considering a rabbit

[raingirl]

Ok..I have seriously been considering getting a rabbit. I have taken care of rabbits before, and I do really like them. Plus, the rabbit rescue in Georgetown said they would gladly bring any rabbit I was interested in to me in Brampton.

Now...I have learned a lot here, one thing being that rabbits can be litter trained, and thus can roam freely around the house.

I will admit I have a few things around that are not rabbit friendly. One being my TV cable, which is staple gunned to the baseboards around my living room (the outlet was on the south wall, we wanted our tv on the north wall, so the cable guy stappled it around the room)

I also have stereo cables from my surround sound, but they can be moved if required. But the other cable I can't move. And we also have a LARGE amount of cables behind our tv, for the xbox, playstation, stereo, tv, surround sound, etc (we are tech people).

I don't want the bunny to be in a cage 24/7, but I was hoping to house train it so that he/she could be free-range at least while I am home. Would it be cruel to cage the bunny while I am at work and at night, so he/she doesn't chew any cords?

[jackieb]

no i dont think it would be cruel perhaps you could make it a run so that the rabbit could get up and have a stretch without chewing things.

[Rainy]

It would not be cruel to cage while your at work or asleep! Keeping your pet safe is a good thing. You don't have to buy a cage.....you can buy a huge dog kennel for nighttime or a collapsable pen that way you can fold it and put it away when bunny is free range. or a baby gate to keep bunny contained to one room. You should go to a hardware store and ask for casings for your electrical cords,wires. It's tubing that wraps around them,so bunny can't get to them.Even if you train your bunny be prepared for accidents! Maybe not tinkles but definately poop! LOL

[raingirl]

at least bunny poop isn't that bad!

I was looking at the bunnies in rescues, and I love Holland lops.

Would having two bunnies be better than one?

[Rainy]

Ask the rescue if they have any bonded rabbits! 2 is always double the fun! Double the poops too! LOL

[Rainy]

Another thing to make sure of before getting a rabbit is.....allergies! Not just to the bunny(ies).Bunnies need to be fed hay freely and many people have allergies to that.

[Grissom's Mom]

I have a 6 1/2 year old dwarf named Riley. She is a free-range bunny in a bunny proofed home. If we forget and leave something edible on the floor, we learn a fast lesson! My hubby built her a pen 3ftx7ft where her poopie cage is, food, carrier (which she names in sometimes). She knows that space is hers and then she naps in spots around the house. If she will be in a cage for long periods of time, have a large enough cage so it can hop around a bit. As well, have food and water available at all times in the cage but keep it separate from where she chooses to poop in the cage. Have some toys available (toilet paper rolls are a fave). I your wires are stapled to walls, they should be safe. Any loose cords are fair game tho! We've had a lot of experiences with Riley over the yeaars. Please feel free to ask anything about bunny proofing, habbits, etc.


Also, if you google "house rabbit society" they have lots of good info on rabbit care.

[CyberKitten]

Re: caging the bunny I had a 13 year old bunny (at that time the oldest known in the country) and am still mourning him - as many here already heard (sorry to be repetitive),

I had one rabbit proof room where he stayed when I went to work. It had his food, his litter, his toys, paper to chew - bunnies love to chew paper and it actually is not bad for them. All electrical outlets were covered and the side of the door - where he night chew - sprayed with butter apple. He was fine.

That took much training however and after a few incidences of a table leg being chewed. Soooo in in the interim, it would not be cruel to cage him while you are away as long as he has all his stuff and the cage is large enough that his food is quite far apart from his litter area. Rabbits will select one part of the cage to do their thing in. They can be less discriminate about their little buttons tho, lol

Good luck! Bunnies make wonderful pets!

[raingirl]

The reason i was thinking rabbit is that I used to work at a small petting zoo. We had an iguana, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, bunnies, chickens, ducks, and some pigs.

We actually had the pigs leash trained...now that was fun!

I loved the bunnies. There was a baby bunny we named Farmer. He was white with brown spots down a line on his back. He was so cute!! I used to walk around with him everywhere in my arms.

[CyberKitten]

You should keep in mind that not all bunnies will want to be picked up and held. Some will allow you to do it grudginly. Rabbits are a bit like cats that way, independent!

[irishmist]

I also have a dwarf bunny. I also keep her in a cage when I go to work and let her out when I am home. She gets excited when I get home, she loves the freedom. I too also have a lot of wires and after figuring out WHY my stereo speaker was not working (thanks bunny for making me spend an hour adjusting everything to make it work) I went to Petcetera and they have a playpen for small animals (which she figured how to get out of immediately), so I just lined it up against the wall and the wires are protected. Rabbits are so entertaining, I would advise to get one young they bond much better. They take some patience, sometimes it is like having a 2 year old around LOL. The really funny thing is that when we got her there were 2 cats already in the house so we were very careful how we introduced her, eight months later she is the boss and chases the cats out of the room. Every once in a while I'll catch one of the cats grooming her,now that is sight to see! Cleo (named because she has black all around her eyes) is a joy and I am sure that if you get one you will love it.

Susan

[irishmist]

I should have also added that female bunnies if not fixed are aggressive toward other female bunnies. The perfect companion for a bunny is a guinnea pig, they get along extremely well. Unless you have a male bunny that is not fixed then you may have trouble

Susan

[BMDLuver]

about owning a bunny he would say I am still mourning my Harmon Kardon Stereo system, not to mention the sofa, the carpet and the back of the wall unit... We thought that it was an excellent idea to use one of those playyards for pets, well this bunny didn't think so and was very bright... he would tour the house when we were at work and we would come home to him sitting back in his pen looking at us with the "What? I didn't do it, it was the dog!" expression. Needless to say whenever I see a cute one, he says no way, don't you remember....

All this to say that having a bunny proof room while you are out may be the best idea!

[Rainy]

Guinea pigs and bunnies in the same house....yes
same cage or pen...NO! One kick could seriously harm a guinea pig.Not to forget the guinea pig needs to have his own diet as they do not produce thier own vitamin C. Never leave bunnies with guinea pigs unsupervised.

[Grissom's Mom]

Almost forgot. To keep them from chewing on cords/baseboards/furniture, lightly rub a little dish soap (yuk!) on the area of concern.