So my bunnies, Oreo and Snickerdoodle, moved into their new digs yesterday

[magical thyme]

I built them a mobile home over the winter. Got them settled in the barn just in time. If I'd waited until after dinner, it would have been a mess.

Once the grass is in, I'll be able to drag them around the yard to mow. The front doors will open into a puppy pen clipped to the outside of their mobile hutch.

Here it is:





Oreo


Snickers

[MADem]

1. Are they pets or food?

Do they have to stay in the cage all night? Can they come in the house or do they just stay in the barn?

Can those things be litter box trained or do they just shit everywhere?

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I've had more than one friend who had bunnies who were litter box trained

I used to "rabbit sit" for my neighbor when they went on vacation, though I've never had one of my own, adorable pets, but I'm not sure how they'd get along with my cat and my dog...

[femmocrat]

2. Very clever!

They will love being outdoors.

[magical thyme]

5. to Ignored, who's post I saw while not at home: Oreo and Snickers are pets & French

Angora fiber bunnies. I rescued them and their owner this past winter; she'd got somewhat overwhelmed by life so was giving them away. They produce about a pound of soft, silky angora wool each year. Oreo's wool is a lovely cool, bluish gray. Snicker's wool varies from creamy white to warm gray. They shed 4 times/year and must have their wool groomed out or it will mat terribly and they can ingest too much wool when grooming themselves and end up with "wool block" which is potentially fatal. Both had some small mats when I got them, and Oreo had a huge mat on each shoulder area. It took me a good week to get him groomed into better shape.

Bunnies can be litter trained, but it's much easier to do if they are neutered. And angora bunnies are larger than typical pet bunnies, so a lot more work to keep indoors. I kept Oreo and Snickers indoors all winter while I built them their outdoor digs and waited for the temps to moderate since they had been in all winter so weren't acclimated to the cold. Plus they just finished one of their 4 annual wool sheds, so aren't as insulated.

They will be in their cages overnight for safety from predators. During the day when they can come and go, their pens will also be covered to keep overhead predators out and to provide them shade. Rabbits don't sweat so have a hard time in the heat.

I started learning to spin a bit this winter. A couple weeks ago I made my first experimental piece of felt. I'm going to focus initially on the felt-making since it requires less skill and is faster. The spinning is probably going to take some time to get decent at.

Snickers about midway between her last shed and full coat:


Oreo near the end of his first grooming:

[MADem]

6. They look like cats with big ears!

I've never known anyone who had rabbits as pets or sources of wool, either--fascinating!

Does anyone know if they come when called? Are they 'pet like' in that way?

The only rabbits I know are the ones who live near me, somewhere, and bounce through my fence and drive my dog nuts! That's one tough rabbit--he sits up and he's a big 'un~!