In This Chapter
- Discovering the pluses of living with a house rabbit
- Providing the right environment
- Setting up for safety and success
- Training your bunny to use a litter box
- Maintaining a tidy house
These days, rabbits are allowed
to live indoors — in close quarters with their human companions. In fact, not
only are they allowed, but they’re also welcome! Many rabbit fans and
advocates, not to mention veterinarians, recommend that companion rabbits be
housed indoors, and this chapter outlines many of the reasons for doing so. You
must be wondering how in the world this works. Rabbits inside the house? Isn’t
that the same as having a sheep or goat hanging around the living room? Well,
not quite. This chapter explores the benefits of living with a house rabbit.
Getting Serious about Safety
When Nature was doling out the
cards to determine who would be prey and who would be predator, the rabbit got
the ace of spades. Just about every predator on the planet regards rabbits as
fair game.
Rabbits that live outdoors —
whether in the wild or in the confines of a backyard — are constantly at risk
for becoming dinner. Even in suburban areas, nocturnal predators lurk, yearning
for rabbit stew.
Warning!
Even if your bunny is tucked away in a hutch, he isn’t completely safe. Critters, such as raccoons, are notorious for reaching their long arms between the wires of a rabbit hutch and grabbing for the terrified bunny. Other creatures — dogs, coyotes, snakes, and even cats — are attracted to a caged rabbit. Although most of these predators may not be able to gain access to the inside of the hutch, their mere presence can be enough to terrify your rabbit to death. (In the case of rabbits, “scared to death” is not an expression; rabbits can and do die of fright.)
Rabbits kept indoors are
completely safe from predators that lurk in the night (provided your other pets
are rabbit friendly; see Chapter Jumping
into Rabbit Ownership). For that reason and others, the average
lifespan of the indoor rabbit (7 to 12 years) is significantly higher (almost
double) than his outdoor counterpart.
Taking Health Concerns to Heart
Pet rabbits that live outdoors in
your yard are more susceptible to illness but not for the reasons that you may
think. It’s not because thousands of airborne rabbit-nabbing germs are floating
around your yard or because wild rabbits may drop by and spread illness.
(Although in some areas, wild rabbits actually do spread illness to pet
rabbits.)
The main reason that the outdoor
life for a pet rabbit means a greater possibility of illness is because outdoor
bunnies spend less time with their owners. For a rabbit, less time with your
owner means less likelihood of someone noticing that you’re sick.
The House Rabbit Society
In 1988, a group of seven
rabbit lovers got together to form an organization designed to help rabbits:
the House Rabbit Society. They firmly believed, among other things, that
rabbits should live indoors with their human companions.
Before the House Rabbit Society
was organized, some people kept rabbits inside, but they kept quiet about it.
Rabbits were traditionally considered livestock and were supposed to live outside
— or so most people thought. Today, with the help of the House Rabbit
Society, which promotes keeping rabbits indoors, bunny lovers around the
world are finding out firsthand that rabbits make great indoor pets. The
organization provides information to rabbit owners on how to best care for
and live with their house rabbits. (See the Appendix for contact information;
Chapter Hiding
in Shelters, Holes, and Shops also talks more about the group.)
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When rabbits don’t feel well,
they let us know in a variety of subtle ways, such as a change in appetite or
acting depressed and lethargic. Others sneeze, scratch, limp, and have changes
in their stool or urine output. (See Chapter Nipping
Common Health Problems in the Bud for more information on rabbit
health issues.) Rabbits are prey animals, and they naturally hide signs of
disease, so they won’t become a snack for a predator the minute they’re feeling
a bit under the weather. If you don’t spend much time with your rabbit, you’re
less likely to actually see your pet limping, sneezing, or being lethargic.
You’re also less likely to recognize any subtle yet important difference in
your pet’s behavior.
Another problem for outdoor
rabbits is weather. Although rabbits tolerate the cold weather, heat is a
killer for bunnies. A particularly hot day can spell doom for an outdoor
rabbit, and controlling the temperature in an outdoor rabbit hutch is
difficult, if not impossible.
Bonding with Bunny
For people who live with house
rabbits, one of the most important reasons to keep a bunny inside is for the
incredible bonding experience it offers. Sure, you can still bond with your
rabbit if he lives outside in a hutch, but spending more time with your pet can
be achieved only if your pet lives under the same roof and within the same
walls as you.
If you live with an indoor
rabbit, you and your bunny can share the following activities:
- Watching TV: What could be more relaxing than to come home at night and cuddle up on the couch with your favorite plant-eating mammal?
- Reading: Your rabbit will love it if you sit in your most comfortable chair to supervise his playtime as he romps around the room while you read a book.
- Eating meals: If you’re a healthy eater who enjoys plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, you can share your food with your rabbit.
- Playing together: You can play indoor games with your rabbit or simply sit by and watch him play on his own with his toys.
- Cleaning house: Watch your rabbit help you as you straighten up around the house. If he’s a real people-rabbit, he’ll follow you around and do his best to assist.
Having Fun with Your Bun
Having any kind of rabbit is a
hoot, but having an indoor rabbit is twice the fun. People who live with house
rabbits can talk for hours about all the funny and adorable rabbit antics, such
as how they hop into your lap while you’re napping, stare up at you from the
ground while you’re making dinner, or curl up under the covers with you when
you’re home sick from work.
Rabbits can be really hilarious
to watch, too, as evidenced in Chapters Playing
Around Isn’t Just for Dogs and Getting
Hoppy with Your House Rabbit. Playing with their toys,
chasing each other (if you have more than one), or kicking up their heels in
sheer joy — indoor rabbits enjoy all these antics, and indoor rabbit owners can
easily view them.
Remember
One of the many reasons for keeping your rabbit indoors is all the neat stuff that you’ll witness. (Chapter Thinking Like a Rabbit gives details about reading your rabbit’s body language.) For example:
- Sounds: You get to hear all the sounds that rabbits make. They make a honking noise when they want attention from you or are begging for something to eat. A kind of purring sound resonates from a rabbit who is happily being scratched behind the ear while you’re watching TV, and they “cluck” when you give them a snack that they really enjoy.
- Body language: A relaxed house rabbit expresses himself physically as well as vocally. A completely stretched out rabbit is happy, secure, and content. A rabbit who has flopped over on his side or back is in a deep sleep and probably dreaming. A shuddering bunny has just smelled something that he doesn’t like.
- Many moods: Just like people, rabbits have shifting moods. Your pet may feel playful on any given day but act relaxed and sleepy the next day. One evening, he may beg for affection, but tomorrow, he’s content to just huddle on a cushion nearby.
Making Sure That Everyone’s Comfy: Rabbit Essentials
To keep your rabbit indoors, you
need to know how to provide the right environment. Having an indoor rabbit
doesn’t mean that you let your little hopper have the run of the place. Far
from it. You need to provide a well thought out and careful environment for
your rabbit, for both his sake and yours. That journey begins with the
appropriate rabbit supplies.
Tip
You can easily find items for your rabbit if you know where to look. Pet store chains and independent pet stores are good sources, as are mail-order catalogs for pet products. A number of general online pet-supply resources carry rabbit products, and some Web sites carry goodies exclusively for rabbits. (See the Appendix for contact information on a number of these sources.)
Your indoor rabbit’s cage is just
one of several items that you need to pick up and accessorize at a pet-supply
store before you bring your bunny home. Scope out the following house rabbit
necessities:
- Litter box: All good house rabbits know how to use a litter box, and yours should be no exception. Get a box that’s small enough to fit into your rabbit’s cage yet large enough for your bunny to sit in comfortably. A small cat litter box will do, or you can find a rabbit-size box in a bunny catalog or on an Internet shopping site; a small plastic shoebox may even do the trick. Figure 5-1 is an example of a box that fits into the cage’s corner. (See this chapter’s “When Littering is Good: The Litter Box” for advice on litter box training your rabbit.)
Tip
Be certain that the box is deep enough to contain your rabbit’s spray; rabbits urinate horizontally out behind them, not downwards like a cat or dog.
Figure 5-1: Please don’t litter!
Try a cornerhugging litter box for your bunny.
Warning!
- Litter: You need to put something inside that litter box besides your rabbit. Your choice of litter material is important because of the amount of time your rabbit will spend in her litter box and because most rabbits tend to eat some litter along the way. Check out what rabbit folks are saying about the different litters:
- Do not use your cat’s clay-based litter. The dust irritates the rabbit’s respiratory tract; some rabbits have eaten the clay litter, resulting in a fatal intestinal impaction.
- Avoid cedar and pine beddings. Although they smell nice to the human nose, these products may cause liver damage in rabbits.
- Pelleted bedding is more absorbent than clay and, if eaten, not harmful to the rabbit. In addition, pelleted bedding tends to draw moisture away from the surface so that it remains drier where the rabbit is sitting. Suitable bedding material includes those made of aspen, paper, cellulose, and compressed sawdust.
- Corn cob bedding isn’t very absorbent and can also cause intestinal blockages.
- Although newspapers are absorbent, they don’t control odor (and bunny urine is potent!). Some owners go with the old stand-by of lining the box with paper and then adding a layer of hay, changing both the paper and hay daily).
- Food bowl or feeder: You see all kinds of food bowls in the store, but the crock-style bowls are the best kind (see Figure 5-2). These ceramic containers work great because they’re hard to tip over, and rabbits are notorious tippers. Make sure that the bowl you buy isn’t too deep for your rabbit to reach into. Too much depth is primarily a concern with baby bunnies and small dwarf breeds. Keep in mind that bowls are easy to clean: Just throw them in the dishwasher.
Figure 5-2: Subvert the notorious
tendency for rabbits to tip with these ceramic food bowls.
- Water bottle: Instead of providing a bowl of water like you would for a cat or dog, give your rabbit a gravity water bottle, like the kind used for guinea pigs and hamsters. This bottle, shown in Figure 5-3, has a metal tube at the end with a metal ball in the tip. These bottles keep the water accessible without letting it drip. When your rabbit is thirsty, he can sip from the metal tip of the water bottle. Some rabbits prefer water bowls, but that can lead to lots of mess when the bowl gets tipped over (and over and over . . .).
Figure 5-3: Honey may be
the nectar of the gods, but water is pretty darn important to rabbits.
- Nest box: Rabbits take great comfort in having a small, dark space where they can huddle when they need time to themselves. Check out the huddling rabbit in Figure 5-4. A nest box, tucked into a corner of your rabbit’s cage, can provide that comfort. You can purchase a nest box from a rabbit-supply catalog or Internet site. Get one that’s made of metal with a wood floor or wood covered with metal mesh.
Warning!
If you opt for a wood-only box, your rabbit will soon gnaw the box to pieces.
- Bedding: Put something in your rabbit’s nest box to make it cozy for sleeping. You can use the same rabbit-friendly material, pelleted or otherwise, that you put in the litter box, adding a layer of hay on top to make it more nest-like. Avoid cedar or pine bedding because of the health risks. (See this chapter’s section on safe litter choices.) A soft towel or T-shirt will be appreciated by bunnies who like a little extra something to nest in.
Figure 5-4: Who doesn’t like
to hang out in a small nesting box?
- Hayrack: Roughage is important in a rabbit’s diet (see Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More), and your bunny should always have a supply of fresh grass hay available for noshing. To keep the hay from being strewn all over your rabbit’s house — and yours — you need a hayrack that hangs from the side of the cage. The rack, shown in Figure 5-5, keeps the hay in place as your rabbit munches on it throughout the day. Metal hayracks are available from rabbit-supply retailers.
Figure 5-5: Hay — all day,
every day — helps keep the doctor away.
- Chew blocks: Rabbit teeth are continually growing, and rabbits have a strong urge to gnaw as a result. Buy your bunny some chew blocks made for small animals so that he can work those teeth on the blocks (rather than your furniture); some rabbit caretakers have had success fastening a piece of unfinished wood trim to the cage. Chapter Playing Around Isn’t Just for Dogs has information on how to deal with rabbits who chew on your prized antique chaise lounge legs. The “Chewing,” section, later in this chapter, offers tips on preventing unwanted chewing.
- Toys: Rabbits love to play. Pick up a few toys for your pet while you’re out shopping for supplies. Rabbits enjoy most cat toys, especially balls with bells in them. You can also give your pet homemade toys, such as empty toilet paper rolls, wooden blocks, and cardboard boxes. Use toys that are safe for your pet to chew, because he most likely will! Chapter Playing Around Isn’t Just for Dogs talks about toys in depth.
- First-aid kit: A first-aid kit doesn’t have much to do with a rabbit’s cage, but it’s still a very, very good idea. See Chapter Nipping Common Health Problems in the Bud for details on what kinds of goodies you’ll need in a first-rate first-aid kit.
Craving His Cage
Yes, even though your rabbit is
living inside the house, he still needs a cage. Rather than thinking of it as a
jail of sorts, think of your rabbit’s enclosure as a den — that is, a place
that he can call his own.
Remember
A rabbit’s cage is not where your companion will get the exercise he needs to stay healthy (at least two hours a day). Exercise, both of the indoor and outdoor varieties, is covered in Chapter Making Fitness and Fresh Air Fun for Your Bunny.
The purpose of your indoor
rabbit’s cage is to provide a confined spot for your rabbit when you can’t
supervise him. Because pet rabbits have a strong desire to hide in enclosed
spaces left over from their wild ancestry, your rabbit can appreciate having
such a place where he can go to rest and escape from the world. You can
appreciate having a private place for him to go because your rabbit shouldn’t
be out and about in your house unless you can keep a close eye on him. You can
also use pens to achieve a sense of security (his) and peace of mind (yours).
(See the section “Putting a Pen to Good Use,” later in this chapter, for more
on that topic.) (You also need to purchase and outfit a smaller travel carrier
for trips to the veterinarian or elsewhere. (Chapter Hitting
the Road with Your Rabbit covers traveling with
your pet in detail.)
You can buy an indoor rabbit cage
at a pet-supply store, through a catalog, or over the Internet. Shop carefully
for a setup that suits your needs; look for a cage on a stand for someone with
a bad back, for example, or something with drawers below for those without much
space for bunny gear. (See the Appendix for shopping sites and catalogs.)
Figure 5-6 shows a good example of a basic indoor cage.
Remember
Your rabbit’s indoor cage should:
- Be large enough for the rabbit to turn around comfortably and stand up on his hind legs without his ears touching the top. If your rabbit is a baby, be sure to buy a cage that can fit him when he’s grown. The House Rabbit Society recommends that a cage be at least four times the size of your rabbit, and more if he’ll be in there a lot. Of course, this size is the absolute minimum. Your rabbit is much happier with even more space to call his own, and here’s why:
- Rabbits without enough space to move around often become bored.
- Small spaces are quickly fouled with urine and feces, which creates an unhealthy environment for the rabbit.
- Rabbits without enough room to exercise have a greater chance of becoming obese.
- Have enough room to accommodate a small litter box, a nesting box (big enough for the rabbit to fit into), a food bowl, a water bottle, and a hayrack. Openings should be no larger than 1 by 2 inches. Anything bigger, and the rabbit may catch his leg or head in it.
Warning!
Aquariums or cages with solid walls don’t provide adequate ventilation and are very dangerous.
- Have a floor made of plastic slats or have a solid floor, particularly if you’re planning to litter box train your rabbit. Another option is a bottom made of wire, with square openings of about ½ inch; a slide-out tray below the wire catches waste material. Line the tray with newspaper or pelleted beddings. However, a wire bottom can be tough on a bunny’s feet, so be sure to provide a resting board or a piece of washable carpet to give her tootsies a break.
Figure 5-6: Not exactly a
suite at the Hilton, but it’s the beginnings of a bunny’s favorite digs.
Home sweet home
Even though house rabbits
typically spend a good portion of the day free in your home, yours will
appreciate having a place to retreat to for times of rest and relaxation. You
can do several things to make your rabbit feel like her cage is a place of
refuge:
- Don’t use her cage as punishment. - Make her feel safe at “home” by not doing things to her in her cage that she doesn’t like. - Keep it clean, but don’t clean the cage with your bun in it. - Don’t force your bunny out of her nest box or cage against her will. - Keep it cozy, with toys, a soft blanket or towel, and an occasional treat. |
- Include a side door for your rabbit to enter through the cage. (How else will he hop in when it’s time to take care of his bathroom business?) When the door is open, you can cover the mesh with a towel to make a more comfortable entrance/exit ramp. For your convenience, try to get a cage that also opens from the top. Being able to open the cage roof and reach inside makes feeding your pet or taking your rabbit out (if you need to) much easier.
Warning!
- Be designed for a rabbit’s physique. You may see some pretty fancy, multi-level cages on the market designed for rabbits, but buyer beware. If the ramps are too steep, injuries may result. Rabbits are land animals and don’t feel safe when high above the ground. In addition, the vertical nature of the cage gives the false impression that the rabbit has enough space, when, in fact, it’s the horizontal space that’s important for exercise and movement. For these reasons, we caution against many-tiered cages (four-plus tiers) for rabbits, ferrets, or guinea pigs. They simply don’t fit with the animals’ natural physiology and psyche.
Remember
Where you put your rabbit’s cage is even more important than what it looks like. Rabbits are sensitive to climate and air quality and can quickly become ill if they’re exposed to the wrong things. Keep the following in mind when you think about where you place your indoor rabbit’s cage:
- Avoid placing the cage in an area of your house where dramatic and extreme temperature fluctuations take place frequently. High heat and humidity are particularly dangerous. Rabbits, other pets, or humans, for that matter, do not need a constant temperature range all the time. Some fluctuation is healthy; just try to avoid the extremes (such as near heating or air-conditioning vents, which can also blow out dust that irritates your pet’s respiratory tract).
- Never expose the cage to direct sunlight. The sun’s rays when magnified through glass can become hot and can cause heat stroke in a rabbit. Even direct sunlight through a window screen can be dangerous for a rabbit.
- An attic or basement is no place for a rabbit cage. The dampness and lack of ventilation in these areas can prove hazardous to your pet’s health.
- The cage should be in a well-lit area where people come and go. However, don’t place it in a spot where your rabbit never has any peace and quiet.
- Place the cage where the bunny can experience at least eight hours of darkness. Constant bright lighting with no relief or inconsistent lighting (one night up late, next night not) can wreak havoc on a rabbit’s endocrine system, which has some dependency on photoperiods for its function. At the least, cover the cage with a heavy cloth or towel that blocks light for at least eight hours out of each 24-hour period.
- Don’t put the cage near stereo speakers or a TV. The noise may put undo stress on your rabbit’s sensitive nerves.
Putting a Pen to Good Use
Some people, especially those
with multiple bunnies, opt for a different housing arrangement, such as a puppy
or exercise pen. Such pens, found in pet stores or dog-supply catalogs, are
comprised of 3 to 4-foot high by 2 to 4-foot long metal wire panels that
quickly hook together with a long pin to make an enclosure (see Figure 5-7).
You can easily step over the fencing to gain entrance, or you can remove one
pin and open the fencing. You can move the panels into a variety of shapes and
use them indoors or out. This option is an easy and economical way to confine
your rabbit to an area of the home or outdoors, yet it’s also moveable. And
when the panels aren’t in use, you can fold the entire apparatus completely
flat and store it against a wall or in a closet in a matter of minutes. The
size that you get depends on the rabbits, but, of course, the larger, the
better. For large breed rabbits, we recommend the 4-foot fencing; other breeds
do fine with 3-foot fencing.
In addition, if you have
carpeting or want to protect a floor, you can buy a hard-plastic chair mat,
carpet protector, or a sheet of no-wax flooring and place it under the
fenced-in area; it doesn’t have to be really high quality. The flooring can
easily be rolled up and moved should you need to do so. Voilà ! You have no
problems with soiled carpet or digging into carpet. The rabbit can have the run
of the pen and still be in the room with you without danger of getting into
mischief. The mats are invaluable, and some local House Rabbit Society chapters
use them in foster homes.
Another option is to leave the
fencing up all the time around a cage as a permanent exercise area. This
approach works great outside (better and safer with a top enclosure) as well,
and you can also move it around the yard. (See Chapter Making
Fitness and Fresh Air Fun for Your Bunny for more on the
important benefits of fitness and fresh air.) Of course, don’t leave your
rabbit in his pen outside without careful supervision.
Rabbit-Proofing Your House
A big reason for keeping your
rabbit inside instead of out is so that you can share house time with your pet.
But before you let your rabbit go running through the halls, you need to take
some precautions. These measures aren’t only for the safety of your rabbit —
who can get into more trouble than you can possibly imagine — but also for the
well-being of your home.
In order to adequately protect
your house and your rabbit, get an idea of exactly what kinds of problems
rabbits can get into when left to their own devices inside your home. Take a
look at Figure 5-8 to see what areas you need to address before bringing a
bunny into your home. Fortunately, you can take advantage of the clever
rabbit-proofing ideas of others to make your job simpler.
Figure 5-7: You can use a
puppy or exercise pen to house a bunny, as long as it’s 3 or 4 feet tall, depending
upon your rabbit’s size.
Figure 5-8: Tempting, tasty
bits for rabbits to inspect: You must rabbitproof!
Identifying trouble spots
Rabbits love to tuck themselves
away into little corners. They’re also curious and love to investigate new
places. Put this combination together, and you have potential for trouble in
the house.
Before you give your bunny access
to a room:
- Get down on all fours and look around carefully. Much like the parent of an inquisitive toddler, you should take a look at your home from your rabbit’s perspective. Your rabbit won’t know the difference between an interesting new snack and something dangerous, such as medicine, the contents of an ashtray, and other small not-to-be-digested objects. Better safe than sorry!
- Find any small spaces that your rabbit may be able to get into. Look closely — even in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and under and behind appliances — for gaps or holes that may look inviting to a rabbit. Your bunny is apt to crawl into one of these spots and possibly get trapped; open railings can be dangerous as well.
- Locate all exposed electrical wires and telephone and computer cords. It’s a simple but deadly fact: rabbits are fond of chewing on wires. The next section on chewing outlines ways of preventing tragedy in this area.
- Block nooks and crannies in furniture with heavy objects so that your rabbit won’t be able to get inside and get stuck. Rabbits have been known to burrow inside recliners and sofa beds with disastrous results; taking the proper precautions can help prevent this problem.
- Put away and lock up toxic chemicals. Make sure that no toxic chemicals — pesticides, cleaning supplies, antifreeze, fertilizers, and so on — are placed within reach of your rabbit.
- Give away or relocate any plants that can make your rabbit sick — or worse. See Chapter Making Fitness and Fresh Air Fun for Your Bunny for more information on toxic plants.
- Be certain that trash bags and buckets are well out of bunny’s reach. Bunnies are curious and will be happy to explore the contents of your trash. Enough said.
Chewing
Rabbits have a tremendous urge to
gnaw. Although it is perfectly natural — and even necessary for healthy teeth —
and loads of fun for a rabbit, chewing can result in plenty of grief for both
rabbits and their owners if they chew on the wrong things.
When inside a home, rabbits tend
to make a beeline for the following objects, with teeth bared:
- Carpet edges
- Electrical cords
- Telephone cords
- Wooden furniture legs
Warning!
As you can well imagine, rabbit teeth can do plenty of damage to these items and more (for example, books and shoes). In a short time, wooden furniture legs can be permanently disfigured, telephone cords can be rendered useless, and carpet edges can be chomped and swallowed (a serious health risk). Electrical cords that have been chewed through can be fatal for a rabbit and may even start a fire in your home.
However, you can enjoy your
indoor rabbit without having to worry about those destructive teeth:
- Limit your rabbit’s activities to one or two rooms of the house.
- Don’t let your rabbit run loose in the house without your constant supervision.
- Cover wooden furniture legs in accessible rooms with bubble wrap or thick plastic (see Figure 5-9).
Figure 5-9: Plastic is pretty
. . . pretty rabbit safe, that is.
- Put telephone cords well out of reach — beyond the grasp of rabbits who like to hop up onto chairs.
- Cover electrical cords with plastic aquarium tubing by cutting the tube lengthwise and slipping it over the cord (see Figure 5-10).
- Leave chew toys around the room so that your rabbit can chew on them instead of something he shouldn’t.
Putting off the perfume
I don’t recommend spraying
perfume on furniture legs to put off your chewy pet. Certain animals have
been known to develop respiratory disease from perfumes, and in the case of
birds, some fatalities have occurred. Highly aromatic perfumes and perfumes
that contain plenty of alcohol, which helps the scent spread, have been
implicated most often. Don’t use these products. It has also been my
experience that most products that are designed to keep dogs and cats off of
furniture do not work on rabbits.
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Figure 5-10: Wrap up that electrical
wiring.
Digging
Another bad bunny habit is
digging. Rabbits love to dig. In the wild, they create their dens by
excavating. A problem arises, however, when rabbits running loose in the house
decide that they want to dig a tunnel through your carpeting. They usually
choose a loose corner of the carpet to start their excavation. They also choose
doorways if the door is closed, so you often need to protect the lower part of
the door with Plexiglas or the like to keep them from damaging the wood. If
this digging goes unnoticed, they can quickly tear up a good portion of the
rug. In addition, if they eat the carpet, the fibers are indigestible, and the
ingestion of enough of them can lead to an intestinal impaction.
To keep your four-legged shovel
from messing up your carpeting:
1. Check all the corners of the room where your rabbit will be roaming.
2. Place heavy objects in the corners so that your rabbit can’t get a toehold on a loose area of the rug.
3. Make sure that carpet edges are securely tacked down.
You can cover them with a heavy plastic rug protector, such as the ones sold to protect rugs under office furniture. These rug protectors are often found in office-supply stores and are made of clear heavy plastic with spikes on the back to hold them in place on the carpet. They can be cut to different sizes and help protect carpet corners from your rabbit’s digging and soiling. You can also use a clear plastic carpet runner protector found in many hardware or carpeting stores. They’re all smooth enough that when the rabbit digs at them, they get nowhere. Alternatively, you can use sheets of Plexiglas in the digging areas, but they’re harder to secure.
4. Encourage your rabbit to dig somewhere else.
Provide him with a box full of sand, soil, shredded paper, or old towels that he can rummage through. Make sure that the box is deep enough to keep the material inside when your rabbit starts to excavate but not so deep that your rabbit can’t jump in or out.
Warning!
Rabbits also like to dig at furniture. Your favorite couch, chair, or bed may be shredded. Protect these areas with a heavy cloth covering or prevent the rabbit from having access to them.
When Littering Is Good: The Litter Box
One of the reasons that rabbits
make such good indoor companions is that you can train them to use a litter
box. Their denning instinct, inherited from their wild ancestors, is the reason
behind this behavior. Rabbits prefer not to go to the bathroom where they eat
and sleep and venture out of their dens to relieve themselves. Not unlike
toddlers who are going through toilet training, some bunnies are easier to
train than others when it comes to using the litter box. With these holdouts,
you need to expend more time and patience.
Keep in mind that successful
litter box training may be hampered by an intact rabbit’s hormonally inspired
territorial spraying — yet another reason to spay or neuter your rabbit as soon
as possible.
Remember
When training a rabbit to use the litter box, being consistent and praising your rabbit is important. Never scold your rabbit for not using the litter box because it only frightens and confuses her.
To begin preparing for your
bunny’s litter box training, first purchase an appropriate box and litter. You
can read more about litter boxes — what they look like, what to put in them,
and how to clean them in the section “Making Sure That Everyone’s Comfy: Rabbit
Essentials,” earlier in this chapter.
Tip
When your rabbit is first discovering how to use the litter box, don’t clean up after her too often. If her box is too clean, she may forget why it’s there. Clean it a couple of times a week, and that’s it.
Encouraging your bunny to go in her cage
You can start your bunny’s
training within a small area. Starting litter training in your rabbit’s cage is
best because it provides your bunny with plenty of opportunities to use the
box. Gradually work your way up to larger spaces until he’s using the box even
when he has the run of the place.
1. If your rabbit already has a corner of the cage where she likes to go to the bathroom, place the box in this area.
Putting some of her fecal pellets and urine-soaked paper in the box can help her get the idea.
2. Attach the box to the side with a clip or twistable wire for removal when cleaning.
3. If she doesn’t start using the box right away, put a nice bunch of grass hay in it to attract her attention.
4. If you see her go to the bathroom in the litter box, give her a treat and some gentle verbal praise.
With consistent reward, your bunny should get the idea in no time.
If your rabbit takes to sitting
in the box and just hanging out there or chewing on the hay that you put there,
don’t be concerned. Rabbits often eat and go to the bathroom at the same time.
Rabbits won’t eat soiled hay, so don’t worry about that. But munching on the
clean hay stimulates your rabbit’s digestive system and causes her to use the
box in the way that you intended.
Tip
If you find that your rabbit is sleeping in her litter box instead of using it as a toilet, you should provide her with a more attractive bed than the one that she has. Try using a different bedding material or giving her a more private nest box.
Providing 1.5 bathrooms
When you see your rabbit
regularly using her litter box (which can take anywhere from a week to a month
or more), you can give her more room to roam without worrying too much about
her going potty outside the box. Now you’re ready to train her to use a litter
box in other areas of the house.
1. Set up a special room for your bunny.
A kitchen, bathroom, or hallway are acceptable places. Make sure that they’re small, low-traffic areas.
2. Use a baby gate to section off the area.
You can also use a pen to set up an area for training. The section “Putting a Pen to Good Use,” earlier in this chapter, has more information.
3. Put the litter box in the corner of the special area.
Rabbits often like to pick their own areas, so your best bet may be moving the box once the rabbit has selected her favorite spot.
4. Place your rabbit’s food, water, and bedding in another part of the room.
5. Keep an eye on your rabbit to make sure that she uses the litter box on a regular basis.
Be patient! The more consistent attention you give to this process, the better.
6. If you see her go to the bathroom in the litter box, give her a treat and gentle verbal praise.
Tip
If your rabbit starts making mistakes at any point in this process, it may be a simple, temporary mishap. It may also have something to do with your rabbit’s natural urges to mark territory as her own or the following issues:
- You may have placed her in a bigger space too soon. In this situation, the best approach is to take a small step back. Put the box back in your bunny’s cage and reaccustom her to using the box in her cage.
- You may have not given her enough (or the “right”) litter boxes. Buy a few more litter boxes and place them strategically around the house; try a different type of box, if necessary. You can put more than one in a room or put a box in each room that your rabbit frequents. With so many litter box options to choose from, chances are that your rabbit will get it right.
If you don’t want to keep that many boxes around the house permanently, you can try removing them one by one. See whether your rabbit seeks out the closest box, even if it’s in the next room. If so, you’ve probably successfully trained your rabbit to use the litter box.
Tip
If you have more than one rabbit in your household, make sure that you provide at least one more litter box than the number of rabbits in the room. Some rabbits won’t use a litter box if it’s been used by a more dominant rabbit.
- A rabbit with a health problem. A bunny who seems to be dribbling urine may have a bladder problem or an infection of the urinary tract. Consult your vet.
Once your rabbit does her
business in the box on a regular basis, you can give her more room. Move the
entire operation to a bigger space, such as the living room or a bedroom.
Eventually, you should be able to let your rabbit have access to all the
rabbit-proofed rooms in your house and count on her to use the litter box every
time.
Cleaning up
During the litter box training
process, accidents are inevitable. Cleanup is easier if you protect the area
under and around the litter box with newspaper or a heavy plastic carpet
protector pad. If you find that your bunny’s spray is missing the litter box,
check that the box is deep enough for him. (Rabbits urinate horizontally out
behind them.)
Clean up after your pet; pick up
fecal pellets with a tissue, and wash urine marks on carpeting with a mixture
of vinegar and water. You can use one of the enzyme pet accident cleaners on
the market. If your bunny urinates on wood flooring, use gentle dish soap and
water or cleansers made for hardwood floors.
Tip
Rabbit droppings make a great addition to your compost pile. Simply drop the goods on your heap, mix, and let it cook. For more on composting, an online search can lead you to more than you’d ever want to know about the wonders of bunny poop. (Check out the House Rabbit Network’s articles at www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/compost.shtml.) You can find tons of good books about composting as well.
Keeping a Squeaky Clean Home
Remember
One of the most important factors to a rabbit’s good health is cleanliness. A clean environment means a healthy rabbit. A dirty environment means the potential for a rabbit with chronic health problems.
Of course, that’s not the only
reason to keep a rabbit’s area sanitary. In the case of the indoor rabbit, your
house suffers if you don’t keep up after your rabbit’s hygiene.
If you perform the following
duties with the frequency specified, you shouldn’t have a problem with your
rabbit or your house:
Litter box cleaning
Clean the litter box every three
days. If your rabbit is litter box trained, your cage-cleaning duties are much
easier:
1. If you’re using appropriate pelleted bedding with one litter box per rabbit, change the litter completely.
2. Look for other areas in the cage where your rabbit may have gone to the bathroom (including the nest box) and clean those up, too.
3. Check the stools and urine daily to see whether any abnormalities are present.
If a rabbit is ill, use a small amount of litter and change it daily to observe any abnormalities. Changing the litter daily can be expensive. If you want to routinely change litter daily, use much smaller amounts in the box, such as 1 inch.
Daily cage duty
You’ll want to perform cage duty
daily. If you’re feeding your rabbit a proper diet, you no doubt have some food
to clean up inside your rabbit’s cage. Here’s what you need to do on a daily
basis:
1. Remove any fresh fruit and vegetables that your rabbit has left behind.
See Chapter Cleaning Behind Those Great Big Ears and More for more on feeding.
2. Wash out your rabbit’s food bowl and water bottle.
3. Remove any stray pieces of hay that have fallen from the hayrack.
Weekly cage cleaning
In addition to your daily check
of the cage, you’ll want to give your rabbit’s cage a good, thorough cleaning
with mild disinfectant once a week. A solution of one part bleach to ten parts
of water is effective against a wide range of germs. Here’s what you need to do
on a weekly basis:
1. Clean surfaces of debris.
2. Keep the solution in contact with the surface for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse off the bleach solution and let the cage thoroughly dry before you place the rabbit back into it.
4. Soak food and water bowls/bottles in this bleach solution weekly for 30 minutes and then rinse in a good disinfectant or put through a dishwasher.
Warning!
Never clean any animal-related items, particularly those containing fecal material or urine, in the kitchen sink where food is prepared for human consumption. Use the bathtub or the bathroom sink and rinse well afterwards.
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