2ft by 5ft is far too small and he would need more than 1 or two hours out of it every day.

Rabbits, when poorly need quick and often expensive treatment. Are you able to provide this?

Hi and welcome to the forum!
Rabbits need a living space of about 12 square feet, so the pen will just about be suitable as an enclosure. Outside of that rabbits need a lot more space for exercise, with most appreciating 4-6 hours minimum outside their pens.

In general, rabbits do better in pairs as they are social animals by nature, although lots of people on this forum own happy single buns, these are generally considered exceptions and get a lot of human attention, so if you don’t have a lot of time, you may need to consider a companion. Lots of shelters have already neutered rabbits that are already bonded, looking for homes so that might be worth looking into?

If you can’t afford a neuter I’m afraid you might not actually be able to afford a rabbit at all. They’re not cheap pets, and when they get sick, they get sick very quickly and require specialized care, often in excess of a couple of hundred €/£/$ .

I’m not trying to be discouraging, but do take a second to think about that. One of my rabbits, in 6 months had cost my over €1000 in vets fees after getting a chronic illness.

Besides the issues that have already been addressed – the size of the pen and the fact that you might not be prepared for all the vet bills you will incur, I would also be concerned about your dog. You say that he isn’t really aggressive, but has he ever been around a rabbit, which is prey animal? Dogs can act on instinct and the outcome is usually bad. Rabbits can also be frightened and harm themselves when in the presence of a predator, which is what a dog is to them. Some people do successfully house a dog or cat with a rabbit, but it doesn’t always work, and can end up very badly. If you are keeping a rabbit in an open pen, a dog could jump in. Even small rabbits can jump pretty big heights, so a rabbit may be able to jump out of the pen.

With Tobyluv on the dog/predator issue. I’ve had to move back in with my Mum and her two German Shepherds – dogs stay downstairs, rabbits are upstairs with four (!) gates up to make sure they never meet.

Dogs and rabbits can work. Same with cats and rabbits or any thing else really if you have the knowledge and put the time in to make it work.

What you have to bear in mind is all this advice is general blanket advice based on very little individual knowledge of specific situations. Which is fine as this is how forums work but somtimes I believe it needs to be said. Anyway that was the tangent.

To the original poster, it doesn’t sound like time or even space is really the issue. It’s more a case of *how much are you bothered* about proving the time and space you know you need to, as well as prioritising the new rabbit as high up or higher on your general list of priorities.

I think once you have the right attitude, even with NO money or NO space, somehow you’d find a way and it would be a match made in heaven between bunny and human. To me the most important thing is approaching this with the right attitude.

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 9:58 AM

Dogs and rabbits can work. Same with cats and rabbits or any thing else really if you have the knowledge and put the time in to make it work.

What you have to bear in mind is all this advice is general blanket advice based on very little individual knowledge of specific situations. Which is fine as this is how forums work but somtimes I believe it needs to be said. Anyway that was the tangent.

To the original poster, it doesn’t sound like time or even space is really the issue. It’s more a case of *how much are you bothered* about proving the time and space you know you need to, as well as prioritising the new rabbit as high up or higher on your general list of priorities.

I think once you have the right attitude, even with NO money or NO space, somehow you’d find a way and it would be a match made in heaven between bunny and human. To me the most important thing is approaching this with the right attitude.

I agree that dog and rabbit can work (Bam bas a GSD with her bunny) but I think Tony’s point was that altho the dog isn’t aggressive, it still needs to be a consideration because time has to be taken to ensure all involved are safe. Whether that means not allowing dog and bun to meet or whether it means they’ll need to sort of go through bonding processes.

Also I’m sorry I disagree that having no money and no space can work. Money is an absolute essential if you plan to care for your rabbit properly and seek veterinary help when needed. Having a rabbit spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped, having regular (6 Monthly or annually) wellness checks as well as emergencies all cost money. And the lack of space is a massive concern. A rabbit should not have his basic needs compromised.

Posted By sarahthegemini on 10/01/2017 11:15 AM

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 9:58 AM

Dogs and rabbits can work. Same with cats and rabbits or any thing else really if you have the knowledge and put the time in to make it work.

What you have to bear in mind is all this advice is general blanket advice based on very little individual knowledge of specific situations. Which is fine as this is how forums work but somtimes I believe it needs to be said. Anyway that was the tangent.

To the original poster, it doesn’t sound like time or even space is really the issue. It’s more a case of *how much are you bothered* about proving the time and space you know you need to, as well as prioritising the new rabbit as high up or higher on your general list of priorities.

I think once you have the right attitude, even with NO money or NO space, somehow you’d find a way and it would be a match made in heaven between bunny and human. To me the most important thing is approaching this with the right attitude.

I agree that dog and rabbit can work (Bam bas a GSD with her bunny) but I think Tony’s point was that altho the dog isn’t aggressive, it still needs to be a consideration because time has to be taken to ensure all involved are safe. Whether that means not allowing dog and bun to meet or whether it means they’ll need to sort of go through bonding processes.

Also I’m sorry I disagree that having no money and no space can work. Money is an absolute essential if you plan to care for your rabbit properly and seek veterinary help when needed. Having a rabbit spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped, having regular (6 Monthly or annually) wellness checks as well as emergencies all cost money. And the lack of space is a massive concern. A rabbit should not have his basic needs compromised.

Hi Sarah

I agree with you in principle. However reality is this is a big world and how we do things here, ( well here in the UK for me, or over in the USA or other western countries which is where most of us are from) I don’t presume to want or expect the world to do things the same way. There are countries where people cannot afford medical care for themselves or their kids, so you can imagine how low down on the priotirry list pet medical care would be. Does that mean those people or heck those entire *societies* shouldn’t experience the joy of bonding with a pet? No.

They can be just as good as bunny parents as you and I and they can be that without doing what you and I do.

Just like there is no one way to bring up kids, I believe there is no one way to be a pet parent either.

It’s nice when you have luxuries in life like extra money and space you can use for your family and then have enough left over for extended family ie pets, but not everyone has that luxery. I don’t think having the love between pet and human should be a thing only money can buy.

I don’t think having the love between pet and human should be a thing only money can buy

This is kind of going away from the original topic that the OP was asking about. BUT if you cant offer the space or afford it, there are other pets that require less space etc. And the fact is if you invest in a life you have a responsibility toward it. That includes being able to afford it. Particularly in cases where it is a planned pet.

The original poster is clearly a conscientious person, the replies are supposed to guide them towards the fact that rabbits are often erroneously mistaken as cheap and easy pets, that’s all.

I agree, OP does seem a conscientious person!

Sonabear, it’s great you are researching things before you get a rabbit. You’ll be so much better prepared. It was about 10 yrs ago when I got my 1st rabbit and I didn’t prepare AT ALL. I walked into a pet store to by an inanimate toy as a gift and walked out with a rabbit in a cardboard box. But she led to me learning a ton about rabbits from that day forward.

A pen can be a nice habitat for a rabbit and it allows you to sit in there with them also. A starter cage, which is often sold to new owners has it’s limitations! You can buy extra pens also and join them together. A word of warning: some rabbits can climb! Especially when young and lightweights. So having a solid top for the pen would be useful. Using parts of a second pen could create a secure top.
Saving money is always a good idea so looking around for 2nd hand pens in good condition is an idea so you’ll have another on hand.

Where do you plan to set up the pen for the rabbit? Down the track, if the rabbit can safely have access to a whole room, the pens are great for blocking of areas you don’t want them near.
Another idea is making a condo and having a pen attached to that. That way you use some vertical space without taking over a whole room and a rabbit can get exercise going up and down levels and coming out into pen area. They really like going up to higher spots to look about or even nap.

Do look through advice and ideas under the BUNNY INFO

 tab. Lots of inspiration for habitats. There is also a ton of info about care costs and healthy diet, ideas for toys. There is also reference to find lower cost spay and neuter clinics. Another fantastic resource is The House Rabbit Society.

I do like the idea already suggested about meeting some rabbits in a Rabbit rescue, shelter or foster care. The benefits are numerous. The rabbits are already desexed and reasonably priced. You may be able to find a suitable bonded pair or single bun that is well adjusted to being a single bun. Often the rabbits are adults and you get an idea of their true personalities. Baby rabbits can turn into terrors for a while when puberty arrives.

Some rabbits have been in foster homes and may already be well adjusted to living in households with cats or dogs. So, it’s worth considering. 

Do be aware that many pet shops will sell rabbits as “dwarfs” when in fact, they are just small because they are babies. Sometimes, underage babies that should have still been with their mothers.
So often we see people post on the forums here that were told their rabbit was a dwarf and it grew to be much much bigger. Or they were told it was a boy and turned out to be a girl and vice versa. Occasionally breeders get it wrong too. If going to a breeder, do check they are responsible breeders.

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 12:22 PM

Posted By sarahthegemini on 10/01/2017 11:15 AM

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 9:58 AM

Dogs and rabbits can work. Same with cats and rabbits or any thing else really if you have the knowledge and put the time in to make it work.

What you have to bear in mind is all this advice is general blanket advice based on very little individual knowledge of specific situations. Which is fine as this is how forums work but somtimes I believe it needs to be said. Anyway that was the tangent.

To the original poster, it doesn’t sound like time or even space is really the issue. It’s more a case of *how much are you bothered* about proving the time and space you know you need to, as well as prioritising the new rabbit as high up or higher on your general list of priorities.

I think once you have the right attitude, even with NO money or NO space, somehow you’d find a way and it would be a match made in heaven between bunny and human. To me the most important thing is approaching this with the right attitude.

I agree that dog and rabbit can work (Bam bas a GSD with her bunny) but I think Tony’s point was that altho the dog isn’t aggressive, it still needs to be a consideration because time has to be taken to ensure all involved are safe. Whether that means not allowing dog and bun to meet or whether it means they’ll need to sort of go through bonding processes.

Also I’m sorry I disagree that having no money and no space can work. Money is an absolute essential if you plan to care for your rabbit properly and seek veterinary help when needed. Having a rabbit spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped, having regular (6 Monthly or annually) wellness checks as well as emergencies all cost money. And the lack of space is a massive concern. A rabbit should not have his basic needs compromised.

Hi Sarah

I agree with you in principle. However reality is this is a big world and how we do things here, ( well here in the UK for me, or over in the USA or other western countries which is where most of us are from) I don’t presume to want or expect the world to do things the same way. There are countries where people cannot afford medical care for themselves or their kids, so you can imagine how low down on the priotirry list pet medical care would be. Does that mean those people or heck those entire *societies* shouldn’t experience the joy of bonding with a pet? No.

They can be just as good as bunny parents as you and I and they can be that without doing what you and I do.

Just like there is no one way to bring up kids, I believe there is no one way to be a pet parent either.

It’s nice when you have luxuries in life like extra money and space you can use for your family and then have enough left over for extended family ie pets, but not everyone has that luxery. I don’t think having the love between pet and human should be a thing only money can buy.

Nope, sorry gunna have to disagree again. If you can’t afford a pet and don’t have space for a pet, don’t get a pet. It’s that simple. Because what happens if rabbit gets poorly? What happens if rabbit has inadequate housing? The rabbit suffers. An animal shouldn’t have to suffer just because the people responsible for it decided to be, well irresponsible and get a pet they can’t properly accommodate. How is that even up for discussion? Being an adult is about being responsible. It’s awful to think so many people get a pet simply because they want it. You must be able to provide for it.

Posted By sarahthegemini on 10/02/2017 3:06 AM

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 12:22 PM

Posted By sarahthegemini on 10/01/2017 11:15 AM

Posted By Fluffykins on 10/01/2017 9:58 AM

Dogs and rabbits can work. Same with cats and rabbits or any thing else really if you have the knowledge and put the time in to make it work.

What you have to bear in mind is all this advice is general blanket advice based on very little individual knowledge of specific situations. Which is fine as this is how forums work but somtimes I believe it needs to be said. Anyway that was the tangent.

To the original poster, it doesn’t sound like time or even space is really the issue. It’s more a case of *how much are you bothered* about proving the time and space you know you need to, as well as prioritising the new rabbit as high up or higher on your general list of priorities.

I think once you have the right attitude, even with NO money or NO space, somehow you’d find a way and it would be a match made in heaven between bunny and human. To me the most important thing is approaching this with the right attitude.

I agree that dog and rabbit can work (Bam bas a GSD with her bunny) but I think Tony’s point was that altho the dog isn’t aggressive, it still needs to be a consideration because time has to be taken to ensure all involved are safe. Whether that means not allowing dog and bun to meet or whether it means they’ll need to sort of go through bonding processes.

Also I’m sorry I disagree that having no money and no space can work. Money is an absolute essential if you plan to care for your rabbit properly and seek veterinary help when needed. Having a rabbit spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped, having regular (6 Monthly or annually) wellness checks as well as emergencies all cost money. And the lack of space is a massive concern. A rabbit should not have his basic needs compromised.

Hi Sarah

I agree with you in principle. However reality is this is a big world and how we do things here, ( well here in the UK for me, or over in the USA or other western countries which is where most of us are from) I don’t presume to want or expect the world to do things the same way. There are countries where people cannot afford medical care for themselves or their kids, so you can imagine how low down on the priotirry list pet medical care would be. Does that mean those people or heck those entire *societies* shouldn’t experience the joy of bonding with a pet? No.

They can be just as good as bunny parents as you and I and they can be that without doing what you and I do.

Just like there is no one way to bring up kids, I believe there is no one way to be a pet parent either.

It’s nice when you have luxuries in life like extra money and space you can use for your family and then have enough left over for extended family ie pets, but not everyone has that luxery. I don’t think having the love between pet and human should be a thing only money can buy.

Nope, sorry gunna have to disagree again. If you can’t afford a pet and don’t have space for a pet, don’t get a pet. It’s that simple. Because what happens if rabbit gets poorly? What happens if rabbit has inadequate housing? The rabbit suffers. An animal shouldn’t have to suffer just because the people responsible for it decided to be, well irresponsible and get a pet they can’t properly accommodate. How is that even up for discussion? Being an adult is about being responsible. It’s awful to think so many people get a pet simply because they want it. You must be able to provide for it.

Simply put, being able to afford something is subjective. *Everything* is relative and what you might see as someone not having enough money or space to own a pet, in another context is perfectly fine to own a pet.

Of course I am not talking about someone being in absolute poverty and owning a pet on top of that, I’m talking about relative poverty. You don’t need to foresee everything (just knowing it is a possiblity is what should be required) and you can’t plan for everything either, yeah it would be nice if everyone could afford to set up a pet saving plan for a few years before getting a pet (Or during – like many parents do with kids) but it’s just not the only way. I cannot afford a 10k holiday right now. You can bet though if I actually *needed* to afford that in a few months I would. Because that’s how life works, you do it as you go along. I don’t see anything irresponsible in knowing you don’t know the future, you could own a pet and have it cost you nothing (as it literally did with my childhood rabbit of 7 years – nothing as in no vet care) or it could cost you 2k in the first month.

It’s not irresponsible to not have that surplus money *beforehand*. Responsibility comes from your personality and attitude, not money nor space.

I do get your general gist is don’t get a pet then realise you don’t want it nor want to prioritise it monetarily, and stick it in a shelter but… I think there’s such a thing as balance.

Fluffykins and sarahthegemini, while the debate is interesting, can we please leave it as is now? The original poster has simply asked for advice about housing. Let’s keep the thread on that topic thanks.

Posted By Sonabear on 10/01/2017 2:34 AM

So a quick rundown of myself. Im financially responsible(have a job) and just recently bought a doggy playpen that I have set up to use for a bunny. I’m planning on getting a boy and it’s a relatively large playpen, maybe 2 by 5 feet spread out. I have a dog who’s not really aggressive he’s pretty sweet just active so I don’t think I can let my bunny roam the house, not to mention I live with parents. So my question is is it okay to get one bunny(Netherlands dwarf male) if he can’t really get much more then an hour or two outside his big playpen? Will he get really depressed being alone? I don’t want to get another because neutering is really expensive where I live. Thanks in advance for any advise you might have.

I would personally suggest to build a cage/habitat (many people call them “bunny condos”) based on office-storage grid cubes, or as they’re sometimes called, “NIC cubes” from one of the major brand names, or have one built; I bought one such as a ready-to-assemble kit and it’s served my two buns very well thus far. The advantages of doing it this way is that office-storage grids are quite cheap and you can build them to any size and configuration that you please, in one level or multiple levels. I recommend connecting the playpen to the habitat so that the bunny has even more room to run about when inside and also has somewhere to retreat to when he needs to feel secure (VERY important for rabbits!) One really good thing you can do is to get a couple of cardboard boxes and make “hidey boxes” from them by cutting entrances in two sides; bunnies love those and they’re literally free. Hardware/house supply stores sell cardboard “concrete form tubes” which are used to pour concrete columns that can be repurposed as bunny tunnels for play and security; these are also very cheap.

Because rabbits are very social animals, as others have noted, and love having company, I strongly recommend finding a bondmate for your rabbit if you have only limited time to spend with him per day. But be aware that you will need to have both buns neutered or spayed, then go through the bonding process which can be time-consuming. Check with local rabbit rescue organizations, the House Rabbit Society or local humane societies to see if you can find more inexpensive options for doing the neutering operation, which is not strictly necessary for health purposes for male rabbits but will do a lot to help curb undesirable behavioral issues such as aggressiveness and urine-spraying. Getting the assistance of rabbit rescues/HRS will also be very helpful in making bonding a success should you determine to go that route. I’m glad that I decided to go with finding and adopting a bonded couple that had already been neutered and spayed, it’s saved me a LOT of time, trouble and money. In point of fact, if you haven’t yet gotten the bunny, I do recommend that you do as I did and look for bonded pairs that have been fixed. Bonded pairs are far less likely to become lonely or bored and are, as a general rule, very well-behaved.