First and foremost, if you are against raising rabbits for meat, this is not the place to complain about it. I'm a vegetarian myself but meat is meat and a regular part of most people's diet.
So, my grandpa raises rabbits. He takes very good care of them, however they live in groups indoors in pens in a building that also has our hay loft and chicken coop. They're not tame because they're not pets. They'll tolerate being handled for the vet and getting picked up, but generally when you come in they start stamping their feet and they scratch something awful.
I'm thinking of getting a rabbit of my own, a different breed (thinking a flop of some sort), and eventually having them be with the other rabbits, since otherwise I don't know where I'd put him. I'd like my pet one to be tame but I'm only at home for the weekends. Would keeping them with the others make him hard to tame/train?
Thanks for the insight!
2012-01-27T23:31:29Z
Thank you very much for the tips Liberty, I do wish I could have him indoors, my grandmother used to have her rabbits around the house, they didn't even have cages. However over the weekend I'm at my dorm, which is a no pets place. My grandparents rabbits have large pens they can run around in, and it'd be a lot of extra work for them to come inside to care for my lonely bunny who is shut in an indoor hut. So indoors isn't an option. Also, regarding the rescue idea, if I was adopting in the US I would of course go to a rescue, however bunny rescues, as far as I know, don't exist here. Dogs and cats and livestock yes, but small animals no. Rescues aren't very common here, infact it's much more common to just rescue the animal yourself. My grandpa found our current dog shut in a backyard and took him after talking to the owner.
Still wondering if it would be impossible to train the rabbit if it was with the flighty ones?
omfgzzitsjessica2012-01-26T12:50:28Z
Favorite Answer
Keeping him with the other rabbits would make it very hard to keep him tame. When rabbits thump they are signaling danger to other rabbits, therefore your pet rabbit would see you as a threat instead of a friend. A rabbit is not the pet for you if you're only home on weekends. Rabbits require a lot of care and a LOT of attention. If you can't be with the rabbit daily you shouldn't have one.
You are right that having a tame, pet rabbit is entirely different than having a hutch-kept farm rabbit. I am trying to determine your housing situation. I'm guessing that you live, perhaps, with a parent during the week? Having a tame, pet rabbit would be better for the 5 days/week location, rather than 2 days/week location. Just 2 days/week is hardly adequate time to spend with a bunny.
Are you aware that bunnies can be easily housed indoors? They are not messy and smelly as many believe (especially those who have only experienced them as farm animals). Perhaps you could consider getting a bunny for your 5 day/wk place.
Indoor bunnies are not inevitably messy. And this doesn't require an unusual amount of work, either.
All of my rabbits were kept indoors. Sometimes they were housed in the eat-in kitchen. I assure you they would not have been there had they been smelly or messy. People would visit and would never even notice they were there.
So how do you accomplish this? The proper cage is one key element. You will want a decent looking, large enough cage. Do not get a wire bottom cage. Here are a couple cage I've made using NIC or c&c cubes. You'll notice, BTW, that I do not use bedding -- never have. It's unnecessary and messy. You may not want to use carpet for the flooring, though, until your bunny is litter-trained. In the meantime, you can use something else. (See last paragraph for alternatives) http://i44.tinypic.com/33biicj.jpg http://i39.tinypic.com/232z60.jpg
The next key element is litter training. This is not difficult. I suggest using a high-backed corner litter box (like the one in the first cage photo). Rabbit urine has a very strong odor. With the wrong litter, you will be changing it daily (or more). I highly recommend "yesterday's news, unscented" litter. I have found it to be the best at absorbing odor. (Do not get the scented - bad for buns) I could go up to a week between cleanings with this brand. (Also see http://myhouserabbit.com/tip_littertrain… As a side note, their droppings are clean and dry. They will almost always strew some of those in the cage to mark their area. It's not a big deal. Even if they do so when getting their exercise outside the cage, the droppings sweep up easily enough.
Beyond that, basic proper bunny care is all that is required. They do need an unlimited supply of hay. That can be put in a willow basket, but they will strew that around their cage. It isn't overly messy like bedding, though. For a more thorough, in-depth look at proper care, see myhouserabbit.com. They also have other housing ideas, dietary requirements, tips on playing with and building a relationship with your rabbit.
The more you know and learn about keeping an indoor bunny, the more likely you'll be able to convince others that they can be reasonably neat.
Though not part of your question, I'd also like to add that there are some distinct advantages to getting your rabbit from a rabbit rescue group. Rabbits should be neutered not only for their health, but also because it can make them behave better. Rabbits from rescues already come neutered. This is a huge savings for you. Other pros? Rescued rabbits are vet-checked, so you'll know their *real* condition. The rescuers know their rabbits and can tell you the distinctiveness of each one. They have already bonded pairs. (Few people realize that you cannot just put any 2 rabbits together and expect them to get along.) You can hold and see and "get to know" the choices at a rabbit rescue and they don't mind you taking your time to find the right one. (All rabbits have distinctly different personalities.) And they are very knowledgable and willing to answer care questions even long after you've brought your new bunny home.
For a cage bottom you can use linoleum or drywall, Linoleum can only be used if he can't get to the edges and chew it (see sample in 2nd cage photo). Drywall (untreated) IS perfectly safe for them to chew on. I've also used a large rubber mat (like one made for the trunk of a car) and also a large aluminimun oil drip pan (about 2' x 3')