Anyone have house rabbits?

[SoPassRemarkable]

Was thinking about getting two small sized house rabbits and wanted to ask some questions.

I understand they can be litter tray trained but have read somewhere this tends just to be for poo and that carry on weeing everywhere, is this true? Not sure I can cope with wee over the carpets.

We'd be looking at one of the big indoor cages for when we're out as I know they can do a lot of chewing. I'm at work three days a week but there's people about at weekends, evenings and I'm in most of the other two week days. So all this time they could have the run of downstairs.

But I'm worried that being in a cage three days a week isn't great. Saying that I guess the cage is the floor space of most hutches and a lot of poor bunnies spend their life in a hutch.

Other possibility is maybe that they have the run of the fairly big bathroom which I guess as long as the loo lid Is down is bunny proof? Or will they scratch the lino?

I used to have a house bunny and he was very sweet and we really loved him but he was a total pain in the arse.

He was litter trained but he still left turd pellets around but generally wee'd in the tray. APART from we had to ban him off all chairs and beds as he would piss anywhere that smelt of us. Including on me when I was having a nap on the sofa (not envy). And if you left him for a second unattended in a room with a sofa/bed he'd be up pissing on it. He had been castrated too.

We babygated him into the bathroom and kitchen when we were out. We also put a catflap in do he could come and go into the yard as he pleased. Surprisingly never clawed the lino.

Unless wires were careful tucked away in the corners of rooms he would instantly chomp them. I lost at least 6 laptop chargers during his lifetime.

He was a joy to have around but a bit too naughty sometimes. Very affectionate and full of character. But simular level of hassle as a badly trained puppy.

Hmmmm, I'm getting put off the idea!

I've had two house rabbits and they were lovely! Yes, they chew things (wires, wallpaper, carpet) but they are such fun to be around. Neither would wee other than in their litter tray (one refused to wee in her cage when on cage-rest post spay, and insisted on letting me out so she could run into another room where her tray was usually kept and go there). It would be fine to keep them in either the bathroom or a smallish cage when you're out. The first one ended up having the run of the garage when we were out, which she loved.

I had house rabbits. My boy lived for 10 years but sadly had three different companions over the years, the last one outlived him. They were all very clean, wees in the tray, the odd poo escaped, but I don't think carpets are ideal with pets as there is a training period, accidents or weird things like my male used to ejaculate all around my cat before he was castrated. They did chew a lot of things even under close supervision and were obsessed with chewing live electric cables!

House rabbits essentially have to be free range, either throughout the house/floor or in a baby-gated portion/room. Their cage is essentially to be seen as their "bedroom" only - i.e. with the door open at all times so they can access their living space to run/hop/mooch around whenever they want. The Rabbit Welfare Association (of which the rescue I volunteer for subscribe to their best practice) are all about enabling an animal to live out it's own natural behaviours on it's own time; the rabbits won't understand that they have to be in the cage during your working hours for their own safety. Unfortunately they are one of the most abused pets in the UK as people think that they have basic needs and can be kept in hutches and only being let out when the owners facilitate this - because they don't bark to be let out and the perception is that they are stupid or good starter pets for children, people think that this is fine and acceptable.

Rabbits do require quite a lot of infrastructure (for outdoor rabbits, the rescue I volunteer for only rehome to hutches with permanently attached 8ft runs that the rabbits have access to at all times). You can rabbit proof cables and put matt flooring down in an attempt to protect carpets. Also, the happier the rabbits are in a bonded pair so they can groom one another and with lots and lots of stimulation and things to play with, the less likely they will chew your house, but a lovely wooden chair can be difficult to differentiate between their lovely wicker toys so as it's just a natural behaviour to have a nibble, I think you have to be prepared for this as part an parcel of keeping rabbits, rather than seeing it as naughty behaviour.

I cannot provide the level of space and enrichment they need in my current home, so I don't personally have rabbits at the moment. I think if you were a prospective adopter from our rescue, we wouldn't rehome to you if they were going to be caged at any point.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk/
rabbitwelfare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/RWAbrochuremaster.pdf

Don't get rabbits unless you're happy to have chewed carpets/walls/skirting boards/furniture, can hide all cables and don't mind the odd poo being dropped around. I've had houserabbits on and off for 12 years and have had all of the above on a regular basis. It's not fair to keep them caged though, so it's something I'm happy to accept. You can't really have any pet unless you put up with some mess.

Oh and he chewed through the wooden babygate

We were never able to bond him with another rabbit but maybe he would be less troublesome if he'd of had a friend.

Thanks for the advice. Dh would throttle me if they chewed the skirting boards, etc so have decided that rabbits aren't for me.....which is a shame. I could cope with nibbled furniture but dh wouldn't!

Had a house bunny when I was growing up, he used the litter tray for both! Pooped all over the house though 😂

I think it really depends on the bunny. Mine is perfectly litter trained and shows little interest in chewing- she's never touched a skirting board! I have a XL dog crate (into which I've built two shelves for her to hop up and down) which I used much like you'd crate train a puppy when I first got her and into which she puts herself to sleep every night and most of the day.

I got her as an adult from the RSPCA when she was over a year old and already spayed so didn't have to deal with the hormones/weeing of baby and younger bunnies. I could also choose a rabbit who was naturally clean and tidy in her cage and who the rescue thought would be suited to a house as she showed little interest in chewing/digging. It took me about a year to train her up to how she is now and, although she is a little madam in true bunny style, she is very good in the house.

If they're not completely out of the question I would definitely recommend an adult rescue, OP. Much easier to deal with!

PS My bunny couldn't be rehomed with another rabbit owing to aggression (rescued from an overcrowded environment) so she's a lone bunny but has lots of company from me. Perhaps another option?

Reading above its not clear her crate is left open! We did close it at times when she was new to us to keep her safe and contained- obviously with no ill effects as she loves her little territory and hops in and out quite happily now!