[Zeptoplix]

Hello All,

I am new to this forum. We have a two year old rabbit.

First of all, just saying right off the bat, he was not my idea, and to this day I still do not see what the point of having one as a pet is lol.

But anyways, he's here and he's part of our family so I need some advice.

First things first, he drives me absolutely nuts. Since this is my first experience with a pet bunny, I am curious as to what is the reason and a potential fix.

He will hit the water bottle for what seems like 15 minutes at a time. To me this is the most obnxious, 15 minutes of my day as he is right near the lap top. Is he really thirsty? Or is he bored and doing it to pass time? Does he need some toys to play with to keep him entertained? I do not know.. i am hoping somebody can help shed some light.

Btw, he is not neutered.

 

[Nibbler]

Neuturing your rabbit would be a good idea as it helps with hormons and medical issues, they need toys to keep busy, are you sure hes getting enough water out of his water bottle? some rabbits perfere bowls to water bottles and vice versa . but he definetly needs toys and plenty of out time to keep busy . does he have a big cage ?

 

[Zeptoplix]

I dont think his cage is huge, but its not tiny either... its about 24"x16"

I should try giving him a bowl of water. I never even considered he might not be able to get enough water out of the bottle.

We looked into neutering and it was very expensive in our area.

 

[LolaLala]

Why do you have him if you don't like or want him? 24x16 is extremely small, rabbits should have at least a 4x4 space with enough height to stand up, plus a larger pen or house time to stretch and run.

 

[Purple-Hops]

1. Cage is too small
2. Get him neutered
3. He needs toys and stimulation. You'll be surprised at what entertain a bunny. Get a small cardboard box and he will make his own fort!
4. HE NEEDS DAILY EXERCISE!! Let him out to run around in a room and stretch his bunny legs. Once he's neutered he will likely stop spraying pee to mark his territory and he will keep his poops to the litter box.
5. I agree, if you don't want the rabbit then find someone who does. A rabbit is a commited pet. Not an easy pocket pet as some believe. They require training, care, patience and humor.

 

[Zeptoplix]

I don't want him, but that doesn't change the fact my gf and daughter love it.

I will suggest a larger cage to my gf. He is a small bunny, not as big as ones I've seen at my friends place. We don't let him run around the house. We have a dog and two cats. Not to mention after he has been out for a bit it's nearly impossible to catch him.

 

[LolaLala]

First, I'm glad you're here to learn more about your new requirement.
Second, a rabbit isn't a hamster you can stick in a cage and look at occasionally. It's not *quite* a dog or a cat, but its much more a member of the family than that. It needs human interaction and attention not just daily, but a couple hours minimum daily. Would you leave a dog in a crate or a cat in a travel carrier all day? I'm assuming no, that the thought is ridiculous and abusive. Well same goes for rabbits. They are amazing, intellegent, loving creatures. They are intuitive and can learn, they'll learn simple tricks, to come when you call, to be litter trained and more.

Here's the set up for my rabbits to see what is acceptable-
1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee447/kadydidit/Easter/10-29-2011_1 dot jpg

Main things to notice, lots of space, lots of hay, and cardboard. I now have those waterers instead of a bowl, most bunnies prefer to drink from crocks or bowls over water bottles. Its also easier to clean. In addition to their pen, my older bun Samson (you can see her bum behind the air cleaner) is free roam all day, and Lady is still litter learning so she gets her pen and several hours of kitchen time (easier poo cleanup). They also aren't bonded yet as Lady isn't spayed, so I have to keep them separate. Those pens are only 40 bucks on Amazon, you can make a floor if your worried about your floor by just buying some cheap linoleum. But once they are litter trained, they are super super clean (Notice Samsons pen, I scrub down maybe every couple of months with a little vinegar).
They also get nightly salads, romaine lettuce, a little kale and collared greens, and a tiny bit of shredded carrots.

I know you said out time isn't an option because of the dogs and cats, but I think you might be surprised about pet interactions. Is there a way to get a baby gate of block off the other animals in the other room for a hour a couple times a day? Rabbits like to sleep all day and are most active at dawn and dusk, so even out time while you are eating breakfast and dinner would be great. If not, a couple of those xpens would be good enough

I taught Samson to go back into her cage with bribery, she goes in every night around 8 for her salad.

I know you don't want this rabbit, but you've committed yourself to keeping it. You might as well learn about the awesome new addition to your family, and how to give it the best life.
Depending on what that bun has gone through and its temperament, it might be a challenging bond, but I promise its like no other. Start by letting it out more, sitting on the floor (with your laptop?) and basically ignoring him. He'll eventually come up to you, rabbits are extremely curious. When he does, have a treat ready, a sliver of carrot, a craisen, and just hold it in your palm or set it on your leg.

I know I wrote a lot, I'm sorry, I'm just really passionate about this. Probably because when I was younger I had a bunny who I didn't give a good life, and i had no way of knowing that it could've been better.

 

[Nibbler]

You can also buy A play area for it like a play pen but for animals and just supervise. Just a thought

 

[Purple-Hops]

Lolala was spot on. Rabbits are not rodents. They are Lagamorphs. This means a couple of things, 1- they require far more exercise than would a guinea pig.. And 2-they have ever-growing teeth which they need to keep trim. The best thing for this is cardboard and wood toys from the pet store. Bunnies are so intelligent (many people ignore this fact) and they require daily stimulation. Hours a day. As Lola mentioned, even letting him out during dawn and dusk would encourage bonding.
I don't think it's enough if everyone in the household are not on board with caring for the rabbit. I just cannot comprehend why someone would keep him enclosed in a small cage all day bc they have other animals. My terrier dog hadn't seen a bunny in his life until about 10 years old when I moved back home with my 2 rabbits. All it takes is supervision and training. My terrier often watched over the rabbits by making sure the cat didn't bother them!! With a bit of time inter-species can learn to be friends! I lived with my terirer, 2 cats and my 2 rabbits peacefully. You can too, if you want to.

She will be much easier to litter train if she's spayed. However, since you refuse to do this, you might just be stuck with all the poop. SO, it is safe to keep a playpen on a cheap plastic sheet. I have successfully used old shower curtain liners and table cloths and when I set up my new pen today and tomorrow (we just moved) I am using another clear table cloth. Easy to clean and cheap to replace.

So what daily interaction is she receiving currently? It is impotant to learn body language of bunnies. I have never been bitten in the 5 years of owning rabbits because I learned at stage 1 to respect them. Then I learned their body language- google it and I'm sure you will find great resources.

 

[Bina]

Rabbits can be a blast, they really are smart and funny when left to run loose and explore. Maybe bunny can spend some time playing in your daughter's room with her, safely away from the other dogs and cats.
When my daughter was 2 years old she would climb into the 6 foot long pen with our large English rabbit. It was too funny !!

 

[Jovie]

I'm sorry but as a mother of two rabbits I feel terrible for this poor bun. Please give him/her up to a shelter or make his home life better, everyone has pretty much covered all the need to know information when it comes to owning a rabbit.

 

[Jess]

A 24" x 16" cage?! Yikes, that's tiny!
Check out this link for cage ideas: http://www.fuzzytermites.com/condo.html


If you keep a rabbit in a cage all day, it WILL be incredibly obnoxious. They are destructive when they get bored.
Do you have a separate room where you can let your bun roam? My rabbit lives in my room, and he is fixed and very reliably litter box trained. If you give them a chance, they are amazing pets.