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Not so tame rabbit and 1 year old baby...

xRoxiex

New Kit
I've got a 3 year old rabbit, she lives indoors in a cage but used to be let out all of the hours we are at home. Since my 1 year old daughter has been on the move she chases poor Sophie rabbit around, Sophie isn't very tame, doesn't even let us handle her... fortunately she's been very patient with the baby and has never bitten but she does box her frequently and I'm worried that one day she might snap... my baby also pulls out all of the inside of the cage and deposits it about the room as well as eating it (poo included!!!) due to this poor Sophie rabbit doesn't get let out much at all, only once baby goes to bed or when both me and my husband are home to be able to police it better...
I feel so so sorry for poor Sophie rabbit, her sister died over the summer so she's probably really lonely, and now she's cooped up too!
Baby has also just started to put her fingers though the cage, or tries to feed her through the bars, I'm just so worried she's gonna get her little fingers bitten, im on edge the whole time!
I don't really want to get rid of Sophie rabbit but I'm not really sure what to do... does anyone have any suggestions? What would you do??
 
I've got a 3 year old rabbit, she lives indoors in a cage but used to be let out all of the hours we are at home. Since my 1 year old daughter has been on the move she chases poor Sophie rabbit around, Sophie isn't very tame, doesn't even let us handle her... fortunately she's been very patient with the baby and has never bitten but she does box her frequently and I'm worried that one day she might snap... my baby also pulls out all of the inside of the cage and deposits it about the room as well as eating it (poo included!!!) due to this poor Sophie rabbit doesn't get let out much at all, only once baby goes to bed or when both me and my husband are home to be able to police it better...
I feel so so sorry for poor Sophie rabbit, her sister died over the summer so she's probably really lonely, and now she's cooped up too!
Baby has also just started to put her fingers though the cage, or tries to feed her through the bars, I'm just so worried she's gonna get her little fingers bitten, im on edge the whole time!
I don't really want to get rid of Sophie rabbit but I'm not really sure what to do... does anyone have any suggestions? What would you do??

Can you make and enclosed area in your lounge that Sophie can live in. A sort of pen with the cage in to but the cage left open. If you used perspex panels to make the enclosure then your daughter will not be able to put her fingers through.

If this is not an option then personally I would seriously consider finding Sophie a home that can better provide for her needs. As you obviously know the current situation is not one that can continue longterm and it is good that you are seeking advice to make Sophie's life much happier.
 
I agree with Jack's-Jane.

Maybe have a look into these custom made enclosures. This way it can be made to fit... just contact the companies directly for prices etc.

http://www.manorpethousing.co.uk/indoor-enclosures-rabbit-housing

https://boylespethousing.co.uk/product-category/rabbits/indoor-rabbit-cages-and-pens/

I'd aim to give her at least 60sqft of space as she'll likely spend most of her time in this enclosure. Maybe look into shelves etc to increase the floor space, without taking up the whole room.

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Given the circumstances you have described, I think I would get a outdoor setup sorted, then talk to a rescue to get Sophie bonded with a nice boy bunny.
You will need to ensure the outdoor setup meets the rescues minimum requirements, so I would talk to them before building or buying anything
Whatever you do, I hope it works out for you
 
Given the circumstances you have described, I think I would get a outdoor setup sorted, then talk to a rescue to get Sophie bonded with a nice boy bunny.
You will need to ensure the outdoor setup meets the rescues minimum requirements, so I would talk to them before building or buying anything
Whatever you do, I hope it works out for you

Either this, providing you have the time to care for her properly outdoors, or pen off a section of living room. If your child gets bitten, she will learn not to do that again - many will disagree with this approach but how else do we learn? I would not simply get rid of your rabbit because you have a child. There are many ways to make it work. Can the rabbit not be out of the cage and the room rabbit proofed whilst you aren't there?
 
I suggest you review your priorities.

You might not have experienced serious rabbit bites, but I have. Bear in mind that rabbits in the wild are capable of killing snakes and that when they bite on, they lock their jaws and removing them is not easy. Rabbits are strong, their teeth are sharp. Rabbits move very fast.

A rabbit who is boxing is already pushed too far.

In the short term, pen your rabbit and ensure your child cannot put her fingers or face near the rabbit. Then find a new home for Sophie, or provide outdoor accommodation and a new rabbit friend for her.

Protect your child from any possible harm.
 
Our house isn't really big enough to pen off a section for her or to build an enclosure for her really... she's a climber too so it's quite difficult to bunnyproof to leave her out while we're not here, plus I'm here most of the time as I only work part time... I don't like the idea of her going outside, that would be that then, she'd become even more detached from us than she already is and she just won't get the attention out there...
I used to see people getting rid of pets cuz of kids and completely disagreed with it, but it's not that I don't have time for her, I just can't see a way to make it work so that she gets as much care, space and attention she deserves... the reason she doesn't yet have a husbun is because we're struggling to meet just her needs never mind another...
also, I don't like the idea of my daughter learning by being bitten 😳 What if she bits her finger off!!
 
Happybun I think I was hoping for a magic solution by posting here but as much as it breaks my heart I think you're right 😭
How would I even go about rehoming her though?? 😞
 
There are probably threads on here in different sections. Look at Rabbit Rehome. I think a lot of people have done it and could give you good advice.
 
Priorities, Yes. I don't understand - the rabbit was here first, this is her home. However there is now a child involved and the rabbit is left homeless? Seems utterly wrong. Your child's finger is not going to be bitten off. A rabbit is no real danger to her. You need to teach your child how to act around animals, and if she doesn't understand that then is there somwhere else in the house she can be moved to, with a friend of her own kind?
 
We will always disagree about this The Bee, because I will always put a human baby above any animal.

But you cannot claim, effectively, that 'a rabbit is no real danger to her'. I kept a biter for nine years. I did not put her anywhere near my face or throat because she was capable of making very sudden and very serious bites. I have known her clamp onto the space between my forefinger and thumb so tightly that when I raised my arm she was lifted off the ground. She did not offer warnings before biting. The three rabbits she lived with did not do this but one did. I would not put a baby at risk. Rabbits are unpredictable, they do not think the way we do.
 
Yes the rabbit was here first, should I not have had kids until I had a bigger home or until after she had gone?
Obviously I would teach her how to act around animals, but at 14 months her understanding is very limited!
There's nowhere else in the house she can go really, it is quite a small house...
 
You asked for suggestions, suggestions have been made. It seems as though the suggestion you want is to rehome. There is a perfect solution that someone else gave that would improve all of your lives - move the rabbit outside into a large set up and get her a friend. It is better than being cooped up in a cage and hassled by a toddler, as she is now.

I too have kept bitey rabbits, but there has been no suggestion that this one is.
 
Given the circumstances you have described, I think I would get a outdoor setup sorted, then talk to a rescue to get Sophie bonded with a nice boy bunny.
You will need to ensure the outdoor setup meets the rescues minimum requirements, so I would talk to them before building or buying anything
Whatever you do, I hope it works out for you


I agree with Horace :D
 
I would be seriously worried if my baby was crawling over and eating rabbit poo! I think you need to find the means to house Sophie in a decent sized enclosure outside, and find her a suitable husbun from a rescue. Otherwise you risk the baby falling ill with food poisoning more than getting bitten and Sophie must be sick of spending all her life cooped up in what sounds like a Ferplast cage.
 
I would be seriously worried if my baby was crawling over and eating rabbit poo! I think you need to find the means to house Sophie in a decent sized enclosure outside, and find her a suitable husbun from a rescue. Otherwise you risk the baby falling ill with food poisoning more than getting bitten and Sophie must be sick of spending all her life cooped up in what sounds like a Ferplast cage.

My sister when she was a toddler ate rabbit poop :mrgreen: My parents had a flemish giant that free roamed the house but due to my sister eating her poop they did have to start housing her outside sadly.

I think getting outdoor accommodation and a rabbit friend from a rescue (they could maybe bond them for you) would probably be the best outcome here. Or, failing that, rehoming.
 
I've got 3) main worries with outside - 1) she won't get enough attention in the winter months, 2) what if she burrows out of the enclosure? 3) she's lived indoors since birth, would she adapt?
Also, I've caught my neighbours stashing drugs in our garden before 😳 (We only moved here in July)
And, I'm not sure we'd get her back in her house after letting her run in the garden, we currently get her in with greens, if I were her I'd pick the endless grass over some greens...
 
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