What is it like living with a house bunny?

Bob & Kizzy are house rabbits and in the summer we go out into the garden as soon as I get home from work. I work on the garden or take my laptop out and read or watch TV programme out there. Bob loves it and will stay outside with me until it's dark & time to go in. Kizzy gets bored and will be back in the house after 20 minutes although she may grace us with a visit if she sees me dead heading the roses or topping up the outside hay rack. This time of year I am more than happy to be indoors with the buns. Yes it's a mess, but nothing a good hoover can't cope with. I just know that if they lived outside I wouldn't spend nearly enough time with them during winter. I know that many rabbit owner will be dedicated enough to continue spending time outside with their buns even in the coldest of weather but spend 10 minutes with the hoover each night (and a few hours cleaning at the weekend) and have the pleasure of their company than forcing myself into the garden when it's bitterly cold. I'd rather hoover in the warm than sit in the cold.

My 4 are house buns, and I wouldn't have it any other way

They do make a bit of a mess so I have a morning cleaning routine but it only takes about 20mins. I have wooden floors which helps enormously as it means it's easy to just do a quick sweep up of any hay that gets around.

I absolutely LOVE having them around all the time, they are the soul of my house and make me laugh every single day

The only thing is that eating my breakfast (porridge), fruit or going to the bathroom in peace are things of the past :lol:

My friend had a giant house rabbit and his destruction was also on a giant scale - he ate their stereo. Their new giant rabbit is strictly an outdoor pet!

I have house rabbits and they live in the conservatory. I can tell you they should make weapons out of bunny waste. I can spend 2 hours a week scrubbing poo off the tiles and the wee just seems to stick until summer when it seems to all heat up and flake off. It's the WEIRDEST stuff. The skirting boards are chewed to death, as are the back corners of all the chairs. The corners of all my carpets have been "dug up" and in swift movement, the corner of the stair carpet was chewed off without warning.

Having said that I don't have to go out in the cold to see my buns. I can lie on my living room floor while they jump all over me. I didn't have to worry about them in the gales the other day, I just let them in the living room where they felt calm and safe. I'm proud I can give them such freedom, not allowed by many hutches.

I thought about putting them out in the garden to save my house - but sod the house as long as they're happy!

catherine09 said:

I don't know personally, but I DO know from posts/stories on here I'm far too house proud to have indoor bunnies :lol:

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Me too and I have 7 'special needs' house bunnies. They are all litter trained though, and free-range and have large puppy pens, and mess isn't really an issue, but then there is a lot to be said for switching the hoover on, and providing hay boxes :lol::lol:

andy5898 said:

We are hoping to get a Giant House bunny in the near future. Can people just give me a glimpse of what to expect by having a house bunny? I have 7 outdoor bunnies already it's just a house rabbit seems a whole new ball game to me.

We also have 3 cats so providing everyone is supervised etc do you think the cats will get on with the bunny and vice versa?

Cheers

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One of my buns is a giant and I can honestly say once you have had a house bunny, you will never want your bunnies outdoors again Buster is an absolute sweetheart and more like a dog to be honest the way he follows me around. Giants I think are even better because they are so laid back, and it is as much as Buster can do to drag himself off the settee next to the radiator, let alone actually get up any energy to destroy things. Actually Buster has never destroyed anything, and so I don't know that it is something I would say ALL bunnies do, because out of all the house buns I have had over the years and the 7 now, it is only 'loony tunes' Pippa that is drawn towards phone chargers for some reason.

Honestly it is just great, I love Buster so much and he is very clean, and literally so chilled out that when I am hoovering, even when going right up to him, he just about manages to turn his head to look at the irritating thing, and then looks at me as if to say 'well, if you want me to move, then move me' :lol::lol: and then that's just what I have to do, literally pick him up and shift the lazy thing.

Sometimes if Buster isn't seen for a while, I know I will find him snuggled up in my duvet :shock: Everyone loves Buster and the only thing I would say there is about that wouldn't be normally, is his boxes, because Giants love their boxes to nose butt about. He loves cuddles as well and chatters so loud he can be heard above the telly :lol:

Sometimes though he does get on the bed, and it is a bit weird waking up to a furry face next to you :lol::lol:

Gemmapookie said:

My 4 are house buns, and I wouldn't have it any other way

They do make a bit of a mess so I have a morning cleaning routine but it only takes about 20mins. I have wooden floors which helps enormously as it means it's easy to just do a quick sweep up of any hay that gets around.

I absolutely LOVE having them around all the time, they are the soul of my house and make me laugh every single day

The only thing is that eating my breakfast (porridge), fruit or going to the bathroom in peace are things of the past :lol:

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Well, I'm glad it's not just me :lol::lol: Why do they follow us to the bathroom and then Buster especially sits right in front of me, staring at me. Sometimes I hold a towel in front of me because he gives me a bit of a complex :lol::lol:

Hehe, between having a four year old and two house buns, going to the loo in peace is definitely a thing of the past !!!

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My British giant Benji was a house bun for 6 months and I loved it. You would definitely need to litter train them, otherwise they would totally ruin your carpet, but once neutered, it is kind of straight forward.
I let Benji free range the whole downstairs, we never put him in a crate/pen, he could just go where he wanted. We used to give him a carrier full of hay for a bed, but we found he just used it as a toilet and just chose to sleep on the carpet.
Giants as similar to all rabbits, LOVE to chew. We had broken phone lines, headphones, lamps, TV aerials, so make sure you provide plenty of boredom breakers and hide your wires! He also chewed our door and furniture too.
However, I loved him being inside. He used to jump up on the sofa with us and lie to be stroked, or get on our knee and try steal our food. And if we sat on the floor, he would come and lie next to us to be stroked.

I actually also have a continental giant indoors with me at the moment, and so far she has been really good. She has learned to use her litter tray straight away, so the only actual mess is the bits of hay that she knocks out of the hay bowl when digging for bits she wants. She also loves wires, I've caught her trying to chew at my laptop wire several times, you really can't leave any wires around. Also, any bits of paper or books hanging around, they will get chewed, as will your remote if you leave it somewhere accessible!
I personally believe that giants have massive personalities, my conti Daisy will jump on the sofa too and lie on my knee for ages being stroked, they love attention.

Sadly, giants are prone to heart problems, ie cardiomyopathy, something to bear in mind perhaps.

Everything gets groomed! The bigger the bunny, the bigger the area groomed.

That means the leg of my trousers is now wet with conti-slobber....


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RogerRabbit999 said:

Well, I'm glad it's not just me :lol::lol: Why do they follow us to the bathroom and then Buster especially sits right in front of me, staring at me. Sometimes I hold a towel in front of me because he gives me a bit of a complex :lol::lol:

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:lol: Only my Max follows me to the bathroom, I've always wondered what's going through his mind. Sometimes when I'm in the shower I'll hear the door creak open a bit, poke my head out and he's sitting on the bath mat on his hind legs trying to look in :shock::lol: He also likes to dig at my feet when I'm sitting on the toilet the little git :lol:

I have four house bunnies, two free to roam where they want and two 6 nth olds in a 5ft hutch and large run in my living room! (until i can get them to bond with my older two) people probably think I'm mad but I love my bunnies and love watching them run around and flop down when and wherever suits them. They all have different personalities, which I think you miss out on when they live outside also I notice the moment one of my buns doesn't quite seem right and then I take them to the vet (the vet said this has saved my oldest bunny, Smudge on a couple of occasions). He's coming up for 9 now, but when he was younger he was so funny, he greet me when I came back from shopping and then proceed to investigate every shopping bag until he found his cabbage and then would proceed to munch it there and then!!
All mine are little trained, which took less than a day and I just made sure all my wires were covered with cable protectors. I provided lots of willow dens and tunnels so have not had problems with furniture chewing. As previously mention by someone else, once you have indoor bunnies you will not want them to live outside good luck!


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That should have read 'litter trained' not 'little trained' haha


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Peggy and Tonic are normally a joy to live with but they keep trying to destroy the xmas pressies and tree! Lol they have there own room, I couldn't let them free range as the house would be trashed. We took in another bun last minute and if I'm honest I can't wait for him to go live outsode x

Ludo doesn't really cause any trouble and is a joy to have in the house.

The only thing we do notice that's a downside is that hay gets everywhere. However, it's worth it to have him here all the time and we don't have to go out into the cold to clean him out.

He's perfectly litter trained. :wave:

Good and bad bits as other people have said, but then again I guess it depends on the individual rabbit!
Buster can be an absolute pain in the bottom at times. He is free range in the kitchen 24/7, but when we're home he comes into the lounge with us.
He has ripped the wallpaper off, chewed through cables, chewed the curtains etc. On the other hand he's quite 'trainable' and now understands the warning noises I make when I can see him considering a chew :lol: He is also litter trained very well so we've not had any trouble with that side of things.
Not all bad though, there is an upside! A lot of the time he is very good and a great little companion..







I think it's good for him too, as he came to us as a solo bunny, due to trouble he'd had with bonds in the past. He is very much a people's bunny though and even gets jealous of the hamsters! So good for him to be in the house with us all the time.

I have 2 house bunnies who live in my office. When I'm upstairs I open the baby gate and Harli will come into my room. Lulu normally chooses not to. I love it its a pleasure to spend time with them as you're in the comfort of your own home and you see a lot more of them so you know if they're ok.

It is pouring with rain and my lovelies live at the bottom of the (long) garden in a shed/aivery set up ... not looking forward to going out there. If they were indoors (need a bigger house) I would be sitting with them for hours every day ...

I have only had Dexter a month and and he is quite the opposite of a giant rabbit but he is such a joy to have around! He is flopped in hallway now looking beyond cute!

I have never had a rabbit before and so far he has driven me mad by eating:
My shoes - whilst still on my feet
My husbands slippers whilst still on his feet (an ongoing project)
The wall paper
The table legs in both the dining room and the kitchen/diner
The chair legs in both the dining room and the kitchen/diner
The cabinets
The skirting boards
My husbands phone charger (i turned my back for a millisecond)
My iphone charger (see above)
The computer cord is an ongoing mission for him as are the Christmas lights

So far he has completely stolen my heart by:

Having breakfast with me every morning....I put his hay sack next to the kitchen table and he has made a hole which he eats from. I always find him waiting there for me now
'Helping' me *cough cough* clean his cage every morning ensuring that it takes me at least 30mins rather than 10 to do....
Giving my a front row view of his morning F1 race around the flat
Binking around the flat several times a day
Keeping me company and sitting by/under my chair
Being my little shadow wherever I go (including the toilet!)
Licking me half to death
Giving me the best cuddles
Making me nearly fall over laughing several times a day with his crazy antics
Making the words awwwwwwwww leave my mouth at least 100 times a day

I am sure you will agree that the pros way out do the cons. I LOVE having him around and couldn't imagine him being outside. That said, we live in Italy and don't have carpets and curtains (we have granite floors and blinds) I am not sure I would want carpets and curtains with Dexter around :shock:

:wave:I have Barbie since she was 12 weeks old, for 15months now.
I have her set up in the living room ie. a cage with her bed, litter tray, hay tray and water
the cage door is always open, and we have a baby safety gate to keep her in the living room

The life of having her indoor is just great! everyone in the house treat her like a baby,
we sit on the sofa to watch tv together, and she loves getting our attention.

she even waits at the door for my dad to come home from work every night!:lol:
(yes, you can see her getting excited when she hears the garden gate is opened)

for cleaning, as she is litter-trained, I just clean her litter tray every 1/2days, a complete clean of the cage once a week
She never chews the furnitures, but we had all the electric cables mounted to the wall/ wrapped into a tube.

Here is some pics of her...x (sorry for the size, dont know how to make it smaller!)