Indoor pet rabbits...

[Cz mama]

Has anyone had an indoor pet rabbit? I will want to adopt a spayed/neutered one. I am curious if you can really 'crate-train' them, and let them hop around the house. Someone mentioned that they are as much work as a dog, but that sounds strange to me. Any advice/experience. PS-This is not an impulsive "Easter bunny pet" purchase either...we have been thinking about getting a small animal for awhile. Thanks

[Erica in OR]

Ours are outdoor, but friends of ours have indoor/outdoor rabbits. They come in during the winter and spend a bit of time loose and are outdoors in the summer. Apparently they're quite well behaved and use their litter box. The kids do need to tend to ours at least twice a day, so I can see how they're work, but since they can be caged with something for litter (unlike a dog), I wouldn't compare it to the work of a dog. Our kids would like ours to be indoor. I don't think my toddlers could handle it.

 

Erica in OR

[SemiSweet]

I had one years ago, they can be litter box trained. We just left his cage open and he would go in there but they sometimes "forget" if something changes in their life. We moved and could never really get him fully trained again. He was a great pet though, got along well with the cats too.

[mom2scouts]

Yes, we have an  (bossy, spoiled rotten, adorable, loveable, friendly) indoor rabbit.  We took an unspayed female from some friends who couldn't keep her and didn't find out later that unspayed females are the hardest to litter train.  With that said, she generally uses her box or at least the area right next to it when she's out and is very good about it when she's in her cage.  We cage her at night and when we're away from home for awhile and the rest of the time she runs around the house.  Rabbits have great personalities!  Ours nudges us when she wants to be petted, comes when we call (because we just might have a piece of banana), and plays with toys.

 

I've always had cats and expected a rabbit to be similar in care, but it is closer to having a dog.  Rabbits need daily exercise (which isn't a problem if it isn't caged), daily greens and vegetables, unlimited hay, nail trimming, brushing, and attention. 

 

I see you also have very young children and that may be a reason to hold off on getting a bunny.  They are prey animals and easily frightened and injured. They do not like to be chased or held. A child hugging too hard, dropping it, or even holding it wrong could cause major injuries.

 

ETA:  If you get a bunny, DO NOT use kitty litter or wood shavings.  They are deadly to bunnies.  A paper based litter with hay on top or just a layer of hay will work.

[Susan in TN]

We have 2 indoor rescue bunnies (a brother and sister). They have been great pets for us as no one is allergic to them! Ours are not particularly cuddly, but they do allow us to pet them and they follow dd15 around as she is their "mommy". As rabbits are social animals, I would suggest getting a bonded pair.

They do like to nibble on things that are wood and paper. If they have toys to chew, they are not as likely to go after your baseboards or furniture. Ours will not go on smooth flooring, only carpeting. Since our main floor (where their pen is) is hardwood and laminate, we used to put out rugs for playtime, but we finally got them to go down the carpeted stairs and to a small carpeted area in the basement to play. Their pen is about 2' by 3' with a loft (2nd level) area.

We give them orchard grass to eat freely (we get a bail from the local farmers coop for about $5) and give them Oxbow rabbit food in the morning. They don't need a lot of other food (veggies or fruit) but they are nice for occasional treats. For their litter box we use stove pellets which we also get at the farmers coop. To train them to use the litter box, we put their hay feeder (made from a mailing box) next to the litter box so they would nibble hay and do their business. They are pretty good about it, but we will still find little pellets here and there. Most of their maintenance involves sweeping up hay/poo around their pen, changing the litter box once a week, daily food and water, and refilling their hay box every couple days. The stove pellets do a good job and we never have animal odors.

We have found them to be very easy to care for and fun pets to have.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

a neice has one but don't think she's a LOOSE indoor rabbit....she takes her on a leash outside sometimes but has a cage in her bedroom.......

[lmrich]

I had one in my classroom. He hopped around freely and was so cute. I had a room with a courtyard outback so we gave him outdoor time everyday. He went in his pen nightly and home on the weekends. I love bunnies!

[HappyLady]

I think everyone has already covered everything so if I'm repeating this, I apologize.  If you're going to let your bun be free range (which I suggest) just make sure to bunny proof your electrical cords!  I thought I had all of them covered and the little dickens found the one and only one I didn't bunny proof within the first 5 minutes of me bringing him home.  He hopped under my futon, I heard a noise, the lamp went out, the carpet got burned, and a little bun had curled whiskers.  Yeah, not the way I wanted our first 5 minutes together to go.  LOL  Thankfully he was ok.  I had called the vet right away and they told me I had to check to make sure he didn't burn his tongue off.  They said I needed to get my finger in his mouth.  Yeah, I don't ever recommend doing that unless it's absolutely necessary.  Bunny bites hurt!  :)  

[Cz mama]

thnx everyone...good to know...

[Alicia64]

We had indoor bunnies -- which was an awesome experience. They were rescue bunnies who'd lived their entire lives in a cage and we grabbed them (before they were going to be tossed out w/ the trash, I guess.)

 

One was a purebred fancy-pants grey bunny and one was a white bunny. They were both awesome. The white bunny would greet me at the door when I came home just like a dog. It was amazing.

 

Dh built a huge thing for them to sleep in. He put together PVC pipe -- or whatever it's called from Home Depot -- and made something that was about the size of Queen sized bed in dimension. Then he put an easy to clean fabric attached to the pipe. We covered it in straw stuff and cleaned it regularly.

 

But during the day they hopped around our house. We potty trained them.

 

I highly recommend making them indoors!! (And there is no way that they're as much work as a dog. No way at all.)

 

Alley

[Hoot]

We have a house rabbit and she is a FANTASTIC pet.  Everyone else has covered their primary care, so I'll just include some of my own experiences. 

 

My girl knew what the litter box was for practically from day one; however, she is very picky about the type of litter she will use (white Carefresh, she absolutely will not use the natural brown stuff :huh:)

 

She is housed in a large metal dog cage out of the way from major traffic but where she is still part of the family.  Her crate includes a significant amount of space to stretch out and play, plus food, water, toys, and a large high-sided litter box.  She is allowed out to play with relative supervision inside and has access to a very large screened/walled porch just off of "her" room.  Even when she is outside of her crate all day long she will go back to her litter box to do her business.  She NEVER has accidents. 

 

I wouldn't have a completely cage-free bun unless every nook and cranny was meticulously bunny-proofed, including the baseboards. 

 

Some other things: 
They need toys... lots and lots of toys.  They are very smart and get bored easily.

Bonding can be hard.  If you plan on getting two, try for ones that are already bonded.  This is the ideal situation.

A large high-sided litter box is preferable, in my opinion, to the smaller pans that are usually sold for cats or small animals.  These keep the mess contained so much better.

 

 

I have many, many animals, and if I had to choose only one animal to have for the rest of my life it would be a rabbit.