gaillardia Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Tell me about bunnies as pets. Why have them? What do you do with them? What do they do in return? Can they be trained to do interesting things? Has your rabbit used a litter box? Where do you keep yours? How much trouble are they? They're not like guinea pigs... How do you care for rabbits? What kinds of things do they need to go to the vet for? Do you let yours run around the house? Go outside? Breed? Or did you get yours sterilized? Do you have more than one? How many? I knew someone who moved into a home in town. It had a small fenced backyard. They put two rabbits in their hutches and they ended up getting loose, burrowing down into the yard and creating rabbit heaven. Last I heard, she unintentionally had 25 rabbits. Can you imagine? I bet there were more. And they weren't acting feral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 No clue. I only clicked in hopes of seeing cute bunny pictures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 No clue. I only clicked in hopes of seeing cute bunny pictures. Sorry, no. I think I'll sign off. Not feeling the greatest. Hold down the fort, would ya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 We have two rabbits. One is a mini lop and one is an American (breed, not nationality). We have them because they are great pets. We feed them and take care of them. We talk to them and pet them and set up mazes. They come when called (if they want to). They lounge. And chew on things (we try to make sure they are the right things like sticks and not the wrong things like electrical cords). They explore. And come to say “hiâ€. Our rabbits know the word “raisin†and come running. They go through mazes and obstacle courses. They can do dog puzzles to get food. Both use a litter box. They have litter boxes in their cages and hop in there to use them. We also put a puppy pee pad out in the living room and they will use that. Our rabbits are only partially bonded to each other. They fight to the point of blood if left together so we keep a baby gate between them most of the time. Our American runs loose in the house during the day. The lop runs loose in the evenings. (One of our rabbits was attacked before we got her and has a sort of bunny ptsd. The shelter had to stitch her up. She has decided to attack first and ask questions later. ) Our rabbits were fixed at the rescues. Other than that they have never gone to a vet. They do not get immunizations. There are way too many unwanted domestic rabbits to breed them. We have taken them outside on a leash in the summer. We feed them rabbit pellets (made of hay) and loose hay and some vegetables. We feed less veggies as they age because it causes tummy upset as they age. We clean cages. We clip nails. We let them chew on sticks. We let them get exercise and mental stimulation. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Sorry, no. I think I'll sign off. Not feeling the greatest. Hold down the fort, would ya? I hope you feel better tomorrow! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Tell me about bunnies as pets. Why have them? My oldest dd has an affinity with rabbits. Rabbits said to be skittish and bitey will come up to her and act like babies. They adore her. Even wild rabbits. It's like she's some sort of mythical bunny goddess or something for them. What do you do with them? They like to cuddle and spend time with people and do best in bonded pairs. What do they do in return? They're really cute and will act as vacuum cleaners throughout your house and love to manage "greenery" like wires keeping them trimmed for you and updating the woodwork by chewing on it. Can they be trained to do interesting things? Some can do agility training with jumps and tunnels. Mine just like to lay around the house all day being cute. Has your rabbit used a litter box? Yes. They can be trained to do such. I have one though that likes to mark territory with pellets. And you do need to clean up their area regularly (every day). Where do you keep yours? Our kitchen has flooring which is easy to mop and a nice little place for their cage which is out of the way. I'd love to have a Florida room or somewhere else. How much trouble are they? They're not like guinea pigs... Depends on the rabbit. We had one in the past who loved to hang out with us and did so much damage to electronic cords. Currently we have one who likes to escape so people can chase her for attention and the other doesn't do things like that. These two do not chew on wires but love woodwork. As long as they've got something to chew on though they stay away from the woodwork. You will need to bunny-proof your house though. They can do a lot of damage. How do you care for rabbits? Clean litter-box (wood chips, special litter or paper is best), pellets, hay, oats and minimal amounts of treats such as leafy greens (not spinach) and other fruits and veggies. They do have a sweet tooth so you have to be careful not to feed them too many sweet things like cookies or carrots. If you watch their poop, you can tell if they are doing well or not (cocoa puff size means healthy, smooshy means watch the treats, tiny poops mean you've got problems and may want to have them checked out). What kinds of things do they need to go to the vet for? If you get a bonded pair then getting one or both fixed. Otherwise they are usually fine without vet care unless you feed them a lot of sugar. Do you let yours run around the house? We have in the past. But to do so you do have to bunny proof. Google it and you'll see what you need to do. Go outside? on a small dog harness and leash. You have to keep a close eye on them because they are a prey animal and everyone loves to eat them. Breed? Or did you get yours sterilized? Had our boy fixed. He was a little upset afterwards because he thought the girl wouldn't like him anymore but she still loves him so he's happy. Do you have more than one? Bonded pairs are really best. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Tell me about bunnies as pets. Why have them? Our daughter requested a rabbit and my husband has cat allergies and we don't really want a dog. What do you do with them? I gather, from pictures and videos on youtube, that some rabbits are very cuddly. Ours is not. We do pet her, but mainly we watch her and laugh. She loves to run. FAST. She runs and hops all over the carpeted area in our school room. She loves to sniff at our feet and ankles and frequently licks my ankles. What do they do in return? see above Can they be trained to do interesting things? Lissie seems better at training us than we have been at training at her, but I do know that I have seen videos of trained rabbits. Has your rabbit used a litter box? Yes. For the first two years we had her, Lissie had free range of the entire man floor of our house (about 1600 sq ft). She never showed any interest in the stairs down or up. She ran all over the house and always came back to the school room to use the litter box in her cage. After two years she began spending all day hiding in the living room and seemed antisocial. It became a major battle to get her back into her cage each night and she was chewing up the living room base boards so we bought a huge two story cage for her (24 sq ft). She lived in that full time until this fall. Now she has full run of the kitchen/school room during the day and spends the night in her cage. She still uses her litter box 100% of the time. Where do you keep yours? Her cage is in our family room that opens onto the kitchen and my sewing room. How much trouble are they? They're not like guinea pigs... We have two guinea pigs also. Her daily food, litter and water needs are similar to the guinea pigs. I change her litter box nightly but don't need to change her cage. I vacuum it bi-weekly to get excess hair and tracked litter cleaned up. She is not cuddly like our guinea pigs and is more prone to independence than they are. She is not a good little kid pet in my mind. I really think of her as being like a cat. How do you care for rabbits? see above What kinds of things do they need to go to the vet for? We have an exotics vet (I live in a major metro area) but I only take my animals to the vet when they are sick. We did have Lissie neutered as she became very territorial at about six months and it did reduce her territorialness. Do you let yours run around the house? Answered above. Lissie was very hard to catch and very independent minded so we have wavered on how much free run she has. When she had free run of the first floor, I was having a meeting at my house and she was steadfastly hiding behind the couch. We spent 10 minutes trying to catch her before we just gave up. When everyone arrived she changed to a social butterfly and spent the whole meeting hopping around and sniffing everyone's ankles, chewing on their bags and licking people unexpectedly (she is VERY quiet). I spent the whole meeting trying to catch her and she knew it. She refused to be lured by any treats and hopped just out of my reach. Go outside? Only on a leash. Lissie is a dwarf rabbit and weighs barely 2 pounds she would be easy prey and I have no confidence that we could convince her to come inside if she didn't want to. Breed? Nope. Or did you get yours sterilized? Yes. She was territorial and was biting and marking her space. I read that neutering would help and it did. We also had a guinea pig put down around the same time because of a reproductive cancer and the vet made a good case for neutering our female pets as a preventative measure. Do you have more than one? We believe that animals are better in pairs and have always had 2 guinea pigs at a time so I have considered another rabbit but all my kid are grown and I currently have 2 guniea pigs that are 3 years old (with a 6-8 year life span) and a rabbit that is 3 (with a 12 year life span) so I am not looking to add more responsibility to my life How many? I knew someone who moved into a home in town. It had a small fenced backyard. They put two rabbits in their hutches and they ended up getting loose, burrowing down into the yard and creating rabbit heaven. Last I heard, she unintentionally had 25 rabbits. Can you imagine? I bet there were more. And they weren't acting feral. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 This is the first time we've had one. We got her from a shelter so she has been sterilized. She does use a litter box. Too soon to say much else! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) OMG, this post makes me miss my bunny so much. We also have cats, and the bunny was slightly more work than cats. They are not animals that should be left in an outside hutch. They can die from overheating, cold, and even being scared by some predator near the hutch. We had a house rabbit and I was surprised how much I enjoyed her. She had such a big personality. We caged her at night and in the morning she would start biting at the door to her cage as soon as she saw us and then hop down the stairs. She had run of the house during the day, but she was scared of uncarpeted floors and stayed in certain rooms. She would sit at the door to our kitchen and beg for her daily vegetables. When I put on my shoes, she would run over and untie the shoe I just tied and then hop away. Bare feet was an invitation to shove her head under the foot and demand to be petted. They need water, lots of daily hay, vegetables, and nail trimming. They do shed a lot, but our mini rex was so soft nobody cared. They will use a litter box although ours liked to poop all *around* her litter box instead of in it. She would look right at us while doing it like she was saying, "So what're you going to do about it?" The produce a LOT of droppings, but they're easy to clean up. Apparently, unspayed females are hardest to litter train. Also, unspayed females are likely to get uterine cancer and I think that's probably what killed ours. I found her dying in her cage one morning. :crying: Since they are prey animals, they are really, really good at hiding illness. Make sure you find a vet that takes exotic animals because most vets do not treat rabbits. Make sure you cover or hide electrical cords. To a bunny, that's a root that he must chew through. :lol: Some bunnies will chew wood too, but ours didn't. She did chew off a bunch of doll faces though. :laugh: Some rabbits are bonded with another and in that case you should take both of them. We only had one, but she got lots of attention since we are home most days. She also liked to chase the cats and she kept them from fighting. :lol: The only other thing I can think of right now is that rabbits are NOT a good pet for young children. They are somewhat fragile and need to be held and picked up carefully. If dropped or squeezed too hard, they can break their back. ETA: Google "The House Rabbit Society". They have tons of good information on keeping bunnies as pets. Edited January 27, 2018 by mom2scouts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 The only other thing I can think of right now is that rabbits are NOT a good pet for young children. They are somewhat fragile and need to be held and picked up carefully. If dropped or squeezed too hard, they can break their back. This happened to us and it was horrible. My daughter LOVED her bunny and accidentally killed it by breaking its back. She is not a rough kid, either. Seriously traumatic. We would have treated the injury, but, bunnies can't survive if they aren't mobile. They need to eat their own poop as part of their digestive process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) Why have them? When I moved to my current state in 1996, I went to the pet store to get a hamster (I was living alone in a studio and had always had pets and wanted something furry) and ended up with a Holland Lop bunny. I ended up with 2 more, Alistair (a mini lop) and John (another Holland lop). I got pregnant 18 months after dh & I were married, we moved and got a dog, and dh ended up doing most of the care for the bunnies because I was exhausted. Once they were all gone, he declared our home a bunny free home, and he stuck to that (though we had dogs, guinea pigs, and even bred hamsters once).Then neighbor friends were moving and offered us their house rabbit, a Rex named Martin. Ds12 had fallen in love with this bunny, so dh said yes. Well, after about 2 weeks of having Martin, he died mysteriously overnight. We have no idea what happened. Needless to say, ds12 was crushed, so we ended up adopting Lady Jane Grey (a 10.5 pound french lop-ish) from an animal rescue. What do you do with them? She can be affectionate, and she'll sit in someone's lap for quite awhile to be petted. We're amused by her rabbity behavior. What do they do in return? I've never owned a cat, but I think rabbits are probably similar with what you get in return, but that's dependent on the rabbit personality, much like a cat. John was known as the Monty Python rabbit, and he was just mean. Adorable, but just an angry little thing. Calvin was like a little dog--he'd follow me around and beg for my food. Lady Jane runs to the gate to greet us when she sees us. She plays with cat balls and wooden sticks, and she loves to play with her fleece blanket--she burrows under it throws it around. She also likes to throw her small bed around. She runs and explores and does happy popcorn hops. Can they be trained to do interesting things? I've never tried. Has your rabbit used a litter box? Yes. Lady Jane is 100% trained with pee, and quite nearly 100% trained with poop. The boys were 100% trained with pee, but only about 50%-75% trained with poop. Where do you keep yours? Lady Jane is kept in our school room. We have half linoleum (where the younger 3 boys' desks are) and half carpet. She has a 42" dog crate, and the linoleum is gated off with a metal play yard fence. We also have another toddler fence that we can turn into a pen, and use that on our main level if we're not doing school. She seems to get lonely otherwise. How much trouble are they? They're not like guinea pigs... They're a bit more trouble than guinea pigs. They're more fragile, and we've found they crave interaction more. But definitely easier than a dog. The hay is the worst part. It just makes a mess and it's hard to vacuum up because it wants to clog the vacuum. And she sheds. She just went through an awe inspiring molt that rivaled the American Eskimo seasonal shed. How do you care for rabbits? Her litter box is cleaned daily (we use wood stove pellets for litter). She gets rabbit food and timothy hay daily (the hay is important to keep their digestive system moving) and salads when we have it available and remember. She drinks as much as a small dog, so we have to keep on top of her water (she has a big water bowl and a big water bottle). Nails need to be trimmed. What kinds of things do they need to go to the vet for?We took our males to the vet to be neutered. Calvin had malocclusion, so his teeth didn't line up and wear down. I had to take him to the vet regularly to get his teeth trimmed, but eventually dh learned how to do it. Without the trimming, his teeth would form a gate and he was unable to eat. Do you let yours run around the house? Lady Jane doesn't have free run because we have Jed (an American Eskimo dog). She's more interested in him than he is in her, but we don't want to take any chances. She has run of her section of school room during the day. Sometimes we lock Jed in our bedroom and Lady Jane runs around the house. We have to keep a close eye, though, because our house isn't bunny proof and she'll eat fabric and chew on cords. Go outside? No. We have lots of predators (coyote, bobcat, bear, and rumors of mountain lions). Breed? Or did you get yours sterilized? We had our 3 boys from the pet stores neutered, and Martin came to us neutered, and Lady Jane came to us spayed. Do you have more than one? How many? Calvin and Alistair got along okay until we got John. John not only fought with Calvin and Alistair, but caused Calvin and Alistair to fight. The three had to live separately until John died, and then Calvin and Alistair tolerated each other again. Because of that experience, I'd never attempt to bond 2 rabbits again. I think rabbits need more room than the pet store cages, and if they aren't able to live together it's tough logistically. I wouldn't be opposed to getting a bonded pair, though. Edited January 27, 2018 by JudoMom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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