I Need Your Opinions on Where to Keep a Pet Bunny!

[Skye'sDucks]

I agree that you can put down mats or things like that over your carpet, although its really the pee that makes a mess and will smell, hence the mats (be aware as everything ducks said that any area they can dig up or get to they will chew).
Their poops are small, pretty much odorless, and very easy to clean up. Rabbits will shed a lot so their hair (like you mentioned) will be the second 'messiest' thing, although routinely cleaning and grooming your bun (bringing it outside would probably be best. The hair that flies everywhere!!) should help a lot with that.

I also suggest keeping your actual bale or source of hay not in your room, in case you were planning on it. Pulling hay out from the bundle or bale you have is what generates the most dust. (I work at a barn, ask me how I know LOL) Keep the hay in your garage (if you have one) and bring the hay up in a container so it won't drop pieces everywhere. You won't have such giant amounts of hay in their hutch/pen that I would think it would generate a whole lot of dust.

As others said, use pine pellets! And regularly cleaning the littler box will keep the smell down. Remember, it's the pee not the poo that is the really messy stuff. Best of luck with your future friend!

 

[EverythingDucks]

I saw this on Pinterest today and thought of you. It looks like a fairly simple build, and would be larger and cheaper that a prefab hutch.

Of course the rabbit would still need either an expen or free roam time, but this could be a great space saving home-base. It could be decorated to look cute like this one too.

Just be careful about the type of wood you use, incase the rabbit does decide to chew it.

 

[quailheart]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I have decided that if I get a bunny, I will be keeping it in a hutch with an xpen attached to it in my room and eventually I might let the bunny free roam in my bedroom when I know it is potty-trained well. I've been researching rabbit hutches and it has been hard finding a well-made, good sized hutch for a fair price. Does anyone know if Aivituvin is a good brand to buy a hutch from? Specifically this one:

Keep in mind the hutch will only be used as a home-base sort of environment, the bunny will always have access to a larger area.
If Aivituvin isn't a decent brand, does anyone have any good rabbit hutch reccomendations? If I can't find any rabbit hutches online that meet my expectations I will build a cute DIY hutch of my own like EverythingDucks recommended. Unfortunately keeping a bunny in only an xpen or letting it fully free roam is not currently an option. Thanks again for all the help! I appreciate it

 

[Happy Novogens]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I have decided that if I get a bunny, I will be keeping it in a hutch with an xpen attached to it in my room and eventually I might let the bunny free roam in my bedroom when I know it is potty-trained well. I've been researching rabbit hutches and it has been hard finding a well-made, good sized hutch for a fair price. Does anyone know if Aivituvin is a good brand to buy a hutch from? Specifically this one:
View attachment 3245538
Keep in mind the hutch will only be used as a home-base sort of environment, the bunny will always have access to a larger area.
If Aivituvin isn't a decent brand, does anyone have any good rabbit hutch reccomendations? If I can't find any rabbit hutches online that meet my expectations I will build a cute DIY hutch of my own like EverythingDucks recommended. Unfortunately keeping a bunny in only an xpen or letting it fully free roam is not currently an option. Thanks again for all the help! I appreciate it

I don't think you'll be happy with the one here in the photo. It will be a pain to keep clean because it doesn't have easy access. There's also very little usable space inside.

The sample that @EverythingDucks pictured is more open, and would be cheaper to make. NIC grids could also be used.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Litter box training was my number one requirement.
I refuse to deal with rabbit piss smell. When I tell you there is no smell coming from my rabbit area I mean there is none. The pine pellets work perfectly but I scoop the littler box twice a day.
I would use this as a selling point to the parents.

Agreed on the pellets. If the litter box is large enough and is topped daily with hay, one can go much longer between cleaning. With just one rabbit, I could honestly go a full week before emptying the litter box -- no smell!! (With 2 rabbits, it was twice per week.) The key is putting fresh hay inside the box twice per day. You can see this setup here.

If you decide to keep your rabbit in your bedroom, one thing you'll need to expect is activity during the night. Rabbits can make a bit of noise playing with toys, chewing on stuff, moving about -- all through the night. It has been an issue for some people when trying to house them in the room in which they sleep.

I've always housed mine in the main area of the home. Not sure if this is an option with your dogs. My rabbits would be confined in the nighttime but allowed out all day long from early morn to about 11-12 at night.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Another consideration if you are concerned about your parents and wanting to keep things clean and not smelly... I'd strongly advise against getting a baby rabbit. I would advise any first-timer against getting a baby just because they can be a real pain to deal with -- not only hormones, but mushy poos and mushy cecal poos as bunny figures out what to do with his cecals. (Think smeared, smelly poos over the floor and possibly his bum.) It can take them a bit to figure out what to do with those. It can be a super turn off if you & your parents are hoping for clean and neat. Hormonal rabbits can literally spray urine on walls, get grumpy, lunge, bite and be... well... hormonal.

All this can be avoided by getting an already fixed rabbit -- like one from a rabbit rescue. Rabbit rescues (different than generic shelters) will neuter their buns. This is usually far less expensive than having to pay yourself for a neuter or spay. The rescues don't have to pay a vet's normal fees so they pass those savings on to you at purchase. So, for example, even if a rescue charges $80 for a rabbit, that will be far cheaper than getting a $15 rabbit from the pet store/breeder and then having to pay $150 (or far more) for neuter or spay surgery a couple months later.

Another advantage is that the rescues know the personalities of their rabbits (can't tell that with babies). You can meet their rabbits and choose one whose personality is suited to you. Fixed rabbits litter train more easily (and may already be trained). Since they can live 10 years, getting a 8 month old (or even a 2 year old) still gives you plenty of time.

Here's a resource:
https://www.morabbit.org/adoptable-rabbits

 

[quailheart]

Thanks for the info! I didn't know that about pine pellets. I agree, that hutch might not be the best one to use. I might have to keep looking or start building my own depending on whatever will work better for me. I don't know about most shelters, but my local humane society regularly has rabbits of all different shapes and sizes that are vaccinated and spayed/neutered for only $15. However since this shelter doesn't specialize in rabbits, they most likely won't be litter trained or know their personalities yet. I will probably get my bunny from here unless I come across a better option.

I have another question for people who own bunnies, do you regularly have to take your rabbit to the vet for check-ups or vaccines? I found a lot of different answers when I looked it up online and I am hesitant on contacting local vets because I feel like most would recommend it whether or not it is necessary. Thanks!

 

[Happy Novogens]

I will probably get my bunny from here unless I come across a better option.

I have another question for people who own bunnies, do you regularly have to take your rabbit to the vet for check-ups or vaccines?

Did you see the rabbits available here?
https://www.morabbit.org/adoptable-rabbits

They also have an "adoption class." The adoption fee includes not only spay/neuter but also a vaccine series and a number of other things:
https://www.morabbit.org/adoption-process

It used to be the case that rabbits in the US did not get vaccines. But in the past couple years, RHVD2 has spread across the states. More vets have been getting the vaccines as a result. (This is the same disease that spread across Australia and the UK. They've had vaccines for their rabbits for years. The US had been spared of that until recently.)

Finding a rabbit savvy vet is not as easy as it may sound. Almost all vets "say" they treat rabbits but few have actual experience. Rabbits are much different in their sensitivities. Years ago, I lost a rabbit because such a vet prescribed amoxycillin-- common for dogs and cats but is fatal to rabbits.

A good resource for finding a rabbit savvy vet is to ask for references from a rabbit rescue (again, not the generic shelter but a rabbit rescue).

About regular checkups... that answer will vary depending on whom you're speaking with. Once you know what to look out for in regards to a rabbit's health, you may feel more confident/comfortable in saving vet visits for emergencies. Some people feel better taking their rabbit in for annual checkups. I am not one of them. Personally, it was rare that a rabbit of mine would go to a vet. Most of mine were from rescues, so were already fixed. So obviously they had been to the vet for that. But I've had some that I never had a need to take to the vet.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I have decided that if I get a bunny, I will be keeping it in a hutch with an xpen attached to it in my room and eventually I might let the bunny free roam in my bedroom when I know it is potty-trained well. I've been researching rabbit hutches and it has been hard finding a well-made, good sized hutch for a fair price. Does anyone know if Aivituvin is a good brand to buy a hutch from? Specifically this one:
View attachment 3245538
Keep in mind the hutch will only be used as a home-base sort of environment, the bunny will always have access to a larger area.
If Aivituvin isn't a decent brand, does anyone have any good rabbit hutch reccomendations? If I can't find any rabbit hutches online that meet my expectations I will build a cute DIY hutch of my own like EverythingDucks recommended. Unfortunately keeping a bunny in only an xpen or letting it fully free roam is not currently an option. Thanks again for all the help! I appreciate it

I have a prefab hutch similar that I was given. It is just very narrow. What are the dimensions of that hutch? Also what kind of bunny do you plan to get?

 

[quailheart]

Did you see the rabbits available here?
https://www.morabbit.org/adoptable-rabbits

Yes, I have looked into probably all the shelters that have rabbits in my area and the first thing I check is the adoption fee. Anything above 50-60 dollars is where I start looking elsewhere because it is my parents that are buying my bunny, and they have made it obvious that they don't want this to be a very expensive ordeal. I would be willing to pay for the bunny and some of the supplies myself, but I am not even old enough to work yet and I wouldn't exactly say I have plenty of money to spend on pets. I will look into morabbits though, I wasn't aware of all the extra things the adoption fee included!

Here are the dimensions of the hutch I was looking at:

Keep in mind that I am aware the hutch alone is not a big enough of a space to house a rabbit. I would have an xpen attatched to it and always have the door to the hutch open. The hutch would only be a "home base" and a place for the rabbit to go if it wants to be alone.

As for what kind of bunny I plan to get, I wouldn't get anything bigger than 5-6 lbs because of hay and feed prices near me, and I don't think the space I have available is large enough for any giant breeds. I don't have a particular breed that I'm looking for although I have a strange love for the way Holland Lops look.

Thanks for the help! Like I said, I'll definitely look into morabbits but if I end up getting a rabbit from the humane society I will contact a bunny specialized shelter for advice on finding a rabbit savvy vet.