# Indoor/House Rabbit Experiences



## emackenzie (Jul 31, 2011)

Hi there I'm new to this by the way so sorry for any mistakes etc:blush2:

I currently have an outdoor rabbit who is about 5/6 years old now 
I have been doing my research and a lot of people have been saying indoor rabbits are theee best?! So I was thinking about maybe getting an indoor rabbit and hopefully introduce it to my outdoor rabbit so they could have a bit of bonding time etc.. 

Indoor Rabbit owners - what are your experiences with your rabbit?! 
Pros? Any Cons? I just want to know what it is like

Thanks guysxxx


----------



## ruff (Feb 26, 2011)

Hi i have an indoor rabbit, all though he is in a large cage some of the time. Unfortunately i have to confine him to 1 room - this is because he used to go under the sofa nibbling, ate wallpaper, managed to eat through a wire (although i thought they were all out of reach!), eats skirting boards ... the list is endless. So now he has supervised play in the lounge, runs free in the garden (which is rabbit proofed) and only allowed to cause havoc in one room only. 

BUT, it lovely him being in the house with the family x

Good luck:smile5:


----------



## Guest (Jul 31, 2011)

I have 8 house rabbits, and wouldn't want it any other way 

The only advice I can give is please don't be fooled into thinking that because they are house rabbits they can have a small cage whilst you are out, they still need a lot of space and tbh when you confide them to a small area you are more likely to find they become destructive due to being board.

Also if you don't want something to be destroyed then block it off, I have lost count at how many cables and other things I have lost due to the buns being able to reach it :lol:
Also please don't fall into the trap of thinking that because they are inside you don't have to vaccinate them, this is a myth both vhd and myxi can effect house rabbits.

Are you going to be bonding both rabbits together so that both can live inside?


----------



## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

I have my bunnies indoors and they love it and I love having them around me all day and night (they sleep in my bed some nights )

They do need lots of space so the easiest thing to do is to bunny-proof a room or the whole house. 
They are really easy to litter train too.

You said you want a house rabbit to introduce to your outdoor bunny for 'abit of bonding time' Do you mean you would just let them play together/be together for short periods of time them seperate them? If so this will not work. Rabbits need to be bonded properly if they are to be together and then when they are bonded they need to stay together, it can take months for a bond to fully form.
If you put 2 together and then take them away and keep repeating this they will get stressed out.
Best thing to do would be to get a partner for your bun and have them both living happily inside 

Pros of house bunnies...Get to spend lots of time with them. Easier to clean out as they only have a litter tray not a whole hutch. Bunny snuggles in bed! Quicker to spot when they become ill. Mine have become so much more friendly since coming inside.

Cons....Not getting things done coz of spending too much time with the bunnies! And the occasional eaten wire, although that's my fault for leaving it at bunny-level.


----------



## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

indoor rabbits make far better pets, but it might stress your outdoor rabbit out if hes not used to you. 

its best to set aside a whole room for them or a large pen area and then plenty of supervised free time, unless you want to completely bunny proof your home or have very little junk lying around


----------



## ChatterPuss (Sep 4, 2010)

I used to have Two bonded indoor rabbits who free roamed when we in and had litter trays which they used well and when we were out they were confined to our large utility behind a baby gate and slept in a dog bed. They used to run to us like puppies when we came home !


----------



## emackenzie (Jul 31, 2011)

Thanks for all the info advice etc :thumbup:
I love hearing all the bunny stories

I do have a cage which has not been used yet which I was hoping to use, I'm pretty sure of the Size: 119 x 59 x 47 cm ( L x W x H)
Does this sound big enough? Apparently it was an XXL one, so the biggest I could get haha

My current rabbit (who is a female) has not been 'done' so we were hoping to get a male and get him neutered so hopefully we could bond them, but I might just keep them separate as she is quite a grump! 

Any advice about keeping a indoor rabbit is greatly appreciated


----------



## AmyCruick (Jul 20, 2009)

That cage is not big enough unless it will be open the whole time in a bigger enclosure. Rabbits need a space of at least 6ft x 4ft x 2ft. The bigger the space the better though, none of my rabbits even outdoors ones have had anything less that a 3ft x 3ft x 2ft house connected with permanent access to a 6ft x 6ft x 5ft run. 

My rabbits live indoors and have the whole conservatory to themselves (about 18ft x 12ft)- all we had to do was bunny proof the wires. Mine aren't destructive and don't eat the furniture, I think is because they have each other and plenty of toys to keep them occupied (cardboard boxes, balls, sticks to nibble on etc) I love having them in the house as you get to know them better and we let them have free run of the whole house and garden when we're in.


----------



## emackenzie (Jul 31, 2011)

Thanks

Yeh I was going to bunny proof my room and keep the cage open pretty much all the time too, forgot to mention that:blush2:
I will have to cover up the cables and try and get him to avoid the skirting boardsO
Also, it is ok to let them outside in a run throughout a little of the day isn't it?


----------



## Guest (Aug 1, 2011)

As said above that cage isn't big enough, I find 48" dog crates with a pen attached far better than any indoor cage you can find.

Yes he can go out and play in the garden but only in the summer when it is warm otherwise the temperature change could be fatal to him.

I would also seriously advise getting your doe neutered, as 85% of does develop uterine cancer by the age of 4 (in fact I had a doe neutered recently and the vet found she had already developed tumours in her womb, she is 2!!)
Also her temperament will most probably change with being neutered and gaining a friend especially as she is outside (imagine being shut in a box on your own for the entirety of your life, and the only contact you get is from someone that will never speak the same language as you, lonely life huh?)

If you are going to potentially bond her with somebun you will need to keep them together otherwise everytime they meet they will have to go through the whole bonding process again which will cause a lot of stress for both rabbits.


----------



## victoriaaa (Jun 8, 2011)

Glad i found this post as i only normally venture to the dog part of this forum. Been thinking about getting another rabbit after my passed away after 5 years..but i really wanted an indoor one this time..their such little characters it would be nice to see it more often. Now Jessie (my springer) doesnt use her huge dog crate this seems the perfect thing to use. (They wouldnt be together ive a large enough upstairs room that would be ideal when we're not in, and the dog isnt allowed into the sitting room etc) .. after reading this im thinking i should get two? ..any breed of rabbit take more to indoor living?


----------



## Guest (Aug 1, 2011)

victoriaaa said:


> Glad i found this post as i only normally venture to the dog part of this forum. Been thinking about getting another rabbit after my passed away after 5 years..but i really wanted an indoor one this time..their such little characters it would be nice to see it more often. Now Jessie (my springer) doesnt use her huge dog crate this seems the perfect thing to use. (They wouldnt be together ive a large enough upstairs room that would be ideal when we're not in, and the dog isnt allowed into the sitting room etc) .. after reading this im thinking i should get two? ..any breed of rabbit take more to indoor living?


Definitely 2, rabbits need company and there is nothing better than seeing bun's snuggled up together  Any breed can live inside  I have 2 nethies, 1 dwarf lop and 5 German lops  My Germans are the cuddliest


----------

