How to convince Mum to let Starsky be a house rabbit

Here's the story.

I'll be getting a friend for Starsky when he's neutered. His hutch is clearly too small for two rabbits, and he never gets time in his run which is miniscule anyway. A few weeks ago I mentioned to my mum that Starsky should be a house rabbit when he's litter trained and neutered and has a friend with him and when we move house. She said, 'oh probably'. Today she was lovely and went out to buy some hay and straw and surprised me with a litter box for Starsky when I came back from school. Anyway, I brought up the whole Starsky being a house rabbit and she completely freaked out.
Apparently, she didn't remember me saying that and just ended the discussion with, 'We haven't even moved house yet!!!'.
I know it will be a bit of time before Starsky can be a house rabbit but he really needs to be a house rabbit when we move, for obvious reasons.
Any advice on how I can calm her down about it and convice her to let Starsky be a house rabbit?
Im expecting Starsky to just live in one room of the house with his new friend, or perhaps a large closet if we have one in the house we'll be moving into.

Print out some good info on raising house rabbits, litter training, bunny proofing etc and read through them with your mum.

Having rabbits in the house can be very rewarding as you really learn their distinct personalities when you spend hours a day with them.

We just wouldn't spend enough time with rabbits in a hutch in our garden.

Just make sure you bunny proof or separate the bunnies from the rest of the house really well. Our bunnies have escaped to rooms they're not supposed to be in several times and have eaten 4 phone chargers, 1 lamp cord, 1 laptop cable, 1 drawing tablet cord and 1 normal phone cord!

At the end of the day though, it is her house and you need to respect her wishes if she doesn't agree with having house rabbits.

Good luck!

If the hutch isnt big enough for one rabbit, are you sure its big enough for one? :? X

see about trying the bunny in your room, your mom will see they dont smell they wee where they are supposed to and if you clean up poops she never needs to know about them all over the floor

ask for a trial run which is then fair for you both, if she really cant take it after a few weeks least you tried.....

The hutch is an okay size for the size of Starsky, but two rabbits may, as they don't get time in the run, be too big for the hutch.
I'm going to attempt to litter train Starsky, and thank you very much Donnamt, I never thought of that!
My plan was to have Starsky in one small room of the house, like a walk-in closet or summat. If that small room had an electrical thingy, I'd cover it up and not use it. Thanks!!

i think iv missed something here why does starskey need to become a house rabbit? will the new house not have a garden? and how come starsk, doesnt go out in a run? not having a go just not really understanding whats happening?

Well, we hadn't put him in the run beforehand because we weren't aware that they could have a free run of the run. Although now he has got a free run in it, as we've just cleaned out his hutch today.
I'm sure the new house will have a garden, but we haven't chosen the house yet. I feel he needs to become a house rabbit because it's much better for his safety(As I worry about foxes:shock: ) and he really can't get much attention being outside, although when I am spending time with him then he comes inside, but not with a run of the house or one room. And I've already said that the hutch, in my opinion, would be too small for two rabbits to live comfortably.

I understand why you want him as a house bun, for me its so much easier to spend time with them. However, he will still need plenty of space to exercise. I think a trial is a great idea - but before you get another bun. My buns are all free range (have the run of the house) but lots of people have a large (48") dog crate where their buns stay when not supervised and then they let them out for runs when they are home - at least once a day though.

Julia123 said:

I understand why you want him as a house bun, for me its so much easier to spend time with them. However, he will still need plenty of space to exercise. I think a trial is a great idea - but before you get another bun. My buns are all free range (have the run of the house) but lots of people have a large (48") dog crate where their buns stay when not supervised and then they let them out for runs when they are home - at least once a day though.

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Of course Starsky will get excercise, but running supervised in the house when he's already got his own room I think would be too much for my mum. Hopefully the house we move into will have a more secure gate in the garden so that he can run around in the garden, otherwise I take him out on his harness.

ok. well i am afraid i cant help can only give advice iv read on here... iv always had garden bunnies. i find that they love binkying in the garden.... maybe a trial indoors like someone else suggested is a good idea (check he likes being a house rabbit!) i defo think getting a freind is a good idea paired rabbits in general seem happier, but this may mean he wants less to do with you im afraid.. also think about bunny proofing where ever he will be as this will need doing before you bring him in.also temperature change is a big issue but done gradually i think it would be ok?? also what will he live in when unsupervised in room he will need a space that is his and a box/somewhere to hide away(like the sleeping compartment of a hutch) so he doesnt need to be on show if he doesnt want to. remember that rabbits are burrowing creatures by nature and he will likeley chew carpets and wallpaper and cupboards but if u look on custom rabbit proofing on here i did see tamsin had some good ones?cover wires and get him litter trained. oh and make sure he has a run as much as possible.

If your mum decides he has to tay a garden bunny here are my tips, give them as much access to a run as much as possible and as big a hutch as possible provide tunnels and boxes as toys. give them enough room to run and binky i found a lot of runs were too small for this and instead my rabbits have full run of garden & are shut in when i'm not home. another idea is to dig up the grass & lay slabs or mesh then relay grass where the run is so that the rabbits cant dig out and the foxes cant dig in. to make hutches secure from foxes provide padlocks and bolts on the doors and always use galvanised steel mesh so cant be bitten through like the chicken wire. when pairing starskey with a freind let him choose a partner do bunny speed dating at a rescue provided he is neutered. also when you have a pair he wont need as much attention from you as before anyway so that would make it easier too. Also if you dont want to fork out lots for a large hutch why not build one yourself? or buy/build a shed which they can have permanently attatched to a run?

HI :wave:

Mops now has a shed but before that she had a double hutch What about if the plan doesn't go that well getting a double hutch and then attaching a run onto it ?? Also if you want him to be a house rabbit but not allowed then why don't you let him come in for days ?? Thats what i do with MOps xx

MopsyMops =] said:

HI :wave:

Mops now has a shed but before that she had a double hutch What about if the plan doesn't go that well getting a double hutch and then attaching a run onto it ?? Also if you want him to be a house rabbit but not allowed then why don't you let him come in for days ?? Thats what i do with MOps xx

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I don't understand what you mean by why dont I let him come in for days?

Let him come in your room for an hour.

Well, I do let him in the house often... :?

It was just an idea.

Maybe your mom freaked 'cos she has other worries on her mind like moving house, sorting finances etc, etc.
Remember your priority may not be your mums at this time, so cut her some slack:lol:.
I'd suggest carry on with your research into the pros and cons, work out how much it will cost in terms of new housing etc for your rabbit, and present it to your mum at a time that she hasn't got so much on her mind - you may get a better response

Mops, I'm sorry if I sounded ignorant; I appreciate your advice and just mean't that I sort of already do that with Starsky.

Thanks BB!!

Sasha