…… school me on keeping rabbits as pets

Faroe

Un-spun
Yes, piggies can be fun, and don't need the run of the house. They do need a decent sized cage! 2X8, or 4X4 min. Again, social, so get two. The better enclosures are table top DIY - look up C&C, they are made with the plastic cholorplast (trade name, spell?) sheets, and wire shelf panels. Zip ties for connecting the 13"X13" shelving units, and lots of fleece. Expect to do a considerable amount of laundry to keep the fleece clean. Otherwise, they are simple to keep. They don't climb, so the top can be left open - a very nice feature.

If you can swing the 4'X8" layout, but don't want all the laundry, consider land turtles, or small tortoises. Top can be open, sides MUST be solid (non see-through). The other MUST is UV, and the mfr. needs to be reputable (like Arcadia), and the bulbs should be hung low over the surface, and should be replaced yearly. Expect to do considerable research if you want to do it right. These enclosures can be very pretty with rock work, draining bio-active soils and lots of plants.

Still, a pair of friendly rats would be the easiest. I only hesitate to recommend a snake (the lowest in maintenance once the enclosure is properly setup. Again, considerable research to do it right, but easy after that) because of the snake hostile audience here. LOVE my snakes!

Birds can be another good option. Doves are quiet. They do require a daily paper change. Expect to vacuume the room daily, as all captive birds seem to like to toss seeds.
 
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subnet

Boot
Keep the males and females separate, they will do the deed faster than you know and breed like rabbits ..lol
Way back in the day, we had one pop a good sized litter over night, we didn't even know she was knocked up, then she crushed them all....
 

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
They will EAT your wood furniture>>>>>AND the one I had chewed a BIG HOLE in a BRAND NEW pair of leather boots I had!!
 

tm1439m

Veteran Member
Had rabbits when I was growing up.

Put all sorts of fresh veggies, fruit and grasses in the hutch one day. Also green leaves from many type of trees and some random dried leaves from trees.

I was an odd kid. Always experimenting in one way or another.

I wanted to see what they liked most. Watched as they chewed through every dried maple leaf in there. When all the maple leaves were gone they pushed everything else around apparently looking for more maple leaves. The cage was slam full of everything, including carrots by the way and all they wanted was those dry maple leaves.

I suggest giving them dry maple leaves as part of their food source. Ask me why.
 

FireDance

TB Fanatic
Had a friend in psych research. He had to stop because he developed some super allergy to the rats they were working with.

Guinea pigs are sweet, but a lot of work IMO. I can’t think of a single thing except a hairless cat. And keeping them warm can be a major issue so I hear. But then I have never had one either.

I am fresh out of ideas. I like miniature horses, but…
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Might I suggest a living fish tank, this is a tank that is filled with live plants and several types of fish that like a more brackish environment.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
From my experience at work as a tech, yes, they do have special needs, and usually a veterinarian with special attention to their particular husbandry is best for any illnesses and regular care. We will only see them for very minor issues such as nail trims or a quick exam.
Just a personal choice of my boss; he chooses not to see exotics or these type of animals.
They can really hurt themselves if frightened or angry especially their spine/back can be badly damaged if they freak. We’ve had to immediately cease a nail trim before just because the animal was in an angry scared panic. Even our best restraint efforts just weren’t working.

Everything else mentioned here is true as far as I know and that’s not much lol.
They’re probably wonderful pets, smart, sweet, and great indoors, they just have some special issues.

(As an aside, I adore the guinea pig patients we have, most of us techs will fight to get those appointments!! We only have two or three of those pet owners so those don’t come around too often!)

This^^^ If he thinks dogs are a lot of work then he hasn't seen anything yet! We raised show rabbits and meat rabbits and invariably one or two would become pets. They also bite when upset, had to have stitches once because my beloved bunny became spooked and bit my hand.
 

Displaced hillbilly

Veteran Member
We just got into rabbits in august. For meat, not pets. We have a pair of silver Fox and a trio of Flemish giants. The Flemish are my favorite. The buck loves his head scratches and is huge and one of our does loves to give me kisses. We built them a simple shed and built all the cages. Have not bred them yet, waiting till late winter. Hoping we are successful. I wouldn’t want them inside, their pee is super stinky and they shed allot.
 

DazedandConfused

Veteran Member
I just worked out a deal over Thanksgiving dinner for a new Rex buck to add to my breeding stock. pick him up in the morning. He is a very laid back rabbit which I find most bucks are, the Does always seem to be the ones with attitudes .
My girlfriends daughter just had a New Zealand/Rex drop a litter of 21 babies that is a large litter.
 

Ku Commando

Inactive
I used to own a cat. I became allergic to it. I still kept it 15 years before it took sick and had to be put down.

Dogs are too high maintenance and expensive. So I am thinking rabbits.


I know they can be litter box trained and can be by themselves for long periods of time.

Chime in.:)


Forget the pet aspect......FEED yourself -- Meat & Eggs

R/T 16:15 & 4:50


 
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