6 replies to this topic

[MochiTheHammy]

Hi! Me and my family are thinking of getting a rabbit for me , I babysat one a few years ago which is what ultimately led to my parents agreeing to a hamster, Although I will do the proper research and work, I would like to know anything helpful I can, I'm thinking of adopting so does anyone have any good places (North Carolina) ? Also my parents will not allow it to have it's own bunny room or stuff like that and I think we can let it out in the screened porch with maybe a playpen & toys with a indoor cage (What the babysat rabbit had) but I'm confused on the housing rabbits require, some cages I've seen seem small compared to what hamsters require we have some c&c bar/pen thingys (lol sorry Idk what to call them ) If anyone has any tips tht would be great! Thanks

[ajuniceu~]

Hi! Me and my family are thinking of getting a rabbit for me , I babysat one a few years ago which is what ultimately led to my parents agreeing to a hamster, Although I will do the proper research and work, I would like to know anything helpful I can, I'm thinking of adopting so does anyone have any good places (North Carolina) ? Also my parents will not allow it to have it's own bunny room or stuff like that and I think we can let it out in the screened porch with maybe a playpen & toys with a indoor cage (What the babysat rabbit had) but I'm confused on the housing rabbits require, some cages I've seen seem small compared to what hamsters require we have some c&c bar/pen thingys (lol sorry Idk what to call them ) If anyone has any tips tht would be great! Thanks

Hello!

 

I would reocmmend joining a rabbit forum, I say rabbitsonline.net is good!

 

I don't recommend them going outside because of RHDV2, which is a highly contagious rabbit disease that they could possibly die from. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-rhdv2.pdf

 

I wouldn't recommend any cage smaller than 20 square feet. If they are housed in a cage, they need to be either free roaming or having playtime in a larger area for more than 4 hours. I personally only put mine in the cage when I'm not home/sleeping

Rabbits also should be kept in pairs whenever possible as they are extremely social animals so two rabbits would need a minimum of 40 square feet in my opinon.

 

Do you think it'd be okay for the rabbits to  perhaps share a room with you? 

 

For futher research, 101rabbits on youtube, rabbitsonline.net, binkybunny.com, rabbit.org are all great places to start!

 

Feel free to ask me any further questions regarding rabbit care!

[MochiTheHammy]

Hello!

 

I would reocmmend joining a rabbit forum, I say rabbitsonline.net is good!

 

I don't recommend them going outside because of RHDV2, which is a highly contagious rabbit disease that they could possibly die from. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-rhdv2.pdf

 

I wouldn't recommend any cage smaller than 20 square feet. If they are housed in a cage, they need to be either free roaming or having playtime in a larger area for more than 4 hours. I personally only put mine in the cage when I'm not home/sleeping

Rabbits also should be kept in pairs whenever possible as they are extremely social animals so two rabbits would need a minimum of 40 square feet in my opinon.

 

Do you think it'd be okay for the rabbits to  perhaps share a room with you? 

 

For futher research, 101rabbits on youtube, rabbitsonline.net, binkybunny.com, rabbit.org are all great places to start!

 

Feel free to ask me any further questions regarding rabbit care!

Ah, Thank you for warning me about the dangers of outside, the weirdest part is the people who own the bunny actually keep it outside in a porch with no controlled temps in the summer, we have wild bunnies in the backyard which may be harmful. My room is carpeted and if any poop or possibly pee gets on it my mom would freak, could they also have playpens as well as free roaming? 

Edited by MochiTheHammy, 30 September 2021 - 01:55 AM.

[ajuniceu~]

Ah

 

Ah, Thank you for warning me about the dangers of outside, the weirdest part is the people who own the bunny actually keep it outside in a porch with no controlled temps in the summer, we have wild bunnies in the backyard which may be harmful. My room is carpeted and if any poop or possibly pee gets on it my mom would freak, could they also have playpens as well as free roaming? 

Yes, they can have a combination of playtime in a pen and free roaming.

 

It's fine if your room is carpeted- if you have done some research you'd probably know by now that rabbits can easily be litter trained. Their poop is like hamsters, unless they're sick then the poo isn't wet and shouldn't stain. Pee outside the litterbox is usually territorial marking (for unfixed rabbits, always spay/neutur if you can) or a sign of a UTI

[MochiTheHammy]

Yes, they can have a combination of playtime in a pen and free roaming.

 

It's fine if your room is carpeted- if you have done some research you'd probably know by now that rabbits can easily be litter trained. Their poop is like hamsters, unless they're sick then the poo isn't wet and shouldn't stain. Pee outside the litterbox is usually territorial marking (for unfixed rabbits, always spay/neutur if you can) or a sign of a UTI

 

Yes, they can have a combination of playtime in a pen and free roaming.

 

It's fine if your room is carpeted- if you have done some research you'd probably know by now that rabbits can easily be litter trained. Their poop is like hamsters, unless they're sick then the poo isn't wet and shouldn't stain. Pee outside the litterbox is usually territorial marking (for unfixed rabbits, always spay/neutur if you can) or a sign of a UTI

Yeah, I have read about them being litterbox trained, I m mostly worried about my mom's response to the poo, thanks for being so helpful !

[PeanutTheDwarf]

Yeah, I have read about them being litterbox trained, I m mostly worried about my mom's response to the poo, thanks for being so helpful !

Hi! So first off ~ally~ did a wonderful job explaining everything!

 

I have two bunnies that go into an XL x-pen at night but are free roamed in my room during the day. Only one of my rabbits poops outside of the litterbox and the poo is used as a territorial marker, so it stays in their area. 

 

Also, having your rabbits free roamed will strengthen your bond! 

 

Some good places to get bunnies are local shelters as well as https://www.trianglerabbits.org/adopt.html (this is a rabbit shelter) 

 

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!! Get an already bonded pair of rabbits. The people on youtube and social media who say single rabbits can thrive on their own, that is not true! I had a single rabbit and did everything I could to make her happy but she was only truly happy with a partner. Plus, bonding is so hard to do so get an already fixed bonded pair if possible! 

 

I hope this helps and PM me with any questions or anything you need <3

[Robin~]

I think it would be worth it to talk it over with your parents about where to put the rabbits knowing that outside is off the table. Is there a space in your living room that would work? Maybe your basement if it doesn’t get too cold? A shed you could heat and insulate? If you needed to use your room would your parents be ok with that, and can you fit a 20-40sq ft pen in it (it’s going to be a lot of space—I have a large room and even still things would be a little cramped)?

Also keep in mind adopting a pair of rabbits is a lot more work than adopting a hamster—rabbits are more on par with dogs or cats in terms of workload, and many say they’re even more work than them. Not only that, but rabbits also have long lifespans, sometimes reaching 8-10 years. Are you going to be moving out when you reach 18? If so, will your parents be able to care for the rabbits in their most medically work-intensive years? Would they be the kind of people to continue with proper care or revert to the pet-keeping standard of keeping the rabbits in an outdoor hutch once you leave?

There’s simply a lot to have to put on the table when it comes to rabbit keeping, and I think once you start researching a little more you’ll see this, too. Before you adopt, be sure to be extremely upfront with your parents about what rabbits need so you won’t be left in the dark if a disagreement arises. If any red flags come up in the conversation (“Do we really need to do that?/I don’t think that’s really necessary./Well (insert bad website) said it’s ok to not ____./That sounds way too expensive.”) you may want to reconsider and maybe look at other pets.