[knaffie]

My wife's sister will soon be giving away baby rabbits and my wife thinks she wants one. She wants me to build a large multi-level cage for it to live inside our house. The idea would be to litter train it and keep it in the cage while we're gone and to let it out while we're home. Supposedly they can be left for days at a time if given enough food/water, which would be essential for us.

I'm concerned its going to piss/shit all over the place, shed hair everywhere, smell being in the house all the time, and maybe hide if we let it out. I've lived this situation with cats in the past and don't really want a repeat of it.

She thinks its going to be all snuggley and loving like a cat and like to get brushed and pet.

Anybody have any advice for me?

 

[brian76708]

now how did coolant get into the rabbits water bowl. jk

 

[prozak1986]

dont do it , my girlfriend use to have 2 that lived in a huge 3 level ferret cage , the smelliest animals ever , there pretty damn hard to get litter trained and even wen there litter trained they pretty much still shit and piss ware ever they want , they shed like crazy ,., thers probably more issues with them i just cant think

 

[GerkTJ]

had one litter trained an d was free to run around the basement, until we noticed the damn thing was chewing on the baseboard! it went outside after that

 

[RockyMTN05]

I wouldn't recommend it.

While in college, this stupid girl I dated had a pet rabbit. They're useless as hell as a pet. It shits all over the place, they bite, the bedding/litter shit gets ALL over the place and stinks. (And don't say, well change the bedding, that's why it stinks... because that's not it, I can't stand the smell of the actual bedding, not because it's soiled. And I tried a half dozen different kinds)

They're not fun. They don't do anything cool, don't particularly enjoy human interaction, and overall (wait for it....) fucking pointless. Chicks just want one because they're soft, cute, and furry. Once it starts biting you (and it hurts), and you have to change the bedding, and there is pellets of shit all over the place, it won't be so cute anymore. And they live a while, so don't plan on it dying anytime soon. Just an overall pointless headache.

Get a dog or a cat if you want a pet.

 

[knaffie]

She read online that if you get them fixed they won't piss everywhere to mark their territory. But here we go, putting money into the damn things already. So much for them being "free".

 

[knaffie]

I wouldn't recommend it.

While in college, this stupid girl I dated had a pet rabbit. They're useless as hell as a pet. It shits all over the place, they bite, the bedding/litter shit gets ALL over the place and stinks. (And don't say, well change the bedding, that's why it stinks... because that's not it, I can't stand the smell of the actual bedding, not because it's soiled. And I tried a half dozen different kinds)

They're not fun. They don't do anything cool, don't particularly enjoy human interaction, and overall (wait for it....) fucking pointless. Chicks just want one because they're soft, cute, and furry. Once it starts biting you (and it hurts), and you have to change the bedding, and there is pellets of shit all over the place, it won't be so cute anymore. And they live a while, so don't plan on it dying anytime soon. Just an overall pointless headache.

Get a dog or a cat if you want a pet.

That's about what I was thinking too.

 

[pyrowaves]

I've thought about it. I like the large ones. I'd have to research more if i was serious about getting one. I know they can be litter box trained and be very friendly and nice pets (someone at work has one) but i've also heard of them being mean.

 

[fsumotorhead]

my wife (girlfriend at the time) had one in college, i swear it was better trained than most peoples dogs. though back then she had more free time than she knew what to do with. it would come when called, do tricks, and piss and shit in the litter (granted some turd pellet would wind up on the floor from time to time).

the bad is it will chew the hell out of what ever it wants, cords wood carpet etc, they have claws that hurt like a mofo when you get scratched. but they taste awesome, so if it doesn't work out, i'll give you my crock pot reciepe

 

[fsumotorhead]

She read online that if you get them fixed they won't piss everywhere to mark their territory. But here we go, putting money into the damn things already. So much for them being "free".

only an issue with the males, they "spray" piss, and yes the ball removal takes care of it

many dogs and cats should be de-balled as well for the same type of reason

 

[joe&jeep]

When my kids were young we had two female minature rabbits, litter trained and let lose when we were home. once in a while might find a pellet but never pissed out side of litter box. And if you ever get tired of them, rabbit is mighty tasty................

 

[ajmorell]

I've thought about it. I like the large ones. I'd have to research more if i was serious about getting one. I know they can be litter box trained and be very friendly and nice pets (someone at work has one) but i've also heard of them being mean.

My fiances brother has a giant flemish.....it smells something awful and isn't that friendly. Other than being big and furry it has nothing going for it.

 

[mudmafia]

they stink

 

[JohnnyJ]

My roommates girlfriend gave him two rabbits. I wanted to shoot the rabbits and the girlfriend.

Stink is an understatement.

Unfortunately, my wife got my daughter two rabbits. W keep them outside and I try to stay away from that area.

 

[All5ofus]

I've had 2 of them. Both times my wife (that wanted one "SO BAD") wanted the thing gone within 6 months.
They are a big pain to catch too.

Our last one ran out of the house one day. After trying to catch it for 30 minutes when we had to be some place we gave up and took off for were we had to be. That silly thing hung around our yard for a whole year! We would just put out food and water for it every day. One day it turned up missing. The family wasn't to upset about it being gone for good.

 

[mtnbikinbryno]

Gross

 

[RockyMTN05]

the bad is it will chew the hell out of what ever it wants, cords wood carpet etc, they have claws that hurt like a mofo when you get scratched. but they taste awesome, so if it doesn't work out, i'll give you my crock pot reciepe

Very good point that I forgot about. I almost had rabbit stew when it chewed the cord of my big screen tv that I had in her apartment. It then starting working on the cords of the xbox 360, dvd player, etc. Also, it basically ruined any good wood furniture in the apartment as well. It will chew the legs of coffee tables, end tables, nice bed frames/headboards, etc.

I've had 2 of them. Both times my wife (that wanted one "SO BAD") wanted the thing gone within 6 months.
They are a big pain to catch too.

Also a good point. Her and her roommmate would take it out of the cage because it was "so cute" to watch run around (it would hide behind the couch and other furniture so that they're almost impossible to find. Then when you'd move the furniture to try to get it... it would dart across the room as fast as it could and hide behind something else.

They would always have to call me to come get it back in its cage. It's sort of like when you see dogs playing the "keep away" game when they get off their leash on a walk or at a park, they'll let you get close enough so you think you'll catch it, then they take off like a bat out of hell.

if you haven't gotten the point yet.... DON'T LET HER GET ONE.

 

[greygoose]

My father inherited my brothers pet rabbit when he moved out. They have had him since he was a baby and all in all it really isn't a bad pet.

If you fix them most of them time they wont pee all over. My fathers rabbit returns to its cage to piss and shit. It gets along well with my black lab, it hasn't bitten anyone since it was a baby, and they actually trust theirs so much that they leave the cage door open 24/7. It just goes in and out as it pleases.

 

[phittie1100]

My son's teacher (4th graders) has a rabbit that lives in the class room during the week, goes home with one of the kids each weekend or over school breaks. He is fairly well litterbox trained (we have had him for several weekends plus Christmas vacation) and does OK when roaming as long as there is nothing chewable at his level. He can gnaw through an electrical cord in about 14 seconds and any wood trim is fair game. If I get a vote, bunnies are outside critters unless you have a decent sized hutch for them to live in indoors, or they should be in the slow cooker for dinner.