mckay@pur-ee.UUCP (Dwight D McKay) (10/01/85)
My wife and I are considering getting a house rabbit and I'd like to hear any information about which breed to get and litter box training methods. Pointers to reference books on the topic would be very helpful. Thanks! --Dwight Mckay, ECN Software Support
cpm@riccb.UUCP (Cathy Modica ) (10/04/85)
We have a Dutch bunny that is kept in a 3X5X2 ft hutch and has a few toys and a litter pan which he uses all the time. Training him was easy. All you have to do is set up a litter pan with some of the rabbit's droppings in it. That's what the people in the pet store said to do and it worked. Now his only bad rabbit habbit is to drag the pan around and dump it or else get in and kick out the litter. Temperment wise he's great with the dogs and our 2 yr old son who loves to carry him around.
jbd@ritcv.UUCP (Judy B. Dick) (10/09/85)
> My wife and I are considering getting a house rabbit and I'd like to hear > any information about which breed to get and litter box training methods. > Pointers to reference books on the topic would be very helpful. > To people laughing at rabbits as pets: A rabbit can be a wonderful pet just as a dog or cat. The more love and attention you pay to any animal in the first year you are together, the more warm and affectionate the animal will be to you in years to come. (That is a general statement;SOMEONE I'm sure will rebuttal this.) Any ways, rabbits are NOT dumb animals that sit and sleep in cages outside. Would YOU have much excitement if someone did that to you?? For those apartment dwellers who wish to have a dog, but the space doesn't allow it; or your lease only allows "caged" animals, a rabbit is the ideal answer to many situations. To Dwight and a "hall@pyrite.DEC" Litter training a rabbit is very similar to training a cat. They don't like to sleep where they make a mess. I suggest having a 'home' ready for the rabbit when you bring it into your home. The rabbit's home maybe a cage with a cat litter box (the ones with the surrounding edge for anti-flying litter is helpful :-) containing cat litter in one corner while at the opposite end of the cage is lots of small rags inside something for a 'bed' (I use a 3" high dishpan). Next, a heavy bowl (~3" diameter) can be placed in one corner of the litter box..this is for the food. A dripper water bottle (a 32 oz is handy if you have to be a way for 2 days...) should hang so that it is reachable from inside the litter box. Logic: when the rabbit searches for the food and water, it will also spend time in the litter box. You will find that the rabbit ends up training itself! Give the rabbit time to adapt AND TO MATURE. My rabbit sometimes still drops a nugget accidently when she's excited, but a tissue or a slotted spoon (used for litterbox cleaning during the week in between litter changes) is used quick enough. For chewing on wood and electrical cords (and telephone cords!), there is a product called "Bitter Apple" originally for dogs, and rabbits hate it too! It's well woth $5.00 for a tube and use it everywhere BEFORE the rabbit chews where it shouldn't. Give the rabbit soft wood sticks in it's cage to naw on...they have to keep their teeth worn down. There are great pet books in the pet store about just rabbits. I STRONGLY suggest that you buy that FIRST, before the rabbit, for educational reasons when you go to pick out a friend. Do you want a male, or a female, or 2 females to keep each other company and out of trouble while you're at work? Good luck! I'm sorry for this being long...but I hope it may be helpful to someone out there. Please contact me by mail for further help or anything about rabbits...I can give you more info that way. Judy Dick {allegra,decvax,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jbd Rochester, New York
sasaki@harvard.ARPA (Marty Sasaki) (10/12/85)
I kept a rabbit in the bathroom for years. Since the bathroom had a
tile floor (to allow easy cleanup of urine) and no electrical cords
for the rabbit to chew on, it seemed ideal. I put her in with a litter
box and she automatically used it. The only time I had to clean up
after her was when she got diarhea (ever try to force feed a large
rabbit Kaopectate? No fun.).
I put a 12 inch high pine board across the door to keep her in the
bathroom. When friends came to visit and use the facilities, they just
assumed that I had a cat. It was very amusing to suddenly hear a
shriek when the Willy came out from behind the toilet to say hello.
Rabbits do have personalities and are good low-maintenance pets. Willy
stayed in the bathroom most of the time, but I would let her run in
the yard and nibble grass occasionally. The only thing that really
bothered me was that Willy was completely silent.
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Marty Sasaki net: sasaki@harvard.{arpa,uucp}
Havard University Science Center phone: 617-495-1270
One Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138