Grex Pets Conference

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Grex Pets Item 44: House Rabbits
Entered by boyhowdy on Wed Feb 13 06:43:56 UTC 2002:

What, no item for rabbits?  Anyone else out there have a "house rabbit", i.e.
litter box trained, indoor bunny?  We've got a nice white Himalayan I'm
working on training now.  My 2nd bunny.  Too bad people don't realize what
super pets they can be!  You don't HAVE to put them in a hutch in the
backyard.

8 responses total.

#1 of 8 by slynne on Wed Feb 13 15:38:54 2002:

Nope but I once had a roommate who got a rabbit from the pet store but 
didnt want to spend money on a cage and insisted it could be house 
trained like a cat. It pooped all over our house and ate all of the 
wires (like to the lamps, answering machine, fans, etc) it could. I know 
it wasnt the rabbit's fault but I really learned to hate them during 
that time.

#2 of 8 by boyhowdy on Thu Feb 14 06:42:44 2002:

They can be house trained, but not "like a cat".  The methods are bery
different.  But I've had this one for a couple of months now, and it is
already pretty well trained.  It hasn't gone anywhere but the litter box for
2 or 3 weeks, I think.  I still watch it closely, though.  Chewing is another
issue.  Best bet is to "bunny-proof" the place.  That means things like
plastic tubing around elec cords, etc.

#3 of 8 by mooncat on Thu Feb 14 13:25:54 2002:

I need to get some of those tubes for my cat... she has a fondness for 
computer mice...

As for Rabbits, can't say I ever wanted to have one for a pet, but my 
sister has really wanted one for years.

#4 of 8 by slynne on Thu Feb 14 21:40:23 2002:

How does one train a rabbit to be house trained?

#5 of 8 by mooncat on Thu Feb 14 22:30:13 2002:

classical conditioning? (as they would say in psychology)

#6 of 8 by boyhowdy on Fri Feb 15 07:27:26 2002:

Litter training a rabbit is kind of hard to describe in a post. I'll give it
a quickie try.  You start with the bunny in it's cage, with a litter box
inside (obviously you must buy a sufficiently large cage).  My current one
is about 30x18x18.  The cheap small cat litter boxes fit nice on one side.
Put some hay or pellets on top of the litter.  Most rabbits will soon use only
the box, as then tend to like to be clean.  Begin letting the bunny out in
a small room that is bunny-proofed. Large laundry room is perfect, but you
woud want to block off access to behind the machines.  I just use our den.
Place litter boxes set up the same way in the corners of the room.  If the
rabbit goes anywhere else, next time put a litter box there.  Sometimes you
have 6 boxes around, but it only took me 3 (I used some old flower pot bottoms
filled with the litter). When there are no mistakes, remove the boxes one at
a time, leaving only the favorite.  Each day I have mine out for about an hour
now.  Started with only 10-15 minutes.  You just keep working with them.  [AA
smart bunny will figure it all out in a couple of weeks.  Some take a long
time before they are reliable, I've heard.  I've never had much trouble, tho.

#7 of 8 by slynne on Sun Feb 24 22:16:06 2002:

That sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing.

#8 of 8 by boyhowdy on Tue Feb 26 05:28:57 2002:

It really is cool, when you get them trained.  And you do a little electrical
cord protection (even though you can discourage them from chewing on them,
they are a constant temptation, so better to be safe).  When they are trained,
they are a hilarious house pet.  They will do jumps and twists in the air,
and are very inquisitive.  They're clean, and they don't smell.  I think
they're the perfect pet, IF you know how to break em in!

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