linders Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Anyone here a rabbit owner? DS9 has begged for one for the past year, during which time he often took care of a friend's lop. DH has finally agreed, and now we are in the process of getting more info. DS especially likes lops, so we are considering a minilop. It would not get free run of the house (I know friends who allow that, and their furniture/walls have been chewed.) However, since we homeschool, there will be lots of opportunity for daytime supervised play out of a cage. So - thoughts on minilops (or any other smaller rabbit breeds)? We are looking for reputable breeders in our area now - there are "rescue bunnies" available, but I am concerned about their socialization or lack thereof. What about cages/hutches? I am thinking a floor-based cage that we can move from indoors to the sunporch as desired. Other? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I had outdoor rabbits as a child, but would sometimes bring them inside to play. I had mini-lops and they were very sweet. There are also Holland Lops, which are smaller than mini lops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Anyone here a rabbit owner? DS9 has begged for one for the past year, during which time he often took care of a friend's lop. DH has finally agreed, and now we are in the process of getting more info. DS especially likes lops, so we are considering a minilop. It would not get free run of the house (I know friends who allow that, and their furniture/walls have been chewed.) However, since we homeschool, there will be lots of opportunity for daytime supervised play out of a cage. So - thoughts on minilops (or any other smaller rabbit breeds)? We are looking for reputable breeders in our area now - there are "rescue bunnies" available, but I am concerned about their socialization or lack thereof. What about cages/hutches? I am thinking a floor-based cage that we can move from indoors to the sunporch as desired. Other? Thanks. I use metal storage cubes to build cages for our guinea pigs and rabbit. Our neutered rabbit, Toby, is an old widower and is very good about using his litter box, so he just has a fence made of storage cubes and zip ties. I have bulldog clips that function as a door. Our rabbits were a rescued bonded pair. I feel bad that Toby is alone now, but I don't want to start the cycle again with getting him a mate. I think I'm pretty done with buns. His mate, Clover, was far more outgoing than he is. We've had him for 6 years and he can still be scared of us. Unfortunately, rabbits are prey animals and some will never stop being fearful. If you catch him at the right time, which is "bunny time"-early evening, he can be a love. I would at least visit a rescue. SO many rabbits are abandoned. Oh, is a great video showing how to build a nice rabbit condo. If you google C&C cages, you'll see all kinds of configurations for guinea pigs and buns. If you're moving the bun to the sun porch, a little cubing fence would work great. Toby's fence is 3 high. Best wishes with your new pet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 My daughter has a Holland Lop. He's really sweet and a very easy pet. He has a cage in her room and then a big playpen in the living room. She also gets him out and lets him hop around on the floor with her supervision (we have three cats, too, so bunny doesn't get the run of the house). The initial costs were expensive (buying the cage, play pen, etc.) but the regular "maintenance" costs are pretty minimal. We have a Tractor Supply nearby where we get his food, hay and bedding. I'll see if I can find you some links to the cage and playpen that we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Okay, here is the cage that we have and this is the playpen. We also got the cover for the playpen, but we use it as the bottom rather than the top. That way any messes, water spills, extra hay, etc. is easy to clean up. The other nice thing about the playpen is that it's really easy to move. DD can take it outside to play with bunny in the grass if she wants. She just takes the wire sides and leave the bottom inside. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela in GA Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 We have several Holland Lops. They're really very easy pets to take care of! We use guinea pig sized cages for ours. We do have one larger cage that we use when we have a new litter. My daughter is currently trying to get a new show bunny for the fair. Last years ended up too large. Who knew there was a weight limit for Holland Lop show bunnies? :p Anyway, one thing to think about...rather than shavings for bedding, we use wood pellets. The same wood pellets you would use in a pellet stove. Just make sure they don't have any chemicals on them. We buy them from Sam's Club. $3ish a bag. They last quite a while. We just put a few inches in the litter box and change it out weekly. They are super absorbant, and heavy enough that they don't stick to the bun when you lift him/her out of the cage. We made a play pen out of wire cubes and zip ties. It can be used inside or out. We do let our buns run around in the living room, but we have a dog that thinks the buns would make a good lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 If you're interested in making a C&C cage, here are some great instructions and ideas: http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html http://www.michiganr...e.org/condo.htm http://www.therabbit...cages-cubes.asp If the rescue bunnies in your area are kept in foster homes (as opposed to a shelter), they may actually be better socialized than rabbits bought from a breeder. Plus, the foster "parents" will be very familiar with the bunnies' personalities and whether or not they would be a good fit for your family. We have a small animal rescue group in my area and they are *wonderful*. You might try searching on petfinder.com. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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