House Rabbit

It often comes as a surprise to those who, when they think of pet rabbits at all, picture them outdoors in hutches or worse [video NSFB – Not Safe For Bunnies], that they can live quite happily inside with the humans. They can usually be litter-trained and are odour-free: both big pluses. And they are incomparably adorable. Meet Oreo:


click on pics for bigness

He's just over a year old, and has the run of most of the house, the exceptions being the kitchen and the storage room where his hay is kept.


thank goodness I don't have hay fever

Aside from hay – we get ours by the bale from a local farmer – they also dig their greens.


and reds, it looks like

The main order of business for anyone wishing to share heart and hearth with leporidae domesticis


spot the lagomorph

is to bunny-proof your own hutch. This involves safeguarding wires, which rabbits appear to be far more fond of than carrots, and restricting access to books or whatever your new housemate fancies.


fireplace screen over a bookcase


paper towel rolls: très chic, non?

Still, you must prepare yourself for the inevitable small nibbles that start appearing in home furnishings.



And they will. Go. Everywhere.



Rabbits are crepuscular, which means they're most active in the mornings and evenings


behind the couch is apparently much more comfy than on it

but really, once you've let a rabbit in, he's liable to scamp about in your head 24/7.


am I on your contacts list?

Wonderful as it is having him in our lives, he's a lot of work and worry. When rabbits are sick they can go downhill very fast, so you've got to keep a close eye on them. As a prey species, most don't particularly like being held, so many people's reason for wanting one in the first place (lots of hugs, of course!) goes right out the window. But he's an appreciative magnet for pets, grinding his teeth in approval – a satisfying reward known as 'tooth purring'. All in all, we're glad he's ours and we're his.


works for me

 

What a lovely post! Thank you!

O takes time out of his busy schedule to thank you

Oreo is adorable!  A very lucky bunny with a very lucky family - thanks so much for the great picture post. 

It's true that I do try to keep him away from mirrors, as he might get a big head.
Here we see him contemplating the possibility of new friends.

Very cute!  Where does he sleep at night?  Will he sleep with you in your bed?

At night he sleeps in a large open-topped pen I built in our office, where his litter tray is. One of the very real dangers of having a quick little critter underfoot is that he might literally end up underfoot when one of us is stumbling about in the night on the way to the bathroom, so we feel it's the safest place for him.


I have my own robe

Oreo says good morning to all and sundry. His plans today include inspecting vital infrastructure.

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!  Cuteness overload!!!!!  I'm loving him; you better keep him close! 

 

I thought I read that rabbits are very social creatures and keeping just one can be a problem.  Did I remember that wrong?

Yes, they're social creatures, like us humans. Although I am doubtless an inadequate substitute for another rabbit, I'm home most days, so he has lots of company. We watch him closely for signs of depression or just plain sadness (they are said to lose their inquisitive nature, their enthusiasm and interest in food and generally their 'bunniness', as someone put it) and have seen none. On the contrary, all his behaviours indicate he is content: the proverbial happy bunny.


though I'd be happier if I could get at these books

Rabbits have different personalities. Some are more OK with solitude than others - and I'm not just saying that to rationalise our decision. We chose him in part because we observed at the shop where we bought him that he kept himself apart from his brothers.

Perhaps you should give him so lighter reading material.  All those books look like heavy going.

Not sure if MFK Fisher qualifies as heavy or light, but he did seem keen.


how about this for a title – A Vegan's Revenge

Bon appetite little rabbit!

Band name: House Rabbit