House bunnies

[helplesshopeless]

Hello all

I am preparing for the arrival of two little mini lops (brother and sister - my daughter has named them Rosie and Robbie!). They will be house bunnies but mainly starting off living in the kitchen until they're more confident in their new home and while the other rooms are bunny proofed.

I'm reading about the best set up for toilet/bed etc and keep changing my mind about whether it would be better to have a cage (with door open) for them to use as a toilet/bed or whether I should just have trays out and various bedding options scattered around the room. I guess the benefit of a cage is that I can close the door overnight (or would that be for too long?) or when I need them secured for a short time but I don't know if it will quickly become redundant.

Any thoughts from experienced bunny keepers?

There's lots of ideas for housing, indoors and outdoors, here :
www.rabbitresidence.org.uk/examples-of-suitable-housing.html
And here:
rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-housing/indoor-rabbit-housing/

You say you're getting two - are these babies or a neutered/spayed and bonded pair? If they're babies, you'll need to separate at 4 months or they'll breed, get both spayed/neutered, allow them a month to heal and settle, then bond back together again.

Make sure you get good pet insurance, Lops are unfortunately the English Bulldogs of the rabbit world and more likely to suffer from breed-related health problems, one of which is dental issues that no insurer will cover you for and can cost thousands to put right.

Thank you! sad to hear that I've bought into the bulldog of the rabbit world species I'll make sure I'm extra careful with monitoring their teeth, that is really good to know.

I hadn't come across the rabbit residence link before in my research and it has lots of great examples, thank you!

The bunnies are babies, I'm planning on having a friend look after one once they've been spayed until I can reintroduce them. The other option is to get two boy bunnies - not sure if they get on better than opposite sex pairings so that's something else to consider. Thank you for the tips!

I’ve previously had 2 house rabbits. Personally I used to have a cage with the litter tray and somewhere to hide in. I used to lock them in for short periods if needed. However the cage was mostly used as their safe space if that makes sense. Somewhere for them to retreat. Many people with house rabbits don’t do this though. Do you have space for a cage? That could be a deciding factor.

Same sex pairings can be just as tricky as opposite sex once the hormones kick in. Have seen some boys come in with awful injuries from being intact and kept with another intact boy :( so they would still need neutering and properly bonding.

Worth sitting down and reading about bonding too - it's a tricky process and never guaranteed.

The easiest way to get a solid bonded pair is adopt an already neutered/spayed pair from rescue - and most rescues are full right now and turning rabbits away :( I know Rabbit Residence has 100 on their waiting list just go come in. It's so sad.

The bunnies are babies, I'm planning on having a friend look after one once they've been spayed until I can reintroduce them

You need to read more. Rabbit's can reproduce from 120 days old, the risk is before you spay her. You would be better keeping them in side by side cages, it is difficult when a bond is broken. They both need to be neutered for health, happiness and spraying reasons. Are you aware just how much they chew and that litter training isn't a given?

I would have a very large pen for your rabbits somewhere they can go to if they want but also somewhere you can shut them in safely if needs be e.g. so you can Hoover or move furniture or what not or large enough for them to run, jump about in, climb and explore if you find they are being destructive!
Be prepared that they can be very destructive, chewing walls, dig carpet, spray, may not litter train, almost certainly throw hay and bedding about!
I had a Netherland dwarf (size of a bag of sugar) and basically gave him our dining room to live in as his own room. He was able to roam between there and the living room as he pleased. I was able to set up tunnels, hiding boxes etc to keep him occupied. He liked to sunbathe in front of our patio doors or sit on my feet whilst I was working.
They are amazing little creatures though, and brilliant pets if you are prepared to accept them for themselves. My boy lived to 11.

Rabbits can breed through bars, so directly side by side if intact isn't recommended! Clever beasties like that.