I've never owned a rabbit before. I have no idea how to take care of a rabbit. Could someone please tell me some things about rabbits? Do rabbits smell? Do they require a lot of care? I'm living in an apartment and I would have the rabbit and all of its things in my room.
2007-02-04 07:38:23 · 8 answers · asked by lauren_lauren_lauren_lauren 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Like any pet, you can make your rabbit require high maintanence or you can have it require little maintanence. Of course the optimal care for your bunny would be to bunny proof your apartment by hanging up cords, protecting wooden furniture legs, etc., have your bunny out all the time with it being litterbox trained, high quality rabbit food, etc, etc. I think you get the point. Realistically though, for your rabbit to be happy and content, it needs a hutch/cage of some sort, a good diet of rabbit pellets and hay (try and stay away from alphalpha, or at least too much of it, it's low in protein and fiber and high in carbs) and a bit of love each day. Some things you might want to add to that are a litter box, with pellet type of litter as clay litter iritates their lungs, to make cleaning easier (rabbits are just like cats in that they'll use a litter box naturally, if you don't use one you'll notice that your rabbit pretty much goes in the same corner all the time), rabbit treats (don't overdo these!) and of course you can add exercise to the program as exercise never hurts. Theonly reason I say that exercise isn't absolutly necessary is that if you regulate a rabbits diet and have a big enough hutch/cage they'll have plenty of room to hop around a bit and their weight will be maintained at a healthy level. Rabbits don't and won't smell as long as you keep the hutch and/or litter box cleaned and as was mentioned, rabbits clean themselves just like cats do. I raise rabbits and currently have 45 in a decent sized hut and rarely do they small as long as I keep the dropping pans cleaned. If you get an angora rabbit (they're the type with rather long wool like hair) I reccomend in addition to pellets that you feed the rabbit pinapple or broccli as this helps pass hair trhough their GI tract.
Rabbits are great pets, especially if you live in an apartment that allows them. They're gentle, soft and playful and rarely will you get one that is mean. Just be sure to give you rabbit attention everyday and it'll be just fine!
Also, as was mentioned in another response, don't get your rabbit from the pet store. The reason from this isn't that they've been taken away from their mothers too early (as rabbits can be weaned safely at 6 weeks old) but rather the rabbits the pet stores get are the ones the breeders don't want. Now this might mean that they just don't have the markings the breeder was looking for but usually these rabbits are of "inferior quality" to the ones you can get directly from a breeder. By inferior quality I mean that they can have behavioral problems that are undesireable for a breeder and chances are if a breeder doesn't want the rabbit you probably won't either.
2007-02-07 04:40:37 · answer #1 · answered by xenonwarrior8 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits are delightful companion animals. But you do have to be prepared to keep them properly. You will need a coop/cage of some kind, big enough for them to spread out in. A good food dish that they can not tip or spill, preferably one they can't poop it! You will need a water bottle (I prefer 2). You will need a litter pan and "kitty litter". Please only use recycled newspaper or dried aspen shavings. (Do not use regualr kitty litter, especially the "oder contol" stuff. It contains clay. cats do not eat their litter, rabbits may. Consider "Yesterday's News, or "Kountry Kritters" made from newspaper. It won't hurt the rabbit at all.
You will need a well balance feed and timothy hay. (I strongly believe in limited fruits and veges. But others will argue otherwise.)
You should decide how big or small a rabbit you want, based on how much room you have. (The bigger the rabbit, the bigger the cage, the more food they need, the bigger the poops!) But don't base your decision just on size. You should look into the personalities of different breeds. (Just like dogs, different rabbits are bred to have different personalities.)
You should look for a breeder or rescue organization in your area. Please do not buy a rabbit from a pet store. Many of those rabbits are taken from their mother's way to early and do not have a good survival rate. What ever rabbit you get should be neutered or spayed. (Neutering is cheaper and less involved than a spay, and bucks (boys) tend to make the best pets.) Neutering will cut down on the smell too. (A lot of rescue organizations will spay or neuter before you get a bunny.)
Overall, rabbits are easy, sweet tempered pets (there are exceptions, as with any animal! LOL!) They are a lot of fun. I could not live without my bunnies!
2007-02-05 11:13:49 · answer #2 · answered by Blue Giants 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits are wonderful pets. My rabbit actually lives in our backyard. Rabbits can be litter trained when they are young, so it can live inside. I would do that for mine, except we didn't get him till he was over a year old. I believe it is a great idea. I would suggest no matter what, you have some type of cage for him. Just incase you need to take him to a vet or travel with him, ect. It's a good idea to have something for him to be in if you are going to gone also. Especially before you have him trained, because he may chew things up. Make sure you keep everything out of his paws and watch him closely. Good luck!!!
2016-05-24 05:09:28 · answer #3 · answered by Kelly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bunnies can be fairly high maintenance, but they are so much fun, they are a joy to live with. I'd suggest you go to www.rabbit.org, which is the site for the House Rabbit Society. You'll find everything you need to know and more on that site, and it was truly invaluable when we first brought bunnies home.
The short version is this: you have to manage their food carefully to keep them healthy. They need hours outside their cage each day to run and hop and stretch those legs. They can be trained to use a litter box, which makes cleaning up after them a whole lot easier than having to clean an entire cage every couple of days. While their litter box can get nasty if you fail to clean it, bunnies themselves are very clean, they groom like cats. Make sure you rabbit-proof your room so your pet won't hurt itself chewing on wires and such.
Good luck!
2007-02-04 07:49:56 · answer #4 · answered by SLWrites 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rabbbits don't require a lot of care, but they do smell (Just a little bit!). I have a female rabbit and she's left me with scars, so keep in mind that you need to clip your bunny's nails soon enough!
About it's stuff, you'll need a rabbit nail clipper, rabbit food, a water bottle for small animals, a cage for it (D'uh!) , some bedding (Optional), a litterbox, some hay (The GREEN kind...whatever it's called), and some litter (I prefer to use Yesterday's News, your rabbit can safely digest it, and it helps recycle!). The size of all supplies depend on the rabbit's size.
2007-02-04 09:05:42 · answer #5 · answered by Kendara 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I can tell you from personal experience that rabbits require an enormous amount of care. Their urine smells extremely bad if you don't clean out their cage at least once every couple of days. Most people think that having a rabbit is like having a hamster, but it's two completely different senarios.
2007-02-04 07:42:24 · answer #6 · answered by voyagerfan67 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
well my friend has two rabbits, one was a giant female rabbit and the other was a male dwarf rabbit they mated and had 9 babies, all she did is feed them and water them, changed the pen and thats all!
2007-02-04 08:09:14 · answer #7 · answered by Jenn-Kerr 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
well they poop a lot
2007-02-04 11:37:41 · answer #8 · answered by Hillary M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋