Does anyone have a pet rabbit?
- Thread starter frogwoman
- Start date
If you keep them indoors, be warned that they will eat all the wires to your electrical equipment - cable covers are a must.
They're lovely indoor pets as well as outdoor ones. A run is a definite good thing if you have outside space.
Note: half remembered advice - it's been 25 years since I had Treacle.
Vaccinations and neutering = a must for either sex.
They're lovely indoor pets as well as outdoor ones. A run is a definite good thing if you have outside space.
Note: half remembered advice - it's been 25 years since I had Treacle.
Vaccinations and neutering = a must for either sex.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
My housemate used to have two. They were partly house rabbits and would hop around inside. They couldn't be house trained but their poo is inoffensive if you don't have carpets. They eat house plants, and many other things besides. It took a long time to get them used to each other when she got the second one. They also had a rabbit palace in the garden, but she built it first with the mesh too big and a fox managed to bite off the leg of one of the rabbits. She used smaller mesh after that and had no problems. Rabbits are surprisingly mobile with three legs.
That is the extent of my (second hand) rabbit knowledge.
That is the extent of my (second hand) rabbit knowledge.
prunus
Tick tock.
They will chew their way through any electric cables they can get at.
Their poos are entirely inoffensive but you need to train them to wee somewhere as the wee is not inoffensive and is bright orange (this may be only the males?) - this can be done similar to a cat.
Their claws can be sharper than razorblades. You can trim them with claw clippers but it’s a harrowing experience.
They die at the slightest excuse.
E2a: you shouldn’t only get one really, as they are social animals and one on its own can get terribly lonely.
Their poos are entirely inoffensive but you need to train them to wee somewhere as the wee is not inoffensive and is bright orange (this may be only the males?) - this can be done similar to a cat.
Their claws can be sharper than razorblades. You can trim them with claw clippers but it’s a harrowing experience.
They die at the slightest excuse.
E2a: you shouldn’t only get one really, as they are social animals and one on its own can get terribly lonely.
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
Rabbits are ok but they don’t do that much, just sit around eating mostly. That’s not a value judgement BTW as it pretty much describes my current life.
Have you considered guinea pigs. They are clean and easy like rabbits, more interactive and interesting. You can keep them indoors too, if you want.
Have you considered guinea pigs. They are clean and easy like rabbits, more interactive and interesting. You can keep them indoors too, if you want.
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
existentialist used to have a pet rabbit, I think.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
If outside you'll want to take precautions to protect them from foxes, I knew someone whose daughter kept rabbits but a fox broke in to the hutch and killed all of them
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
Fuck me, I knew urban foxes were bad but to kill the person you knew and their daughter? That’s awful.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
They are lovely, but if you're keeping them indoors, they need a lot of fenced off space.
Saw you posting, was expecting something about stew.
Saw you posting, was expecting something about stew.
How to bunny proof your home
Stop your bunny chewing electrical cables, baseboards, wallpaper and carpet.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
Nowhere that can rabbit-proof them. They'd bite through any covers. But if you put all the cables out of their reach, that would help. Tack them up high.
krtek a houby
Merry Xmas!
The rabbit was very inquisitive about the injured pigeon was looking after. Kept trying to be social, but the pigeon was having none of it. Would flap its wings quite harshly at the rabbit.
Not a Dodo moment.
Not a Dodo moment.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I'm considering jumping back into the rabbit-ownership pool once my quarantine ends.
All of the above, especially re the cable chewing. The chewing issue is worse when you have bored rabbits, so the answer there is to have a pair (if you're getting them from a rescue place, they may even have bonded pairs ready), and make sure they have lots to do. Rabbits are very playful, and bored rabbits will start chewing everything, "digging" your carpet, and engaging in dysfunctional behaviours like pissing on your feet
.
You do need to protect cables - as others have said, getting them up off the ground and out of the way of curious noses is a start - I am planning to enclose any cables I can't completely isolate from potential bunny-nomming in trunking (that square stuff the shonky electrician uses to run you in a new socket when he CBA to chase the cable into the wall), which I may even liberally paint with one of those Bitrex-containing deterrent gunks.
Rabbits need a surprising amount of space - if you're keeping them in a cage, it needs to be a decent size so they can still move around, and outside rabbits need a good sized pen to be able to exercise properly (when you first see a rabbit doing its M8d Run thing, you'll see why. House rabbits can have the home as their "run", so that's less of an issue. It's still worth having some kind of cage or enclosure for times when you may want them out of the way, but you shouldn't leave them shut in there for too long.
Don't go mad on the sugary stuff for treats - tiny bits of fruit, but not loads. Rabbits have quite finely-tuned digestive systems, and it doesn't take much of anything except (good quality) hay to upset that balance. I'd occasionally give Dylan a grape to attack, but stayed away from stuff like biscuits, etc...which they'll love, and happily eat, but which aren't good for them. Rabbits get diabetes, too.
The rabbit shit you see them leaving around is actually recycled rabbit shit - by the time you see that, it's been pooed and eaten once already. Rabbits get around the perennial breaking-down-the-cellulose problem by having a very big caecum part to their gut, and letting the bacteria in there break the cellulose down into sugars - this is sometimes called "night-poo/faeces/etc". It is really important that the rabbit gets to eat this, or it will quickly become sick. So if you find quantities of big, shiny glossy rabbit poo around (probably in the hutch), that's likely to be indicative of a problem.
IMPORTANT - get them vaccinated. Myxomatosis and RHV (rabbit haemorrhagic virus) particularly. As prey animals, rabbits are very good at doing the "yep, fine, all peachy here" before suddenly keeling over and dying. You don't get a lot of warning. And diseases like the above are far better inoculated against than having to deal with if they occur. Likewise, neutering/spaying. Rabbits LOVE to shag (even when neutered), and if you're unfortunate enough to end up with a mixed pair, you WILL have many babies. The other thing is that the reproductive bits are notorious in life-fast-die-young species (like rabbits) for cancers and other problems. Whip 'em out. Also, if you do it early enough (check with your vet), you tend to stop the more aggressive territorial behaviours and mounting/dominance bullshit from developing too far.
Um. What else? Oh yes. Rabbits are fucking brilliant. Because they are so social in the wild, they are very good at picking up vibes - if you are angry, they will keep away, and/or stomp; if you're miserable (and you have a nice rabbit), they will probably come and see how you are, do a little supportive grooming. Dylan used to come and nibble my hair if he thought I was miserable, and he was usually right...
I could probably write a post three times this length on rabbit behaviours, but I'll spare you that. For now, muahahahaha.
All of the above, especially re the cable chewing. The chewing issue is worse when you have bored rabbits, so the answer there is to have a pair (if you're getting them from a rescue place, they may even have bonded pairs ready), and make sure they have lots to do. Rabbits are very playful, and bored rabbits will start chewing everything, "digging" your carpet, and engaging in dysfunctional behaviours like pissing on your feet
.You do need to protect cables - as others have said, getting them up off the ground and out of the way of curious noses is a start - I am planning to enclose any cables I can't completely isolate from potential bunny-nomming in trunking (that square stuff the shonky electrician uses to run you in a new socket when he CBA to chase the cable into the wall), which I may even liberally paint with one of those Bitrex-containing deterrent gunks.
Rabbits need a surprising amount of space - if you're keeping them in a cage, it needs to be a decent size so they can still move around, and outside rabbits need a good sized pen to be able to exercise properly (when you first see a rabbit doing its M8d Run thing, you'll see why. House rabbits can have the home as their "run", so that's less of an issue. It's still worth having some kind of cage or enclosure for times when you may want them out of the way, but you shouldn't leave them shut in there for too long.
Don't go mad on the sugary stuff for treats - tiny bits of fruit, but not loads. Rabbits have quite finely-tuned digestive systems, and it doesn't take much of anything except (good quality) hay to upset that balance. I'd occasionally give Dylan a grape to attack, but stayed away from stuff like biscuits, etc...which they'll love, and happily eat, but which aren't good for them. Rabbits get diabetes, too.
The rabbit shit you see them leaving around is actually recycled rabbit shit - by the time you see that, it's been pooed and eaten once already. Rabbits get around the perennial breaking-down-the-cellulose problem by having a very big caecum part to their gut, and letting the bacteria in there break the cellulose down into sugars - this is sometimes called "night-poo/faeces/etc". It is really important that the rabbit gets to eat this, or it will quickly become sick. So if you find quantities of big, shiny glossy rabbit poo around (probably in the hutch), that's likely to be indicative of a problem.
IMPORTANT - get them vaccinated. Myxomatosis and RHV (rabbit haemorrhagic virus) particularly. As prey animals, rabbits are very good at doing the "yep, fine, all peachy here" before suddenly keeling over and dying. You don't get a lot of warning. And diseases like the above are far better inoculated against than having to deal with if they occur. Likewise, neutering/spaying. Rabbits LOVE to shag (even when neutered), and if you're unfortunate enough to end up with a mixed pair, you WILL have many babies. The other thing is that the reproductive bits are notorious in life-fast-die-young species (like rabbits) for cancers and other problems. Whip 'em out. Also, if you do it early enough (check with your vet), you tend to stop the more aggressive territorial behaviours and mounting/dominance bullshit from developing too far.
Um. What else? Oh yes. Rabbits are fucking brilliant. Because they are so social in the wild, they are very good at picking up vibes - if you are angry, they will keep away, and/or stomp; if you're miserable (and you have a nice rabbit), they will probably come and see how you are, do a little supportive grooming. Dylan used to come and nibble my hair if he thought I was miserable, and he was usually right...
I could probably write a post three times this length on rabbit behaviours, but I'll spare you that. For now, muahahahaha.
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
Really useful post thanks. I'm definitely getting one when my life is a bit more sortedI'm considering jumping back into the rabbit-ownership pool once my quarantine ends.
All of the above, especially re the cable chewing. The chewing issue is worse when you have bored rabbits, so the answer there is to have a pair (if you're getting them from a rescue place, they may even have bonded pairs ready), and make sure they have lots to do. Rabbits are very playful, and bored rabbits will start chewing everything, "digging" your carpet, and engaging in dysfunctional behaviours like pissing on your feet
You do need to protect cables - as others have said, getting them up off the ground and out of the way of curious noses is a start - I am planning to enclose any cables I can't completely isolate from potential bunny-nomming in trunking (that square stuff the shonky electrician uses to run you in a new socket when he CBA to chase the cable into the wall), which I may even liberally paint with one of those Bitrex-containing deterrent gunks.
Rabbits need a surprising amount of space - if you're keeping them in a cage, it needs to be a decent size so they can still move around, and outside rabbits need a good sized pen to be able to exercise properly (when you first see a rabbit doing its M8d Run thing, you'll see why. House rabbits can have the home as their "run", so that's less of an issue. It's still worth having some kind of cage or enclosure for times when you may want them out of the way, but you shouldn't leave them shut in there for too long.
Don't go mad on the sugary stuff for treats - tiny bits of fruit, but not loads. Rabbits have quite finely-tuned digestive systems, and it doesn't take much of anything except (good quality) hay to upset that balance. I'd occasionally give Dylan a grape to attack, but stayed away from stuff like biscuits, etc...which they'll love, and happily eat, but which aren't good for them. Rabbits get diabetes, too.
The rabbit shit you see them leaving around is actually recycled rabbit shit - by the time you see that, it's been pooed and eaten once already. Rabbits get around the perennial breaking-down-the-cellulose problem by having a very big caecum part to their gut, and letting the bacteria in there break the cellulose down into sugars - this is sometimes called "night-poo/faeces/etc". It is really important that the rabbit gets to eat this, or it will quickly become sick. So if you find quantities of big, shiny glossy rabbit poo around (probably in the hutch), that's likely to be indicative of a problem.
IMPORTANT - get them vaccinated. Myxomatosis and RHV (rabbit haemorrhagic virus) particularly. As prey animals, rabbits are very good at doing the "yep, fine, all peachy here" before suddenly keeling over and dying. You don't get a lot of warning. And diseases like the above are far better inoculated against than having to deal with if they occur. Likewise, neutering/spaying. Rabbits LOVE to shag (even when neutered), and if you're unfortunate enough to end up with a mixed pair, you WILL have many babies. The other thing is that the reproductive bits are notorious in life-fast-die-young species (like rabbits) for cancers and other problems. Whip 'em out. Also, if you do it early enough (check with your vet), you tend to stop the more aggressive territorial behaviours and mounting/dominance bullshit from developing too far.
Um. What else? Oh yes. Rabbits are fucking brilliant. Because they are so social in the wild, they are very good at picking up vibes - if you are angry, they will keep away, and/or stomp; if you're miserable (and you have a nice rabbit), they will probably come and see how you are, do a little supportive grooming. Dylan used to come and nibble my hair if he thought I was miserable, and he was usually right...
I could probably write a post three times this length on rabbit behaviours, but I'll spare you that. For now, muahahahaha.
Leftovers as in cooked food?
I can't remember if it's rabbits or guinea pigs that have a weird bad response to certain salad or veg - existentialist ?
I can't remember if it's rabbits or guinea pigs that have a weird bad response to certain salad or veg - existentialist ?
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
No I meant from salads etc.
Ax^
Silly Rabbit
think everything has been covered 
not had a rabbit in a good few year but they can be moody at times
you would be surprised how much noise a pissed off bunny can make when the start thump the floor with Thier hind legs
also some live to ten years indoors so it's not like other rodent pets
not had a rabbit in a good few year but they can be moody at times
you would be surprised how much noise a pissed off bunny can make when the start thump the floor with Thier hind legs
also some live to ten years indoors so it's not like other rodent pets
Brain fail on my part
sorry! Salad should be fine if it's not got dressing on - again, I refer to exi for his superior knowledge about whether balsamic or honey and mustard are bad things!
mx wcfc
Well-Known Member
We never gave ours cooked leftovers, but they ate all the veg peelings (they don't eat potato skins) and stuff like apple cores. Carrot tops were a big favourite iirc. We fed them "rabbit food" too.
I thought lettuce was bad for them?
We had ours outside, and gave them the run of the garden, as the previous owner had blocked all the holes to keep her small dogs in. They did eat everything we planted though, and eventually we gave up trying to get them back into the hutch at night, so they were basically feral until they died. No foxes round here though.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
some kids who lived near to me (some years ago when i was somewhere else) had a bunny they would take for walks on a lead - first time i saw them, i thought "that's a funny looking dog" before i put my glasses on.
another time i was doing some gardening so the cats were around the front garden with me when they came past, and i did have to stop kitty from going and saying hello...
weltweit
Well-Known Member
frogwoman when I was a youth I had a chinchilla giganta, a massive and rather beautiful grey rabbit. She had a hutch and a run in which she managed to have a liaison with a wild rabbit causing the arrival of many small rabbits!
Having also had dogs and cats at various times I would prefer a cat or a dog to a rabbit, my rabbit at least was not the most interactive or affectionate creature.
Having also had dogs and cats at various times I would prefer a cat or a dog to a rabbit, my rabbit at least was not the most interactive or affectionate creature.
