Thinking of getting a bunny.

[eepster]

Easter is right around the corner, which mean that unwanted bunnies will be showing up at the pound in just a couple of weeks. DH and I have been discussing the possibility of getting one. I've had bunnies before, so I know the basics. I'm still a bit undecided though.

To begin with, I'd like to make it an indoor bunny, but all the bunnies I've had in the past were outdoor bunnies. I'm not sure how well having a house bunny would work out, especially since he couldn't have free-range of the house since it's not bunny proofed. Do people ever keep indoor bunnies in hutches like outdoor bunnies? If I did, where would the hutch go?

I used to walk my outdoor-hutch bunny on a leash. Would the sudden temperature change bother an indoor going outside to play?

Part of the reason we have put off getting a bunny is b/c DS wasn't gentle enough with grandpa's cat. The cat has bitten DS a few times and now DS is much more gentle, will that increased gentleness carry over to the bunny or is he likely to go back to being rough? (DS is 4 yo.)

I'm also torn about breed. Do I just get whatever strikes DS's fancy when he meets it at the pound? Do I try for an easy going breed like a french lop? Or, do I get a higher maintenance angora bunny b/c I want to spin its fur (yes, I have a spinning wheel, but no room for a sheep.)

[zoebird]

bunnies are excellent companions. we loved our bunny for 10 years (he passed of natural causes). he was a dutch-rex mix and quite a personality.

we also had an angora for a time--he was a rescue that we fostered until he passed (about 8 wks later). it was a shock, his death.

anyway, both were house rabbits.

the number one thing about house rabbits--if they are free roaming--is bunny poop. both of my guys were about 85% in the little box, and 15% out. and 15% from a rabbit is a great deal of volumn. after cleaning up after every go, i decided to just do that with pee misses, but clean up poop (sweep the floors) three times a day. this just kept me sane. otherwise, i was constantly sweeping and doing little else. LOL

we took our house rabbits outside on leashes and also had a fold-able "run" that we'd made for them so that they could just be free from us but still protected from themselves--as running into the street was the biggest danger to them. LOL it collapsed down and stored in out closet. they had no trouble adjusting to the temperatures--even when we went out in winter--because they would have winter coats and we wouldn't have them out for too long anyway. they were fine.

personally, if you do spin and knit or weave, i would get the angora. they have mellow personalities because they have to be groomed so much. daily plucking is necessary, but they enjoy it so! runny poo makes a huge mess of it--so i kept the rabbit clipped around there (he had some digestive issues that we worked out before he passed) using a pair of clippers that one uses for human hair--kwim? i just kept the bottom and tail well trimmed from the underside, he didn't seem to mind, and i could fluff up the hair above his tail to make it look like he wasn't buzzed down there.

[Bethla]

We've had a house bunny for the last 4 years. yes we have an indoor hutch/cage that is in the kids room. He seems to like being in there because they take him out, pet him etc. They are old enough to be unsupervised with him (13, 10 and 7) He also gets outside play time (weather permitting). We can't let him free roam in the house because he chews on everything, especially wires. He is a fairly easy pet and he's portable so if we go out of town we can bring him to my parents house, unlike our dog which we board.

[Oubliette8]

Check out the information from the House Rabbit Society http://www.rabbit.org/ And see if you can find a copy of "The House Rabbit Handbook"

They make indoor hutches and also very large indoor cages. Marchioro makes a 4ft long cage that is reasonably priced (The Marchioro Tommy 120) Another thing people with indoor bunnies sometimes do is use a dog exercise pen to make a bunny corral in a bunny safe area instead of using a cage.

As far as breed, I would recommend trying to choose a bunny breed that suits your family. My first rabbit was a Netherland Dwarf, which I got solely because of its size. If I had realized how very full of energy and un-cuddley he would be, I probably would have picked a different breed. I've since read that those traits are pretty common for his breed- something which I probably read before I got him, but it went in one ear and out the other! A nervous or high strung bunny will not be much fun for a 4 year old. I would probably look for something larger and calmer. Our shelter almost always has older bunnies in, and you can often get a good feel for their temperament even in the shelter environment. I volunteered once with a mini lop that loved to cuddle- very affectionate. We adopted a Jersey Wooly that was also very calm, although less attention seeking. I've also seen bunnies there that were very high strung, even aggressive. If you want your four year old to interact with the bunny I would A. do some research on breeds, and B. assess the individual bunny temperaments.

Bunnies don't get adopted very fast from our shelter, so maybe you could visit beforehand without your DS and get to know some bunnies, then, if you feel several bunnies could be potentially a good fit, return with your DS and present him with the options? Rabbit rescue is another option if you aren't set on adopting from your shelter. They often have them already fixed and box trained, as well as knowing more about their personalities.

One thing I would recommend, if your shelter offers it, is to take advantage of the spay/neuter. spayed/neutered rabbits are calmer, friendlier, less prone to hormonal temperament changes, and less likely to spray in your house. At our shelter, if you pay the cat fee, instead of the rabbit fee (the cat fee is about $50 I think) you get a free spay/neuter with local vets. Its a bit expensive for a second hand bunny- but NOT when you take into account how much the surgery would cost out of pocket, then its a relative bargain.

[Katie T]

I had a dwarf rabbit that was a inside rabbit. The hutch was in my room and I would let my bunny run around when I could watch it. I do know you can litterbox train them if that interests you for when you let it fun free.

I had lots of fun with my rabbit until we she had babies and then she got mean and would bite whenever we tried to take her out of the cage so we sold her and her babies back to the store we got her from.

If you get a bunny hopefully your family had lots of fun!

[GranoLLLy-girl]

I have four indoor bunnies--two bonded pairs. The female of one pair hates the male of the other pair--so I keep them apart. I find that rabbits are an incredible amount of work. BUT my rabbits live the life--in all seriousness--so I might make it more work than is needed. They have a "room" that is 8 X 10 and is separated down the middle. I clean up hay every day. I have to change litter boxes twice a week to keep the odor down--and the hair is everywhere. But then again, I have four. An English spot, a lilac, a lop and an American mix (i.e., mutt).
PLEASE adopt from a shelter. I donate to our shelter for the small animal population annually and in between our financial donations, I send food and hay and some times stuff like paper towels--whatever the shelter asks for. The small animals take forever to find homes and though we are a non-kill shelter, when a pet is considered "unadoptable" they get transferred to other shelters or they do get put down. It's unfortunate. Especially for rabbits.
As you know, rabbits are sensitive and loving and have very distinct personalities. I would be concerned about getting a pet for a child, though--we all know how that usually works out. Make sure you want the rabbit, too. My rabbits are my rabbits--the kids could care less and the husband is not a fan but was kind enough to help me build a "room" for them to keep them clean.
And because you've had rabbits in the past--you know that they can be "clicker" trained. And they love to chew.