house rabbits

Question
what is the best way to litter train a rabbit and does the litter box go in a bedroom where they roam or in there cage?  I would like for them to be able to roam around and go in and out of their cage as needed.  

and I have two boys that are babies.  IF I neuter them can they stay together and not hurt each other?

Answer
Hi,

litterpans - basically the rabbit will use the litterpan pretty much on its own.  Generally they pick a corner of the cage they like, and that is where you put the litterpan.  Usually they pick a corner farther away from where their food and water crocks are.

Litter to use:  get wood stove fuel pellets.  They are excellent, safe and inexpensive, easy to see what needs to be removed and replaced with fresh litter.  Can find at home supply stores.

You need to have more than one litterpan.  They should always have one in the cage, but you should offer at least one in the room when they are out.  They may find a spot, when out, that they consistently want to mark (generally a boundary of their territory) and this would be the place you'd put a pan.  That way they can mark and you don't have to worry about it.

As far as neutering, yes it will cut down on hormonally-driven impulses, but all rabbit pairs will squabble at some point.  Two males can get along fine.  The thing you will NOT want to do is get a female.  This will cause them to fight to win her.  Two boys by themselves will not cause this because there is nothing to fight for (apart from small little disagreements from time to time).

The key is having a good rabbit vet do this.  Both should be done at the same time, so they recover at teh same time, and their hormone levels stabilize around the same time at the new, lower levels.

To find a good rabbit vet (not all are) go here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society-recommended vet near you.

Lee