Indoor Rabbits

[AlexandraLT]

Im looking at buying two dwarf rabbits.
I want to keep them inside as i have three dogs who will prob kill them if they had the chance.
I was just wondering what type of cages they would have, I was thinking about using a dog crate as the main cage.
Do they need sawdust?
Any help would be appreciated

[Leesha]

I replied on the thread you started on the rabbit forum ;)

But sawdust isn't great for rabbits, it can harm their respiratory system and is generally messy. Blankets and towels are good for laying the base in the crate, which is what I use. My rabbit is never closed in the crate even though it is a 48inch one, but it's just somewhere for her food, water and litter tray.

Rabbits can be very expensive RE vaccinations, neutering/spaying (which is important) and if you buy rather than rescue the rabbits then be warned that they may not be dwarf rabbits for very long. There are 40,000+ in rescues :( My 4 rabbits have cost me over £200 the past month for vaccinations and one of my dental rabbits (I have 2) tear duct flushing.

Main things; hay is the most important thing! good pellets but not too many, example: I feed my bonded outdoor buns a handful of science selective everyday, one of my indoor rabbits has a small handful (he is also dental but indoors after a stroke and mite treatment from 5 years in a 4 x 1 x 1 hutch... he would be dead if we didn't have him now.) and Poppy (who has the crate) has unlimited pellets but I don't recommend that of course, it is purely because she can't eat hay because her teeth are so badly misaligned :( bad breeding.. another thing you can't tell from buying rabbits. She has managed to keep a dental at bay for over a year though :) we have to help clean her bum though, and hopefully in the next month we will be taking on another bunny (who has awful teeth too) and bond her with him, hopefully he can teach her hay is food too :)

Rescue rabbits are neutered and vaccinated already and usually have a fee of £60+ for a pair which is A LOT cheaper than the approx. £60 each it would cost to spay/neuter a bought rabbit.

Whether you buy or rescue though, weigh the pros and cons. And definitely take into consideration your dogs. Rabbits can get scared and easily go into statis which, if not treated fairly quickly, can have a terrible end result.

Good luck :)

[Bekki2308]

The biggest dog crate you can find for free ranging rabbits to use as a base

or a 6ft x 2ft pen minimum if they are going to be locked in, then they should have 8 hours a day in a 8ft x 4ft area minimum for exercise.

Rabbits need injections and for me that is £54 per year per rabbit at my vets.

So if you need to keep the rabbits and dogs seperate this might not work for you.

And dwarf rabbits might not actually be dwarfs, dwarf lops are not small for example a mini lop is ...

[AlexandraLT]

What is better? Two dwarf rabbits or two guinea pigs?

[kyrilliondaemon]

Er... I've never kept guinea pigs but they're really really different so I'd research both and make your own decision.
I know I personally have a big preference for rabbits but others have that preference for guinea pigs.

[Bekki2308]

Personal preference :-)

but two guinea pigs need a lot less space, cost less for a cage, cost less as they dont need neutering or vaccines and they eat less food too. Guinea pigs are easily a bedroom pet, rabbits need a whole room in space really.

if you have a mansion of a house and unlimited cash then both :-P otherwise its just personal preference :-)

I replied to your PM btw

[Leesha]

Guinea pigs would be an easier animal to have inside tbh. They don't need vaccinations either. And guinea pigs need veg everyday for a vitamin boost kind of thing or something.

Again though, bigger the better.

Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home (http://www.guineapigcages.com/)

Guinea Pig Toys and Play (http://www.guineapigcages.com/toys.htm)

Guinea Pigs | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/guineapiginfo)

Members Cages! | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.228472113850185.63779.215129088517821&type=3)

Also, loads of piggies in rescues. If you buy they could be mis-sexed and you might end up with a few more piggies.

[vanilla-yazoo]

I have two dwarf rabbits, they are lovely, I have a pen I keep them in.
I havent owned guinea pigs but they are quite noisy and fradgile.

[Bekki2308]

I have two dwarf rabbits, they are lovely, I have a pen I keep them in.
I havent owned guinea pigs but they are quite noisy and fradgile.

They are noisy but not really fragile :-) they can be roughly handled and pinned down for nail clipping and stuff without harming them. Their legs can break if they jump from something but 1ft or so fall is fine for them :-) big fat boars are build like brick **** houses ... I am a bit piggy mad though :-)

I do have rabbit (will be getting her a friend in the summer) and hammies :-) hamies are more fragile than piggies

[Bekki2308]

Guinea pigs would be an easier animal to have inside tbh. They don't need vaccinations either. And guinea pigs need veg everyday for a vitamin boost kind of thing or something.

Again though, bigger the better.

Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home (http://www.guineapigcages.com/)

Guinea Pig Toys and Play (http://www.guineapigcages.com/toys.htm)

Guinea Pigs | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/guineapiginfo)

Members Cages! | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.228472113850185.63779.215129088517821&type=3)

Also, loads of piggies in rescues. If you buy they could be mis-sexed and you might end up with a few more piggies.

Correct :-) guinea pigs need a cup of veggies per day (so do rabbits though) as they cannot make their own vitamin C but feeding them veggies is part of the fun of keeping them and doesnt have to be expensive.. mine get the bits I dont eat like brocoli stalks, cauli leaves, tops and tails of carrots etc as well as specific things I buy for them but they cost very little for veg :-)

theguineapigforum.co.uk is a great resource for piggy info or rabbit united forums for rabbits :-)

[p_anda]

So I assume your dogs live outside then all year round? If they don't, I would think about this again. Do you have enough space in your home to keep the rabbits and the dogs safely apart? Is there one safe room in the house where the rabbits can stretch their legs and run around without having to be restrained to a playpen? Even dwarf rabbits need a lot of space. :)

If you're going to keep them inside, a hutch is not necessary, so you'll be saving a bit of money there, but I think if you're between guinea pigs and rabbits, guinea pigs are definitely cheaper to buy and need slightly less space. Guinea pigs do need a lot of fresh vegetables though because they can't make their own vitamin C. My friend had a guinea pig that lived on its own in a large tank with nothing but shavings [yes I know, but this was 15 years ago and we were very young children] and lived to the ripe age of 8. I remember it being very entertaining and sweet.

[KatiePillow]

My aunty goes into sainsburys and snaps the stalks off all the broccoli in there because people don't want it anyway..bit cheeky but nobody stopped her!
I think guineas would be easier to keep i the house, but your dogs will still try to get to them through the cage most likely.. my dog is a massive softy and she was still obsessed with piggies.

[Bekki2308]

My dog is scared off Guinea pigs



. Even a dwarf whammy makes her run away lmao

My local veg stall gives me stalks ans leaves of cauliflower and brocoli and stuff like that, my rabbit eats more veg than the pigs she eats loads but she doesn't like hay or grass so she needs loads of veg , vet says there is nothing wrong with her she is just odd