Please, please everyone, Help me out!

Calling all silver-tongues and debate masters! I need your help desperately! All of you people who have turned outdoor rabbits into houserabbits, how did you go about it? and how did you convince the rest of your household it was the best idea?

I posted a thread the other day announcing my plans to turn the rabbits into house-buns since the Garden is FULL of poisonous plants, wisteria is RIGHT in front of the rabbit shed, Ivy all round the garden, and I'm not happy with the rabbits living in the shed anymore, out of sight and away from the rest of the family. Ever since Firefly died I keep wondering if I'd of been able to save him if I'd of only just found him earlier. The problem is I live with my bf and his mum, who is extremely house proud and whilst she loves having the cats indoors, the rabbits are a no-no. I tried bargaining by discussing building a rabbit run for the garden, safe from predators and plants but she doesn't want that as it would be an eyesore on the garden. Getting rid of the poisonous plants is also a no-no, she loves them too much, but there has to be SOME compromise! We discussed the rabbits being my top priority when I moved in, as a fellow animal lover I thought she'd understand but once again rabbits have found themselves at the bottom of the pet hierarchy :evil:

I told her there was no way to protect the rabbits from all the poisonous plants, but she said, "They've not eaten them and died so far, so why the problem?" To me that's like putting her beloved cat in a field full of dogs saying it's ok because none of them have attacked yet, so it's safe :roll:

Since she's unwilling to compromise on the garden, and since my rabbits are happier indoors anyway I then kept pushing for them to be housed inside. She is firmly saying no though, she's convinced it will be constantly messy and the house will be full of rabbit droppings. I know from browsing some of your indoor settings the other day (Eyeing up the NICubes) that indoor rabbit homes don't have to be messy or take over the house! They can look quite lovely.

Please everyone, help me convince her otherwise. I think it's dreadful that she thinks it's ok to compromise MY rabbits safety just for appearances when she's too afraid to let her cat out at night incase it gets killed. Can't she see we share the same fears!? I've lost one rabbit, my best friend, we don't know how but the guilt is unbearable, to think it may of been something he ate tears me up, I always considered myself a good rabbit owner, but now I'm not so sure. I can't let them down again, Rascal already loves me to bits and is well behaved inside, and now Batbunny is living outside again he's withdrawn completely

And I'm having fits of crying and sleeping problems, worrying about the rabbit's safety in the garden, It's just too much. I was promised my rabbits would be treated well here as much as the cats, I feel like we've been betrayed.

They are messy! No matter what you try to do to stop it. There are ways to limit it though.

I used to bring mine indoors to have cuddles and they'd go on the desk so I let them and they'd sit there while I worked. My friend was getting rid of an indoor cage so Dad suggested we get it so they could come indoors for a while during the day and have a place to wee and poo. Then Mischa got very ill so he stayed indoors while he was ill. Then they went outside for a while after he was bonded to Mini and came back indoors for a while during the day. That was for a few months until Mini hurt her leg so they were both indoors all the time and they just didn't go back outside.

They were in two indoor cages lined up on tables but every week they'd have to be taken downstairs and the area round the tables hoovered. Then I found this place and realised their space wasn't big enough and we built them the NIC cube setup. After that we got Smudge, couldn't bond a four and we ended up with two pairs - Smudge and Nutmeg in the NIC, Mini and Mischa in my room with a dog crate base and free-ranging.

Can you say to her that you'll rabbitproof your room and they will only be allowed in there? Carpet is a pain in the bum to clean though. I've ended up paying out for lino to be put down as my old carpet desperately needed replacing so thought well, might as well go for lino.

That's what me and Sean want to do ,set them up in our room with a NIC cube setup so it doesn't ruin her part of the house, but she hates the idea of them being upstairs, despite cats being allowed in bedrooms/etc. I need Sean's help arguing the point since it's his room and he pays for it, but it's still so hard

What about a baby gate at your door so there is no chance of them getting to the rest of the house? You can get ones that don't mark the door frames I believe.

:lol::lol::lol: zara, i'm sorry, don't do it. rabbits and a houseproud mother in law will not mix. honest. my rabbits have destroyed my home. so don't, don't do it. please!

Ask her to tell you exactly why she doesn't want them upstairs then tackle each problem she has with a way to minimise or erradicate the problem. See if she would try a trial period and that you will pay for any damages caused.
Let me know how you get on and i might be able to come up with some more ideas.Good Luck

happybun, I wouldn't do it if I had no choice, but if they carry on living in the garden it's only a matter of time before they eat a toxic plant and die like 'Fly


The main issue seems to be the cage and droppings, she doesn't want the cage downstairs where people eat or upstairs where people sleep. I'm at a loss what to do now, I don't want to rehome them, it looks like me and the buns might have to leave

i understand. you can't just sit and wait for the worst to happen. but its not easy when its not your house. all the best.

I guess looking for a place of your own is out of the question?

Oh it's on the list, but the bf doesn't want to move out just yet and I'm actually too ill to work full time, which I hate.

well show her our webpage and our diary mine are house buns all 3 rescues that previously had no litter tray experience and were kept in gardens and mine live quite happily in the house.
There will be some mess I.e woodshavings when they jump in and out of potty but you could try litter tray pellets and put carpet in hutch like we have and we also have pet gate bought off ebay to stop my 2 getting to my newest one.
www.hoppybunnyrabbit.com
they are just like dogs and cats and mine love sitting watching telly esp top gear and x-factor! Just make sure your not in winstons fav place on sofa when they are on or he'll not be happy

Regarding the cage thing upstaires, what about if you layed a rug underneath the hutch to stop the dropping hitting her carpet, also had a cover for the floor so that when buns come out the floor is compleatly protected. Also clean there toilet space out everyday so there would be no smell using hutch disifectant.
If she will allow cats in her house wich wonder all around and moult etc than a rabbit isn't half as much trouble a long as there supervised while out exercising.

Introduce her to the website and see if she wants to ask us any questions. I'm sure we won't mind answering them for her.

Keep us posted.

Rabbits indoors are not all that bad. Not in my experience anyway. A lot of people paint them out to be awful indoors, but it isn't always the case.

I have an NIC condo. It keeps everything contained and is neat and tidy. The beauty of NIC condos is that you can make them anyway you want to fit in with what space you have etc - they are so versatile! There is little mess inside their cage let alone out. Inside their cage I have a fleecy area and an additional little level that Charlee loves - she uses it like a lookout! At the other end they have two litter trays pushed together to form one - and on top of those is a hayrack. All hay that gets pulled out of the hay rack and not eaten goes into the litter tray so there is no hay tracked throughout their cage.

They also have access to my room. As everything is contained in the cage, they make no mess outside their cage. They pop back in to go to the toilet - no wees on the carpet, only the occasional poop (from Noah whos litter training skills are still not ideal but he is brilliant at not peeing on the carpet). It is easy to pick those stray poops up and chuck them back in their litter tray. They haven't chewed the carpet or the cupboards or the skirting boards. I block off the area around my bed with pens as there are heaps of cords underneath so they cant chew cords. I provide plenty of enrichment - cardboard boxes, things for them to jump up on, digging boxes (using shredded paper instead of dirt), wooden chew toys, fiddle stick tunnels, toys with bells they can chuck around, hard plastic baby toys so they are never bored. The only thing they have slightly chewed (and it is really quite insignificant) is a bit of the wooden base of their cage.

Indoors has so many benefits IMO. You can monitor them so much easier - it is much easier to pick up on signs of illness. And often the quicker you pick up on something, the better the outcome. They are also safe from predators - foxes, cats etc. And are out of the hot temps in summer and cold temps in winter (although I know for rabbits, winter isn't so much of an issue). They are truly a part of the family indoors IMO anyway.

Rant over! Good luck, I think you are making a good decision!

The biggest issue I found with them indoors is (a) the carpet cos they do occasionally wee where they shouldn't and (b) any corners sticking out. In my room there is an internal wall that they have chewed and in the spare room they have chewed the door. Fortunately they leave the skirting alone. The best solution I have found to b. is those wood log things which are great for bending round any corners.

Thankyou for all the info guys! I shall hop right on to that website! I agree with everything you said pigsforlife, pets are part of the family. I've already discussed the rug idea, and they'd be able to play safely in the downstairs hall, it's nice and long which I find bunnies love and the floor is tiled, so any oopsies can be easily wiped up :lol:

Rascal is very good with his tray (Well he's having hiccups atm due to not being neutered yet, bless. soon he will be snipped) Batbunny needs some extra work though, he's a little bit special needs and isn't quite as clean or assertive as most rabbits, heck it's like he's an autistic bunny!

I had a VERY teensy tiny victory last night, Louise isn't pleased at all understandably, but she says she MAY be open to the idea but needs convincing. For now I'm re-organising Rascals' cage, he's got fond of an old cat basket so instead of typical straw and shavings as bedding I'm placing that in his cage for him to sleep in, and I'll start getting wood pellet litter again, that should clear up the mess and the cage smell. Sean still wants the cage to go back in our giant wardrobe with slidey doors, so it'd be perfect if the rabbits want peace and quiet and the cage would technically be out of her way and out of site of the house.

A fold-up run would be ideal for downstairs playing, easy to set up, easy to remove afterwards. Me and Sean are also planning to go to B&Q to look at the NIC's.

After Rascal has had his snip and settled back down I'll be bonding him with Batbunny, so that's the perfect excuse to temporarily set up the cage in our room to keep an eye on the bonding sessions, and not only will Batbunny be getting used to Rascal he'll also adjust to being inside again. As long as we keep it clean, the room doesn't end up stinking and no problems arise, the cage will hopefully be able to stay in the room so everyone will be happy! house and Garden not ruined, rabbits safe, problems solved.

And yeah I found out with Firefly how much rabbits can love TV, he found most TV boring but was hooked on Strictly Come Dancing and musicals, everytime he heard the Strictly theme tune he'd push the door open to the lounge, hop in and jump on my knee to watch it xD

One of mine is a little nibbler and I know they are notorious for ruining furniture, curtains, wire cables ( which can also make them ill). What about promising to get a nice, tasteful run made in the garden? You could put pots around it or grow something over it so it doesnt look like a rabbit run?? Mine don't like living inside - they'd rather be out, but I have to say, I'd love indoor bunnies!! If you put a layer of hay over the contents of the litter tray it keeps the wood shavings and poop inside the tray, in my experience. You will end up with a certain amount of flying poop and hay though - there's no way of avoiding it.

^ even if we built the most beautiful run ever it wouldn't be acceptable, she wants her garden to be beautiful and roomy for people which I can understand, so I'm sticking to my guns and bringing the boys inside permanently when the bonding is complete.

I presume you've suggested the idea of a temporary trial period to see if they behave?


Maybe you could write her a letter. I know that sounds mad cos you live in the same house but you could explain to her exactly how you feel without potential for interruptions or arguments.

If she loves her cats, I'm sure she'll feel the same about the buns deep down, it's just it sometimes takes peopel a while to adjust to the idea of rabbits living in a house - I know it seems odd to us but for people who were around before hosuerabbits were the norm, it must be like having a sheep or horse living indoors.

good luck!

I already have the trial period planned >:3 I'm sneaky you see. When it's time to bond the rabbits they'd be inside a lot anyway, and when it's time for them to spend their first nights together I'll be having the cage in my room so that the slightest hint of trouble will wake me up. That's reasonable to Louise, so I'm also using that as a "trial" period, as long as I keep the cage clean and everything goes well hopefully Louise will realise our room is ideal for them to sleep in, no cage cluttering up her house ^^


I might write that letter, I'm good with words, but only when writing them you see, I'm brilliant and persuasive writing, and it'd be easier to explain EXACTLY why the garden is too dangerous. This isn't just a case of a spoilt woman (me) wanting to have her cake and eat it, I genuinely need my rabbits to be safe and happy, and Batbunny isn't out there alone, he was coming out of his shell when he temporarily lived inside when we moved, started playing and interacting with us, now he's withdrawn again Heartbreaking for me to see