# Any advice on keeping a 'house bunny'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120 "2010-08-13T03:31:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/21 "2010-08-13T14:51:42Z")
Have you watched The Girls Next Door? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/22 "2010-08-13T18:01:31Z")
Thanks for all the advice, guys! That _is_ an awesome website. Today, we bought **Peanut Butter** a litter pan, and a big bag of Timothy hay. I’ll buy leafy greens later when I go out to the market. Until we have the living room more ‘bunny proofed’, we’re not letting him out unless one of us is available to stay _right on top of him_. I also bought some chew sticks, as I understand it’s imperative for rabbits to chew almost constantly, to keep their teeth filed down. I think Monday, I’ll go to the thrift store around the corner and see if they have any old playpens that might function in the way described by several of you. For now, he’s in a standard cage when we can’t have him out. He’s very affectionate, though! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/23 "2010-08-13T18:12:53Z")
Chewing hay might keep the teeth doing just fine, but rabbit-approved stuff to chew on helps keep the rabbit amused and - hopefully - from chewing your things. ---
**Author:** ![Nocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@Nocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocturne)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/24 "2010-08-13T18:28:45Z")
Some bunnies don’t seem to be chewers. Our bunny certainly isn’t, which is a blessing. Our cat is also terrified of our bunny, even though he easily makes three of her. The bunny has a game: chase the kitty all over the house! (Kitty is luckily very patient. Also, he knows how to hide well, for all his bulk.) ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/25 "2010-08-13T18:29:03Z")
My Bunny sneered at “chew sticks.” She preferred something a little chewier, like my leather jacket or the rubber welcome mat. She would condescend to use the pruned maple branches I brought her if I irrationally persisted in keeping the leather jacket and welcome mat out of her reach, which (eventually) I did. She probably would have enjoyed the texture of a plastic playpen… I ended up bunnyproofing using mostly hardware cloth – you know, that stuff like wire screening on steroids. She chewed right through actual wire screening. My life got a lot less chewed-on after I invested in several yards of the stuff and a pair of heavy-duty tinsnips. ETA: Oh, I just remembered – her favorite chew toys that I approved of were cardboard tubes, like the ones from toilet paper or paper towels. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/26 "2010-08-13T18:41:30Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > I ended up bunnyproofing using mostly hardware cloth – you know, that stuff like wire screening on steroids. She chewed right through actual wire screening. My life got a lot less chewed-on after I invested in several yards of the stuff and a pair of heavy-duty tinsnips. :eek: Must find hardware cloth! ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/27 "2010-08-13T18:55:21Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > :eek: Must find hardware cloth! Any hardware store – [Ace](http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/keystone-welded-hardware-cloth-p-42654.html?ref=42), Home Depot, [Lowe’s](http://www.lowes.com/pl__4294817820+4294817428_4294937087_), etc. – should have some, either by the foot or in rolls of various sizes. It’s pretty cheap. I used “[4-mesh](http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/control/product/~category_id=TWPCAT_4/~product_id=004X004D0250W36T)” (a.k.a. quarter-inch, with four squares per linear inch) cloth. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/28 "2010-08-13T19:24:44Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Have you watched The Girls Next Door? Yes, I thought the title was a male version of getting a cabana boy. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/29 "2010-08-14T00:25:54Z")
Fear not I’m here Everything seems to have been covered though > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Oh, and rabbits can be very, very smart. I had let the rabbits run around the living room after using their unfolded playpen and other items to block off forbidden (cord-containing) areas and the path to the rest of the house. One kept trying to get past the barriers to the TV/entertainment center, which was full of cords. Once he knocked the panels over by pulling on them with his paws and sniffed at what was past it (I snatched him up and quickly put up the barricade and tried to secure it), he was determined to get back there. He hopped up on an upright binder of instruction manuals, balancing on top of those and peering down into the ‘snakepit’ of cords behind the entertainment center, so I had to grab him again and stuff something else on top of the binder to block that route. Then he tried - unsuccessfully - to climb the DVD rack that was next to the binder. > > For days afterward when in the playpen (which I put up near the entertainment center), he would take his paws and try to shake the side of the playpen that was up next to the entertainment center, because it had worked during their “run” when there were only a few panels of the pen there. Lucky you - a “project oriented” bunny. I have one to but his obsession seems to be beating up the cats and forcing me to put his heater on. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/30 "2010-08-14T00:40:49Z")
Heres what I consider to be the most important bunny links (not counting HRS) [Medirabbit](http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/index_en.htm) specilised rabbit medical stuff [http://language.rabbitspeak.com/](http://language.rabbitspeak.com/) rabbit communication [http://petbunny.net/](http://petbunny.net/) group for house bunny slaves [http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html](http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html) Covers nearly everything Oh and the most important of all [http://cuteoverload.com/tag/bunnies/](http://cuteoverload.com/tag/bunnies/) ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/31 "2010-08-14T01:08:20Z")
I used to own a rabbit. Everything the rabbit can reach will be tested for edibility. Rabbit teeth are **sharp**. Teethmarks will abound. My rabbit thought the carpet was a good substitute for grazing, and munched happily away or simply tore the fibers free of the backing. Bitter Apple spray does not appear to work to discourage herbivores - it’s like seasoning. Block off or hard shield every electrical cable you have that is in a room where a rabbit roams free. My iron has 5 repairs to the cord. A friend of mine has 5 rabbits. OMFG they love bananas. He serves them a small slice as dessert at dinner. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/32 "2010-08-14T03:24:50Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > > > :eek: Must find hardware cloth! > > Any hardware store – [Ace](http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/keystone-welded-hardware-cloth-p-42654.html?ref=42), Home Depot, [Lowe’s](http://www.lowes.com/pl__4294817820+4294817428_4294937087_), etc. – should have some, either by the foot or in rolls of various sizes. It’s pretty cheap. I used “[4-mesh](http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/control/product/~category_id=TWPCAT_4/~product_id=004X004D0250W36T)” (a.k.a. quarter-inch, with four squares per linear inch) cloth. I’m pretty sure this is what Buddy’s playpen is made out of. A whole roll of it with the ends clamped down. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/33 "2010-08-14T03:33:02Z")
**norinew** , if your rabbit is young, some pellets are fine as a treat, as mentioned above. Young rabbits need more nutrition to grow, so don’t feel like they’re a waste. (Just pick out anything that’s not a little green hay pellet.) ---
**Author:** ![Ritter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ritter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ritter)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/34 "2010-08-14T08:52:39Z")
Hurrah, I am elated reading this thread; I never realized there were so many house rabbit enthusiasts on the Dope! We’ve had house rabbits for seven years now and they are one of the most amazing, under-rated pets I’ve come across. Fascinating to learn about, litter-trainable, and lovely to interact with. As I write this, our rabbit Vinnie is sitting on the chair next to me and having a thorough groom, very contented. It has been a huge learning curve to adjust our lives to having indoor rabbits but it has been worth it and I think you get a much happier bunny that way. The important website links have already been listed in the previous posts and I especially recommend the House Rabbit Society and Language of Lagomorphs for vital bun reading. Secondly, find a rabbit-savvy vet nearby _before_ anything goes wrong. We had some bad experiences with vets who weren’t experienced in rabbit care until we finally hit paydirt with a vet who has her own house rabbit. She recently opened a new clinic which features a separate ward for rabbits, acknowledging that prey animals get stressed being around predators. Love that vet! We find that bunnies are happiest with another bun for company, and eight months after losing his companion Theodora, Vinnie is only just coming out of a long depression (hell, I’m only just coming out of a long depression after losing that little Dutch genius). They are so, so sensitive to their surroundings and to illness. If **Peanut Butter** looks a bit off, get him to the vet pronto. They will hide their symptoms until they are very ill and they can go downhill fast. For example, from bouncing around the house and head-butting furniture to being on an IV in intensive care in the space of twelve hours. I hope this doesn’t put you off because they are such remarkable creatures and the vet bills (may they be few) will be worth every penny. My next soap-box: house bunnies need to be fixed! They are calmer, much better litter trained and more affectionate with people. Unfixed bunnies are hard work and IMO, unsuitable as pets because their hormones will be the driving force behind everything they do. Bunny proof the house like crazy. There have been some fantastic tips and links upthread. The recreational chewing usually dies down a bit once they have been fixed and/or pass the one year mark, but it can really test your patience and furniture in the meantime. Make sure she eats lots and lots of fresh hay to keep her gut motility going. They should eat almost constantly and if she hasn’t eaten or pooped for a few hours, it is a warning sign. Lots of fresh hay is key for a happy bunny. When they are really happy, they will do a little dance leap in the air (also known as a binky or popcorning) which is a joy to behold. When Vinnie is super relaxed, he will flop on the ground and roll from side to side a few times while licking his paws. I love watching them sleep, and seeing their little REM twitches is hilarious! So happy you have a bun in your household **Norinew**! I’ve been reading your posts for a few years now and **Mudgirl** sounds like a sweetheart that will make a great bun-companion. You will have lots of support here on the boards from the other house rabbit slaves by the looks of it. Big shout outs to my fellow BunDopers! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/35 "2010-08-14T11:05:02Z")
Oh. Non-Playboy-type-bunny. Never mind. Carry on, then. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/36 "2010-08-14T13:40:24Z")
> [@Ritter](#): > > Secondly, find a rabbit-savvy vet nearby _before_ anything goes wrong. We had some bad experiences with vets who weren’t experienced in rabbit care until we finally hit paydirt with a vet who has her own house rabbit. She recently opened a new clinic which features a separate ward for rabbits, acknowledging that prey animals get stressed being around predators. Love that vet! Yup, I’ve heard from more than one rabbit-owning friend their experiences of being told by non-rabbit-familiar vets that they should fast their rabbit before bringing them in for some kind of procedure or special exam - no. Rabbits cannot vomit, so there is no risk of aspiration, and fasting them may cause them great harm. The HRS page has a “Vets” link, and otherwise it’s worth asking a vet what experience they have with rabbits. In the US, rabbits don’t get vaccinations, so there’s that at least. Spaying/neutering is worth considering; spaying is more expensive than neutering, but it also has more diseases the girl rabbit could avoid in the process. Tooth checks are good to have done, but eating hay plus having chewing stuff available will help avoid that, hopefully. Nails have to be trimmed eventually - you may be able to wait 2-3 months before the need really arises. I’ve had it done at the vet so far, but with the “bunny burrito” method (towel wrap, secure limbs not being accessed at the time, keep head pointed away), you may be able to do it yourself. Buy some styptic powder just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/37 "2010-08-14T16:24:08Z")
You take the rabbit to the vet to get his teeth filed? What do rabbits gnaw on in the wild to control this? Can a pet rabbit owner just give him some of that? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/38 "2010-08-14T16:28:05Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > You take the rabbit to the vet to get his teeth filed? What do rabbits gnaw on in the wild to control this? Can a pet rabbit owner just give him some of that? I don’t have that done at the vet; my rabbits don’t need it. (So far, knocking wood.) However, my rabbits also reject all wooden chew stuff I’ve given them so far. I’m hoping the hay keeps doing the trick; they absolutely love hay and eat a lot of it. In the wild, grasses/hay/tough stems, and nibbling on wood would do the trick. Then again, wild rabbits probably don’t live a decade, so they may manage with mildly overgrown teeth for the course of their lifespan, if it comes to that. I have a coworker whose rabbit absolutely refuses to eat hay; the rabbit would rather starve - quite literally - than touch it. So she has to give him good-quality pellets to eat, and then occasional vet trips for the dental work. Apparently he’s also not a “stick-chewer” either, so that’s no help. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/39 "2010-08-14T17:53:07Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > [http://language.rabbitspeak.com/](http://language.rabbitspeak.com/) rabbit communication Just wanted to make sure everybody who’s interested checks out this link. It’s great! My last baby bunny… ummm… _died_. No matter how much they beg, don’t let them swim in the bathtub. It will not end well. No, not well at all. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120/40 "2010-08-14T18:08:02Z")
Do rabbits make noises? I mean I know they say “What’s up Doc” a lot, but is that the extent of their vocabulary or do they make sounds. I had me a chinchilla and that made some weird sounds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advice-on-keeping-a-house-bunny/550120.md?page=3)