I agree.

My rabbit has a decent size hutch ( 2 floors ) and a pen constantly attached to it - securely - so he can choose to be in or out when he wants. He's put away at night for safety reasons but that's about it.

Why don't you clip their claws? I don't like that they are running on concrete Mine were always on grass and I clipped them every few months or when needed.

Did you read my response, they have a hutch and a run - durr



Before you comment please look at my last post which explained in more detail why my rabbit is on hard standing. To quick to quote before you get to the end of the thred!!!!

It is actually illegal now by the RSPCA not to keep rabbits and g.pigs housed together, it came in a few years ago, which is why pet shops have stopped housing them together, for the reasons the other person said.

Rubbish. It's not illegal and the RSPCA have nothing to do with animal welfare legislation. It is however no longer recommended to keep them together, not only because of risk of injury to the g.pig but also because stress levels in g.pigs are shown to be thru the roof when house with rabbits.

Our understanding of animals increases all the time. While many people have kept guinea pigs and rabbits together successfully, current knowledge suggests it’s a bad thing for several reasons:
[LIST][*]Close proximity to rabbits can stress guinea pigs[*]Rabbits can damage guinea pigs because of size and behaviour differences[*]There are, as pointed out, differences in food requirements[*]Rabbits can pass on a respiratory disease to guinea pigs[/LIST]
But the fundamental fact is that rabbits and guinea pigs are social animals. Rabbits need rabbit company (assuming they are neutered / spayed and get on with each other). A rabbit cannot get the social behaviours it needs for a happy and fulfilled life from a guinea pig.

Rabbits do not need vegetables to supplement their diets. I collect a carrier-bag full of fresh grass and herbage twice a day and during the winter they get good quality hay from a local farmer along with a small supplement of pellets. Vegetables – other than an occasional treat – are not necessary. Grass and hay is vital to them to enable their teeth to be maintained by chewing.

I do not keep my rabbits on hard standing and would never do so. I understand the issues with rabbits burrowing under wire but the answer is to put a wire base down on the run and let grass grow through it. This cushions the wire but still prevents them tunnelling out. Where my rabbits do have a gravel base to their run, it is covered with several inches of straw which is changed regularly. I do understand the issue with the OP’s rabbit’s nose but straw should not aggravate the nose and there’s no point solving the problem with the nose if the feet and pads suffer as a result.

I note that the OP mentions that all indoor pets are chipped and vaccinated. I hope that the rabbit, as an outdoor pet, is also neutered / spayed and just as importantly vaccinated at least annually against myxomatosis and VHD.

I know it’s not always welcome to have people question our animal welfare standards but unfortunately, it is not enough just to love animals. We have to work to understand their needs and do the best we can to meet them. Sometimes people’s desire to save animals actually ends up giving them a worse life than if they’d been euthanaised.

While I’m sure it’s not the case here, loving animals and rescuing them does not always go hand-in-hand with knowledge and correct care… or even enough money to provide what they need. Certainly, if someone criticised what I was doing I’d check to see whether my thinking had got into a rut and if in fact the new information I was being given was worth taking on board.

I did and this is what you wrote .....

"Originally Posted by Um_Bongo View Post
They have runs on hard standing for their claws."

So I will say again why do you not clip their claws? Them running on concrete will NOT keep their nails down it will cause them to be sore footed and in my opinion it's cruel.