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Should I get a rabbit? Where should it live?

floppy91

New Kit
Hello,
I am thinking of getting a rabbit(s?) in the near future. I love rabbits, they are my favourite animal and I have wanted a pet rabbit for a long time. I've always been hesitant because I understand that they are such complex animals.

I am a bit confused about housing for rabbits. I understand that most people's rabbits are house rabbits or outdoor hutch rabbits. I'd want my rabbits to be house-rabbits, but how long does it take before you can trust them in a room unsupervised? I could allow them the run of my hallway and bedroom for example, but would they not pee on the bed, or destroy my skirting boards? I would absolutely have them out running around when I'm at home! Possibly not my living room because there are cables running everywhere. :/

So depending on how well house trained they can be and how long this will take, my next question is what cage. I have searched this forum and can't find a thread about rabbit cages, is this because you do not use them? (or I'm not looking in the right place lol?).

My first choice was the Plaza 160 , however I'm not sure it's big enough or tall enough! As it's only 50cm high, and I know the rabbit needs to be able to stand up on his hind legs without his ears touching the top. Why do they make the cages so small!!

My next idea was to make a C&C cage, 5 or 6 x 2 x 2. This seems like a more appropriate sized cage for one or two rabbits?

Are they very destructive of furniture? I don't care about my stuff but I care about skirting boards and wall paper, as I am renting. (I'm allowed pets though)

Do they DEFINITELY like company of other rabbits? When I was a very little girl, i kept two male rabbits in a double hutch in the garden, with a run. They were both male and both neutered. One died really young. I'm pretty sure one killed the other as they were often growling at each other :(

Thanks for reading!
 
Hello,
I am thinking of getting a rabbit(s?) in the near future. I love rabbits, they are my favourite animal and I have wanted a pet rabbit for a long time. I've always been hesitant because I understand that they are such complex animals.

I am a bit confused about housing for rabbits. I understand that most people's rabbits are house rabbits or outdoor hutch rabbits. I'd want my rabbits to be house-rabbits, but how long does it take before you can trust them in a room unsupervised? I could allow them the run of my hallway and bedroom for example, but would they not pee on the bed, or destroy my skirting boards? I would absolutely have them out running around when I'm at home! Possibly not my living room because there are cables running everywhere. :/

So depending on how well house trained they can be and how long this will take, my next question is what cage. I have searched this forum and can't find a thread about rabbit cages, is this because you do not use them? (or I'm not looking in the right place lol?).

My first choice was the Plaza 160 , however I'm not sure it's big enough or tall enough! As it's only 50cm high, and I know the rabbit needs to be able to stand up on his hind legs without his ears touching the top. Why do they make the cages so small!!

My next idea was to make a C&C cage, 5 or 6 x 2 x 2. This seems like a more appropriate sized cage for one or two rabbits?

Are they very destructive of furniture? I don't care about my stuff but I care about skirting boards and wall paper, as I am renting. (I'm allowed pets though)

Do they DEFINITELY like company of other rabbits? When I was a very little girl, i kept two male rabbits in a double hutch in the garden, with a run. They were both male and both neutered. One died really young. I'm pretty sure one killed the other as they were often growling at each other :(

Thanks for reading!

Hello

You may find some useful information here which could help answer your questions :

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=leaflets.html
 
Hello! Welcome to the forum! Like humans and other animals rabbits vary in their personality greatly so no one can really answer your questions cause it really does depend on the personality of the rabbit. I can answer your questions based on my own rabbits. So I have 5 rabbits (soon to be 6) which will be 3 pairs. At the moment I have a pair of girls (sisters) they live in a 7x5 shed and of all my 5 these 2 are the least friendly. I then have Peter and Velvet, they live outdoors too and used to be 2 single rabbits and I bonded them. They are very friendly and very laid back. All of these are litter trained and to be honest it was very easy to train them. I just put a litter tray into the space where they were favouring as toilet corner! Rex is an indoor bunny, he does have a cage but is only locked in overnight, he has the run of the house but is only allowed in the lounge if we are in there cause of all the electrical items. We have been very very lucky, he is not really a chewer! He has had the odd munch... so I left a pair of jeans on the floor and he chewed them, he has had a nibble on a skirting board but like I said we are lucky, it could be so much worse! He is also toilet trained and when not in a cage has chosen his toilet place, he has his own towels so I just pop his towels in that area and he always goes on the towel. With them all being litter trained it makes cleaning very quick and easy, clean potties every day and a quick brush around the shed and its job done!!
 
Hello,
I am thinking of getting a rabbit(s?) in the near future. I love rabbits, they are my favourite animal and I have wanted a pet rabbit for a long time. I've always been hesitant because I understand that they are such complex animals.

I am a bit confused about housing for rabbits. I understand that most people's rabbits are house rabbits or outdoor hutch rabbits. I'd want my rabbits to be house-rabbits, but how long does it take before you can trust them in a room unsupervised? I could allow them the run of my hallway and bedroom for example, but would they not pee on the bed, or destroy my skirting boards? I would absolutely have them out running around when I'm at home! Possibly not my living room because there are cables running everywhere. :/

So depending on how well house trained they can be and how long this will take, my next question is what cage. I have searched this forum and can't find a thread about rabbit cages, is this because you do not use them? (or I'm not looking in the right place lol?).

My first choice was the Plaza 160 , however I'm not sure it's big enough or tall enough! As it's only 50cm high, and I know the rabbit needs to be able to stand up on his hind legs without his ears touching the top. Why do they make the cages so small!!

My next idea was to make a C&C cage, 5 or 6 x 2 x 2. This seems like a more appropriate sized cage for one or two rabbits?

Are they very destructive of furniture? I don't care about my stuff but I care about skirting boards and wall paper, as I am renting. (I'm allowed pets though)

Do they DEFINITELY like company of other rabbits? When I was a very little girl, i kept two male rabbits in a double hutch in the garden, with a run. They were both male and both neutered. One died really young. I'm pretty sure one killed the other as they were often growling at each other :(

Thanks for reading!


Welcome to the Forum:wave:


Tamsin, who designed this wonderful site, has her own website:

http://www.therabbithouse.com

You'll get loads of fab ideas browsing through her site!
 
Rabbits are definitely happier with a bunny friend, it's lovely to see them snuggling and grooming together. If you go to a local rescue they will have bonded pairs who are already vaccinated, neutered, health checked and often microchipped. Rather than a cage I would recommend a puppy pen like the Ellie-bo heavy duty pens (the higher the better to prevent escape!) then you can add a litter tray, hide, tunnel etc. You can buy extra panels or more than 1 pen to give extra space, the more space the better if they will be shut in while you're not there to supervise.

My rabbits are house rabbits and they do nibble things they shouldn't, I don't think there's any way of really stopping this if your rabbit is a chewer other than blocking off the things you don't want them to get to. Things like willow sticks or balls, wood chews etc can distract them but doesn't stop them. Mine are litter trained but I still get a few stray poops around the place. They don't pee anywhere else other than in the litter tray unless I give them something soft like a blanket or dog bed / cushion in which case they see this as an extra litter tray!

Nice to see that you're doing your research before getting rabbits, they really do need so much more time, space and money than most people realise. They make great pets though if you do decide to go for it :)
 
I would recommend speaking with local rescues (you can see on rabbit rehome too) for a bonded pair of house bunnies. They will have everything sorted like neutering and vaccinations but also you can be confident they are a settled pair and find out what they are like in the home, their personalities and so on. It does help a lot and seeing as it's a first for you ( other than childhood pet) getting an established, possibly older pair with known personalities, will really help with your confidence.


Every rescue has certain expectations for housing so when you ask they can help and guide you with what you need. Personally I would go with a pen and Bunny proofed room with a baby gate (mesh it to be secure).
 
Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

At the moment my local shelter (SPCA) only has one rabbit who they describe as being suited to an 'experienced rabbit owner' and 'not suited to living with other rabbits', this may not be the bun for me.

I am going on holiday on the 1st of June for 8 days, so I reckon it would be better to wait and consider getting a bunny. It would be unfair on the rabbit to go away so soon as he's just settling in?

Thing is I have become SO obsessed with getting a rabbit I'm not even excited about my holiday anymore... I wish I wasn't even going! It seems like such a long time to wait.

Maybe this will be a good time to concentrate on learning more about rabbits and bunny proofing house, I could still buy some rabbit toys etc for when I get the rabbit?

I live alone and I'm single in my mid twenties and think it would improve my life significantly by getting a rabbit.

Is there any way to be a bit less obsessed though! I went to pets at home today and managed to come home with nothing more than a book about rabbits but this was no easy task.
 
Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

At the moment my local shelter (SPCA) only has one rabbit who they describe as being suited to an 'experienced rabbit owner' and 'not suited to living with other rabbits', this may not be the bun for me.

I am going on holiday on the 1st of June for 8 days, so I reckon it would be better to wait and consider getting a bunny. It would be unfair on the rabbit to go away so soon as he's just settling in?

Thing is I have become SO obsessed with getting a rabbit I'm not even excited about my holiday anymore... I wish I wasn't even going! It seems like such a long time to wait.

Maybe this will be a good time to concentrate on learning more about rabbits and bunny proofing house, I could still buy some rabbit toys etc for when I get the rabbit?

I live alone and I'm single in my mid twenties and think it would improve my life significantly by getting a rabbit.

Is there any way to be a bit less obsessed though! I went to pets at home today and managed to come home with nothing more than a book about rabbits but this was no easy task.


As I was reading your post I agreed wth you that this gap of enforced waiting is a great time to learn :)

Could you also spend time having a browse around for perhaps a pair of rabbits (small if you've limited space) and even go visit them in the rescue? You see you'll most likely need a home visit anyway, so that prolongs the waiting ...

Have you seen this site?

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk
 
I was in my late forties and a single person when I got my rabbits (two, then two more). They were adorable, delightful, and exceptionally destructive.

They destroyed telephones (bit through the wires, especially if I was talking on the phone. Tabitha resented that and would often sneak up and terminate the conversation); they destroyed carpets - very secretively digging, chewing, making clandestine latrines; they destroyed wallpaper - it's not natural guys, rip it off!; they destroyed furniture - "Quick, she's out of the room! Let's try to gnaw the leg off her chair..."; they destroyed sound systems - "It's got wires, guys! It's full of roots. Bite them off, quick! All of them! Roots can wrap round your legs and stop you running! Get them off! Shred 'em!" They destroyed clothes - "Nibble it, guys! She'll think it was a moth!" "Roll on it! She'll never get the hair off!". They destroyed my social life - because you can't go anywhere for long, you have to be home for the rabbits. Who will look after your rabbits if you want to go out or go on holiday? They attracted foxes to the house. Even now, a year after they've all gone, a local fox will come and stand hopefully by the back door. They attracted mice.
They look adorable. They are soft to touch (but most of them are not cuddle-buns (my experience suggests boy rabbits like to be cuddled more than girl rabbits do). They stay in your heart even when their lives (nine years for mine, some live longer) are over. They are a huge tie, a lot of work, often a great expense (mine cost me about £80 a month but mercifully didn't have any major illnesses, except Tabitha's slow recovery from her spay). Don't go into this with your eyes closed. Good luck.

eta: When a happy rabbit has finished the 'Bunny 500' around your room, he will flop in the centre of the room, displaying his ownership of the space to all and sundry. That is so charming! A rabbit who feels confident in your home will poo by the back and front doors, to make sure no other cheeky bunny tries to trespass on his territory. A rabbit who trusts you will come to you for help if there is a problem. But they also wee on soft furnishings. Beds, sofas, especially, so that your scent is drowned out by theirs. You will think you are a bunny owner, but in fact, you will be owned by bunnies. That's how it is. :lol:

Did you see the opening post on this thread? http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?464384-When-you-come-back-from-shopping
 
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I think once you've got the bunny bug, it's far far too late. I've always loved rabbits but since I got my first bunny (Willow, now at the bridge) as an adult, in 2011, that's it, I'm hooked. I look on Pinterest for ideas on improvements to their housing, I browse the web for new toys, search for health tips and was even going to book onto the foraging for rabbits day (but the date clashes with a show, was a close thing though). As soon as I found this forum, I've got worse, or better, as an owner, as I'm learning so much! So, floppy91, welcome to the bunny mad club. Its great you are doing your research before getting bunnies though, and I totally agree, go see a rescue and wait for a bonded pair. There are SO many that need good homes just waiting for someone like you to bring them treats home from your trips to P@H!
 
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