How do I make my home rabbit-friendly?
How do I make my home rabbit-friendly?
Rabbits can be wonderful companion pets. The rabbit-owner bond can be greatly strengthened if the rabbit is living indoors as a companion pet. However, please remember that plenty of outside exercise is also necessary.
Rabbits are surprisingly clean. Most can be taught to use a litter tray for both urination and faeces. This is more easily achieved and maintained if the rabbit is neutered (see Neutering information sheet). Rabbits naturally like to toilet in one area, so placing some urine-soiled newspaper or some faecal pellets on a litter tray and putting this in an area where your rabbit has chosen to toilet should encourage it to use the tray. Once your rabbit starts to use the tray it is then important to keep it clean. Remember accidents do happen and litter training can be frustrating.
The biggest hazard for house rabbits is exposed wires. For a rabbit, any wire or cord it comes across represents a plant root invading its burrow and must be removed. In addition to the cost of replacing damaged electrical equipment this can be a potentially fatal health risk for your rabbit, causing electrical burns and other effects of electrocution. Make sure all electrical wires are buried under carpet or in boxes to avoid accidents. Rabbits do dig and scratch at the ground and won’t respect expensive furnishings or floor coverings. It is therefore best to remove anything which you consider valuable.
If rabbits live in-doors it is vitally important that they have plenty of good quality grass and hay in their diet, perhaps more so than for rabbits that live outside. This will mean bits of hay in your home and the extra housework this may necessitate. It is not acceptable to withhold hay from the diet because it makes a mess!
One area of danger for rabbits is falling through banisters. As a result, you may wish to restrict access to stairs. Also you will need to be careful not to trip over your rabbit as they can move around quietly!
Should you wish to discuss the possibility of keeping you rabbit indoors with one of our veterinary surgeons, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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