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What would you say are the pros and cons of house bunnies??

Bitzy

Mama Doe
:wave:

As the title says really, OH and I are going to sit down and discuss what to do about the bunnies tonight (bring them in for the winter or not) and I'd like to be fully informed so we can make a proper decision ..... so I just wondered if you'd share your pros and cons with me :D

Thanks, Jo x
 
Pros
can always see them, so can see their behaviour, etc
can keep an eye on them, for health issues
no need to go out in the cold to clean or be with them

Cons
Hay, hay and more hay. I promise you, you'll find it in places you didnt even know you had places!
Litter Tray Smells (if they are even litter trained?)
Destruction of wallpaper/walls/doors/carpet etc

Does that help? lol
 
Pros - you get to see them all the time, binkying around the room, flopping on the floor. Bunski loves to follow my OH EVERYWHERE and adores snuggles on the sofa and in bed.

Cons - They may chew... Bunski chewed wires before we bunny proofed, and ater a hole in my OHs jeans :lol:
 
pros: you see them all the time, dont get wet when you are cleaning out

cons: if you have a biter they can chew furniture, need to eb litter trained :)
 
Pro's:-

Lovely to have a rabbit hopping round your feet, you can snuggle them whenever you want, no worries about them getting cold in the winter, can see straightaway if they are ill.

Con's:-

Hay and stray poos under your feet, chewed wires, if you aren't very careful.

So definately more pro's than con's :D
 
Pros (all IMO)
- Easier to pick up on illnesses
- Can build up a stronger relationship as you are constantly around them
- It is great fun! House buns keep you on your toes, and can offer real companionship.
- Easier to keep temperatures at constant, comfortable level. Don't have stress of cold in winter or hot in summer.
- Don't have to deal with predators (not to the same extent anyway).

Cons
- Can be messy. My two are generally fairly good, it is more me that makes a mess. Having a home base keeps everything contained.
- Can be destructive. We have only had a slight nomming of the walls, and it has only been a once off thing but it is something to be aware off. Otherwise they have been fairly good.

The other thing is that you HAVE to bunny proof - and you often learn the hard way when you haven't bunny proofed an area good enough.

That is all I can think of. We haven't had a problem with smells etc.
 
Oh well my two are 'kind of' toilet trained ....... in that they'll only wee in their litter tray and do most of their poops in the litter tray but do tend to do the odd stray ones here and there!!

Also, the room they'd be in is due to be decorated next year anyway and there's no furniture in there (well a futon but that can be dismantled and put in the loft) so they can chew the wallpaper and the carpet, there's no wires in there, I'll shorten the curtains and turn the radiator off!!

Anything else??
 
There will also be pros and cons that are specific to individual bunnies too.

If you're looking at pros and cons of inside, then look at pros and cons of ousitde too.
 
There will also be pros and cons that are specific to individual bunnies too.

If you're looking at pros and cons of inside, then look at pros and cons of ousitde too.

This is true!! Off to start another thread on the pros and cons of outdoor bunnies! :D
 
Pro's

- easy to keep an eye on them (particularly if unwell)
- don't get cold going out to see them
- always there for a crafty cuddle

Con's

- the mess
- the mess
- the mess
 
Those of you with house bunnies, do you feel that your bond with them is greater than if they were outdoors??
 
oh definitely - Molly and Harry are with the family for every meal time - i love having them round us.

The pros are infinite - we love them like babies - its like having mischievous toddlers around.

The cons - no more pristine white paintwork (everything is nibbled), the odd unexpected pile of poo and take NO chances with wires, they will be chewed through, as will anything made of wood or plastic, include upholstery.

But we wouldnt have it any other way.
 
Pros:

*You spend more time with them
*They settle and come sit with you and see what your doing
*You can keep an eye on their eating habits/litter habits and their general health.
*Any hay that they leave on the carpet they can hoover away :)
*My fav - Pierre eats spiders :lol: keeps them away from me
*Don't have to go out in the cold. Can clean indoors and can keep an eye at the same time.
*Generally great to walk in and be greeted by a bunny

Cons:
* Eat pretty much everything you don't want them to
* You hide wires behind things and they still get teethed
* Pierre has a habit of walking underneath me or waiting right behind the door so I frequently have to wait for him to move before I can go anywhere :lol:
* Odd times where they may not use the litter area, although pee washes out really easily and doesn't stain.
* Random poo's :( not nice when your walking bare foot after just waking up

Despite the cons, I love having a house bunny :)
 
OK thanks.

Sorry for all the questions but I really want to make sure we make the right decision for everyone concerned!!

Do you think its mean to take bunnies out of a 6ft x 15ft aviary and put them in a 7ft x 8ft room over the winter? They'd have free range time too in the evenings and at weekends.
 
Those of you with house bunnies, do you feel that your bond with them is greater than if they were outdoors??

In my case I'd say no (2 in house, 10 outside) because I spend the same amount of time regardless of where they live.

If I only had 2 buns and they lived inside then I'd say yes!
 
Those of you with house bunnies, do you feel that your bond with them is greater than if they were outdoors??

Most certainly.

I find the only cons are the occasional wee from the lionheads and the mess from the hay and stray poos, having two very fluffy bunnies they manage to collect hay on their fur and move it around. Having lino means that it takes seconds to sweep it up and then pop it back in their litter tray. The initial proofing can be a chore because they are good at getting round defences but once everything's set up and you've battled they seem to settle and stop trying. I have had the occasional very itchy bite which I'm pretty sure now was mites but that's a useful diagnostic tool. :lol: Having them in your bedroom can lead to the odd weewee on your bed. :lol: Something we seem to have solved. :thumb:

Pros, having them indoors means you can stay pretty well on top of illness (although if you're like me sometimes you get paranoid :oops:), means that the are inextricably linked into your routine. My lops sit next to my bed when I'm watching tv on my laptop, then as soon as the light goes out they go up to their sleepy shelf. Just being around them all the time is wonderful. I rarely have to go outside apart from changing litter trays and I have this down to a bit of an art form where it really doesn't take me long. No back breaking cleaning out a hutch!

I've found the cons, there is nearly always a solution that can be adopted. It may be frustrating at first but like most things you either realise the odd bit of hay really doesn't matter or you come up with something that solves the problem.

My lops I wouldn't put outside for the world. They are so tidy they really aren't a chore. I did consider putting the other two outside as they are slightly messier and that would mean they would all have more space but Smudge recently went into stasis after being surprised by my Mum so now I won't put them outside, there will be far more things to upset him outside.
 
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Most certainly.

I find the only cons are the occasional wee from the lionheads and the mess from the hay and stray poos, having two very fluffy bunnies they manage to collect hay on their fur and move it around. Having lino means that it takes seconds to sweep it up and then pop it back in their litter tray. The initial proofing can be a chore because they are good at getting round defences but once everything's set up and you've battled they seem to settle and stop trying. I have had the occasional very itchy bite which I'm pretty sure now was mites but that's a useful diagnostic tool. :lol: Having them in your bedroom can lead to the odd weewee on your bed. :lol: Something we seem to have solved. :thumb:

Pros, having them indoors means you can stay pretty well on top of illness (although if you're like me sometimes you get paranoid :oops:), means that the are inextricably linked into your routine. My lops sit next to my bed when I'm watching tv on my laptop, then as soon as the light goes out they go up to their sleepy shelf. Just being around them all the time is wonderful. I rarely have to go outside apart from changing litter trays and I have this down to a bit of an art form where it really doesn't take me long. No back breaking cleaning out a hutch!

I've found the cons, there is nearly always a solution that can be adopted. It may be frustrating at first but like most things you either realise the odd bit of hay really doesn't matter or you come up with something that solves the problem.

My lops I wouldn't put outside for the world. They are so tidy they really aren't a chore. I did consider putting the other two outside as they are slightly messier and that would mean they would all have more space but Smudge recently went into stasis after being surprised by my Mum so now I won't put them outside, there will be far more things to upset him outside.

That's lovely :D What's a sleepy shelf exactly?
 
if you are NOT house proud there are NO cons.. only pros :love: :love:

if you like your house to be tidy and hayless and unchewed keep em outside :lol:
 
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