# New and bigger cage confusion



## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

Hello,

So I have this male rabbit named Roxy who's with us for 2 years now and we realise since he's growing and getting fatter, his current cage is too small for him to move around and relaxed now. His cage is somewhat like a small rectangle and the roof of the cage is curvy. Bought a new cage, a bigger one and it looks like a big rectangle with a flat roof. So we put him in this new big cage this morning and we noticed that he seems to not like the new cage. When we put him inside, he looks around the cage, moved around and even stand at its feet as if he is searching for something, I don't know.

He had not showed this behaviour, up until we put him inside the new cage. Normally he would lie down most of the time and go out occasionally during the afternoon to play with us. I'm worried cause when we pet him (stroking the head backwards) inside the cage, he doesn't seem to like it unlike when he's in his old cage where he would immediately lie down and get comfy when we pet him. So any advice here? I'm not good at knowing rabbit's behaviour, only some. :closedeyes:


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Did you transfer some of his things from his other cage? litter tray, etc to makehim feel at home/

Could he be exploring?


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## gem88 (Jun 2, 2012)

you've put him in a new environment, he's probably unsure, give him time and make sure you gave him his normal toys, did u transfer some of his bedding from the old cage too?


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## gem88 (Jun 2, 2012)

also have you thought about getting him a friend? rabbits need company xx


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

Summersky said:


> Did you transfer some of his things from his other cage? litter tray, etc to makehim feel at home/
> 
> Could he be exploring?


Yes I transfer all of his stuffs from the old cage to the new one, litter tray and toys.



gem88 said:


> you've put him in a new environment, he's probably unsure, give him time and make sure you gave him his normal toys, did u transfer some of his bedding from the old cage too?


Yeah maybe he's not used to it. Yes the bedding too transferred to the new cage. I'm gonna give it time until he get used to the new cage.



gem88 said:


> also have you thought about getting him a friend? rabbits need company xx


I have 3 other rabbits, 1 other male and 2 females but they are in separate cages because when put together, the males kept fighting and mating together in a weird way, to the head, lol. When we put the male and female together, they kept mating and ending up giving birth. And we have no time to take care of them babies :sad:


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

I think that your rabbit is just settling into his new home. Just give him time. Is he in a different room as well? Talk in a soft voice. Let him settle. 

Rabbits are much happier if they have a friend. But yes - you can't put a male and female together just like that - they will have lots of babies.

The best thing to do is to speak to a vet who is experienced in treating rabbits.

Here, we have our rabbits spayed (females) and neutered (males).

This will stop them having babies, and they can then live together.

Even then, you can't just put them in together. It has to be done carefully, so they don't fight. And you have to wait for 8 weeks or so.

If your rabbits can live together, they will be much happier. and perhaps you can give them a much bigger place to live.


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## gem88 (Jun 2, 2012)

good grief! why havent u had them neutered then if u dont want babies?
as summersky said you cant just put them together, they need to be bonded properly. but once they're done it'll make them alot happier


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

Summersky said:


> I think that your rabbit is just settling into his new home. Just give him time. Is he in a different room as well? Talk in a soft voice. Let him settle.
> 
> Rabbits are much happier if they have a friend. But yes - you can't put a male and female together just like that - they will have lots of babies.
> 
> ...





gem88 said:


> good grief! why havent u had them neutered then if u dont want babies?
> as summersky said you cant just put them together, they need to be bonded properly. but once they're done it'll make them alot happier


:thumbsup: I think he's fine now, and I think he likes the new cage since he got more space to play around and lie down with ease.

Yeah last time the vet did suggest to spay and neuter our rabbits but we said we'll think about that first and after discussing this together with our parents, we decided not to and I agreed to it. I think it's morally wrong and furthermore it's against our religion's law so yeah, we don't want to. We just separate them and put them together to make babies occasionally.

Anyway thank you for the support and explanation 

Oh yeah, I got a question. Sometimes when I pet my rabbit he immediately lie down, adjusting his feet and get comfy. Does this mean he likes it or is he scared or something?


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Glad he is settling down.

I will always respect other people's religious beliefs, but please be aware that bunnies need friends of their own kind, and unspayed does are at a very high risk of dying young from uterine cancer.

If you do breed, please make sure you have good homes in mind for the babies. There are thousands in rescues needing quality homes.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2013)

sparkleshateyou said:


> :thumbsup: I think he's fine now, and I think he likes the new cage since he got more space to play around and lie down with ease.
> 
> Yeah last time the vet did suggest to spay and neuter our rabbits but we said we'll think about that first and after discussing this together with our parents, we decided not to and I agreed to it. I think it's morally wrong and furthermore it's against our religion's law so yeah, we don't want to. We just separate them and put them together to make babies occasionally.
> 
> ...


It may be against your religion and that is up to you and your parents to decide, however what about the health implications to the poor rabbits? :eek6:

Can I ask what size are your enclosures for your rabbits, are they vaccinated?

All this indiscriminate breeding  I'm kinda hoping this is just a halfterm type of post


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

That's exactly what I was thinking Bernie!

Especially when you look at Sparkles full name.


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

B3rnie said:


> It may be against your religion and that is up to you and your parents to decide, however what about the health implications to the poor rabbits? :eek6:
> 
> Can I ask what size are your enclosures for your rabbits, are they vaccinated?


I understand that and it's debatable. I love all my rabbits and I want them to be in good condition but its my parents' decision and they are quite strict.

It's big enough don't worry and yes they are.



B3rnie said:


> I'm kinda hoping this is just a halfterm type of post


Not sure what you are implying there.



Summersky said:


> If you do breed, please make sure you have good homes in mind for the babies. There are thousands in rescues needing quality homes.


:thumbsup:



Summersky said:


> That's exactly what I was thinking Bernie!
> 
> Especially when you look at Sparkles full name.


:eek6:


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2013)

sparkleshateyou said:


> I understand that and it's debatable. I love all my rabbits and I want them to be in good condition but its my parents' decision and they are quite strict.
> 
> It's big enough don't worry and yes they are.
> 
> :


Sorry the health risks are not debatable, they are facts. You are right that it is ultimately your parents decision but that doesn't stop you learning what is right.

I have lost count how many times I have been told that someones enclosure is big enough lol
What is the actual size?

Do your parents know the full genetic history (going back 5 generations) of the rabbits being bred?


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

All I will say is - read up on the RWAF website - there is much to learn, if you are serious about being the best rabbit owner you can. 

A Hutch is Not Enough - Rabbit Welfare Assocation & Fund (RWAF)

Does your rabbit have the space for 3 hops? (not asking much, is it?)

Can it stretch up too?

RWAF recommend a 6ft by 2ft by 2ft hutch for an average bun/pair of buns, that is attached to a large space where they can run (minimum 6ft by 4ft).

Oh, and finally -parents need educating too. You're never too old to learn!


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

B3rnie said:


> Sorry the health risks are not debatable, they are facts. You are right that it is ultimately your parents decision but that doesn't stop you learning what is right.
> 
> I have lost count how many times I have been told that someones enclosure is big enough lol
> What is the actual size?
> ...


I understand that sir. I wish I can have them spayed and neutered. I do read somewhere that the female rabbits often dies fast when they are not neutered and as you guys said they can get cancer because of that and I think they don't show any symptoms so I guess it's just a matter of time?

Hmm I'm not good in calculating the size. If you mean in terms of ft then I guess it's 10ft x 10ft :eek6:

No I guess not :closedeyes:


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## SammyJo (Oct 22, 2012)

sparkleshateyou said:


> When we put the male and female together, they kept mating and ending up giving birth. And we have no time to take care of them babies :sad:





sparkleshateyou said:


> We just separate them and put them together to make babies occasionally.


WTF 

So you have no time to look after babies but STILL put them together for litters 'occasionally'?

Jeees ut:

BYB springs to mind! :mad5:


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

I think you get it all wrong. It's not like we don't take care of the babies when we put them together for mating. I can't think of the word but actually it's not "occasionally"

Anyway, the first time when our rabbit gave birth (an Albino), we were shocked cause it's only after 1 month so we immediately google how to take care of them. Long story short, those babies are grown up now and we gave it to our cousin, all 4 of them, not sure if that's a good idea or not but anyway, on the 2nd time our other female rabbit gave birth, 2 out of 5 of them were already dead before we even realised it and another one was eaten by the mother, I don't know what's wrong but the other 2 survived but after 1-2 weeks they are all dead. Since then we decided not to put them together as we are afraid we couldn't take care of the babies and plus we are afraid that the mother will eat the babies like she did last time when we were still asleep


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## butter_cup (Oct 21, 2009)

If you won't get your rabbits neutered/spayed, then please don't put them together to breed at all. There are so many rabbits currently in rescues looking for homes, why would you want to add to that?

When I say many, I mean last time I saw a number it was over 35,000 rabbits looking for a home.

I would seriously try to convince your parents to get them neutered, it's really nice to see bunnies cuddled up together, they are less hormonal and it cuts out the risk of certain cancers. It's a no-brainer if you ask me!


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

butter_cup said:


> If you won't get your rabbits neutered/spayed, then please don't put them together to breed at all. There are so many rabbits currently in rescues looking for homes, why would you want to add to that?
> 
> When I say many, I mean last time I saw a number it was over 35,000 rabbits looking for a home.
> 
> I would seriously try to convince your parents to get them neutered, it's really nice to see bunnies cuddled up together, they are less hormonal and it cuts out the risk of certain cancers. It's a no-brainer if you ask me!


Yes I understand that, like I said they are now in separate cages, even their play time outside has to take turn or from a distance away in order for them not to fight or mate when they get near.

I would love to have them neutered but since this religion thing and boy my parents are very religious, I can't pretty much do anything about it :sad:


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

May I ask your religion?


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

Nah it will become a big issue. Everything went off topic ever since I mention something and the other person and another one mention another thing. My only issue is the behavior of my male rabbit after being transferred to a new cage and I think it's solved now. Feel free to close this thread


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## butter_cup (Oct 21, 2009)

Hi, I'm sorry you feel like this has become a big issue, but we only ask and advise as we have the bunnies best interests at heart. Rabbits are one of the most misunderstood and mistreated of all pets because most people just think that you can stick a rabbit in a 3ft hutch with a carrot and be done with it!

You can tell from your posts you care about your rabbits- a 10ft by 10ft run is brilliant for a rabbit, and the fact you even posted here shows you care. 

Please do not think you are being hounded out here, we are just trying to advise further to make your rabbits lives even better and even longer. Which part of your religion then stops you from getting them neutered?


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

I haven't fully read the thread, but the reason I think why your bun is not settling is because its new, its a bit like us moving home everything smells different everything is in a different place etc., etc..

I am picking up a young pet rabbit this evening we are bringing the hutch insitu and I will pop her in a pet carrier. Then when I put her back in her hutch the smell will be the same and everything will be in the same place for her. It should hopefully be less stressful.

Your bun will get used to the new cage and will end up loving it, especially as there is more room to play.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

No offence meant Sparkle - just had the best interest of your buns at heart, and was interested about the impact of religion on bunny care - not something I'd come across before.

Threads often evolve and change - like face to face conversations.

Glad your bun is now settled.


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## sparkleshateyou (Feb 17, 2013)

Yes thank you for the concern and I appreciate the help that I get in this forum. My male rabbit is now ok and by the looks of it, he's already getting used to the new cage.

As for the religion part, it is has something to do with violating God's Law or Will, regardless of our religion, the Bible or whatever book you call in your own religion may state something about animal rights. Well in my religion it states something like when you spayed or neutered any pet, it's like we are destroying and taking away the reproductive rights of the pet and it is similar to abortion which is wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think spay and neuter was first intended to avoid over population of animals especially stray cats & dogs, other animals too but at the same time it is also beneficial such as rabbits, it can help them prevent cancer etc and if not spayed and neutered they will die earlier than expected etc. In general spay and neuter has its own advantages as well as drawbacks


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Thank you for your reply.


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