Convincing Parents to let Bunny live inside

[pebbles101]

Hey everybody, I am new here. So my bunny, Pebbles, lives in our garage in our old house. We recently moved to a new house very close to that one for various reasons. First of all, that house is only 10 minutes away from our new one, there is no cars in the garage that he is in, and i see him and let him out to play every day, so please, no hate. He IS NOT abandoned, and I love him soooo much,  so please don’t freak out. Anyway, I really want Pebbles to come live in our new house with us. The problem is that my parents will only let him live in our garage in the new house, which we do park cars in, and I know that is a big no-no. I was wondering if there was any way to convince them to let Pebbles live in the house with us. He is known to pee on carpets, destroy wallpaper, etc, so I can understand why they don’t want him inside, but I think it would be much better for him. So, please let me know if there is any way at all that I can convince my parents to let him live with us, and if you have any tricks that you know of for keeping buns from peeing on the carpet. 

Thanks a bunch!!

[LBJ10]

Couple of things before we try to answer your question…
1. Is he neutered?
2. Is there anywhere he could be kept inside the house where he would do the least amount of damage possible while you work on the problem? Because changes obviously wouldn’t happen overnight, but you still need to get him acclimated to living inside the house.

[pebbles101]

Hi LJB10 thanks for replying!

To answer your questions, yes, he is neutered, and he could probably stay in the boiler/ cold room, but those rooms are, well, cold, and there isn’t really much space.

[LBJ10]

That’s better than outside, I suppose. What is his setup like? Does he have a cage or pen?

[Daisy]

Would a (well closed off) pen with a hutch in the backyard be an option for you?

[pebbles101]

Hi everybody. He currently lives in our old house in a large chicken coop, and he is let out every day into a very large space. I guess a hutch outside could work, I just think it’s not very good for him to be outside. It gets very cold where I am, and there are also lots of coyotes. I know if the hutch is well closed off they couldn’t get to him, but they may stress him out too much.

[Bunny House]

Why don’t you get a pen and then he can be in it while you’re gone and then have play time when you’re home? Also, getting him a friend could help him no be so destructive as it is probably from being bored and then being naughty. Pens are amazing and so cheap for how long they last!

[pebbles101]

I actually have pen for him that I use to block off the area that I let him out in. I was just wondering if you have any tips on how to actually get my parents to let him live inside. I have thought about getting him a friend, but lets say hes not the friendliest bunny around, and I dont know how he gets along with other bunnies. He’s not very popular with my parents because of that so I doubt i’d be able to get another one

[LBJ10]

I really think the only way to truly convince your parents is to have him inside “temporarily”. Sort of like a probation period that will give you time to work on litter habits and other behaviors. If he isn’t given a chance to learn how to be an indoor rabbit, then how will your parents know that having him inside wouldn’t be a bad thing. Assuming, of course, they are worried about the mess and whatnot. This is why I suggested setting him up somewhere where he wouldn’t be able to cause a lot of damage. It wouldn’t have to be forever, just until you can get him to where he needs to be litter habit-wise.

[dogmom]

OK, I’m a parent I would let your bunnies inside! But I’ve got to learn a lot more about bunnies than I knew before and keeping bunnies is a lot different then when I was young. So the first thing to do for any campaign is to gather information. Ask your parents why they don’t want your bunny inside. Listen carefully, don’t interrupt them. Just listen to their reasons. It might also be, “That’s what we originally agreed to.” You can say, absolutely, but I have learned a lot more about rabbits and I’ve learned this is not the best living situation for them. I want to be responsible to our agreement, but I also want to be a responsible bunny parent. Parents respond to arguments about responsibility. Next, after you understand their reasons do some research and gather ideas to address the concerns. If they are worried about destruction or smell you can look into good litter box training, using an ex-pen and some cheap flooring to protect things. Keeping the bunny in your room, etc, Find pictures online of set ups that might work and address their concerns. Pinterest has a lot of ideas for bunny Habitats. Need help finding equipment? Contact your local shelter. Sometimes people are giving away pens and stuff you can use. The important thing is to really listen to your parents and take time to respond to their concerns.

Keep us posted!

[pebbles101]

Okay, thank you guys so much for answering, sorry i havent replied, ive been pretty buisy.

Dogmom and LBG10 (sorry if I got your name wrong), thats some great advice, and i think i will give it a shot, but i might wait till after christmas, because christmas rush, you know? Pebbs is currently still living at our old house, he gets human attention AT LEAST twice a day, and some cat attention all day

(The cats just roam around outside his hutch, they do not stress him out or harm him in any way, and he seems to like them I’m trying to be the best bunny mom i can be under the circumstances, but it would be super nice if he could live with us. I’ll keep you guys posted!

[pebbles101]

Hi guys, I have an update…
I don’t think theres even a chance I will be able to keep Pebbs in our house, as I can barely even have a plant lol! So I think, so save the stress of everyone, including Pebbles, I will just keep him where he is. He is well taken care of. I go there and let out him out to hop around for a MINIMUM of an hour a day, and we also have some cats roaming around there, so he has a bit of company. He seems pretty happy. Trust me, if I could, I would have him sleeping in my bed every night, but I just can’t. I know this isn’t ideal, but is it OK? When we lived there, I barely saw him more than I do now anyway, because I am so buisy with school, etc. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you understand.

[DarthVadar]

He sounds happy, except for the cat part. Are the cats domestic, or feral? If they are feral, they could hurt the rabbit or spread mites/fleas. Take steps towards getting the cats away. Cats are not bunny company; they are predators, and bunnies are prey. If you want to give Pebbles (awesome name btw) a buddy, get another rabbit and bond them.

[JLH]

Have your parents spend a couple nights in the old chicken coop and see how they like it. On a serious note, I got my bun at 8 weeks old, she has been a house free roam bunny since she was 3 months old. bunnies are very smart and I was able to train her to leave things alone that are not hers, all I would do is snap my fingers and say her name with a firm NO!. she is now 16 months old and she even free roams when no one is in the house. you can also buy a all natural harmless bunny repellent spray that they don’t like the smell, my friend used it for his buns. He would spray everywhere he caught his buns destroying things, he sprayed the electrical wires and they stopped chewing on those. I also have toys for my bun and boxes of hay in multiple places in the house to keep her busy. It just takes time but a bun can be taught to be good, also when training a bun don’t be mean, don’t yell, and don’t ever hit them. Buns are our sweet little friends.

[Kiki]

I’d get a nice plastic pen and put him in my room. If you had to you could bring him to the garage to exercise him so he doesn’t mess up the inside. But if that won’t work maybe invest some money in getting him a nice, insulated hutch.

[sarahthegemini]

I’m sorry but are you saying that you are keeping your rabbit in the garage of a house that you’re no longer living in???

Honestly I can’t imagine how lonely your rabbit must be. I cannot understand how your parents can think this is acceptable. Getting a pet and shoving him in a garage is weird anyway but a garage at a house you don’t live in ? I’m baffled.

[Bunny House]

This doesn’t seem like a good idea. He should be in a house where he is loved and gets all the attention he wants and needs. I think In this case since you’re so busy that a new home might be able to give him the basic care he needs that he isn’t getting now. A bunny should be treated like a dog or cat and if you can’t to do that then that is neglect which is abuse to the animal

[Author]

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