Category: Animal House
Hi all
hoping someone might help me with this one. I want to get a rabbit, and also as some of you know, have a guide dog. He does not like cats, but i don't see bunny being a problem. My question is, would it be easy or difficult for me to house train the rabbit? Does anyone know if rabbits have a tendency to p and poop a lot indoors? if so, this could be a problem for me as my dog is fond of eating poop...
feedback or ideas appreciated.
Thanks
Pisces
Thought all dogs ate poop, they add meaning to eat sh*t and die twice.
However, it's not the pooh I'd be as worried about: your dog, though genetically modified, is descended from one of the most efficient flesh-eaters on the planet - wolves. I don't know if it would be wise to house potential predator and potential prey in the same house. Granted lots of dogs don't behave much like predators anymore, but the pet rabbits I've seen certainly behave like prey which might awaken the paleo in your four-legged set of eyes.
So if you get a rabbit, I would get one that displays as few prey characteristics as possible: not easily scared, doesn't back down, in a sense behaves like a cat or dog.
Just remember it's the eaters of plants who are eaten by the eaters of flesh ... hopefully one of the myriad animal lovers on here has some practical knowledge and experience to help you.
Hi,
Ok, I have two rabbits. I know lots aobut them, from having my male for the last almost eight years now. I've done tons of research and provide them with the best care I can. Rabbits are prey animals. My rabbits are fixed, are litterbox trained, don't chew on carpets/walls/base boards/doors/cupboards/ you get my drift. A lot of rabbits do. Some, like mine, do not. You would need to get your rabbit fixed whether it is a male or a female. Females have a 75 percent chance or better, of dying of uteran and/or avarian cancer by age five if not fixed. Males, just like male dogs, can spray if not fixed. Rabbits, unlike dogs, are meant to have babies once a month. If that urge is not satisfied, they will take it out on whatever they can by chewing. This means you and your furniture/apartment/cords/house. Their atention span is much longer if they're fixed as well. If you were to work with your rabbit to train it to come to you when called for instance, it would need to first learn to trust you. Since they're prey animals, they do not automatically always trust that you will not hurt them as a dog or cat might. Rabbits also, have teeth which constantly grow. They need to wear them down by chewing. You have to constantly provide them with hay. Their stomachs cannot be empty for any length of time. Any vet who tells you to fast your rabbit before surgery, does not know their stuff. They need to be taken to a rabbit savvy vet who knows what they're doing. You'd need to monitor your rabbits' dropping for signs of illness. Smaller dropping than normal, harder ones, or little flakes passed rather than droppings, can indicate a condition called G.I. stasis. This can be rapidly fatal if not treated and by rapid, I mean within a matter of hours. I was fortunate enough to get my male to the vet when he was showing signs of G.I. Stasis and my vet velieved me and got him treated in time. My rabbits are not afraid of dogs or other anials, but that's because they've been around other animals. I would be more worried aobut how your dog would do with the rabbit to be honest. Your dog might eat it because if it runs off, your guide dog is after all, a dog and might do what it does instinctually, which would be to chase and kill it.
I would advise you to look at the house rabbit society website:
http://www.rabbit.org
Hopefully this will help you determine whether a rabbit is the right pet for you. They're really a blast and pretty easy to take care of.
I hope this helps ad answers some of your questions. You can always message me too and I'd be happy to share more things that I've learned personally about rabbits with you and tell you stories about my adorable little guys!!
Take Care,
Dawnielle