Questions About Rabbits

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i don't like the idea of a loose pet rabbit in the house. i would always worry about them eating cords that were plugged in. i have heard they can be litter box trained but i never had luck with mine. he'd rather sleep in his litter pan. my boy seems to get along fine in his pen that is also in the chicken coop. i have put one of my young cockerels in with him for a day and Bun was more interested in trying to mate him than hurt him.

i do worry about Bun during the hot weather and sometimes when we get the really cold stuff. but he seems to shed his coat a couple times a year and still gets through it all fine. in summer i will ice his water, in winter i will fill an open bowl with snow if we have it or give him warm water, i take the regular water bottle out since it usually freezes the ball to a point it won't move or dispense water.

 

[bobm]

Well Bob, I'm glad you weren't around to give me that point of view when I was a kid. I would have missed out on a lot of fun pet rabbits.

There are exceptions to every rule. Parents will tolerate their kids' toy clutters as well as their choice of pets and the damage that they cause. However ....
If one was a landlord, most do NOT allow pets, and those that do, why do you think that they charge such a heavy pet deposit as well as a monthly pet fee in addition to the household rent ?

 

[ninnymary]

I would think you could keep a rabbit in a cage inside your home if you cleaned it daily? But what do I know about raising rabbits. I'm not an expert and don't pretend to be.

Mary

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i have brought Bun in on really cold nights. i have a cage in the house but it isn't as big as his pen in the coop. when he comes in the house he does get to hop around a little with the dog and cats for a little poking and prodding to figure out what he is or will do. he does play with them but i keep an eye on him for any rough play from either animals. Bun's only a 4-5lb dwarf lop/loin mane mix so he does get a little shaggy during the winter with a thicker coat.

 

[baymule]

One or two rabbits are not going to make a lot of poo. At least not enough to cover a garden. They are cute, personable and kick like the dickens with their back feet.

 

[bobm]

I would think you could keep a rabbit in a cage inside your home if you cleaned it daily? But what do I know about raising rabbits. I'm not an expert and don't pretend to be.

Mary

Male ( also castrated ones) rabbits will spray urine about 5 feet , female rabbits will usually just urinate just behind and below themselves, but will spray urine when frightened so any wall, carpet, furniture, concrete floors ( under carpeting), etc. will get covered with it and it will soak into these. The smell is hard to remove. ( ESPECIALLY the cat urine [ as well as dog] no matter what the super duper cat urine zapper or enzyme products claim ) . One of my sons worked for a Real Estate Rental company where he managed over 600 homes, duplexes and 4 small apartment complexes. He had the displeasure to hire cleaning companies to rip out the carpeting and pads , then treat the concrete / wood floors with enzymes, then finally seal them as well as paint the walls, etc. as well as dispose any left furniture, clothes, toys, etc.).

 

[Jared77]

Everybody here has rabbits outside and I'm in Michigan. They are all 4H set ups though and while pets it's still a "livestock" mentality.

My daughters friend has one in the house 24/7. It has a cage she changes regularly and it seems happy. It's allowed on the floor to hop around and it's sweet enough. It will interact with the kids and isIt will kick and scratch if picked up wrong and it doesn't feel secure.

I would imagine you could find an easy to compost bedding and just dump everything out in the compost pile when it's time to clean the cage. That way everything good goes in and super charges the pile.

I know every so often the cage gets washed out with dish soap to clear up residual urine smell.

I'm planning on building some rabbit hutches here for my oldest daughter to do 4H with in another year or so. But she wants lops.

I say go for it.

 

[baymule]

I'm planning on building some rabbit hutches here for my oldest daughter to do 4H with in another year or so. But she wants lops.

I say go for it.

Jared, the best cages for rabbits are hanging wire cages. The wood frame hutches collect pee and poop in the corners and are a pain to clean. The 1/2"x1" wire bottoms of all wire cages allow the poop to pass right through.

 

[hoodat]

Allow me to put in my two cents. Rabbits, as most herbivores, are poop machines. The good thing about rabbit manure is that the nitrogen releases slowly so there is little danger of burning your plants. The pellets are usually easy to vacuum up if you let them dry a bit. Rabbits tend to deposit their waste in one place so they are easily trained to use a litter box.
IMHO the bucks make the best pets. The only time I have been bitten by a rabbit it was a doe.
Life span is around ten years depending on the breed.
That being said forget the idea of a cuddle bunny. Most rabbits do not like to be held close. Their antics can be a trip but they don't like close contact.
They have special needs. If you don't fence them in their own rabbit proof area they can chew the legs off your furniture. They also are prone to biting into electrical cords, which can result in instant rabbit fricassee.

 

[Nyboy]

Harvey is a outside rabbit. Even though he came from a breeder breeding for meat, he is very tame. When he sees me he comes to door, for some petting, he has never bitten me.