, since the clay in it is toxic. Pelleted pine litter is a smell free and easy to use.
The litter box should be placed in the corner, and filled up with lots of hay in the back. Rabbits under 6 months should have Alfalfa, but if you adopt adult rabbits, they should either have Timothy, Bermuda, Oat, or Orchard grass.

Adult rabbits should have about a handful of fresh spring mix veggies daily, along with ¼ cup of timothy pellets each.

A large water dish, instead of a bottle is important. Rabbits can become dehydrated with a bottle, especially in the summer, and the bottles can sometimes cause spinal issues. Something heavy, like a ceramic bowl, will prevent them from knocking it over.

Treats, such as banana, carrot, apple, and herbs can be offered in small amounts.

They should have lots of toys to help keep their teeth down and prevent boredom. Avoid toys with dyes. DIY toys are easy to make and just as fun as store bought ones. Apple and willow sticks make great chews too.

Plenty of hidey houses are also a must. Rabbits, being prey animals, need safe places to hide in. Cardboard boxes work fine and can be chewed on (just remove tape and don't just boxes with ink). Cat hides are a good choice too, so long as they don't decide to eat them.

For the first week or so, as hard as it is, it's best to leave them alone and let them settle in. This can be a stressful time for them, so it helps to give them their space.
Once they've gotten used to their new home, you can start bonding with them. Laying on the ground, so that you're closer to their level, will make you seem less intimidating. Try not to pet them or pick them up, and instead let them come to you. It may take some time for you to earn their trust, or, they may enjoy being pet from day one. Each ranbit is going to be different.

Hope this helps!
Wow, SO helpful!! Thank you so so much. I can tell you are super knowledgeable and know your stuff! I do have one question for you: can they all 3 share a food and water bowl? Or do they need there own? So instead of doing 1/4 cup of pellets, I would do 3/4, and would they all share and eat the same amount? Thank you so so much!
 
Note that I wrote this up for house rabbits, so some may not apply to your setup.
You'll need a large enclosure, not those tiny tight cages that pet stores supply. You'll want to build a large pen, and since a rule of thumb for a house rabbit is an X-pen, maybe about that much space per rabbit. Not entirely sure what the square footage of that is. Rabbits are litter trainable, so as long as the house is bunny proofed, you should be just fine letting them roam. Unless you have other pets such as cats or dogs. My cats don't mind her too much, rabbits are very territorial, so once she gets to know her new space, she will probably hold her own up against a cat. Dogs on the other hand, it depends. My Labs like her, though she is afraid of them. They leave her alone for the most part.

To setup her new area, get her a large cat litter box, the bigger the better. I use a cheep 6$ low sided plastic bin I got at Winco. As long as its very large, and the sides aren't to high, any rectangular bin will work. You can use a covered litter box too, and that will also double as a hiddey house. To setup the litter box, you'll want to fill it with a thin layer (you don't need much litter) of pine pellets, or paper litter are most common. You don't want to use kitty litter since it contains clay, which is toxic if ingested. I use a 40/60 mix of paper litter and pine pellets. Paper on top just for a bit of cushion. You'll then put the hay directly in one side of her litter box. If your rabbit tends to only poop on the side without hay (Aspen does not, she moves it all around the box) then you only have to put litter on that side. Rabbits will mostly poop where they eat hay, so having the hay in the litter box without a hay bag is your best bet.

To potty train her, place all poops outside the box inside her litter box, and wipe up and deodorize the area where she peed. It could take from a few days, to a few weeks to litter train her. As long as your consistent, it should go just fine.

With that in mind, you'll need a hidey house. I don't suggest getting a fabric one until she's potty trained, since cleaning those are a pain. You can get seagrass ones on Amazon, but for potty training I like the large Oxbow woven houses since they don't have a bottom. Then they can't pee or poop in the house, and get it dirty. I used a seagrass house before Aspen was potty trained, and they're impossible to clean. Just found this wooden one without a bottom, and it looks good too! Rabbits like to have two exits in their houses, so keep that in mind when looking. The Oxbow one doesn't have that. You can use a cardboard box as well for short term. Just make sure that it doesn't have any tape or color on it that she might invest. She will eat/chew it up, so any boxes with dye should be avoided.

For feeding and water, a cat water and food dish with a stand is good. It keeps them from spilling it which is a plus. You can also get large cat bowls at Ross Dress for Less, and they have orem fabric hidey houses as well for once she's potty trained.
Don't use a water bottle though, since it can be hard for rabbits to get enough water from those. A large cat water bowl is usually suitable. I use a cat food/water dish in a stand, it holds about 1/2-3/4c of water, and I have to refill it daily.
You'll also need some kind of mat or blanket to cover the floor if its slippery. Rubber mats (Ross Dress for Less) without a lip may be more suitable until she's potty trained. They're easy to clean, and rabbits may decide they like peeing on soft things, so putting blankets down may encourage her not to use the litter box. At least it did for Aspen.
When you choose a rubber mat, keep in mind that if your rabbit is an aggressive chewer, she will destroy any mat or blanket with fibers or weaves she can pull out. Depending on your rabbit, you will probably want blankets or rugs in her area with very tight weaves, and nothing made of seagrass.

Rubber mats that are flush with the floor are probably a good choice. I used a mat with a lip, and it was destroyed by the next day. Something like this would probably be suitable.
Once your bun is potty trained, then reusable puppy pads work great! Thats what I use for Aspens area.

For diet, you'll want to give her high quality rabbit pellets, I use Small Pet Select, at about 1/4c per 4lbs of body weight. You can give her this daily. Along with that, a large handful of organic lettuce mix, spring mix works great, or other greens with each meal. I use carrot tops, radish tops, and then get organic spring mix for the rest of the time. Rabbits can eat most all lettuces other than Iceberg. No cabbage, or spinach either. She will also need unlimited Timothy, Orchard Grass, or other hay other than Alfalfa at all times. Rabbits can go into GI stasis quite easily, and keeping hay available at all time is vital to their health. They will eat a lot of hay, so you may have to replenish it daily.

Toys are also very important. Cardboard cat scratchers make great toys, but you can also get hay twists, wood toys, and other toys at pet stores. You can make your own toys with pinecones, tiny branches tied in a bundle with food grade twine. You can also use small pieces of fire wood soaked in fruit juices as toys. I soaked some plain wood chews from my feed store in mango juice, Aspen loves them!
As for other supplies, you'll also need kitten/cat nail clippers, a rabbit comb, the hair buster comb is great, though its very pricey. Having a basic first aid kit is also important.
Lennon the Bunny does have some good Youtube videos, though I've also heard its not the best source. I love RabbitsOnline for my rabbit questions, they have a great forum with helpful members.
Trying to think of other things I need to include, bunny proofing maybe, but you don't have to worry about that quite yet. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Sorry for the novel btw. :D
Wow, THANK YOU! I really appreciate the time you took to help me! You really know your stuff. I also read about your story with Aspen on a different thread, and you did such a good job! Once again, thank you!
 

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