Questions about owning a bunny(or bunnies)

[Royal]

Hai guys! I just joined the forum and do not yet have a rabbit. I am looking into it and if I were to get one it would have free range of my room. So here is my first question. #1 Should I keep the carpet or pay extra for vinyl flooring? Also, vinyl flooring is safe for bunnies right? I personally like vinyl flooring and it would be easier to clean accidents when I am potty training the rabbit/s. Since my room is gonna be pretty big, the price is probably gonna be too. And I read up that bunnies would chew up the carpet. Question #2 Should I get one or two rabbits? Since I’m going to school the rabbit would be sorta alone. To fix that problem I was thinking I could get a second one to keep each other company. Is this a good idea? Question #3 If I get bunnies, I would like them to have free range around the whole room at all times. And yet people say I need a cage for an indoor rabbit. Is this true even if they have free range at all times? I understand bunnies need hide outs and all but is a cage really necessary? Question #4 What is a great way for bunnies to not chew on the wood furniture I have? Could I attach wire mesh around the wood to prevent them from chewing on it? Do I rub lemon on all the furniture I have? Is there someway I could use a prop to put under the furniture so they can’t reach it? Could I wrap small pieces of fleece around the furniture? If you have any great tips please share them with me! Question #5 What type of comb/brush would be best for grooming rabbits? Also, is there some other grooming supplies for them other then combs? (I love keeping animals of all kinds nicely brushed, combed, and basically just very clean and glorious looking. Who can relate? xD) I think that is all the questions I have! Please share your opinions and thoughts and if there is any other great tip that can relate to one of my questions please share it with me! Thanks!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Royal on 7/13/2017 12:35 PM

Hai guys! I just joined the forum and do not yet have a rabbit. I am looking into it and if I were to get one it would have free range of my room. So here is my first question. #1 Should I keep the carpet or pay extra for vinyl flooring? Also, vinyl flooring is safe for bunnies right? I personally like vinyl flooring and it would be easier to clean accidents when I am potty training the rabbit/s. Since my room is gonna be pretty big, the price is probably gonna be too. And I read up that bunnies would chew up the carpet. Question #2 Should I get one or two rabbits? Since I’m going to school the rabbit would be sorta alone. To fix that problem I was thinking I could get a second one to keep each other company. Is this a good idea? Question #3 If I get bunnies, I would like them to have free range around the whole room at all times. And yet people say I need a cage for an indoor rabbit. Is this true even if they have free range at all times? I understand bunnies need hide outs and all but is a cage really necessary? Question #4 What is a great way for bunnies to not chew on the wood furniture I have? Could I attach wire mesh around the wood to prevent them from chewing on it? Do I rub lemon on all the furniture I have? Is there someway I could use a prop to put under the furniture so they can’t reach it? Could I wrap small pieces of fleece around the furniture? If you have any great tips please share them with me! Question #5 What type of comb/brush would be best for grooming rabbits? Also, is there some other grooming supplies for them other then combs? (I love keeping animals of all kinds nicely brushed, combed, and basically just very clean and glorious looking. Who can relate? xD) I think that is all the questions I have! Please share your opinions and thoughts and if there is any other great tip that can relate to one of my questions please share it with me! Thanks!

1) Vinyl would probably be more practical but you’ll have to make sure they don’t eat it. 

2) Two rabbits would be wonderful but you’ll need to properly bond them or adopt an already bonded pair. 

3) No, they don’t need a cage. Mine don’t have cages anymore. Just make sure they have hidey houses.

4) No idea – mine chew the table legs!

5) I use a grooming mit for mine but mine are short haired. It would depend what breed you have.

[Boston's Mama]

Hi there
I’ll break down the parts I can answer
Cage nessassary?: if free ranging as you say then , no. Not ness, however – a pen would be a good idea to start with so you can litter tray easier if it’s not a bun that is already litter trained ( rescue ).
A smaller space is easier to train in. It will also be nessassary if bonding later

Brush: depends on the breed. Angoras need different than a lop for instance. A fuzzy lop needs different than a short furred holland lop etc ect.
I’d wait till you get bun(s) before getting the brush

1 or 2: how many hours will you be gone a day? Will you be home in the early mornings and evenings? Can you provide a good 6 hours a day of company in the morning and evening ( when bunnies are most active) if so then it’s not nessassary to have two buns, as you will bond with him or her and if you provide enough time to meet their social needs he can be perfectly happy
If you are not going to be home enough or out long hours of his awake time then a bond pair is better so he isn’t lonely.
A few factors to consider though – vet costs double, food costs double, hay costs double , twice the desexing.
If you decide a pair is for you then a rescue already bonded pair would be the best option to skip the bonding process as there is a lot involved in bonding and it doesn’t always work which means you would need to be prepared to house them seperately f it doesn’t work.
Two cannot just be together from babies. They need to be housed seperately cages next to each other where they can see and smell but not reach each other until at least a month after being desexed – sometimes up to 6 months for all the hormones to settle

[vanessa]

1. Mine shred vinyl, 2 of the 4 chew carpet. 2 don’t. Depends on the bunny. I’d wait and see how the bunny reacts to the flooring.
2. Ditto on Sarah
3. Mine don’t have cages, only hidey boxes.
4. Depends. 2 of mine don’t chew furniture, the other 2 r destructo bunnies. Depends on the bunny. I don’t believe scented products work much. Physical barriers aka bunny proofing r best bet.
5. I use a cat brush from Wal-Mart.

[ThorBunny]

Hi! Glad you are thinking of getting a bunny(s) they are wonderful pets

1) Vinyl is more practical for cleaning, and many rabbits will shred carpet. That said, I have my free range bun in our apartment with several carpets. She does dig at them a bit but has never done any real damage. It really depends on the rabbit.
2) If you get 2 rabbits I would also highly recommend getting an already bonded pair! Thor is my first bun, so I went with getting a single rabbit to ease myself into bunny ownership. I don’t regret this, and I really liked having time to bond with her on her own. However, I am now looking at getting her a companion and know bonding will be a headache! If you want to save time and pain, there are many adult pairs of rabbits up for adoption at shelters. Then you don’t have to go through separation of bunnies before they can be fixed.
3) No they don’t need a cage! My bun is free range, but she does have a “bunny area” for her litterbox and food, with a few hidey places. It is good to have some baby gates and an exercise pen (3ft high) to be able to keep them contained if you need to. It is nice to keep them in a smaller area to start out with as Sarah said.
4) You can get deterrent sprays but most say they don’t really work. I have 2x4s on my baseboards and have placed barriers around important chair legs. However, I got luck and Thor doesn’t really go after wood too much either, except her chew toys.
5) I have a whole range of brushes! I love keeping my bun well brushed too, you’re not alone I have a rubber grooming mit (Love glove), cat flea comb and the hairbuster comb from here on BB. Hair buster is defnitley a lifesaver for heavy sheds! Its the best at getting out clumps of undercoat.

[Bianca]

1) I would at least get a patch of vinyl to keep around the litter tray in case of accidents. Vinyl is great when they are first learning to litter train particularly – it’s so much easier to keep mess off. Mine ate a bit of the vinyl but has no interest in it now. It really depends on your rabbits.

2) I agree with others that getting an already bonded pair would be your best option if you go for two. I have to admit, mine have always been so much happier with a bunny friend, and it doesn’t change how they interact with people usually. If you get an already bonded pair you don’t have to worry about trying to bond them yourself.

3) They don’t need a cage, but if you are worried about them getting into mischief when you aren’t home then a playpen/sectioned off area wouldn’t be a bad idea for when you aren’t home. It sort of acts as a home base with food, litter tray, etc, as well. I have an area like that, although I haven’t shut them in it for a while because my current buns aren’t quite such trouble makers as Ogg was.

4) Again depends on the rabbit. I am lucky. I don’t have to rabbit proof anything – except blocking them from getting under the aquarium stand. They don’t even touch cords anywhere else (although they don’t have access to any in their main room) but cords under the aquarium stand are the best, so I don’t let them under there. Other than that, and one book on the book shelf that I have had to move out of reach, they are pretty good. I provide lots of toys they can chew on, but I think if a bunny is determined to chew furniture, you might just have to have a playpen set up for when you can’t supervise, or provide physical barriers to furniture you don’t want damaged.

5) Brush will depend on the rabbit. I bought a pack of cheap plastic combs (it has 4 different sizes) from my local supermarket. I use a short one on Terry, and he also loves the cheap and terrible pet vacuum. I use the longest one on Maggie, who is an angora. But once all of her fur grows back (a lot was shaved by the RSPCA because she was neglected) then I will need a long metal comb to get through it all. I’m thinking of buying a couple of furminators off ebay soon too, they come in different sizes depending on size of animal and length of fur.

[Royal]

Ok guys! Thanks so much! I wrote down all the answers you guys gave me. Since you said bunnies might shred the vinyl, do you guys have any suggestions to stop it if that happens?

[Royal]

Also, one more question. If there is no option to adopt a bonded pair, is there some tips to bond a guinea pig or a hamster with a bunny? + is it safe? Could I approach the bonding with either one the same way you would bond a rabbit with a rabbit?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Royal on 7/14/2017 9:54 AM

Also, one more question. If there is no option to adopt a bonded pair, is there some tips to bond a guinea pig or a hamster with a bunny? + is it safe? Could I approach the bonding with either one the same way you would bond a rabbit with a rabbit?

You cannot house guinea pigs with rabbits so no, you can’t bond them. Definitely not a hamster 

[Mikey]

A hamster is too small so that wouldnt work at all, and a guinea pig can get hurt. Rabbits bond by nipping and humping which can cause a lot of pain for the guinea pig since theyre not built for that. Likewise, rabbits have powerful back legs so if the guinea pig ever gets kicked, even accidentally because the rabbit is running around, the piggy can be severely hurt. Its best to bond the rabbit to another rabbit, or in some cases bond the rabbit to a pup. If you really want a pair, youre best to wait until a bonded pair show up at the shelter

[Royal]

Ok, thanks!

[Author]

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