Rabbits inside the house? Yep. And this is how to do it....First you have to determine where in the house your rabbit will live. Even if your rabbit will roam around the house, there will be some times when you need to confine him, and he will feel much safer having his own private space. Condo number one - a tall condo This condo is very a tall condo against a wall. The condo is made from NIC (Neat Idea Cubes). NIC cubes are self assemble plastic coated wire panels, their original purpose is to build shelving/storage areas. (Sales must have gone through the roof since the bunny community discovered their usefulness). For the flooring on the upper levels, we use sea grass mats. These are doormats made of untreated sea grass and are great for bunnies to nibble on. They are quite cheap in Australia, and are replaced every couple of weeks as small teeth gradually chew the mat thinner and thinner. S plastic sheet (like a painter's drop sheet) is hung down the back of the condo to ensure that the wall doesn't get damaged. Litter boxes are on the bottom to ensure stray poops and urine from the upper levels will be caught. The condo for two  Condo number two - division After Fuzzy's surgery for dislocated hips, Fuzz decided that she no longer wanted a companion. So the condo was redesigned so there were two seperate living areas. After that, poor Thumper got quite depressed and sat in a corner and didn't move around. The rabbits still needed to be seperate as Fuzzy was anti social, and Topaz and Thumper needed supervision during their socialising/bonding. Their condo was redesigned so each rabbit had an enclosed playpen. The condo made for three  Condo number three Even though rabbits can happily roam around, they still need their own area where they can be relegated to. Fuzzy had to be seperate from the other two, as Fuzzy doesn't like other rabbits, and will viciously defend her territory. In this picture, Fuzzy has been delegated to her half of the room, while the other two investigate their half. The condo is half built. As the room is carpeted, vinyl flooring has been used underneath the condo to allow for easy cleaning underneath the litterboxes. They have their own patch of carpet for binkying, and washable rubber backed bathmats.  The condo under construction  Topaz & Thumper's half of the condo Rabbit Play area This area the bunny play room. There are toys in here, and carpet for comfort and grip.  Carpet Rabbits have furry paws and find it very had to corner at high speeds on lino and wooden floorboards. The carpet allows for much binkying. Watch out that your rabbit doesn't chew the carpet. Eating carpet can lead to blocked intestines and death. Wicker basket 
A wicker basket makes a good place to hide. Cut a rabbit sized hole in the front of the basket and turn it upside down to make a bunny hidey hole. It also makes for good chewing......And its light enough to be dragged around and tipped over by playful bunnys. Ensure that the wicker basket is untreated and not laquered, as rabbits will chew on the basket. Other Toys 
There isn't a large market yet for rabbit toys in Australia. The US has some fantastic rabbit toys. If you live in the US, buy up!. For everyone else, you can make your own toys. Toilet rolls make excellent toys. Waving one under Fuzzy's nose results in her boxing at it with her front paws. Rabbits also love to grab the toilet roll with their teeth and throw it as far as they can. Other home made toys can include empty plastic soft drink bottles with a stone in it so the bottle makes a rattle as it is thrown around. Baby toys such as plastic keys are also good fun, and some rabbits will play with cat toys. Don't spend too much as many rabbits will totally ignore the expensive toys and prefer to play with newspaper. The Tunnel The tunnel is made from thick cardboard and is from a carpet shop. Thumper uses the tunnel as a getaway from Fuzzy, as Fuzzy doesn't fit too well :-)  Exercise 
Even though your rabbit may be inside, it doesn't mean that they should not go outside. Rabbits need sunlight, grass and to satisfy all those bunny urges like chewing and digging. You will see a different side to your rabbit when it plays outdoors. Make sure that there are no ways to escape from your backyard and that your rabbit has a place to hide if it gets scared. A cardboard box with a bunny sized doorway cut into it is ideal for this purpose. |