Indoor Rabbits??

Kimbot

Folks,

There are a few threads on here with people that have rabbits indoors. If possible could you guys throw up a picture of your setup for an indoor rabbit please??

Also I am getting a bunny in 2-3 weeks (its only 6 weeks old at the moment) so what should I make sure I do when I get him??

kerrysgold

Get him a companion! It is cruel to keep a rabbit on his own. You can get him neutered and get him a female companion, as I think 2 males will fight.

Lauragoesmad

Or guinea pigs can be good company for a rabbit. They make lovely little odd couples!!:D

carwash_2006

Aarrgh! No! No! Please don't put Guinea Pigs with rabbits

Rabbits can break a guinea pigs back by just a moment of exuberance in the wrong spot. Yes, there have been lots of cases of nothing bad happening, but there have also been a lot of cases of piggies getting killed, or often just being bullied and the owner having to seperate them.

There are also diseases that are cross communicable that don't really affect one species as carriers but will kill the other.

If you can take 2 females from the same litter that is best. Otherwise if you can only get a male, you could wait till he is about 6 months and get him neutered and then get him a girlfriend.

You will want to get a good decent size cage, at least a metre wide, preferably more. They will also need lots of time out of the cage when you are there. All wires in the area the rabbit will be when out must be boxed in or taken completely out of the way. The rabbit will chew anything and everything so have a look around and take anything away that you really don't want chewed.

They will need to have a constant supply of good quality hay, as regards rabbit feeds, use a pelleted food, the Supa Rabbit Excel is the one recommended by vets. You can find many lists of safe veggies for them all over the internet, just remember anything new you are introducing into the diet must be done slowly and gradually.

Lauragoesmad

carwash_2006 wrote: »

Aarrgh! No! No! Please don't put Guinea Pigs with rabbits

Rabbits can break a guinea pigs back by just a moment of exuberance in the wrong spot. Yes, there have been lots of cases of nothing bad happening, but there have also been a lot of cases of piggies getting killed, or often just being bullied and the owner having to seperate them.

There are also diseases that are cross communicable that don't really affect one species as carriers but will kill the other.

If you can take 2 females from the same litter that is best. Otherwise if you can only get a male, you could wait till he is about 6 months and get him neutered and then get him a girlfriend.

You will want to get a good decent size cage, at least a metre wide, preferably more. They will also need lots of time out of the cage when you are there. All wires in the area the rabbit will be when out must be boxed in or taken completely out of the way. The rabbit will chew anything and everything so have a look around and take anything away that you really don't want chewed.

They will need to have a constant supply of good quality hay, as regards rabbit feeds, use a pelleted food, the Supa Rabbit Excel is the one recommended by vets. You can find many lists of safe veggies for them all over the internet, just remember anything new you are introducing into the diet must be done slowly and gradually.

A rabbit and guinea pig breeder told me that they are brilliant together!! Why would they lie?
Why do people give advice if its not true?:mad:

carwash_2006

I don't know why people still say that rabbits and guinea pigs can live together

I imagine it is ignorance, but you'd think a breeder would know better by this stage. Although I have seen a person that sold a rabbit and guinea pig to someone to live together in a tiny hutch, when the guinea pig was killed by the rabbit it was denied that that could possibly be what happened.

I know a lot of rabbits and guinea pigs have lived together in the past without anything bad happening, but I always think that once you are aware that something could happen, how would you feel if you ignored it and the bad stuff happened to your pets.

Kimbot

Lads please don't ruin the thread with the Guinea pig Vs Rabbit statements. Its not what I am looking for. Plus Harry the hamster will get jealous with a piggie in the house.

I have had rabbits before but none kept in the house the whole time. My dining room is never used so it will be the rabbits home from now on, no wires are in there and the table legs will be taped up to stop him destroying them.

I may get a second rabbit further down the line but not at the moment because he only has two males in the same litter.

The hutch I am getting will be 4 foot wide minimum and will be open 24-7.

carwash_2006

That sounds great. But, do you like having plaster on the walls? They will chew at that too. I don't know what sort of tape you mean, rabbits can chew through most things given enough time. It is brilliant if you can leave them free roam in a nice sized safe area, I have done it myself when I could and that was one happy rabbit.

If the room is not used, how much time will you realistically spend in there with the rabbit? If you don't get in there spending time with it, grooming handling and playing, you may find after a while you are not welcome, rabbits can get pretty territorial. If you are not sure how much time you will spend in there, it might be better to close the hutch overnight or for a few hours each day so that the whole space doesn't become the rabbits normal territory. When I had a free roaming rabbit it was in the space the household used for recreational activities, so the whole household was the rabbits family and was happily accepted. She used to jump up on us and start grooming us - especially eyebrows for some reason.

I don't mean to be aggressive or confrontational in this thread, so I apologize if it comes across that way. I just want to put forward all the drawbacks to make sure you have thought of everything. It sounds like it's gonna be a happy rabbit one way or another.

Kimbot

carwash_2006 wrote: »

That sounds great. But, do you like having plaster on the walls? They will chew at that too. I don't know what sort of tape you mean, rabbits can chew through most things given enough time. It is brilliant if you can leave them free roam in a nice sized safe area, I have done it myself when I could and that was one happy rabbit.

If the room is not used, how much time will you realistically spend in there with the rabbit? If you don't get in there spending time with it, grooming handling and playing, you may find after a while you are not welcome, rabbits can get pretty territorial. If you are not sure how much time you will spend in there, it might be better to close the hutch overnight or for a few hours each day so that the whole space doesn't become the rabbits normal territory. When I had a free roaming rabbit it was in the space the household used for recreational activities, so the whole household was the rabbits family and was happily accepted. She used to jump up on us and start grooming us - especially eyebrows for some reason.

I don't mean to be aggressive or confrontational in this thread, so I apologize if it comes across that way. I just want to put forward all the drawbacks to make sure you have thought of everything. It sounds like it's gonna be a happy rabbit one way or another.

Cheers mate, I just didn't want the thread going off topic.

I have skirting that is pretty large so I don't mind that. The taping... I am getting Foam from work and taping that around the legs to make sure the legs are not chewed apart.
The rabbit will have the run off the room and I will spend alot of time with him we just don't dine in the dining room, he will also be able to use the kitchen and most of the house while we are here so he will be delighted. I even went down to visit him today and he is all excited.

Sigma Force

Ideally two buns together but to avoid unwanted litters (many shops cant sex rabbits properly anyway) one to start with might work best for you. Once that animal has been sexed and spayed/neutered it would be best for the bun if they had another rabbit for company (spayed/neutered too) or you could check out rabbits in rescue some might have a bonded pair that already have been neutered/spayed.

If getting the 6 week old bun instead, a rabbit cage would work while the bun is small but when adult depending on the size he/she grows to a dog crate might be more practical indoors than a rabbit cages..and cheaper in some cases.
The rabbit needs to be able to stretch upwards fully in any cage.

Talk to the person you get the bun from to see what foods the rabbit is already used to new foods need to be introduced gradually.

Many people who have indoor rabbits have an average sized hutch or cage but have the rabbit in a rabbit proof room with the litter box in the cages/hutch to avoid pee pee on the floor of course they will poop everywhere they cant help that.

Havent any pics that i can find atm, but heres two links you might be interested in http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/ and http://www.rabbit.org/ <<this site has info on housing alternatives.

Not wanting to go on about it but as carwash said rabbits and guineas should never ever be together aside from injuries etc rabbits carry pasteurella which can lay dormant and do no harm to rabbits but can be passed on to guineapigs.

The two sites mentioned should be able to give you tips on bunny proofing as well, also there is a rabbit section on my site below on neutering/spaying before and after care etc.

Loads of ways to keep bunny amused too with cardboard boxes etc but when you get bun home initially lots of gentle coaxing. Will scroll my pics to see if I can find any of buns indoors.

Kimbot

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Ideally two buns together but to avoid unwanted litters (many shops cant sex rabbits properly anyway) one to start with might work best for you. Once that animal has been sexed and spayed/neutered it would be best for the bun if they had another rabbit for company (spayed/neutered too) or you could check out rabbits in rescue some might have a bonded pair that already have been neutered/spayed.

If getting the 6 week old bun instead, a rabbit cage would work while the bun is small but when adult depending on the size he/she grows to a dog crate might be more practical indoors than a rabbit cages..and cheaper in some cases.
The rabbit needs to be able to stretch upwards fully in any cage.

Talk to the person you get the bun from to see what foods the rabbit is already used to new foods need to be introduced gradually.

Many people who have indoor rabbits have an average sized hutch or cage but have the rabbit in a rabbit proof room with the litter box in the cages/hutch to avoid pee pee on the floor of course they will poop everywhere they cant help that.

Havent any pics that i can find atm, but heres two links you might be interested in http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/ and http://www.rabbit.org/ <<this site has info on housing alternatives.

Not wanting to go on about it but as carwash said rabbits and guineas should never ever be together aside from injuries etc rabbits carry pasteurella which can lay dormant and do no harm to rabbits but can be passed on to guineapigs.

The two sites mentioned should be able to give you tips on bunny proofing as well, also there is a rabbit section on my site below on neutering/spaying before and after care etc.

Loads of ways to keep bunny amused too with cardboard boxes etc but when you get bun home initially lots of gentle coaxing. Will scroll my pics to see if I can find any of buns indoors.

Thanks mate, pics would be great. I will get getting no a cage so much as a half plastic half cage if you get what I mean?? Its very very roomy for the rabbit height and width so there is no problem there. Litter tray and litter is on order. The lad that runs the pet shop is brilliant with all his pets so I trust him 100% on this.

Sigma Force

Found one taken yonks ago this was a temp set up if I remember rightly it was after the two buns had been spayed/neutered and once healed re-introduced. It was basically an outdoor hutch with run attached brought indoors.


This was our beloved molly that chewed a piece of cardboard that spookily resembled a rabbit.




Woops


cat houses work brilliant for buns although they ripped this one up eventually.

carwash_2006

Inside makes them much more interactive pets for everyone all year round and makes sure that they are less likely to end up neglected in the winter. Who wants to have to go outside to look after the rabbits when it's pissing down and freezing out there.

Anywhere that the animals are really well looked after and they give a good grilling about what you know about looking after them before they let you have them is probably fine to get them from. A lot of people say only go to a breeder, but there a lot of breeders out there who will just give them to whoever comes along, so looking for anywhere that they really make sure you know what you're doing before you get to take them is the best imo.

Pricewise, depends on whether you can find stuff second hand, make it or want to get all new stuff. If you get all new stuff you should be prepared to spend about 200-250, should be including the rabbits though.

You could also have a look for some rescue bunnies, sometimes they will cost you more to get, say for instance if they have been neutered. There can be major advantages if this has already been done for you. http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/index.php?act=idx This site aften have rescue bunnies up.

Sigma Force

Theres a neutered male on here that needs a new home and there is a female on petsireland looking for a home the females pic and owners contact details are on my guineapigcottage site.. link below. The male is neutered already and the female on PI owner is thinking about spaying her before she goes to new home.

Indoors at this time of year is best esp. if the rabbits come from an indoor home already or from a pet shop as they would be used to the warmth of indoors. Timber sheds get very hot in summer and cold in winter but do provide a lot of space what we did with the pic above is we had a 5 by 5 run attached to it but there were days we had to take the rabbits into the house because it got very hot. Hard to believe the way the weather is atm.

A compramise could be housing them in the house and letting them out in a secure sheltered run when they weather is warm and dry. As long as the rabbit(s) is safe and secure there are a few options that you can try and also its whatever suits your situation.

If you are good at DIY you could build a pen hutch and run etc although either way its not that cheap to get started unless you can find some housing in the free ads papers sometimes housing is given away on jumbletown. Some rabbits that are re homed from a home come with their housing already.

Price wise you are looking at vet bills for vaccinations against VHD and myxomatosis, housing, food (once you have them set up and sorted with vet their day to day care is fairly cheap) is depends wether you get one or two and wether they have already been spayed/neutered etc. Neutering/spaying costs around the same as a cat or dog.

Some people will say rabbits are cheap and low maintinence but to be cared for properly they do cost a good bit initially, maintinence wise they are easier than a dog I guess they would be as much work as an indoor cat. Getting two rabbits that get on is great because they can keep each other company so if you have to go out for the day they are very happy to be left together.

If say you are getting one bun from scratch the vet bill after vaccinations and spay/neuter you could be talking about 110-150 euro depends on the vet and what they charge though so prices vary.

Kimbot

Update:

Picked Bugsy up at the weekend. The cage I got is huge. He has the run of the Dining room and he is loving it, he is giving kisses and all now, using his litter tray etc.
He loves roaming around the house. Hides behind the couch and gnaws at everything. Still a it scared of noises but he is getting more used to it.

I'll throw up pics soon.

Sigma Force

Awww sounds like he's running rings around you, looking forward to some bunny pics.

Kimbot

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Awww sounds like he's running rings around you, looking forward to some bunny pics.

He is indeed, he is so cute. I should have pics up over the weekend.

Kimbot

Bainne2

Wow he is adorable

May I just suggest one thing based on experience using the same type of cage for my indoor bunny? Often they regard that space as their private,safe spot and sometimes when they get a fright it will be the first place to run to. Now although it never actually happened it came close to it once or twice and Im always afraid that as the rabbit suddenly runs up the ramp there it will catch his/her legs in the bar :eek: To completly prevent this problem I used one of those tunnels you can get for them, it was the guinea-pig size and cost about a fiver. Its the one made out of a couple of twigs that can be bent to fit the ramp. It also helps the rabbit to know when the door is open as sometimes it would be hard to see if the door is up or down.

Sigma Force

He's adorable, very cute.
Good point about the door/ramp there are wooden ramps you can get as well that might work.

Kimbot

The door isn't a problem to him at all. He doesn't use it as a ramp because he just jumps straight in.