LOCK? DELETE? OLD Rabbit Owners- NEW LINK INSIDE

[Daisywolf14]

Ah! Guys! Angie is going to kindle in six days!
Any tips?

Oh!! How exciting!!!! What kinda tips are you looking for?

[dogbrain]

Hi, me isn't sure if I could post here. I might be getting a rabbit for Easter. Me just had some questions, hopefully you rabbit enthusiasts could help a friend out.
So, we had a cage for our, bad, puppy; our dog is now an adult and we have virtually no use for it. My mother suggested that we put the rabbit in the cage, on my nightstand in my room'n place puppy pads on the floor of the cage for the excrement. Would this be sutible for a rabbit? I would indeed change these pads daily, whether that'd be necessary or not.
I have no prior knowledge of rabbits besides the huntin' aspect, but I want a pet rather than prey. Me mother'n I got some books on rabbits today - that should be a reliable source for now.
Thank ye' in advance, guys.

[Daisywolf14]

Hi, me isn't sure if I could post here. I might be getting a rabbit for Easter. Me just had some questions, hopefully you rabbit enthusiasts could help a friend out.
So, we had a cage for our, bad, puppy; our dog is now an adult and we have virtually no use for it. My mother suggested that we put the rabbit in the cage, on my nightstand in my room'n place puppy pads on the floor of the cage for the excrement. Would this be sutible for a rabbit? I would indeed change these pads daily, whether that'd be necessary or not.
I have no prior knowledge of rabbits besides the huntin' aspect, but I want a pet rather than prey. Me mother'n I got some books on rabbits today - that should be a reliable source for now.
Thank ye' in advance, guys.

First off wait until after Easter to get your bun. Go to your local shelter or rabbit rescue
And pick up a rabbit that was unwanted on Easter.
I would not recommend it the rabbit would tear up the pad forsure and
Poop migh roll out etc..
It a cage with a wire bottom and pull out tray or a cage that holds everything in with a solid bottom.

[dogbrain]

Okay.
However, they are a limited edition at the country story in my town. They are only avaliable durin' a certain amount of time round Easter. Me is unsure whether the owner'll keep 'em for sale long. There was only five rabbits'n two guinea pigs, all girls 'cept for the albino.
We were goin' to buy one today, but the money was tight'n we weren't sure of the housin' situation. Aside from that, the cage will be sutible, for it does have a solid tray.
Again, thank you. I really appreciate it.

[thunderofthedrum]

Okay.
However, they are a limited edition at the country story in my town. They are only avaliable durin' a certain amount of time round Easter. Me is unsure whether the owner'll keep 'em for sale long. There was only five rabbits'n two guinea pigs, all girls 'cept for the albino.
We were goin' to buy one today, but the money was tight'n we weren't sure of the housin' situation. Aside from that, the cage will be sutible, for it does have a solid tray.
Again, thank you. I really appreciate it.

I'm having some difficulty understanding your English, but the way I understand it you are saying money is tight? Do keep in mind that rabbits are a commitment of around 10 years. They require attention, bonding, play time, like a cat or dog. They require hay and veggies, and you can also feed them pellets as a regular part of their diet or even have a pellet-free diet.

Also, how large is this dog crate you might keep it in? Yes ones with a tray can be helpful.

Puppy pads have plastic lining on the bottom to protect the floor as far as I know, and if your rabbit ingests this it could cause problems. Rabbits typically choose a corner as their latrine - it would be entirely possible to put a litterbox in that corner (but do look up the proper types of litter - NOT cat litter!) for the rabbit to use.

Lastly, be prepared to spend time with it every day. They are social animals that NEED interaction! It will need time to run and play and explore every day to promote good muscles as well as becoming a well adjusted pet that handles change okay. They need exercise and mental stimulation, like toys, things to chew on, places to hide, things to hop over, etc.

For example: my rabbit lives in a 2' x 4' cage and is let out every day - into a large pen on blankets and rugs in a different room, loose in my bedroom, or into a large pen outside in the grass. She is fed pellets, veggies, and unlimited timothy hay. She has a water bottle in her cage and a water bowl outside of her cage. She uses a litterbox (I buy Carefresh bedding for the litter). She has a small tunnel outside to hide in and I just received a new softer tunnel yesterday for her to use indoors, and she has a small box house (think of a 12 pack of beer bottles) in her cage. She has a blankie, chew log, little rattle toys, etc, as well as a few things hanging from the ceiling of her cage.

I'll have to just upload a picture sometime. xD

Excited about the new tunnel; it was on my Amazon wishlist and I just received it for my birthday from a friend.
You know you're old when you want practical and/or pet stuff for your birthday!

[dogbrain]

'Aye, I apoligize. I have a habit of typing with an accent.
I do understand that owning a rabbit is a commitment, I am willing to take it and keep it.
As for the money, my Dad got a job recently and we will be able to care for our animals normally once again. We will be able to afford a rabbit, and I, simply adore rabbits so the attention part will not go unheeded.
Thank you. c:

[thunderofthedrum]

A job is good! Congrats to him.

I'd say 2' x 4' is a good size for a bunny, or at least it's what I was okay with getting for my own. Anything smaller just looked TOO small to me.

This site is a fantastic resource: http://rabbit.org/
They can be a little snooty with very high standards, but they 100% mean well in just wanting the best for the bunny. You can find things about diet, cage size, bunny-proofing, finding a rabbit-savvy vet, behavior, etc.

Side note - you will find yourself sweeping if the rabbit lives indoors. My bunny likes to pick through her hay to eat the 'best' bits first and some ends up on the floor of her cage, plus a bit of the bedding or a few poops could also end up outside of the litterbox. Lastly, cardboard boxes are fantastic as bunny houses as they need somewhere to hide and feel safe but since bunnies chew, you may find a bunch of little chewed bits scattered about. Whether it's a little hand broom or a full length normal one, it's good to have that and a dustpan.

If you want to limit the area it has access to while having 'floor time', storage cubes are great - they come as panels that you assemble yourself and it's easy to customise them for rabbit and guinea pig use. I have a pen out of them, I've made a rabbit condo (2/3 levels), and I've used them to block off areas from my rabbit (such as around the TV and the plethora of cords behind it). Watch out for any sort of electrical cords - headphones, power cables, phone chargers, etc. Their teeth can slice through them like butter and the electric current could be harmful. Plus it gets expensive to replace them. xD They might also chew wood - baseboards, the bottom of doors, furniture, etc. My bunny got to some baseboards a couple times but generally doesn't bother furniture or anything. And they could take a liking to chewing anything else - mine has certainly nibbled on a few zippers and I have suede boots with fringe; for some reason she likes chewing the pieces of fringe off so I keep them either off the floor or in the closet.

And before I forget - you can be creative with toys. Toilet paper rolls and cardboard boxes are good to be super cheap. Little cat rattle toys, hanging bird toys, baby keys, etc - basically things of hard plastic for the bunny to poke at and toss around that won't fall apart or be chewed to bits easily.

[PeachFuzz]

Oh god, how many headphones, earbuds, and phone charging cords have I lost to rabbits cx A LOT. Seriously. We have free-range bunnies and I made the mistake of thinking the couch would be a safe place to leave my wires. My awesome birthday headphones, chewed right through. Then there have been the times I forgot to close my bedroom door all the way and one of the rabbits (usually Toshi, he's the worst) sneaks in and chews up a wire I stupidly left lying around. >.<
I also lost half a flip-flop to Toshi's jaws! It was green... maybe he thought it was lettuce? Lol!
There are spots on the living room baseboard with chew marks. We haven't bothered replacing it, just cover it up with a sofa or shelf or something.

[thunderofthedrum]

It's definitely good motivation to keep things tidy! Doesn't always work, but.... xD

Not to mention how much of a sweet tooth they can have! My rabbit will happily eat WAY too many people foods. Any fruit, any dried fruit, candy, cookies, sweet fruity drinks, and more. She also loves crunchy things like cereal, chips, crackers... It can be quite effective to shake a box of cereal or a bag of snacks or crinkle a cookie package to get her to come out from under my bed.

I admit, I do occasionally give her a teeny tiny nibble of something. >__>
She's just so cute.. I promise, it's teeny and only a couple times a week.
xD

[PeachFuzz]

I remember once when Toshi ate a whole reese's peanut butter cup (naughty boy!), I was so worried. He was okay though luckily c: And then once I was sitting in the rocking chair in the living room eating a big peach and he jumped up onto my lap and took a HUGE BITE! He's such a bad boy cx