apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ya, cute idea, and stylish as hell, but the little bunrab is gonna hafta potty sometime and with the glass tile base poor bunny is going to be covered in its own waste since there's nowhere for it to go or be absorbed (actually, MDF soaks up all kinds of spills, then bubbles and peels) plus, while it may not get a grip on the majority of the cage, the pass-thru is certain to be a toothsome target.

too bad, this is a case of beautiful impracticality that could actually kill poor eames. not a wasted effort, it's still artsy and perhaps can be used as a giant look but don't touch shadow box.

Having owned a rabbit (Floyd was his name) and built a rabbit hutch, a word of advice: keep it outside, and barring that, at least out of the living room (even for photo shoots).

Floyd was a pretty prolific fellow when it came to poop; no matter how hard we cleaned his screened residence or insulated bedroom, he, admirably, kept pace. And it was stifling.

OMG I have to send this to my friend who has five rabbits and she built condos in a room in her house for them and they are like little people. This is cool!

I have a rabbit who lives in the apartment and who is never locked in her cage. She uses litter boxes and is very well-trained. Rather than putting newpaper or wood shavings on the ground of her cage, I put a litter box in there. The cage still needs to be cleaned really regularly tho.

I really like that apartment therapy has devoted a post to rabbits tho. I think I've only ever seen one other. They are lovely pets! And they definitely don't need to be kept outside or in a cage all the time.

Agree with ubertimmo. I grew up with caged animals and they will definitely chew on the MDF, no question. MDF never holds up well with moisture of any kind, and rabbits need to chew on wood to keep their teeth down.

OMG! Bunnies!

If I had known then what I know now, I don't think I'd have house rabbits. We have 2 mini-lops. (Like Eames will probably grow up into.) (If he's a baby, that cabinet WILL NOT be large enough when he's grown to regulation 6 pounds or so.)

Our current setup has a penned area about 3'x8' in the "exercise" room in our finished basement, adjoining an under-stairs closet about 12'x4' which is their primary hutch. We feed them in the pen and they have a litter box (cleaned daily) in the closet. There is a wire rack (they can sit on it like a little balcony) that we use to serve them hay. They sit there eating hay and peeing so the urine collects in the spilled hay underneath, creating a noxious stench that needs to be mopped up daily, too. When allowed to run loose in the house, they chew on baseboard moldings, wall corners, wires, table legs, and anything else they like. (They are barred from the library and bedrooms and home office because of these traits.)

Bunnies are cute. But they are also destructive and need a lot of attention, cleanup, exercise, medical care, and are not a pet to be taken on without a lot of thought.

We spend around $50 a month on Carefresh (recycled newspaper) bedding to use as litter (cat litter can cause intestinal blockages that can be fatal), and another $20-30 a month on fresh veggies, timothy hay pellets, and timothy hay (other varieties have too much calcium and can harm their health.)

A previous bun (our first) got jaw abcesses which are usually fatal -- he died at about 3 years old. Before that, he required regular tooth trimming by a vet (bad teeth -- broke off unevenly very often). Our second bun had to have IV fluids several times because of gastro-intestinal blockages (we suspect from ingesting fur from grooming rabbit number 1) which meant costly vet visits. When bun 1 died and we adopted number 3 from the Humane Society, he and Number 2 tried to kill each other -- it was serious and terrifying, especially when you think of bunnies as benign prey animals. It took over six months for them to get used to each other and bond. The whole time they lived in adjacent pens but separately -- when exposed to each other in one space, they literally tried to tear each other's throats. They still have scars.

I was shocked at the work, problems and nasty surprises, and post this in case, like my "domestic partner", you fall in love with a bunny BEFORE doing your research! It may be worth it all to you -- it's not to me. (www.rabbit.org is a great resource.)

I have house rabbits in my apartment. The cage shown here is cute, but you'd have to let the rabbit out a lot in order to keep it healthy and happy. We just let our rabbits have the run of our bedroom all the time (no being locked in a cage) and they are litter box trained, just like cats. Then, when we get home, they get to run around the rest of the apartment.

For all the posters saying rabbits are messy and destructive, you need to train your rabbit, just like you would a cat or a dog. You need to provide them something to chew on, apple branches for example, so they don't go for your furniture (their teeth grow constantly for their entire lives).

Anyway, just put a litter box in that credenza and make sure to clean it out regularly (as with a cat's litter box). And don't forget to let the little guy get plenty of exercise outside of the cage!

See real bun people telling their stories I though this might be too good to be true. Nice to look at if on display but displaying an animal is wrong. Maybe just a good place for time out when guest come over? UM

I'd like to echo medenver's post... yes, bunnies can be difficult, but only if they don't receive proper training and attention. My first bunny was incredibly aggressive when I first adopted him and required hours of training, love, and attention to calm down.

My second, and current, is very codependent and affectionate, but when I first got him he was sick and depressed... it's all about learning what sort of personality the little guy has and working with him. Same as with any animal. Or person for that matter.

Once they're trained, though, I've found them to be relatively low maintenance on cleaning... just demanding when it comes to rubbing their heads and playing.

Just an FYI -- click the link, and you'll find the hutch-builder answers many commenters' questions and concerns about exercise, bun-proofing, construction, materials, etc.

Ah, I see people are also offering advice over at D*S, and as the bunny girl seems to love her little lop, I'll bet she'll take it to heart.

Not much to say. Bunnies.

Really didn't think you were making an actual rabbit hutch. Thought I would access the info and find that a rabbit hutch really meant---oh, maybe a place for a TV?

I have two grey bunnies. What's so wrong with displaying them? They are a good looking pet! Mine live in a converted museum display. It's difficult to find something interesting for bunnies, esp. when a cage takes up a large amount of room in an apartment.

As for the negative comments re. bunny maintenance, they are actually a great choice for renters. I love dogs, but don't have the yard space. Bunnies are noise-free, can be popped into a cage when you need to, are better than fish, bigger than mice (easier to find when they hide under the bed), they eat your leftover vegetables (which has the odd side-effect of forcing me to eat more greens), fertilize the garden and most real-estate companies exempt them from the no-pets thing.

Any pet is going to cost something. Any responsible pet owner should read about how to care for them before purchasing. I wont re-hash the other positive advice offered here, except to say that many vegetable stores will give you veges for free if you ask (like cauliflower leaves) and growing veges for bunnies is super easy- i got discounted old radishes for 50c, popped them in the ground (i have a really crappy rental garden but they grew straight away) and did the same with dutch carrots and herbs. As for that expensive litterbox stuff- just use straw or get a bale of hay. They eat it, sleep on it and pee on the rest. My $4.50 bag lasts a month.

One final thing, Sherrie Bin, I hope your bunnies get some unfiltered sunlight when they are not in the basement. They need to be able to get some vit. D.