# Cruel?



## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

I have a Mini Lop (I think) she is about 15 months old. 
Recently out of the blue she started digging. 
She had a Large hutch with a run attached on the bottom which i never block off as i like her eating grass etc. 
I locked her upstairs untill we could move her, she stopped for a while, but now shes started again. 
I hate her being locked up stairs in her hutch so i suggested moving her out the back on to a concrete base we have, but my dad thinks its cruel putting her on concrete but ill put hay in everyday and she'll have a larger space to hop about in  
Is it cruel?


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## crofty (May 2, 2008)

No i agree with you put her back on the concrete, however I would suggest you get her a seperate run for the grass when you are there to supervise her. Buns shouldnt be left in a hutch run 24/7 they need variety and proper exercise.


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

I dont think its cruel. Aslong as she has plenty of hay and you provide her with fresh food, she should be fine.

Better for her to be on concrete with full access to her run, than on grass and shut in the hutch section. Safer as well, as she could dig out on the grass.

To me, a run is more about exercise and stimulation, rather than grazing.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

Um i leave there runs open aswell as i find the angle the sun is on in our garden they dont get it in their hutchs, but in the run there is LOADS and they seem to enjoy being in it but when they get too hot they go back up stairs. 

thank you


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

id keep her on the concrete its better then her digging her way out. as long as rabbits get plently of hay and resh greens they dont really need the grass. i have a sand pit full of dirt for my buns to dig in as they arent kept on grass at the mo and they love it.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

they always get peelings from our food. 
i always give them a nice handful of hay everyday, but if she is on the concrete i will give her a bit more  
Im going to lecture dad when he gets home lol


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## tinamary (Aug 17, 2008)

We have put chicken wire under our grass in the aviary.


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

LookingCheeky said:


> they always get peelings from our food.
> i always give them a nice handful of hay everyday, but if she is on the concrete i will give her a bit more
> Im going to lecture dad when he gets home lol


Rabbits need constant access to good quality hay. Long strand is better than chopped.

The diet should consist of 80% hay. Depending on your feeding methods.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

Nonnie said:


> Rabbits need constant access to good quality hay. Long strand is better than chopped.
> 
> The diet should consist of 80% hay. Depending on your feeding methods.


I always give them a handful of hay either every or every other day, they get all our 'cuttings' from veg and carrots broccoli etc. i give them SupaRabbit dry food pellets everyday just a bowl or if they have more veg half a bowl


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## crofty (May 2, 2008)

LookingCheeky said:


> I always give them a handful of hay either every or every other day, they get all our 'cuttings' from veg and carrots broccoli etc. i give them SupaRabbit dry food pellets everyday just a bowl or if they have more veg half a bowl


Only a handful? Their diet should be 90% hay and a handful of pellets. The veg should supplement this.


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

crofty said:


> Only a handful? Their diet should be 90% hay and a handful of pellets. The veg should supplement this.


you should tell my rabbits that. my last 4 rarely touched the stuff, i always provided it fresh but they hardly touched it. they have all got through about a rack full every 3 days to a week. i no other rabbits that eat it but mine never seem too. never had any diet related problems tho. they have all been healthy happy buns.


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## red_dwarf15 (Nov 17, 2008)

thats probably because you're giving them too many pellets. if you reduce the amout of pelets to a handfull each they will fill up on the hay
anothe alternative is readigrass. its air dried geass and is a lot sweeter than hay. my bun adores it.


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

Being free range in the garden my three just have a diet of grass and plants with a handful of rabbit mix at night when they get shut in the hutches. Come morning theres still a bit of food left in the bowls and they can't wait to get back out on the grass to have their breakfast.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

Its what i was told years ago i have done it with all the rabbits i have had


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Ive found that if i buy cheaper hay, then mine wont really touch it.

I think if something is going to be the staple diet, then it should be good quality. Afterall, you get out what you put in. 

I feed mine various hays, and only use the cheaper stuff as bedding. The hay experts is a great place to get some quality stuff. 

My lots favourite at the moment is Scratch and Newtons Camomile and Dandelion hay. Its £3.99 a bag, but they eat it, and enjoy it. I also feed Oxbows Timothy hay, Excel roughage, dried grass, and hay cakes.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

Thank you  i will have a look about they seem to eat the stuff i buy i cant remember the company, the dust as been extracted so basically soaked. 
i will have a shop about and see


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## red_dwarf15 (Nov 17, 2008)

LookingCheeky said:


> Its what i was told years ago i have done it with all the rabbits i have had


years ago they didnt realise exactly what a bun needed. when i was a kid we used to feed our buns a big bowel of musili mix and only a lil bit of hay once a week as a treat. thats what the petshop told us to do. when i got charley i did a lot of research on what food to feed him and how to look after him and a very high fible diet stops a lot of probs later on in life with teeth and overweight buns


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

um maybe i need to change


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

I have cut down on the amount of pellets/mix that my lot have but they still don't really like hay! They hate the Timothy hay stuff, they don't even touch that! 
I had a rabbit who was just over 8 when he died recently, and he would ignore any type of hay you put in, but put straw or shredded paper in and he would eat it!(i had to be careful of that!) he never had any problems releated to his diet, and he was a happy bunny. 
My 2 lops are on a strict diet from mix/pellets at the moment and they still don't really touch their hay, they get a pile of fresh hay every day.
I think its an individual thing with rabbits cos at the end of they day, they dont know they are supposed to eat 90% hay do they! 

As for the run, mine are all on patio slabs and they have big plant pots with grass(turf) potted in it so they get to munch if they want, mine like to sit on the plant pots! I didn't know if it would survive but it is doing great!

*Heidi*


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

The pots are a good idea. umm 

Well mine eat anything i give them a bowl or half depending on the bowl size and hay everyday but they eat their straw and ate paper before, but they have food in there bowls and hay left so i dont no why they do it, Molly is a fatty she eats EVERYTHING!


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## red_dwarf15 (Nov 17, 2008)

LookingCheeky said:


> The pots are a good idea. umm
> 
> Well mine eat anything i give them a bowl or half depending on the bowl size and hay everyday but they eat their straw and ate paper before, but they have food in there bowls and hay left so i dont no why they do it, Molly is a fatty she eats EVERYTHING!


rabbits often eat non digestable stuff like knawing on wood and paper and straw to not only keep their teeth healthy, but the fibre helps them poop. they are very strange creatures lol.


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## BeatrixPotter (Apr 3, 2009)

My bun Peter is very fussy about hay but he does really like the Naturals Hay Cookies.


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## umber (Feb 15, 2009)

BeatrixPotter said:


> My bun Peter is very fussy about hay but he does really like the Naturals Hay Cookies.


My 2 dont like tha hay cookies lol its so funny how they have such particular like and dislikes!


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

My guineas LOVE the hay cakes, my rabbits just fling them around the garden.


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## LookingCheeky (Apr 21, 2009)

Nonnie said:


> My guineas LOVE the hay cakes, my rabbits just fling them around the garden.


HAHA!

I did think they may just chew cuz of teeth cuz they have chewed the hutches inside, i give them carrots a lot for things like that aswell


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