Growing up we raised some rabbits but they were for food. shudder that is a memory I wish I could lose. I loved them, their fur was so soft and even tho they weren’t tame they were sweet and easy for us kids to hold. Beautiful little animals.
So I’m thinking that as my cats age out I want to switch to rabbits as my house pet. I’ve found a few videos on YouTube and it seems like pet rabbits are fairly common. So does anyone here have (had) a rabbit in their house?
Most of the rabbits in that video are Mini Lops (which are bigger than Holland Lops). Lops are traditionally a friendly and laid back breed, as are most of the larger rabbits. The smaller you get the more temperamental
I have kept rabbits as house pets, a cage at night or when unsupervised and out during the day. Many rabbits, especially when neutered, learn litterbox habits like cats.
Speaking of, I had larger rabbits and they got along fine with my cats. Big enough to take care of themselves in a scuffle. One was actually quite aggressive with the cats regarding her home, other other would snuggle up for a nap with the cats.
The house rabbit society is a good resource, although some of the people on the FB page go bonkers if you keep rabbits outside. I’d much rather my rabbits live in my home, but it is possible to give good care in a shed or barn.
Bunnies are AWESOME pets! We used to raise meat rabbits, and when we decided to phase out the program, we kept all of our breeding stock (something like 13 of them- mostly does) as pets to live out their lives. I will have to say that males are friendlier and less territorial in my experience. Most of ours have been New Zealand mixes, but the occasional mini lop too. They can be litter box trained, and are super entertaining!
I have heard they can be litter trained. The ones I remember as a kid all had raised ears but, those lops are freaking adorable! Me want :yes:
When I am ready to try a rabbit as a pet I’ll look at rescues to see what they have available.
I absolutely adored my rabbit Skipper. He was a male Dutch. I actually had him and a cat at the same time and oh those two were hilarious playing with each other. He and I were a travelling pair in college and everyone loved having him come over. Just make sure you get that clear tubing to cover all wires in the areas your rabbit will hang out in. I think I got very lucky with mine as he never really chewed what he shouldn’t have. He was litter trained. His favorite hobby was jumping 5’ in the air and twisting about like a wannabe gymnast. Endless entertainment with that fellow 
Can you protect your bunnies from dogs and cats? And from children who are too rough on bunnies?
They do chew leather and cords which means shoes and tv cords and lamp cords are fair game.
They will use cat pans so they litter train themselves.
I love bunnies but don’t have one. If I did, it would be that huge breed, I forget the name. The gigantic one that might be intimidating to a cat or dog.
I would keep my wabbit in the house. My cats are indoor only too. I’m not gong to get one until my old female cat is gone, she doesn’t play well with others.
Sounds like the best thing is to let the rabbit out only when I’m home and can watch it. Plus I don’t want my stuff chewed up! Bad enough that just about all my furniture has scars from the cats. 
I have 2 house rabbits (mini rex and dwarf hotot - both little high energy types from shelters). They have a “condo” that they sleep in when I’m at work, but otherwise they have the run of the place. I forgot to close the door of their house while I was at work once and they mostly just had a ball pulling all the clothes out of my laundry bin. There’s a nibble in a couple of my tshirts and a couple on chair legs, but they learned quickly what they are and are not allowed to chew. Cords are all inaccessible or protected in my home, but the rest is a matter of training and providing enough stimulation. Litter box training was easier than cats.
“Vegan kittens” are excellent pets for the right home. They essentially little long eared ponies as far as how their GI tracts and instincts work, so they’re not a good fit with little ones who might move too suddenly, handle rough, or sneak them rich treats. Like cats they can entertain themselves in a household with working people. But they’re social animals so unlike cats they don’t thrive without conspecific company - pairs tend to be healthier and happier than solo bunnies. And spayed/neutered bunnies are similarly both healthier and easier to manage than intact rabbits.
Mine prefer to stretch out next to me rather than sitting on my lap. One of mine sleeps in the end of my bed, hates socks and will try to tug them off your feet, and begs to be let out on my (bunny-safe) deck all the time. The other will melt right into the couch for extended petting and loves jumping obstacles so much that she got her own tiny set of jump standards and poles. They’re characters, to be sure!
Mine stay with a family member a few weeks per year while I’m abroad. Her old grumpy cat gives them a wide berth but otherwise ignores their existence and her younger, stronger prey drive cat is totally afraid of them. I’ve found all introductions to other species to be remarkably peaceful.
Rabbits are surrendered to shelters frequently but don’t have anywhere near the adoption rates of dogs and cats. Add to that the number of irresponsible breeders (and rates of reproduction in accidental breeding) and it becomes a no-brainer to adopt instead of shop. There are house rabbit society chapters and rabbit specific shelters all over the US.
I ended up with bunnies because I’m allergic to most house pets, but in case it’s not obvious from the text above, I think they’re pretty swell in their own right.
Admittedly not a fan of house rabbits here.
I’ve fostered house rabbits for a rabbit rescue and they are adorable. They’re usually very sweet but can be surprisingly aggressive and biting isn’t uncommon (though they’ll usually become more friendly with tactful handling.) And speaking of handling, they usually are not comfortable with being lifted so they are rarely pets you can carry around and cuddle, though there are definitely exceptions.They are funny, curious, and usually social so they often want to hang around their person to be stroked. They’re very playful, too, and love toys. In fact, the NEED toys, and lots of them. They are prone to chewing so you need to bunny-proof areas where they’ll be loose.
The main reason I wouldn’t have one in the house again is the amount of cleaning they require. The smell of rabbit urine, IMO, is harder to contol than the smell of cats. It’s usually pretty easy to litter train a rabbit (though they may still drop occasional pellets around the house) but you need to completely replace bedding and scrub the litter box often (vinegar works great). How often depends on what type of bedding you use but even the most effective bedding needs to be changed relatively often and that tends to get expensive and time-consuming. It’s very hard to keep the hay contained in most enclosures so I was sweeping/vacuuming constantly. And that isn’t much of an exaggeration. The hay and feed needs to be stored neatly, too, but the big plastic storage containers work well for that.
Having said that, like the earlier posters, a lot of people love having house rabbits. I can recommend a couple of local rabbit rescues if you’re in the NoVA area and shelters sometimes have rabbits available too.
For now you might go and volunteer at a rabbit rescue to learn about bunnies and their needs.
When you decide it’s time you could foster a rabbit for the rescue to see how you truly like a rabbit in your house.
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