I need help (rabbit info)

[lovemymaltese]

Hello,
I am interesting in getting a rabbit for my apartment. There is a few problems that I am concerned with and I cannot find anyone who can give me some answers.
1. Is it easy to train a rabbit to a litter box?
2. My roommate has a basset hound puppy that likes to play with other animals, do you think that the rabbit would get hurt?
3. My apartment is not real big, my maltese and the basset hound roam freely and seem to have plenty of space, but I was told that rabbits need lots of room to hop around.

Can anyone give me some advice before I get a rabbit. Thanks!

[inkspot14]

basset watch out the same w/ the malteese.
buy a cat box fill it w/ cedar beddin deep enough to dig.
bunny proof your apartment. pick up wires we don't want a roasted bunny. your apartment should be big enough. i have a 10' by 6' pen in my basement.


luck with the bunny

[lovemymaltese]

thanks!

[Karen]

Go to www.rabbit.org - that's the House Rabbit society's website, and it has lots of information to help you.

Rabbits are usually very easy to litterbox train, but it's not possible to keep them from chewing, so read the FAQ'a at that site on how to bunny-proof! They also have tips on how to introduce a bunny into a home that already has pets. If either of your dogs has a strong "prey drive" you aren't going to be able to leave them all alone together, someone will have to be caged for the bunny's safety.

Rabbits don't necessarily need a lot of room, just some space and lots of love!

[Dogz]

My friend said that training a rabbit to a litter box was simple. She just said that she put a box with litter in the rabbit's outdoor hutch, and she just went in there, but I am not sure, but I don't know how long it took. Lots of Luck!

[Bunnicula05]

yes, it is very easy to train a rabbit to a litter box. DO NOT USE CEDAR BEDDING! It can lead to respiratory problems. I use corncob litter. It's absorbent to an extent, so it will basically force you to clean the litter box. I would introduce the puppy to the bunny gradually. They'll become fast friends (we hope). If you're going to let it have free range, bunny proof your apartment. Get all electrical cords off the ground etc. And last and foremost, spay or neuter your new pet. Rabbits can get cancer in the reproductive system (especially females). Hope I informed you about something positive. Hehehe, luck to u and your new bun. ~meg~

[lovemymaltese]

thanks everyone, I will check out that site.

[Daisylover]

Meg,
Just wanted to say good job on giving the bunny info. And you are absolutely right about the cedar and/or pine shavings....they are very bad for bunnies, although you won't get a pet store or the manufacturer to acknowledge that.

[Heather Wallace]

Meg, Daisy. I didnt know that about pine shavings.Thanks

[NoahsMommy]

The corn cob bedding is good, but if you have a bun that likes to dig...it'll get really messy. If that happens, just put some hay over your litter and it stops the rabbit from digging. We used "Care Fresh" for our buns when we had them. It worked really great.

We had our buns in our apartment and created a false floor; plywood with hinge in the middle and office carpet attached to it (we used a staple gun). I protected our carpet and they were able to be as messy as they wanted. We had a "Bunny Condo" they could take refuge in or under and had two litter boxes, one inside, one outside of the cage. To train them, just put one of thier poops in the litter box, they automatically know what to do. They are creatures of habit...

About the dog...I would advise getting a baby bun so that it gets used to having dogs around. Or, even better, rescue a bun that has been used to having other animals around. At first, you really need to supervise the animals a lot.

The site Karen gave you is excellent! It'll tell you everything you need to know about buns...good luck!!!

[Daisylover]

Good advice too from Noah's Mommy!!!!

I'd be careful to introduce the bunny to the dogs, one quick over-enthusiastic hello could be fatal......... Bunnies have very delicate bones and many dogs have the hunting instinct still in them....do yours dogs chase squirrels????? They might not be good candidates for a bunny companion if so......

You might want to hold the bunny while you do the introductions and reinforce to the dogs that they are still loved to try to contain any jealousy that might spring up.....and never they them together unattended.

I know we read of many successful dog and bunny realtionships but I think they are the exception and not the rule.... I'd think twice about it.....

[lovemymaltese]

that's what I was afraid of. The puppy is just wanting to be a puupy. he is a 30 pound basset puppy that loves to play. I guess that I should wait until me roommate and I leave next year for GRADUATION, YES!!!!!!

[Daisylover]

Well, I think you've made a good decision for now. It may be that when the puppy is older he'll be more settled and you can get a bunny at that time.

Bunnies make incredible pets but they do take much more work that a cat or dog and their recoomended diet can get expensive (little but preferably NO rabbit pellets and fresh dark greens twice a day). Finding a rabbit specialist vet is imperative as well as not all vet have been trained in caring for rabbits. We had 2 very sad stories at the sanctuary earlier this year where a non rabbit vet tried to care for a bunny...they ended up killing one and did more damage to the other....DON"T even get me started on the vet who recommended Tang be given!!!!

I have 5 buns and spend approx $30/wk to feed them but I wouldn't trade them in for anything. They are the best!!!!