Any advice on moving my two outside? U/D GETTING A SHED!!

Put them down?

I wouldn't be making any decisions right now. Leave her to calm down and digest your point of view.

I hope she comes round

Yes. My entire family see them as "lesser" animals than the dogs, so clearly their life is worth less too.

They all make me sick

If it was my mum, I would stay out of her way for a while and let calm down and have a think.

Keep us posted chick

I am sure that if you looked at your adoption agreement you would find that you're obligated to return Mojo to the shelter if your mum doesn't want him in the house anymore. And they would be happy to take him with Willow.

And show your mum this leaflet

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/animal_welfare_bill_lft.pdf

Things have settled a bit and we decided she is going to go over tomorrow and look at the coop, measure the interior (it could be bigger than the one online) and see if there's any potential for extending it.

I'd rather compromise their space a bit - despite not being happy with it - than rehome them. And obviously putting them down is totally out of the question and I don't think she meant it either, we were both just totally stressed out and wound up tonight.

cheryl'n'bruce'flo wrote:I am sure that if you looked at your adoption agreement you would find that you're obligated to return Mojo to the shelter if your mum doesn't want him in the house anymore. And they would be happy to take him with Willow.

And show your mum this leaflet

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/animal_welfare_bill_lft.pdf

You're right Cheryl.

I could never do it though. I'd rather keep them with me - even if it meant in that coop - where I know they will be fed, watered, clean and for the majority of the time have lots of space (the whole decking as a run), than send them back. I couldn't face it.

I'm glad things have calmed down a bit.

Fingers crossed that its a massive chicken coop

I bloody hope so!

I can't be doing with being told how obsessive and over the top I am for any much longer!!

Oh I'm sorry to gear things have gone this way for you hunni.

Is there any way they could go back in with you?

What about putting the piggies in the coop and willow and mojo in with the chins?

Katieb wrote:Oh I'm sorry to gear things have gone this way for you hunni.

Is there any way they could go back in with you?

What about putting the piggies in the coop and willow and mojo in with the chins?

Thanks Katie. Things have calmed down a bit now - I think we're both just really stressed at the moment which never helps.

There's really no way Willow and Mojo would fit into my room in any sort of cage, and one of the big reasons we moved them into a seperate run was Willow's territorial bed peeing. We really had no way of preventing it and it was getting pretty gross. Also, I think with my room as it is now (we re-decorated when Willow moved out), they'd actually have LESS space on a day-to-day basis than if they were outdoors. At least for the majority of the time outdoors they'd have a huge space.

The chins and buns don't mix at all - one of the reasons they can't go in together! The chins need daily out-of-cage exercise and that is not a good combo. Been there!

I'm sure you've thought of this but just throwing ideas at you because I know you've had a crappy day of it and you're no doubt upset too

Could The piggies move into the coop, the buns into that room and the chins in your room? Or do the chins need as much space as the buns? (I know nothing about chinchillas!)

The chins accommodation is a 6ft long run Thumper2001, so it's pretty much the same problem as I'd have with the buns. Plus the fact we've re-decorated and chinchillas are even tougher on skirting boards and furniture than buns (hard to believe, I know!). Thanks for the suggestion though

I was thinking about maybe nailing tarp to the fence on one side of the decking, then being able to pull it across and nail it onto the fence the other side. We could get some clear plastic one so it wouldn't shut out all of the light, and that way their entire run could be covered in manky weather and they'd be able to stay dry outdoors? It would also effectively be a "roof" to deter cats etc jumping in, and Willow jumping out, whilst I could still un-do it to walk about in there when I needed to get in to sort them out. They'd still need shutting in the coop overnight, but they do have the downstairs "run" part of that as well which I could leave for them to go in overnight, and that way I wouldn't have to worry about them having barely any space on horrible days. I hope that made sense!

Thoughts guys?

Ah, ok! Bang goes that idea then!

I'll leave someone with better knowledge to help with your idea

A tarp would protect from rain but i would worry about the wind. They need and inclosed shelter where they can sleep, play when it is cold and windy outside as i know drafts and extreme cold is very bad for them.

Thats the trouble many people still view rabbits as small furrys that can stay in a tiny hutch all the time, I have a few who still think I have went ott on my set ups, I feel its not enough but I need some of the garden for my washing & all the bleeding wheely bins we need now, 4 of them sooo annoying want them out the front not making my garden look like a bucket shelter.

Amelia66 wrote:A tarp would protect from rain but i would worry about the wind. They need and inclosed shelter where they can sleep, play when it is cold and windy outside as i know drafts and extreme cold is very bad for them.

That's true, although the whole of the decking area (where they will be living) is going to be fenced in which will help a lot with blocking the wind out. The coop is also going to sit against a brick wall which will help.

dizzylynn wrote:Thats the trouble many people still view rabbits as small furrys that can stay in a tiny hutch all the time, I have a few who still think I have went ott on my set ups, I feel its not enough but I need some of the garden for my washing & all the bleeding wheely bins we need now, 4 of them sooo annoying want them out the front not making my garden look like a bucket shelter.

Exactly. I just get told "well go and ask most people on the street whether they think it's cruel" - so, just because the majority of people believe you can still do this, that makes it right? I am just totally fed up of it

Mum said they measured the interior of the coop and it's actually 5ft x 3ft - a much better space for them - and that's just "inside" space. There's also a 7ft sheltered run if it's raining, and then they'll have the whole decking run which we're going to try and work out some sort of roof for, which I'll put tunnels, levels etc in and they'll have their little digging patch in there too full of grass and other yummy bits. I feel relieved now!

That's a much better size than shown on that link

5' x 2' would probably not be big enough for Willow, but 5' x 3' will be fine

And at least with them having that run attached, you can do the other bits as and when you can / can afford to.

Exactly Sparky - there's even a little nesting box (was the roosting box but you can remove the bar) not included in that indoor space for them, and it would have to be really horrible and miserable for them to not want to even venture into the sheltered run area. I might stick one of those little wooden boxes in that part for them with lots of straw and stuff too, just so they can keep warm but "be outside".

Question - do I shut them in completely overnight or just shut them into the hutch/run set up. Obviously they'll only have access to the big decking run in the daytime, but I was wondering whether to leave them the coop run 24/7 or whether it would let in too much cold and/or be unsafe?

You should shut them in overnight hun, in the winter it will be cold and there are foxes to think about too x

If the coop run is completely secure and they are confident going in and out of the coop itself in the dark, I'd leave them out. Ours love their dawn and late evening binkies and are often to be found out in the snow, although rarely in the rain.

Well, we'll have fencing surrounding the decking the coop is on with a roof, not to mention our garden is totally securely fenced with 6ft fencing all the way around. I doubt any urban fox could get into that - even if they could be bothered! - and I'd feel better giving them the space overnight too.

Katie, if it's really cold I'll shut it all up for them. Mum said if it's bitter like it was last winter then they can come in to our utility room, but I think that would probably be more detrimental than beneficial for them as it's taking them into a heated house.

Don't underestimate foxes. They can dig their way in if they can't get over.

I really don't see how a fox could dig into our garden though. It's in the middle of three gardens and a "box" fenced in. The surrounding area around all of the gardens is concrete which I don't think they could dig through. We live in a very urban area.

I guess I'll decide when I see the run and stuff how secure it is and then make up my mind. I'd never put them in a dangerous situation though