Bunny questions!

[Katie Alice]

Hi there guys! I have a few questions for all you bunny owners… I’ve been really hoping to get a pet bunny soon but my parents are convinced I shouldn’t get one. A lot of people we’ve known have had bunnies that they just put in a hutch outside and never payed attention to them, so my parents think they aren’t good pets. I have been doing a lot of research on bunnies and definitely know now that they are amazing pets.

1. Is spay/neuter required? I know there are many good reasons to do it but my parents seem convinced that unless we have two there’s absolutely no point. If not can they still be litter box trained?

2. Is a cage better than an exercise pen? I seen a lot of people saying how x-pens are great and even better than cages.

3. Do you fill the cage with shavings like a hamster, guinea pig, etc. or something? The “bunny package” at my pet store includes a really big bag of shavings and I’ve seen a few listings on Kijiji for bunnies and their cages were all shavings. But when I see all the setups on here I have yet to see any shavings being used? 

4. At my pet shop the first time I was in there they only had “Lionhead Rabbits” for 60$, and the next time I was in those guys were still there but there were also floppy eared ones too though for 70$… Isn’t there just a regular rabbit? Haha! Also there isn’t any shelters near me so that’s out of the question unfortunately.

5. There is a Lionhead that caught my eye.. While every other bunny in the store doesn’t move this silly guy is hopping around even half kicking the other ones and licking the glass when you come up! So if he happens to still be there (he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere) I was wondering about these “Lionheads”– do you have to trim their fur, or can you? 

[LBJ10]

1. If it is a girl, then spaying is an absolute must. Females have an extremely high risk of developing uterine cancer and the only way to eliminate that risk is through spaying. Unspayed females have a significantly shorted lifespan. Plus their hormonal behavior can be a nightmare for many owners. With boys, the same risks aren’t there. Behavior-wise though, they can be hormonal little terrors as well. But for health reasons, neutering is not 100% necessary (just make sure you DO have a boy, pet stores make mistakes). Some unfixed buns can be litter box trained, but you can’t expect them to be 100% consistent (territorial marking).

2. NIC condos are very popular. Exercise pens are good too. Both options are better than a store bought cage, which tend to be way to small.

3. You don’t need “bedding” in the cage, this just causes confusion when litter training. Pine and cedar shavings are actually bad for bunnies so don’t use it. Use something like Carefresh or Yesterday’s News.

4. Pet shops like to put labels on stuff to get more money. I seriously doubt they are purebred lionheads. A “regular” rabbit, I suppose would be a mixed breed (which many pet shop bunnies are).

5. You don’t necessarily need to trim it. I guess it depends on how fluffy they end up being. You definitely need to groom them regularly though.

[Eepster]

1. Spaying has health benefits, but neutering is only done to prevent specific things that may or may not apply to you and your bunny. Neutering is to prevent pregnancy, improve litter habits, reduce aggression, prevent spraying, make it possible to bond them with other bunnies, reduce litter odor, eliminate humping, etc. If you are keeping your male bunny as a bachelor and he doesn’t have any hormonal behaviors that are a problem for you, then you can leave him intact. Our male Porky isn’t neutered since he’s a well behaved single bunny with impeccable litter habits, who only ever humps his stuffed animals and never any people. If he wasn’t he’d be off to the vet to get snipped. Since you won’t know till your bunny is settled in if you might not need to neuter him, make sure you have budgeted for it.

2. Cage vs pen is really more about what fits in your home and how much of a jumper you bunny turns out to be. The important thing is to make sure his habitat is roomy and comfortable.

3. Those kits are a waste of money, don’t get one. Whether you decide on cage or pen, you can get a much nicer and more spacious one by putting it together yourself for half the money. I recommend using storage cube grids, aka NIC. They are super easy to build, and don’t require carpentry skills. There are tutorials all over the internet and hundreds of variations.

4. Other options for finding bunnies than at the pet store, or at a shelter are: Craig’s list; local breeders; rescue organizations that don’t have brick and mortar shelters. A great place to start is by typing in your zip code and selecting rabbit on petfinder.com.

5. It sound like that one you are talking about may be the dominant bunny at the store, you may find him/her to be very aggressive.

Most importantly, do not bring a bunny home till your parents are 100% on board with the idea and fully committed to dealing with the responsibilities of bunny.  This must be a whole family decision, and they need to be willing to care for the bunny at times when you are unable to.

[Katie Alice]

Thank you for the great answers guys! I just found this cage that seems like a good size for the price & thought I could ask for your opinions.. it’s 47″x22.8″x20″ (LxWxH) with a deep plastic bottom tray. It seems pretty big, but I’m not sure after there’s a litterbox, etc… it’s from the same seller with exercise pens and I happened to see it.

[Tessie]

I think what you’re describing sounds like a regular pet-store type cage?
We don’t recommend these as they are rarely big enough unfortunately. A bun needs a minimum of 4ft by 2ft of space at all times, which that cage is actually slightly under.
I agree with the others’ ideas, look int x-pens and NIC condos. They’re usually cheaper anyway!

[Katie Alice]

Posted By Tessie on 02/09/2014 02:59 PM
I think what you’re describing sounds like a regular pet-store type cage?
We don’t recommend these as they are rarely big enough unfortunately. A bun needs a minimum of 4ft by 2ft of space at all times, which that cage is actually slightly under.
I agree with the others’ ideas, look int x-pens and NIC condos. They’re usually cheaper anyway!

Plus they tried to say it could hold 3 bunnies! Yeah right..
Thanks, I’m getting the x-pen for sure!

[Author]

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