Five months ago we welcomed Thumper into our family, and it has been one of the BEST decisions!
I'll be the first to admit we didn't know much about rabbits. I joined a Pet Rabbit Advice group on facebook and boy did I learn ALOT! Ive been asked so many questions about him so I decided to share. Again I'm only five months in and still have alot to learn so I'm no expert and am in no way actting like I know it all.
First off the cage. Rabbits need room. The little small cages ( don't feel bad we started out with one also) they don't cut it. We kept his little small cage so that we can take him places if we need to, but we bought a x-pen to give our boy some room.
The sheet we keep pulled over the top, at night and when were not home because our guy realized he could jump over. The small area in the back was our original cage, the x-pen attaches to it. So we can easily unattach it if we ever needed to.
Rabbits love hiding places so I made him a hiding spot out of a cardboard box. The red bowl we keep his water in. Rabbits can drink out of the ones that attach to the cage ( he started out with one of those also) however they prefer drinking out of a bowl because its just easier.
Rabbits LOVE to chew. Thats because their teeth never stop growing so they need to file them down. We give Thumper lots of toys for chewing. He LOVES chew toys. Chewing is probably the number one reason people are turned off about having a rabbit as a pet. I totally understand. Thumper LOVES cords, and books. He cannot be out without supervision, or a bunny proof area. We let him out daily in our livingroom, all cords are blocked so he cannot get to them, and we have a baby gate to keep him in the livingroom where we can keep an eye on him. Hes a good rabbit, but its their instincts to chew. So this is a clear negative about them, and I 100% understand why it deters people from even considering a bunny.
However I promise you your missing out. 😉 Rooms can easy by bunny proofed by keeping cords up high or blocking your bunny from getting to them.
Another thing that deters people is the mess. I mean aren't they horribly messy and stinky. Your whole house is gonna smell right. WRONG! Rabbits do not like to be dirty, they groom themselves much like cats. Thumper himself doesn't stink.
What about using the bathroom?? Don't they just go everywhere. What a nightmare! Most rabbits can be easily litter trained. While I cant speak for every rabbit, I can tell you our experience with Thumper. He used the litter box from day one. We kept several litterboxes in various areas in the beginning. We quickly learned his favorite spots and kept them in those areas. Eventually we took away litterboxes until we left only two. One in his cage and one in the livingroom. You can use different things in their litterboxes, but the one must have is hay. They NEED hay. The hay will also help with training. When they eat hay they poop. So if there is hay in the litter box and they use the bathroom as they eat it, they quickly realize oh this is where I use the bathroom. Some people only put hay in their litterboxes we have a different method.
How we do the litter box is strictly what works for us so this is MY OPINION... First we put a layer of regular cat litter. Some will say this is bad, we have never had a issue. Thats got alot to do with Thumper himself so proceed with caution if you try litter. Next I put a layer of sawdust/wood shavings. I do this for a couple reasons. Number one it keeps litter from sticking to his feet. I personally would rather clean up shavings, then litter. Shavings you can see, litter is harder to see. Also the shavings mask the smell. One thing I had no clue about, but is my favorite thing about Thumper is his poop DOESN'T HAVE A SMELL. I know your not believing me at all right now, but I promise its true. His poop has absolutely no smell. Pee is a different story. Litter helps soak it up, the shavings then mask the smell. On top of the shavings I put his hay. You can get a hay feeder to hang over the litterbox, we did for awhile. However we quickly realized he was mostly knocking it out into the litter box and eating it from there anyway, and for us we find its just easier to put it in the litter box and alot less messy that way.
This is our litterbox.I cleaned it every couple days, more often if needed, but normally every few days is sufficent. We chose to get a bigger one because hes growing so so fast. The purple tray is actually the very first cage we got. We took the top off and keep his litter box in it to help catch what he sometimes knocks out when he hops out. You'll also notice his food there. We keep his food in that container because it attaches to the cage and he cannot knock it off. Keeping it in the purple tray helps keep what he knocks out contained. This setup works well for us. We feed Thumper pellets from our local feed store, he also enjoys fruits and veggies. Rabbits can have digestive issues so being mindful of what your feeding them and balancing their diet is a must.
I mentioned we give Thumper toys. One thing we have learned is you don't have to go out and buy expensive things. One of Thumpers favorites is toliet paper or paper towel rolls. Rabbits are burrowing animals. Lots of people buy then the toy tunnels, and we probably will eventually. However I've found something much more cost effective. I take a box and cut holes in both ends, I use pull up or diaper boxes because they tend to be long. Thumper goes crazy over this. When hes in his cage he spends alot of his time in his.
I'll be the first to admit we didn't know much about rabbits. I joined a Pet Rabbit Advice group on facebook and boy did I learn ALOT! Ive been asked so many questions about him so I decided to share. Again I'm only five months in and still have alot to learn so I'm no expert and am in no way actting like I know it all.
First off the cage. Rabbits need room. The little small cages ( don't feel bad we started out with one also) they don't cut it. We kept his little small cage so that we can take him places if we need to, but we bought a x-pen to give our boy some room.
You can see in the corner there how it attaches.
Rabbits love hiding places so I made him a hiding spot out of a cardboard box. The red bowl we keep his water in. Rabbits can drink out of the ones that attach to the cage ( he started out with one of those also) however they prefer drinking out of a bowl because its just easier.
Rabbits LOVE to chew. Thats because their teeth never stop growing so they need to file them down. We give Thumper lots of toys for chewing. He LOVES chew toys. Chewing is probably the number one reason people are turned off about having a rabbit as a pet. I totally understand. Thumper LOVES cords, and books. He cannot be out without supervision, or a bunny proof area. We let him out daily in our livingroom, all cords are blocked so he cannot get to them, and we have a baby gate to keep him in the livingroom where we can keep an eye on him. Hes a good rabbit, but its their instincts to chew. So this is a clear negative about them, and I 100% understand why it deters people from even considering a bunny.
However I promise you your missing out. 😉 Rooms can easy by bunny proofed by keeping cords up high or blocking your bunny from getting to them.
Another thing that deters people is the mess. I mean aren't they horribly messy and stinky. Your whole house is gonna smell right. WRONG! Rabbits do not like to be dirty, they groom themselves much like cats. Thumper himself doesn't stink.
What about using the bathroom?? Don't they just go everywhere. What a nightmare! Most rabbits can be easily litter trained. While I cant speak for every rabbit, I can tell you our experience with Thumper. He used the litter box from day one. We kept several litterboxes in various areas in the beginning. We quickly learned his favorite spots and kept them in those areas. Eventually we took away litterboxes until we left only two. One in his cage and one in the livingroom. You can use different things in their litterboxes, but the one must have is hay. They NEED hay. The hay will also help with training. When they eat hay they poop. So if there is hay in the litter box and they use the bathroom as they eat it, they quickly realize oh this is where I use the bathroom. Some people only put hay in their litterboxes we have a different method.
How we do the litter box is strictly what works for us so this is MY OPINION... First we put a layer of regular cat litter. Some will say this is bad, we have never had a issue. Thats got alot to do with Thumper himself so proceed with caution if you try litter. Next I put a layer of sawdust/wood shavings. I do this for a couple reasons. Number one it keeps litter from sticking to his feet. I personally would rather clean up shavings, then litter. Shavings you can see, litter is harder to see. Also the shavings mask the smell. One thing I had no clue about, but is my favorite thing about Thumper is his poop DOESN'T HAVE A SMELL. I know your not believing me at all right now, but I promise its true. His poop has absolutely no smell. Pee is a different story. Litter helps soak it up, the shavings then mask the smell. On top of the shavings I put his hay. You can get a hay feeder to hang over the litterbox, we did for awhile. However we quickly realized he was mostly knocking it out into the litter box and eating it from there anyway, and for us we find its just easier to put it in the litter box and alot less messy that way.
I mentioned we give Thumper toys. One thing we have learned is you don't have to go out and buy expensive things. One of Thumpers favorites is toliet paper or paper towel rolls. Rabbits are burrowing animals. Lots of people buy then the toy tunnels, and we probably will eventually. However I've found something much more cost effective. I take a box and cut holes in both ends, I use pull up or diaper boxes because they tend to be long. Thumper goes crazy over this. When hes in his cage he spends alot of his time in his.
He does chew on it also, so I replace it with a new one ever so often. Im able to do this because I always have diaper/ pull up boxes. I just save them for him and when his starts getting worn out I replace it. This works so well for us. Thumper gets so excited when he gets a new one. I try to do something a little different on each one. This one I left the flap on the front, I typically cut them off. He found the flap immediately and played with it, pushing it in and out of the box. There is a hole cut out for him to run in and out each end. Just a fun and yet easy idea for your rabbit.
I often hear that Rabbits are not good pets for children. The reasoning behind this is they dont like loud noises and sudden movements. I can only speak for Thumper, but Connor is hands down Thumpers favorite. From the moment Jeremy brought him home, and Connor peered in the box and said " HIIII" these two have been best buds.
Connor loves to help with him. He mostly opens his cage door to let him out, but as he gets older we are excited to see him be able to help with him more.
Maybe he'll take over litter box duty someday. 😉😂
They love to chase each other, and Thumper is always seeking Connors attention. They really are the cutest together.
Thumper really is the sweetest. He doesnt like to be picked up, some rabbits do, but from what I've heard most share this trait of his. However he LOVES attention and to be petted. He recently has started hopping up in our laps, this is new and just started recently after having him for 5 months which goes to show that it takes time. Rabbits can be as affectionate as dogs, but it depends on your rabbit and it takes time. So do not give up.
Rabbits are smart, funny, and affectionate, and in my opinion one of the best pets. If you have any more questions feel free to reach out to me, You can also follow Thumper on instagram
Username: thumper_ton
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