house rabbits

Cullumpster

anyone have them, getting one on Friday for my little boy and don't know whether to keep it in the house or outside. do they smell if they live indoors? we have other pets one cat and a dog, would this be a problem?

jetta_wales

It won't be at all used to outdoor temperatures if it's being sold as a house rabbit.

I would recommend leaving it a little while till you have read up on them and given a lot of thought as to wether or not it is the right new pet to get. You're planning o. Getting it in 3 days despite not even knowing if it lives indoors or out?

Cullumpster

its a baby that we are getting from one of my hb friends as far as I know they are outside rabbits.

kitschkitty

I would recommend you pop over to http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/ for all the info and advice you could ever need!

Generally rabbits prefer the company of another rabbit, but some rabbits do happily live alone and are well looked after. Rabbits can make great house pets (ours was absolutely wonderful), but they can chew and dig, are great escape artists and with a small child, cat and dog, you do have to consider the family dynamics (our bunny hated cats).

Also they can get underfoot and unlike a cat or a dog, they don't get out of the way in the same way so you have to be very aware of not accidentally treading on them or tripping over them!

But they are awesome pets and like I say, try that forum for more info and advice.

Cullumpster

thanks I'll have a look, I don't like the idea of just having it in the garden on its own, bless it, but don't want it to wreck the house, I had enough of that when I had my kitten.

Fire_Fox

You shouldn't keep a rabbit on it's own and certainly not outdoors all year round. You may find the RSPCA guidance on rabbit welfare useful.

viktory

Fire_Fox wrote: »

certainly not outdoors all year round.

Why can't two or more rabbits live happily outside all year round? Mine do.

OP rabbits aren't the easy pets a lot of people think they are. Do lots of research before you commit to a fluffy bunny. If it lives indoors you risk chewing and destruction, urine and poop everywhere (unless you can toilet train it). Outdoors you'll really need two rabbits as they are social animals and don't fare well living alone. The hutch will need to be big with lots of space for them to run (my last hutch cost £150 and is a hutch combined with a run - it is 6ft by 4ft so takes up a lot of space) and their grass run was £100. It will need regular cleaning and is a disgusting job and the rabbit(s) will need regular injections for Myxo (every six months) and VHD (once a year). Plus they will need to be neutered (cost between £50 - £100 for a straightforward op). It can be quite expensive looking after rabbits and they live for about eight years. That's a long time to regret your decision to get a rabbit. There are thousands in rescue centres up and down the country. Do your research and be absolutely sure it is what you want before you go ahead.

jetta_wales

I had rabbits throughout my childhood, never had any of them neutered or had vaccinations for any of them either, will it hamsters next?

They lived outdoors (you know just like wild rabbits do) and once in a while we might have kittens if the big lop ear angora found his way into his little loves hutch but they only had two litters in about 10 years. Then she passed away and he got out and never came home. The duck he shared a big hutch with (they were best friends) vanished two days later too, he was just so lost after his friend left.

There really isn't any need to treat them like dogs unless maybe you are having an a house rabbit but honestly I think people go a bit too far sometimes.

bagginslover

Just because that's how rabbits were kept in the past doesn't mean they should be kept that way now, the old way isn't necessarily the right way.

Rabbits on the whole are very bad pets for children. If handled poorly they will bite and scratch, they are very powerful, especially in their back legs, and even a small rabbit can cause some very nasty cuts (believe me, I have the scars from a Netherlands dwarf to prove it!!). Un-neutered males, and un-spayed females can become very territorial a d so aggressive, I have owned 2 such males, one of them only I could handle as he was so bad, I knew how to approach him, and though he didn't like it, it worked and he had a good life.

Rabbit pee stinks! Poo hardly at all, so unless you are willing to spend possibly months house training, and cleaning up very pongy wee, outside would be better. As you also have a cat and dog, this would also point me to saying you shouldn't have a bun inside-some do co-exist well, but those cases are quite rare.

Outside buns need company, NEVER another species! People often put them in with guinea pigs, but they have very different dietary requirements (as do ducks!). Keeping them outside will expose them to possible infection from myxi, and VHD, both of which are fatal, and very unpleasant to see, they will need to be vaccinated.

Having 2 bunnies will mean either 2 of the same sex, and so possible territorial fighting when older, or opposite sexes, who unaltered won't be just 2 for long. Both combinations would have to be neutered/spayed to co-exist peacefully and happily.

You say you are buying a baby from a friend, have they been carefully bred from unrelated parents? Many pooly bred rabbits will have a condition called malocclusion. This is where their teeth don't line up properly and subsequently over grow. I have had 2 rabbits with this condition, one had to have her teeth done every 6 weeks at a cost of £80 a time, over her life this cost me thousands (I have only owned 6 rabbits total, that should indicate how common the problem is)

You will of course need to provide housing for the rabbits, a big hutch, and a run for exercise (which they should receive daily). Hutches should be as big as possible, I think the house rabbit society give guidelines on minimum hutch sizes, these can be applied to outdoor rabbits too. They of course also have to be fed, not just the muesli (actually I hate that stuff, the single pellet variety is much better for them, but of course more expensive) but fresh veg every day too.

Of course all of this will only apply if you want a happy healthy pet (or pets) and aren't bothered that your little boy could be injured by an unsuitable pet.

Really not trying to be harsh, just outlining the realities of rabbit ownership.

jetta_wales

£80 for having their teeth clipped? Lol I've heard it all now.

And FTR I didn't once say that the duck and the rabbit ate the same food, the duck had pellets and the rabbit the usual dry rabbit food plus veg etc. Neither ever showed much interest in the others food but the duck lost intreats in the pond because the rabbit wouldn't go in with him lol. He'd still jump in the paddling poll with me though given half a chance

Gotta love growing up with loads of animals.

CompBunny

Rabbits are amazing pets, but a lot of hard work.

Our house rabbit was more like a little dog once we had him neutered and toilet trained, and once we had taught him house etiquette such as "don't rip wallpaper from the wall!". The responsibility is yours to protect your belongings - all wires must be carefully protected or hidden (every single centimeter, trust me bunnies LOVE chewing them and its very dangerous), wooden furniture protected or sprayed the second bunny shows interest in eating it, paperwork stored FAR out of reach, even DVD cases out of harms way...ours used to love pulling them off the shelf one by one and nibbling the spine. House plants must be out of reach too, and don't underestimate a rabbits climbing abilities...ours could jump up to the windowsill from sitting still on the floor.

They also can't be shut up in a cage for long...no point having a house rabbit if he spends 20hours a day in a cage. ]

You can also expect to face a constant battle with hay being dragged around the house (usually next to you on the sofa) by excited rabbits.

If you can't be with your rabbit for the majority of the time then it needs a partner.

House rabbits MUST also be neutered...the same goes for outdoor bunnies though in my opinion.

All that being said, towards the end of the time that we had our house rabbit we were able to leave him on his own, totally loose in the living room whilst we took a trip to Tesco. He was so well behaved by that point, but it took an awful lot of work, patience and ruined appliances/furniture/handbags etc!

I'd give ANYTHING to have the little monster back in my arms They are so smart, loving, gentle, crazy, graceful and stunning.

Good luck with your bunny, and please do consider getting two. http://www.rabbit.org/ is a wonderful website for all things house rabbit.