Rabbits

[CyndiD]

I've housed my rabbits indoors for decades. There absolutely is a way to house rabbits indoors without smell!! Honestly!

I keep my rabbits in the main living area. People come to visit and are totally unaware we have rabbits until they see them hopping about. I've had many comments from visitors that they are surprised there is no odor whatsoever.

It is just a matter of having the right set up that is to your advantage. (I explain it in detail on my website.)

You may also want to consider a French lop. They are large and mellow too and have great personalities (generally speaking since breed doesn't dictate personality with rabbits).

I had a French lop from a rescue that escaped from his indoor cage the first night (a cage with a female rabbit that had never escaped). In the morning, I found him cuddled up with our Newfoundland!

Our current dogs are a half lab-half Newf, and a labradoodle. They also have been trained to get along with the rabbits. (also explained on the site)

With indoor rabbits, dogs (most, not all) can quickly understand that the rabbit is just another member of the family. They know the difference between a family pet/member and the wild rabbits outside. My labradoodle will go in full chase of any cottontails or jackrabbits he sees outside. He doesn't at all have that attitude with our pet rabbits.

Here is a photo of the labradoodle with the rabbits followed by a photo of our earlier Newf with the French lop we had. (I see you have a part Pyrenees. We had one growing up. She was about the same size as the Newf in the bottom photo below -- to give you an idea of the size of the French lop.)
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Hi, I could not open your "website" and I could not find it in your "profile". can you write it out. Thanks

 

[Happy Novogens]

Hi, I could not open your "website" and I could not find it in your "profile". can you write it out. Thanks

http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

hopefully that will get you there.

 

[CyndiD]

http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

hopefully that will get you there.

I love your web site. I spent hours on it yesterday. so much info and your videos are so fun to watch. thanks for sharing.
pics of my 2 newest pair... broken castor rex doe and blue fawn tri rex buck...

 

[Happy Novogens]

I love your web site. I spent hours on it yesterday. so much info and your videos are so fun to watch. thanks for sharing.
pics of my 2 newest pair... broken castor rex doe and blue fawn tri rex buck...

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.

Your rabbits are beautiful! Love how symmetrical are the face markings. I have a soft spot (no pun intended ) for rex rabbits.

 

[CyndiD]

I also love Rex. What is Mocha? Sapphire and ShadowFax are both beautiful bunnies.
How is it that they do not pee around your home? Do they run back to their litter box to pee and poo?
I had my new Rex doe on the couch w/me and she peed 4 times in 20 mins. I have not started potty training her yet, so I hope having her on the couch w/me was not a bad idea/or start before potty training?

 

[Happy Novogens]

My rabbits came from rescues so they are mostly mixed/unknown breeds. Mocha seems to have some rex in him but he lacks that super soft, dense fur.

All of my house rabbits litter trained rather easily. Most, however, would still leave the occasional poo pellets about. But the poos are dry and easy enough to sweep up (if the dogs don't get them first!). Mocha and Sapphire were perfect, though, with their potty habits -- not even a stray poo. So, yes, they are good about returning if needed. Their cage door is open from morning til my bedtime.

Many rabbits find soft surfaces like couches and beds to be irresistable potty places. I'm afraid that once they've gone someplace they shouldn't, they still like to return to the same place (especially if they can still smell it). Might be a good idea to keep her off the couch for awhile.

How old is she? Hormonal rabbits can be rather unreliable with litter habits. Fixed rabbits train easiest but that may not be an option if you are breeding (of course).

I start slow with training. I open the cage door with a pen around to limit their space. They can then come & go in that area as the please. As they continue to be good returning to potty, in time I expand the area, gradually making their roaming space bigger. Too much space too soon often will result in potty accidents.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

I have two rabbits, Olivia (black lion head) and Mr Nibbles (the Californian lop)

They both live in a shed with an attached run at the back.
I feed them pellets, hay and a few veggies.
They’re both 3 years old going on 4 now time flies.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I have two rabbits, Olivia (black lion head) and Mr Nibbles (the Californian lop)
View attachment 1653260

They both live in a shed with an attached run at the back.
I feed them pellets, hay and a few veggies.
They’re both 3 years old going on 4 now time flies.
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That floppy ear!!

I had a mini rex that had a floppy ear like that, I should go find pics!

 

[RoosterRules]

I have had rabbits indoors but switched to outside. Digging is to rabbits like pecking is to chickens. I can give them more space outside. Space is crucial when keeping multiples so that they can get away from each other when establishing hierarchy. I have had several dogs since I got into rabbits, all of which were rabbit killers but learnt to leave one particular rabbit alone with some training.
Down the rabbit hole...

This is currently my favourite rabbit and off-limits to my dobie. It took a year to train him but would have been faster if the rabbit lived indoors with the dog.

 

[Happy Novogens]

" It took a year to train him but would have been faster if the rabbit lived indoors with the dog."

^Agreed. I think it is easier for a dog to see the rabbit as part of the "family pack" if the rabbit is indoors. My labradoodle will chase a cottontail or jackrabbit in a heartbeat but doesn't see the indoor pets that way (whether rabbits or rats or hamsters or snake or guinea pigs...)