Tell me about having a pet rabbit

KathrynMD · April 2011

DH wants to get a pet rabbit. He said he wanted to get "a big one"

He had bunnies as a kid and as a teenager. Do they stay in a cage? How likely are they to get litter box/paper trained? Can you take them for a walk - will the cat kill it?

Our cat is not friendly/affectionate at all - so we'd love to have a critter that will actually snuggle with us and let Ella pet him/her.

FieryIrishAngel · April 2011

I've had two rabbits - one very social, one very skittish. If you're going to go this route, I would get an adult rabbit with a personality that's already known so that you can choose one that's more social and will be cuddly.

You'll need a large cage/condo for the bunny to live in. DH built the one we had for GusGus and it consisted of three levels. And she was a dwarf bunny. Unless you can dedicate a pretty open space like Jenni does for her bun, you'll need a large cage for it to explore.

Rabbits are messy and destructive. They like to dig and chew, and when out for exercise/playtime with the family, they'll try to do all of the above. You have to rabbit-proof the space they're going to be allowed to play in and watch them like a hawk, as well as give them plenty of things they *can* chew, dig, etc.

GusGus used her litter pan for urinating unless she was sick, but poo was kinda 50/50 as to whether or not it went in the pan. I had to do a lot of vacuuming around her cage.

Rabbits must have constant access to hay, which is another mess-maker. In our house it didn't help that the cats liked to pull it out of her cage and play with it, spreading it even further. Hay is more of a pain to clean up, too, because it will clog the vacuum.

Our cats never bothered GusGus in a negative fashion, but they'd often play with her when she was out of her cage - just chasing her around. How your cat will handle a bunny is anyone's guess, though.

I can't imagine taking a bunny for a walk, though I'm sure someone somewhere has done it. Your bunny will need time out of the cage to run, time to play and interact with the family, especially if they're social. So, again, you'll have to have an area that you can allow the bunny some freedom in, even with close supervision.

You'll need a local exotic vet who can treat the bunny when need be. Regular cat and dog vets don't always treat rabbits, so you may want to call around to be sure there's one in your area.

http://www.rabbit.org/ is a great resource for rabbit-related information.

JennigoesUSA · April 2011

I didn't read all of Fiery's response so I apologize if I say something that was already covered.

I love rabbits as well as guinea pigs. Rabbits can be extremely loving and cuddly but they may also be the complete opposite and prefer to be left alone. Some love to be petted but on ground level, others don't mind to be picked up. If you get a baby rabbit and handle him/her a lot, chances are he/she will get used to it and learn to love it.

Rabbits are normally easy to litter train. You start them out at a space that is only big enough to hold their house and litterbox. They will not pee in their house so they have no choice but pee in the box. Poo too but sometimes they loose some poo ... that is not unusal but super easy to just sweep or vacuum up.

After about a week, make the space just a little bigger .. continue doing this every 4-5 days. The rabbit will continue to go back to his litterbox. I am at the point with my bun where he has the run of the whole sunroom all day and he goes back to his litterbox if he has to go. For most of the poo also.

If you want a large breed I would go for a Flemish Giant (those can get extremely big though) or a Thrianta, wich is what I have

If you don't have room for a large pen and have to keep him in a cage, you need to make sure he can have free run for at least 1 hour every day. Protect cables.

Yes, you can put a rabbit on a leash and take him outside, I do it often, but NO you can not walk him. If you have him on the leash you have to follow his lead. He may sit for a while and do nothing or he may start running like a crazy bunny and you all over the place with him. My kids love doing that with him. It is crucial that you do not pull on the leash, a rabbits spine is very delicate!

A lot of shelters have bunny's that are in need of a good home. If it is very important to you to have a littertrained bunny you may want to consider a breeder. But there are also bunny organizations that you can get them from and they will tell you if the rabbit is litter trained or not. Look up "House Rabbit Society"

I ended up with a rabbit from a breeder as I wanted to make sure I can litter train him and have him from baby on. I had my heart set on one from the House Rabbit Society to adopt but after 3 month of constant calling and emailing they never got back with me, so I gave up.

If you do end up going the breeder route, I can give you the info of my breeder

P.S Fiery is correct, they do need unlimited hay. If they don't eat hay regularly it could cause them to not be able to pass poo and they can die from that! This is even more important in the seasons where they change their coat and lick up so much hair!!

breaness · April 2011

I had a rabbit when I was younger. We got her when she was a baby. We had a cage for her but when we were home with her we let her roam freely. She was litter trained and we just put up baby gates where we didn't want her to go.

They do chew everything and she definitely ate through some of my dad's speaker wires... so make sure things are bunny-proofed.

We never had hay for her. She had no interest in it. She ate bunny food and celery. She ended up dying of something that could have been caught early on and treated thanks to taking her to Petsmart. I would recommend finding a vet that really knows 'exotic' animals before you go this route.

I have a gecko now and I take her to a vet up in Bel Air. They're the only ones in the area that know anything about reptiles.

Bailey1806 · April 2011

My college roommate had a rabbit that I would watch for her when she flew home for breaks. It destroyed many a computer cable, peed in it's litter box most of the time, but pooped anywhere it roamed. The cage always smelled because, unlike a cat, they do not cover their mess. Maybe she didn't give it enough attention, but I didn't find it to be particularly affectionate and it actually bit me a few times so I didn't really pick it up or put my hand near its head. But she loved that smelly little bunny, haha. So I think they could be good pets, but I personally would not enjoy having one. Obviously, FIA and Jenni would be the experts here.

If you are looking for something to cuddle... why don't you just get another cat? The same could be said for rabbits, but if you get a young enough cat and raise it to be social or adopt an older one that is friendly, your DD would have something to hug. And with a cat, you already have all the supplies and experience of caring for it.

mrs. remy · April 2011

I had a bunny as a kid but it was so long ago I can't tell you the details of his care. I do remember though that he was extremely mellow and laid back, loved to be held like a baby (laying on his back in your lap), and we used to let him just roam around the backyard with us when we were out there. He never went anywhere. He did chew a phone cord or two though......

I have known a lot of bunnies who aren't very affectionate though. Ditto what Bailey said....have you guys considered another cat? Or is your DH really set on a rabbit? My two cats are so affectionate and they let Sean do whatever he wants to them (usually non-stop hugs).

ETA: my bunny was around my two cats growing up. They pretty much ignored eachother.

glittergal73 · April 2011

I've adopted rescued rabbits from Luna's House and The House Rabbit Society. They were both wonderful to deal with and helped us choose a bunny that matched what we were looking for. They have young and older bunnies and the volunteers really know the rabbits so you know what you'll be getting. As far as litter training it's not difficult and most of the rescues litter train them--however, whenever you move a bunny they will slip up a little at first until they adjust to their new environment.