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Newbie considering house bunnies!

DoeEyed

New Kit
Hey all! :)

I am contemplating getting involved in the house bunny world! I don't yet own any bunnies, as I want to ensure I can provide a happy life for them, so I'm just spending time doing my research right now. I live in a one bedroom flat with my partner (also interested in house bunnies! But not quite as interested as me, hehe!), but wish to bunny-proof it and give my bunnies free reign of the whole place. My accommodation is rented, so I would need to get permission from my landlord. (Anyone have any experiences with this? Have you found many landlords to mind?)

I actually had two bunnies (on separate occasions) as a small child, but they were not very well looked after on account of them being bought on a whim by my parents who didn't realize the amount of care they actually needed. :( The more I find out now as an adult, the more awful I feel for those rabbits I had as a child. They were not spayed / neutered, they were kept outside in a small hut, and were just not given the level of care they needed and deserved. I certainly do not plan on having the same experience, and I'm determined to do all I can to never repeat past mistakes, but give my rabbits the highest level of care possible. I already feel like I've come a long way into understanding the level of care they need.

What I'm looking into currently, is variation on breeds. Are rabbits like dog breeds in the sense of many suffering health issues that have come about by way of how they are bred to look? Are there any rabbit breeds in particular who especially fare well as friendly indoor pets?

My apologies if these questions have been asked many times before, as I can imagine you guys get swamped in repeated questions constantly, so of course, please don't worry about answering them if that is the case. :) I am sure I'll find as I read through this forum. <3
 
It's the personality rather than the breed where rabbits are concerned. Big breeds need larger accommodation than smaller rabbits so something to consider. Lionheads are usually very sweet and fairly small (I think I am biased!) and if you both spend a lot of time at work then it's best to have 2. You will have to be prepared to have a bit of hay around as it tends to be quite messy. I've just this year gone over to vinolay as it is much easier than carpet to keep hay-free.

Rabbits are fairly easy to litter train especially if you give them a litter tray straightaway.

Most rabbits are free from health problems especially if kept on a good diet and have a fairly stress-free home. Rexes can suffer from sore hocks etc but a lot of folk on this Forum have them and don't have many problems.
 
Welcome to RU and it's so nice to hear of someone researching :thumb: you will be a fab bunny slave i'm sure :D

Lops like the dwarf or mini and Netherland dwarfs tend to have more dental problems due to their squishy, flat faces and not having enough room in their mouths for all their teeth :( Though it is down to breeding too and how much hay they eat.

Giants have amazing personalities, but don't live as long (5-6 years) and can be prone to arthritis.

Rexes are just :love: I have 2 atm and 1 suffers with sore hocks which is common in rexes. They are super cuddly though with their amazing fur.

Personality really does depend.. the best bet would be to visit a rescue centre and say hello to some of the bunnies there :) as they are mostly past sexual maturity (4-6 months) their personalities are more "true" to what they will be like at home. Getting a cute baby bun that then turns into a hormonal monster does happen quite often :lol: Also at a rescue centre, they will have been vet checked (and dental issues usually picked up so you don't get a surprise vet bill) and vaccinated and neutered, which is brilliant because if you were to do this yourself it works out really expensive (I pay £38 for each yearly vaccine and £40-55 for castration/spay)
 
I think breed doesn't have quite the impact on personality as it does in dogs. Rabbit breeds about looks rather than skills - which are what gives dogs the different characters.

I would recommend popping into a local rescue and having a cuddle as that's really the best place to see a range of different breeds/sizes. There isn't any one breed that's best or unsuitable to be a house rabbit so it will really be down to what you fancy. If you do go for a rescue then they should be able to help by pointing out individuals that have lived indoors before or have nice clean/non chewing habits :lol:
 
In my personal opinion, giants although they need more space, they have the biggest personalities. Both my giants have been massive softies.
Currently I have Daisy, and she's a continental, one of the largest breeds. She absolutely adores being stroked and I've only had her for a couple of weeks! Already, she jumps up on the sofa and lies across my knee for ages, just to be stroked, and she will also groom me. All the family love her. :)
Before that I had Benji and he also would jump up on the sofa and lie with us, never on our knee, but next to us as we watched TV. He would also groom us too. :love:
I think that they are fantastic pets, and I think they fare very well indoors as they can't be kept in a hutch and would otherwise require a massive shed.

It is just my opinion, but I think giants are the best, from my own experience. :love: I do have two normal sized buns, who I do of course love!

Giant rabbits are prone to heart problems though, my Benji died just over the age of 1 due to cardio myopathy. :(
 
It's the personality rather than the breed where rabbits are concerned. Big breeds need larger accommodation than smaller rabbits so something to consider. Lionheads are usually very sweet and fairly small (I think I am biased!) and if you both spend a lot of time at work then it's best to have 2. You will have to be prepared to have a bit of hay around as it tends to be quite messy. I've just this year gone over to vinolay as it is much easier than carpet to keep hay-free.

Rabbits are fairly easy to litter train especially if you give them a litter tray straightaway.

Most rabbits are free from health problems especially if kept on a good diet and have a fairly stress-free home. Rexes can suffer from sore hocks etc but a lot of folk on this Forum have them and don't have many problems.

Thanks tonibun!

Both my partner and I work from home, are self-employed, and neither of us have any job / occupation that means we need to spend a routine amount of time out of the house. :) We'd both love a companion or two around here, so we'd both be more than happy to give a lot of attention to our bun/s. Even though we would have the time to spare to spoiling, I do like the idea of keeping two buns. :)

We do live in a rented apartment so we would need to ask permission from our Landlord about the vinolay. <3

Welcome to RU and it's so nice to hear of someone researching :thumb: you will be a fab bunny slave i'm sure :D

Lops like the dwarf or mini and Netherland dwarfs tend to have more dental problems due to their squishy, flat faces and not having enough room in their mouths for all their teeth :( Though it is down to breeding too and how much hay they eat.

Giants have amazing personalities, but don't live as long (5-6 years) and can be prone to arthritis.

Rexes are just :love: I have 2 atm and 1 suffers with sore hocks which is common in rexes. They are super cuddly though with their amazing fur.

Personality really does depend.. the best bet would be to visit a rescue centre and say hello to some of the bunnies there :) as they are mostly past sexual maturity (4-6 months) their personalities are more "true" to what they will be like at home. Getting a cute baby bun that then turns into a hormonal monster does happen quite often :lol: Also at a rescue centre, they will have been vet checked (and dental issues usually picked up so you don't get a surprise vet bill) and vaccinated and neutered, which is brilliant because if you were to do this yourself it works out really expensive (I pay £38 for each yearly vaccine and £40-55 for castration/spay)

Thanks for the lovely welcome silverrabbit! :D

Wow another Rex recommendation from someone? I have to look into these! <3 Yes, from what I've seen so far here, they seem to be a huge hit with bunny owners!

I shall definitely be getting my buns from a rescue center! I've sourced a rabbit rescue home locally to me (I'm Hastings in the UK) and hopefully when the time is right I can meet the buns there.

I think breed doesn't have quite the impact on personality as it does in dogs. Rabbit breeds about looks rather than skills - which are what gives dogs the different characters.

I would recommend popping into a local rescue and having a cuddle as that's really the best place to see a range of different breeds/sizes. There isn't any one breed that's best or unsuitable to be a house rabbit so it will really be down to what you fancy. If you do go for a rescue then they should be able to help by pointing out individuals that have lived indoors before or have nice clean/non chewing habits :lol:

Thank you Tamsin!

Yes I think I shall have a chat with the folks at the rescue home about the temperament of the buns, tell them about my own living quarters and which bun they think might fit best with me.


In my personal opinion, giants although they need more space, they have the biggest personalities. Both my giants have been massive softies.
Currently I have Daisy, and she's a continental, one of the largest breeds. She absolutely adores being stroked and I've only had her for a couple of weeks! Already, she jumps up on the sofa and lies across my knee for ages, just to be stroked, and she will also groom me. All the family love her. :)
Before that I had Benji and he also would jump up on the sofa and lie with us, never on our knee, but next to us as we watched TV. He would also groom us too. :love:
I think that they are fantastic pets, and I think they fare very well indoors as they can't be kept in a hutch and would otherwise require a massive shed.

It is just my opinion, but I think giants are the best, from my own experience. :love: I do have two normal sized buns, who I do of course love!

Giant rabbits are prone to heart problems though, my Benji died just over the age of 1 due to cardio myopathy. :(

Thank you BigBunnyBenji! :D

Wow your giant bun sounds so sweet!

Hello and welcome! :wave:

Have you had a look at the buns available on Rabbit Rehome? http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/

Thanks Captain Helen! :)

Unfortunately the closest rabbit is 26 miles from me! :( I'll keep a look out on that site though just to be sure for when bunny-buying time is right! :D
 
Hello and welcome to RU.:wave:

Love bunnies.......................you are in the right place by being on here.:thumb:
 
I have a Rex boy. He's a dream! They are known to be quite confident and loving. Mine is a complete clown. Has me laughing daily. He is so loving also. Chatters his teeth to an all over body massage. Not sure which of us gets the most therapy from it! :lol:

He is a housebun and has never had any issues with his hocks. We also have a Dutch boy. They can be quite flighty and skittish. He has taken months to get around some of his fears but he's a sweet boy who is slowly coming out of his shell. He can be quite funny when he thinks you can't see him lol. Worth the effort though :love:

Good luck with what ever bun you chose :)
 
Hi DoeEyed

We have a similar situation to you in that we live in a top floor flat. It's an open-plan kitchen/dining room/living room. We have the biggest cage we could get(140cm long) attached to a large pen for his quarters and then he is able to roam the whole room. You have to bunny proof it well! It's nice him living in an area that we spend so much time in. With regards to finding rented accommodation it can be really difficult just like with any pet. Depending on where you live there are dedicated websites for pet owners. Most of the time try to get the rental companies to speak with the landlords. Offering an extra non-refundable deposit to cover pet damages and a professional clean after your rental can help.
Hope that's useful!
 
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