Indoor rabbit

Personally (and it’s a personal view only) I think it’s a very unnatural life for a wild animal to have to live to entertain an adult wearing a harness and using a litter tray are not normal for a rabbit and to me is no different to a caged bird or a trained circus animal
I can understand your quest for company and an animal is ideal company I hope you find an answer

We only ever had one rabbit when our children were young - it was a huge lop eared one and quite vicious - it used to chase the cat round the garden and try to mount her!! Eventually an employee who had a small holding took him and he had a much better life!

I do know someone though who had a pet house rabbit who was quite a character - he would lie in front of the fire and watch TV, loved being cuddled and she was totally devastated when he became ill and had to be put to sleep - he was quite old by then. He used a litter tray so was house trained.

I would be worried the rabbit would smell or chew carpets/ furniture but I have never had a rabbit so may be wrong.

I know someone who had an indoor rabbit and it worked well. I know so many of these poor creatures who are bought as pets, single pets, then live out their existence alone and forgotten in cages. If you train it from a kitten and it gets to enjoy gentle handling then it could make a good companion.
Rabbits don’t smell and they can be trained to use litter trays. They do chew though and you might be advised to crate it when you go out.
There must be internet data on this surely?

My friend’s daughter had one in her flat and it chewed the electric wires. IMO I think it is cruel and unnatural.

I found this for you

House Rabbits

We had several indoor rabbits when the kids were young. Rabbits can make wonderful pets but they are a mixed bag and it's wise to get one from a breeder who handles them from a young age.

Breed is important too, dwarf lops used to be known as the friendliest. As you've got a friend with a particular breed, perhaps she can tell you more about her dwarf agouti.

Our best rabbit has become a family legend. He was was wonderful. He would indeed sit on your lap, sit by the fire, leap hilariously on and off the sofa, play with the cat! You can house train rabbits but you have to beware of their habit of chewing, we had to replace several telephones because he chewed through the wires and he used to pull the spines from books and eat them. The latter especially annoyed DH. Like all pets they require time and commitment but I thought having a rabbit was great fun.

NanKate it is unnatural but not necessarily cruel. Cruel is buying an animal that lives in colonies and keeping it in solitary in a cage fir its whole life.

I have had indoor rabbits. I had 2 at the same time. to be fair they were both indoor and outdoor rabbits as they had learnt to use the cat-flap. They were house trained , did not poo or wee indoors and never nibbled things they shouldn't , the only concern that I have is that bunnies are not solitary animals and prefer to have a friend of their own kind as well as a human companionship.

I would suggest a pair of dwarf lops and if they can access the garden as well as being allowed in the house you could all be happy.

They don't smell, are easy to house train and mine were very affectionate .

Or have you thought about fancy rats? I have had these and they can also be affectionate and make great pets. clearly they are caged most of the time but can roam around when you are home.

BradfordLass, we used to have a house rabbit. They are lovely creatures but quite spirited and easily bored. We loved him but he did chew the furniture! You cannot have any loose electrical wires/flexes around at all! It's unnatural for them to live alone so they require lots of company and entertainment.

I still have the scars from when I once picked him up and he kicked his back legs to 'escape' taking the skin off my wrist. White scratch lines remain. Although easy to house train, they do also have a very distinctive smell, especially males!

Have you considered a couple of Guinea pigs instead? They are altogether gentler and sweeter creatures. I now believe it's unfair to keep any rodents without company of their own kind.

I had a friend who had an indoor rabbit for years. He was very tame and hopped around the house.

Didn't always use the tray though, and left pellets around the house.

AND had a huge cage where he went while she was out/in bed etc. Took a LOT of cleaning out.

Cats ARE easier. Are you sure you couldn't take to one? If you found the right one (a rescue maybe) you could make sure it was friendly and affectionate.

Friends of ours had a house rabbit. Fabulous little guy. He trotted around the house, used the cat flap to pop into the garden and used to love to lounge on the sofa eating toast.

He'd greet the children when they returned home from school and all in all was a great success.

Heartbreak when he eventually hopped off to Rainbow Bridge

My daughter once rented a room from a woman who had six rabbits roaming around the house. She said it was a nightmare: droppings all over the place and aonce a rabbit chewed through the telephone line (before smartphones) and she was unable to call us here in Italy for a while.

We never had house rabbits, but used to bring them inside, while the children took forever to clean out their hutches, and they regularly chewed through cables.

BlueBelle believe me, I have the same concerns and am not so desperate for a pet that I'd contribute to the unhappiness of one for my own pleasure.

The harness was in no way for my own entertainment but rather so the rabbit could spend time outside on the lawn, with fresh grass to nibble and be safe from the many marauding cats around here. It wouldn't be pegged out and left alone.

Anja Thanks so much, I'll follow up that link

IF, and it's a big IF I get a rabbit, it will not roam free when I am out of the house, so no possibility of its electrocuting itself on any wires, or tucking into my Complete Works of Shakespeare.

I have spoken at length to a local lady who has bred them for 20 years, her rabbits have never known the wild for many generations.

I'm still contemplating and have reservations.

Loislovesstewie (I bet Stewie is glad about that!) Yes, I have considered a rat but they don't really appeal. I loved our little mouse, Squeak though.

Yes, I agree rabbits are used to companions but then so are dogs, fish, rats and many other pack and school animals now kept as pets.

Not many animals are natually solitary in fact and I don't think the charity which objects to us having dogs here, would appreciate my having a black rhino on the lawn.

My adult granddaughter has a house rabbit. He is a happy friendly animal. He has the run of the house when they are at home otherwise he is in a large cage in his own room. He runs around the garden and plays with toys etc. I have heard of them chewing wires etc so like any pet they need attention. Not sure I would want one but my granddaughter loves him, he has a carer who takes him when they go away so he is well looked after.

I, too, have heard of them chewing wires. Someone my DH worked with had a house rabbit and when the relevant bit of electrical equipment was switched on it seemed to be attracted by the sound of the current in the wires. The answer, I guess, is to make sure the cables are out of the rabbit's reach.

Otherwise, they do seem to be happy indoors, with the right conditions.

I once house-sat for a friend who had a house rabbit. It was a large black and white one, and very lively. It chewed wires, clawed the furniture, was not entirely house-trained, and drove me mad! Trying to pick it up to put it in it's cage at night was terrible. It scratched my hands and arms very badly.
Never again!

A friend of mine had a wild rabbit that her brother rescued from a roadside when it was very young. It lived in her London flat, used a litter tray and was very sociable and friendly. The only thing it ever chewed was an office type chair which when then gave to it for destruction, which it embraced with fervour. It was only ever called "rabbit " and lived to a ripe old age.

Until they chew through the speaker wires of the hi-fi ! We had one in the house years ago and it loved Heinz beans. He was a little imp but in the end gave it to our niece who had a hutch and a sealed lawn/garden where he was happier being the buck that he was.

Im sorry but dont agree with keeping a rabbit indoors.

I take you point Anja.

Some good advice here for you Bradfordlass.

It would be better if you could manage two. It's the same with guinea pigs, they prefer not to be alone. I've had house guinea pigs which were house trained allowed so could run around as long as someone was keeping an eye on them.

G p's and R's need plenty of handling from a very young age so they get used to being handled and need to be handled on a regular basis.

A harness is a good idea to enable you to take them out in the garden and as with handling, they need to be introduced to it immediately so it becomes something they're used too.

A pet is a wonderful addition to home IMO especially if you live alone. Pets at Home or something similar is a good place to go too.

They're used to seeing people moving around all day and in my experience getting one from a breeder can cause problems as not all breeders handle them regularly, and you can end up with one who doesn't like to be held no matter how hard you try to get them used to it.

There's plenty of info on line that you can access.

Just a thought both my adult granddaughters got guinea pigs about 3 years ago - they are such amazing little things - I've never had anything to do with them before so wasn't prepared for their quirkiness. The eldest GD lives with her boyfriend and theirs is out of his cage whenever they're home - if they go away he goes to stay with my other GD who is still at home. She gets hers out all the time and he loves to sit on her knee (or my son's) although they do have them on a towel as they do wee. He's much quieter than the eldest's as they're different breeds. They do need to be handled though and be have company.