Available in the UK from http://www.vagavalley.co.uk/bunnysupplies/indoorcages.htm

Firstly, rabbits love to mark their own territory in the house such as spraying their urine or shitting all over the house. That was what happened when i first let my rabbit into my house and i had to spend quite sometime clearing up the mess.

Secondly, rabbits love to chew on wires to sharpen their teeth as their teeth grow throughout their lives. As my home is not wire-proofed at that time, he bite quite a number of my wires in the house and it took me quite a while to fixed it back again.

Thirdly, it is the cleaning and clearing of his cage where i think you and i

…Clean An Indoor Rabbit Cage

Boring I know but there are some people who are starting out with a new bunny and have unanswered questions (plus I aint put a new vid up in like forever!)

The video also has some great tips and hints for what you will need for your bunny!

WATCH PART ONE FIRST!!!!!

Thank you, Rate and Comment

…Clean An Indoor Rabbit Cage

Boring I know but there are some people who are starting out with a new bunny and have unanswered questions (plus I aint put a new vid up in like forever!)

The video also has some great tips and hints for what you will need for your bunny!

Notions of rabbits being pets for children are somewhat contradictory to the reality of the matter. Rabbits have fragile bones and backs which would require proper handling to avoid injury which children are not capable of handling themselves. Children also tend to be hyper active with pets which may also harm the rabbit.

Rabbits usually fight with their cage mate of the same gender if one is not neutered. This is due to sexual reasons. Compatibility with other animals should be regarded. Rabbits should not be left alone with dogs or cats since the predatory instincts of the feline and the canine pets tend to apply to the rabbit.

Rabbits have the nature of

Often people purchase rabbits from a breeder. Many people prefer breeders under suspicion that some pet stores sell cross bred rabbits. Such a breeder who has a litter of young rabbits available for sale can be found in the newspaper classified ads listed under “Pets” or “Livestock.” Some can be found through rabbit breeders’ club publications or through rabbit-related magazines, which often include a breeder listing. With the advent of the Internet, many breeders advertise their stock online.

Finding a local rabbit breeder is generally preferred to shipping rabbits for long distances, as it can be stressful for the animal. Many pet shops nearly always carry smaller breeds of rabbit such as the Netherland dwarf, the Holland lop, and the Mini-Rex. These breeds, although smaller than ‘normal’ rabbits, still live long and healthy lives. A point to note is that often smaller breeds of rabbits are prone to tooth problems such as malocclusion.

Rabbit rescue organizations or a local humane society are increasingly common places to find adult rabbits, who may already be spayed or neutered and docile from handling. Though most rescued rabbits are healthy, some may require special care for health conditions or behavioral problems resulting from prior abuse.

Training and Play

Pet rabbits can be trained to urinate and defecate in a litter box or on a newspaper in a specific corner of a room. The litter box may also be placed inside the rabbit’s cage or the rabbit can be trained to treat the cage itself as the litter box. Litter training becomes much easier once a rabbit is spayed or neutered.

Rabbits cannot learn voice commands like a dog, but can recognize different patterns of the voice. For instance, If a rabbit is disobeying, for example biting, simply make a high pitched noise, or an extremely bass noise and the message will be conveyed. Rabbits can be taught their names, although they recognize the pattern of the noises more then the words. Rabbits are intelligent, and enjoy games and toys.

It is possible to permit a rabbit to run loose in the home if rooms have been rabbit-proofed (i.e. dangerous chewable items such as electric cords are removed from the pet’s reach). Rabbits have a tendency to chew on items in their space, particularly wires, although they can be trained not to chew.

It is important that if a rabbit is allowed to roam in a house that it be impossible for the rabbit to chew or get into dangerous or valuable items. They do not possess the same comprehension as a dog or a cat, and often don’t understand if punished physically; rather they will become scared or confused if some kind of punishment is used, as they do not see the damage they have done. If all this is taken into consideration, rabbits make excellent house pets.

Companionship

Other rabbits

Unneutered rabbits frequently fight when paired with another rabbit of the same gender. Generally fighting is a result of sexual mounting, which is engaged in by rabbits of both sexes upon other rabbits of either sex; this behavior stresses the rabbit being mounted and can make it aggressive toward its cagemate. Unneutered rabbits of opposite sexes will breed rapidly, so a pet owner should not leave them together, even if they do not fight.

Because of these problems, it used to be preferred to keep rabbits caged individually. However, it is becoming common to spay and neuter pet rabbits allowing male and female rabbits to live together. Fighting can result even from pairing altered rabbits. Keeping rabbits in pairs can limit behavioral problems (such as general aggression, biting or withdrawal) which may arise if rabbits are kept single.

Pairs of bonded and desexed rabbits, usually one of each gender to a pair, can often be adopted from animal shelters. These have usually already had all their major expenses taken care of (desexing) and they will rarely fight or harass each other, taking the trouble out of bonding two separate rabbits.

Guinea pigs

Some books recommend keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together to meet their social needs. While some people have seen success with this technique, the current consensus is that rabbits should never be kept in the same cage with guinea pigs. A rabbit can easily harass or injure a guinea pig; this can lead to severe distress or even death for the guinea pig. It may be unintentional or due to being startled, since the rabbit is larger and stronger so can seriously injure a guinea pig. They also have differing nutritional requirements, so it is therefore preferable that rabbits and guinea pigs are fed separately. Guinea pigs require additional Vitamin C in their diets that rabbits don’t. Lack of Vitamin C may lead to scurvy.

Additionally, guinea pigs typically show very little interest in social activities necessary for the rabbit’s well-being, such as grooming; this limits the intended benefit of housing the guinea pig and rabbit together in the first place.

Dogs and cats

It is generally recommended that dogs should never be left alone with rabbits as their predatory instincts (or overenthusiastic play) can lead to the dog attacking the rabbit spontaneously. Cats, on the other hand, can become close and safe potential companions if properly introduced to the rabbit and they are of at least roughly equivalent size. In fact, when the cat is introduced in a home with a resident rabbit, the rabbit sometimes will act aggressively to establish his territory and the cat, which does not have such concerns, will typically cede the point to the resident.

By: Hagar Lagarto

Rabbit hutches can be purchased premade, or, if you are particularly adventurous, you can choose to construct your own. Rabbit hutches should be elevated off the ground and have waterproof tops to protect pets from inclement weather. At The Rabbit Hutch Shop you will find a wide range of rabbit hutches and runs that have been specially designed for your Bunny rabbit. A rabbit hutch is the best choice for a rabbit kept outside. The traditional rabbit hutch is a plywood box, one foot by one foot by four feet in size. Although rabbit hutches are typically used outside, they can be used indoors if space allows.

Choosing a Hutch

Whether you choose a rabbit cage or a hutch, be sure to keep your pet’s safety and comfort in mind, avoiding selections that are very small, contain wire bottoms, or have sharp edges. The traditional rabbit hutch is a plywood box, one foot by one foot by four feet in size. Bedding straw should be replaced on a daily basis and the hutch should be cleaned thoroughly each week. A rabbit should be able to stand on its hind legs and stretch out full length in the bed section of the hutch as a bare minimum requirement.

Pet

Pet rabbits should be protected from contact with wild rabbits to prevent infection and this includes the situation where wild rabbits might have contaminated the grass area where you might place a portable run for your pet rabbit. So before you bring one of us rabbits or any pet home really, just make sure you are doing it out of genuine love for the animal and not because of some holiday, or because its trendy. Rabbit hutches and runs sold in pet shops are often woefully inadequate for adult rabbits. This is especially true when people buy pet shop hutches along with a baby rabbit when they have no idea of it’s adult size. Also, keep in mind that if you’re buying a hutch for a baby rabbit, you should estimate how large your pet can grow up to be and do the math according to his full-grown size. Many people continue to keep their pet in a small hutch, perhaps sited at the bottom of the garden. Your veterinary surgeon can advise you on the vaccinations and annual boosters that are required to keep your pet protected.

Conclusion

Rabbit hutches can be purchased pre-constructed, or, if you are particularly bold, you can choose to construct your own. Although rabbit hutches are typically used outside, they can be used indoors if space allows. Wood rabbit hutches are the most common, with screened-in or wire-mesh sides. Looking at design in addition to size, you need to consider rabbit hutch design when determining your purchase. The roof should also be detachable to aid in the cleaning of the rabbit hutch. A typical rabbit hutch is relatively easy to build, offering your rabbit sturdy and reliable shelter, good ventilation and nest boxes where bunnies can be born.

By: Kate Riding

The choice of whether you keep your rabbit in a cage or allow him to roam freely is up to you. If you do opt to keep your rabbit in a cage, you should make sure that he is allowed to get out of his cage every day so he can exercise. When purchasing a cage for your rabbit, you should take into account how big he will be when he is mature and purchase a cage that is five times that size. Your rabbit’s cage should be big enough for him to sit up on his hind legs. You should also put cardboard or a piece of untreated pine wood in the bottom of wire cages to protect his paws from the wire.

If you decide to allow your pet to roam, make sure that your home is safe. Rabbits like to chew and they don’t know the difference between an electrical cord and a stick. Most rabbit owners that do allow their pets to roam limit their wandering to specific areas.

Rabbits are herbivores, which means that they only eat fruits, vegetables and grasses in the wild. You should keep a bowl of commercial rabbit food in your pets eating area. However, you should feed your rabbit hay every day, as well. Many rabbit owners also feed their pets a few fruits and vegetables, such as a carrot or a bit of apple. Always provide something hard and crunchy for your rabbit to gnaw on. This will keep his teeth from becoming overgrown. You should also make sure your rabbit has access to water and that it is changed every day.

Many domesticated rabbits become accustomed to be handled and even enjoy being held. However, you should always use both hands when picking up your rabbit. Place one hand under his chest and the other around his rump. You should never lift your rabbit by his ears.

Rabbits keep themselves clean. However, you should brush rabbits that have long hair regularly to keep their fur from matting. You should trim your rabbit’s nails every six weeks. Also, check your bunny’s teeth when you trim his nails to be sure they are wearing evenly. If a rabbit’s teeth don’t meet evenly, they may grow too long and curl, preventing him from eating. If his teeth are growing too long, you will need to ask your vet to trim them on a regular basis.

Rabbits do not need to go to the vet for vaccinations, but will benefit from a yearly checkup, just like any other pet. You should also take your rabbit to the vet if he has hair loss, loss of appetite, a runny nose, has difficulty breathing or has any swelling or lumps on his body.

By: Katelyn Thomas

You don’t really have to worry about learning how to build a rabbit hutch. It is really quite simple. However, it is important that you draw out your plans first before you start soldering the hutch’s frame. Make sure that you have carefully considered every tiny detail so you will have everything at hand when you start making the hutch.

When drafting your plans on how to build a rabbit hutch, you need to take into consideration the size of your rabbit and of course, its growth. Is your pet an incredibly large or small rabbit? Do you think he or she will likely to grow more in size? You really don’t have to decorate the cage flamboyantly. You just have to make sure that the one-room space your rabbit will occupy is roomy, warm and safe.

So, what do you need? To build a hutch, you need to have the following at hand: wire cloth, eight pieces of wood or metal rods, hinges, staples, woven hardware cloth or wire rolls (with the former being much preferable), formica sheet, and 2×4″ stock. For tools, you need to have wire snips, gloves, ***** driver, staple gun, coping saw and soldering iron.

Of course, you can always make wooden rabbit hutches but it is better to learn how to build a rabbit hutch that is made of metal. Metal hutches are more superior. They are easy to clean and bad odors don’t stick to metal easily.

When you are learning how to build a rabbit hutch, you need to consider the proper materials to use when building the walls, roof and flooring. For instance, you cannot use the wire mesh for the hutch’s flooring. This will likely harm your rabbit’s paws. The wire cloth is advisable for the flooring. The wire mesh, however, is great for the walls, but then woven hardware cloth is even better.

To construct the frame, you would have to lay out the pieces you need for the frame. Cut these pieces into the desired length. Solder the hutch side walls and then attach them to the front and rear rods in order to create the metal frame. Once you are finished with this, you can then construct the door and attached the same to the frame using ***** and hinges. Once you have the frame, you can then roll the wire mesh or woven hardware cloth to create the walls. Tack the corner points and flatten the wire ripples. For the flooring, you would have to cut the 2×4 inches stock and attach them to frame with staples. Place a piece of Formica underneath to catch the rabbit’s wastes.

You need to learn how to build a rabbit hutch properly if you want to ensure the safety of your pet. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to learn how to build a rabbit hutch. You will even enjoy doing it. All you just need are the right materials and that’s it.

By: John Grant