Indoor Bunny?

[Silvanon]

So we're considering possibly adopting a bunny.  Does anyone have any good experience with them, and be able to offer some insights/tips to their needs, what to expect, etc?

[Wildfilly94]

I had a bunny once, but he was outside mostly. They poop ALOT, so cleaning the cage daily is a must, but their very cute and explorative. Mine used to hop around the house looking at stuff, then hop back to me when he got bored. Ours died from a spider bite, so you should be very vigilant and aware of your bunny's health, its normal behavior, and watch its body for mysterious bites and such to be safe. I can't really remember much else, as it was when I was about 12, but hopefully the little I know helps.

[Daimas]

Bunnies! I raised and sold them for a while, and if treated right they can be the best pets ever. expect a lot of thumping the first few night/weeks as it gets settled in.
My niece has her pet bunny harness trained, and as an outdoor bunny she is trained not to leave the yard.
make sure you show the bunny that it can trust you, it reduces the likelihood of getting bit majorly, and be sure to buy lots of the pellet food. it can be supplemented with veggies and hay but from experience, its best to use pellets as a main diet

they don't like to show they are sick, as a prey species, so keep an eye out for anything abnormal about it's behavior.
and a low dust wood chip bedding.not cedar though

[Bunraku]

I owned an indoor bunny for a long time myself, he lived a very long life indoors and died of old age when I was a teenager, but he was a wonderful pet for the time that we had him (which was many years!) Everyone has pretty much said what needs saying, but there are a few other things I'd watch out for, especially if they are to be an indoor pet and you'll have them out alot.

First off, bunny-proof any room you'll have them out in for a long time or block anything you don't want them to get to. They can and will nibble everything from chords to book covers and plastic dinosaur tails (Mine ate the cover of my mothers favorite book when I was young, and the tail tip off my toy dinosaur, urgh =_=;) So definitely make sure that if you don't want it nibbled, it stays out of the way.

Another thing is, they will crawl under anything, beds, couches, you name it, so block off those places if you are going to let them loose on the floor so they wont get stuck under anything and no accidents occur.

The last thing I can think of is with picking them up-always make sure you have the back end supported and that the rabbit feels fully secure so that they don't freak out and scratch you. If they think they're going to fall, they will get scared and try to wriggle out of your arms, possibly hurting you and themselves in the process.

That being said, I've been accidently scratched by my rabbit, but never ever was bitten, so I think they make wonderful and well adjusted pets ^^

[BabyKittenCandy]

Been a long long time since I had a bunny but here goes.

Buy from a breeder if you can. Pet shop brought bunnies can suffer from ill health and are sometimes not so friendly due to a lack of contact.

As Bunraku said, you have to be oh so careful when picking them up. More worrying than being scratched is that they have enough power in thier back legs that a powerful kick is perfectly capable of breaking thier back and this is a lot more common than you would think! On the scratches side, they are able to do serious damage with those claws, esp to a small child, so be careful of Lil Bit!

They will chew *anything* they can.

Another very little known fact (and the reason I didnt get one when I was looking at a pet a few months back) is they actually need as much exercise daily as a dog does! This means a lot of time out running about.

Hope that is helpful info hun!

[Silvanon]

Thanks for all the info, everyone!

[springacres]

I have never owned a bunny myself, but I'd suggest looking into rabbit rescue or your local animal shelter (if they accept rabbits).  They would also have some good resources for would-be first time rabbit owners.

[Ryuukokoro]

Haha yay bunny talk!

I owned one indoor bunny when I was a youngin', and we used to breed purebred American Fuzzy Lops, though they lived outdoors.

Everyone else already said the important things. Especially the part about bunny-proofing the room before you let them out of their cage for exercise. My childhood rabbit destroyed a lot of tv and computer wires before we realized just how clever they are at finding stuff in a room to chew on!

The only thing I can add is that bunnies are a shockingly resilient critter! Our purebreds lived outside in the yard in hutches all the time, even in the dead of Maine winter when it can get like negative thirty degrees at night, and they all lived to very ripe old rabbit ages!