How can I persuade my mother to bring the rabbit inside?

[CookieRabbit]

Just today my idiotic mother moved my rabbit outside because she thinks that it's "natural" for a rabbit to be outside and thinks I'm stupid for letting the rabbit in our house. We recently got the stomach flu and she thinks that the rabbit is the cause of it. She moved it outside while I was in school and I asked her if I could bring it back inside because it's winter and it could rain. But my mom said that rabbit belong in the wild and they could handle it in the rain. Plus, she was talking to my aunt and she said that my mom was crazy for letting it inside my house in the first place. And she doesn't even have any experience with rabbit. And my mom is glad to get rid of it because when it was inside, my bun would kick its bedding and poo out and it's constantly shaking its cage. I know it gets messy but vacuuming it would be a cinch. I don't want it to be caged up all the time. If i have to give it up, fine. I'll be crying but I want my rabbit to be happy. I was really looking forward to a great friendship w/ it because it was my 2nd pet. My 1st pet was eaten by a cat. (It was a bird BTW). I'm so fraustrated. What should I do?

 

[mdith4him]

Did she just move the whole cage into the backyard? If so, that's NOT a choice for a rabbit. That is actually dangerous for the bunny. Here are some points to bring up:

1. Rabbits that are housed outside need safety from the environment around them. In a simple pet store-style cage, a predator animal could easily break in and kill your pet. A cage also provides no real shelter from the weather. I don't know what the weather is like in your area, but colder weather will require a way for the rabbit to stay warm. In the wild, a rabbit can dig a burrow, but obviously a rabbit can't do that in a cage. If it rains and the rabbit gets wet, it could die from exposure.

2. Most members on this forum house their rabbits indoors. Does hay get into weird places? Yes. Do their poops go outside their cage? Yes. Can you clean this up daily? Absolutely. Their poop doesn't smell and is not hard to pick up. Hay is messy sometimes, but it's not dirty and can be cleaned up, too. Be sure to keep up with the cleaning daily.

3. Rabbits cannot spread germs to people and people cannot spread germs to rabbits. That is something easily Googled and showed to your mom.

4. Rabbits need to be around other rabbits or people. They love socialization and keeping it by itself outside is cruel.


I don't know how old you are, but when you approach your mom with this information, be as respectful and rational as possible. Don't let your emotions get the best of you and start a yelling match. Keep your voice calm. If you do this, your mom may see that you are both mature and serious about the subject and might take you more seriously. Show you've done the research and present it clearly.

If your mom can't be persuaded, I think it's best to give your rabbit up for adoption. It would be hard to do, but like you said, your rabbit would be much happier with someone who can properly care for it. Good luck and keep us updated on what happens.

 

[JBun]

If it's the mess your rabbit is making with it's litter box, that your mom doesn't like, try making a grate cover for your litter box or buy a litter box with one, so your rabbit won't be able to dig in there any more and make a mess.

 

[Blue eyes]

I certainly hope your rabbit will survive the sudden change in temperature. Rabbits need to be acclimated - not just tossed out into sudden cold nighttime temperatures. Pet rabbits are not wild rabbits. They are domestic. Here are some things for you and your mom to know.

I can see your cage in the avatar photo. That cage is made to be an indoor cage. It is not at all suited for outdoors since it pops apart quite easily. It also does not afford any protection from the weather. It is also far too small for housing a rabbit. That sort of cage can serve only as a glorified litter box for an indoor rabbit.

It sounds like your mom (and aunt) are not aware that housing rabbits indoors is very common practice. Websites like binkybunny.com and myhouserabbit.com and 3bunnies.org will show reasons and examples for housing indoors.

As far as bedding being kicked out, that can be greatly reduced or even eliminated simply by replacing your cage with a larger (yet still inexpensive) indoor cage like a cube cage (NIC) or an x-pen. Then you won't need bedding and can instead litter train your bunny. This would be a far less expensive option than setting up a proper outdoor housing environment which would include a sturdy, large wooden hutch with attached, predator-proof run.

Here are a couple examples of NIC cage and x-pen cage.

 

[agnesthelion]

I agree with Jenny and Meredith and Suzette. Also, I noticed you said bedding. Bedding is very messy. Is your bun litter trained? If not, litter training can be a good tool to use to get your bunny back inside. And then, once litter trained, get rid of the bedding.

I think google could be a great help in this too. Simply google where a bunny should be housed, most if not all research indicates they should be housed inside. The lifespan of an indoor rabbit is even longer!

Lastly, assure your mom that you will be committed to staying on top of the cleaning. I don't know how old you are either but I'm guessing there has been instances where your mom found a mess from the bunny. If you can promise you will stay on top of cleaning she might be more supportive. Tell her to give you another chance at keeping bunny indoors.

Best of luck to you. Im a proponet that rabbits need to be inside with their family. A cage outside is not adequate for a rabbit.

 

[FallenRabbit]

My parents are the same, they believe that rabbits are outside animals and should be kept that way. The one problem I thought while reading this is the cage the rabbit is in now. If it is the one in your profile photo.. then it can easily get harmed (even killed) while being outside in it. That cage was not made to be used outside where there could be animals that could kill it. If it has to be housed outside I suggest getting a hutch (with an encloused sleeping area) where your rabbit won't be harmed in. The cold could also be an issue since it was just put outside and hasn't dealt with that before. I would suggest trying to solve that by putting a tarp around the cage or putting a blanket inside. Rabbits can't pass on diseases to humans (you can show your mom some articles about it). The litter/hay might be making your mom mad also. Just try to keep that clean as much as you can.

 

[Blue eyes]

Any word on how things are going?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ask her to read these posts or look at HRS. There is a reason they are called house rabbits. Other than that, I'd try to re-home before winter gets here in earnest.

 

[Stone_family3]

You can try making a sturdy outside cage with a dog house full of hay for it to live in. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do since you're the child in the house. I'm sorry your mother and you cannot see eye to eye on the rabbit.

If all else fails rehome the rabbit

 

[CookieRabbit]

Yes, but now we moved it to the garage.

 

[CookieRabbit]

Thank you so much for the advice. Unfortunately, I am 12 years old and my dad is also a problem. BUT there is good news. I moved it to the garage and like Lisa said, I will litter train it and get rid of the bedding. My parents' main problem is the bedding! And after I litter train it, I will get rid of the bedding(and the mess that Cookie will make) and I think that will be enough to bring her back inside our house. Thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU! I will definitely show this to my mom and dad. Wish me good luck! (And hope that I don't tick my parents off)

 

[CookieRabbit]

Also, for the people who think I am ignorant about my rabbit, I AM NOT! I love Cookie to death even though my parents can't see that and I've only had her for 3 months. I can see she wants to be a part of the family, too! I recently learned that she was given up 3 times already. The first time was when Cookie ran away from a rich 5 year old and PetSmart took her in. Then, a couple adopted her but then returned her back the following week, and the third time was when my uncle bought her because she was cheap, then he gave her to me. And now, my dad said she's messy and yada yada yada. But you know, things are getting better. My first priority is litter training. I'm going to post another forum to ask how to do it. Tjank you for all the support I'm having and I feel so lucky to have all these answers.

 

[Imbrium]

here's a good site on litter box training - http://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/5/PID/940/Default.aspx

getting her spayed if she isn't already will help with her potty habits, as will getting rid of the bedding when you start training (unless she needs it to stay warm).

as far as cleaning up after a rabbit, there will always be stray hay and some hard, dry, odorless poops... a cheap shop-vac is a bunny owner's best friend - you can get them as cheaply as $20 so it shouldn't be too hard to talk your parents into getting one

another great clean-up tool is a whisk broom (little hand-held broom/dustpan combo), which you can find at walmart or home depot or something for a few bucks - they're great for sweeping out the cage.

 

[Hyatt101]

No ones thinks you are being ignorant.
3 of my bunnies live outdoors and are fine with proper care. Ultimately , if its about the mess the rabbit makes, if you take care and are vaccuming yourself, that will help. If you show your mom that you are responsible, she may consider bringing it back inside. I am also 12, and I find that just taking responsibility and stepping up means a lot.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I have a hutch like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YJ45Z8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 for Ripley, and he has done well in it (as well as our previous bunny who lived in that hutch) Ours is bigger because it is custom built, but same general idea.

You mentioned your bunny is shaking its head all the time? I'd be a bit concerned about this and check into seeing if it has ear mites.