Since introducing Billie Jean to my blog, I've had a number of questions on what having a house bunny is really like - so I wanted to put a post together to cover off how we care for Billie. Please bear in mind, this is just the advice we've been given by our vet - I'm not a rabbit expert and advice may vary depending on who you speak to. 

Housing
Whilst many people choose to have a hutch or cage indoors/outdoors for their rabbit, Billie is 100% cage free - meaning he is free to roam our home as he pleases. Whilst we sleep, we leave him in the kitchen/living room but let him roam around more freely during the day. Whilst he has no cage, rabbits do like to have a place to feel safe - Billie will often lie under the table or sofa so we recently bought a little playpen which has some hay in for him - and he'll often go in there if he wants some time to himself. 

Litter Training
One of the reasons rabbits make such good pets is that they are able to be litter trained just like cats - so as a result are incredibly clean pets to have. As we adopted Billie, he already came litter trained - however because he wasn't desexed, he did have the tendency to mark his territory which resulted in bad litter box habits. We soon resolved this by taking him to the vet for the op, and after about 6-8 weeks his hormones calmed down and he uses his litter box 99% of the time.


 Food
What to feed a rabbit seems to be something that a lot of people do differently - which can be frustrating when you first get a new pet. However we've taken the advice of our vet and only feed Bill hay, pellets, vegetables and the occasional treat. When we got him originally, he had been eating a diet of grains but these are very high in sugar and can result in all sorts of long term health problems. 

Fresh hay should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet and is something we have readily available at all times (in his play pen to avoid minimal mess). Hay is important for rabbits because it provides essential fibre needed for good digestive health and it helps to wear down a rabbit's teeth (which continuously grow). 

Aside from the hay, I give Billie about half a cup of pellets every morning, and in the evening a mixed selection of leafy greens - things like spinach, kale, bok choy etc. I don't personally give him iceberg lettuce as it has no nutritional value, but many people do so it's just one of those things that varies from person to person.


Temperament
Rabbits are super gentle animals, or at least Billie is. He loves to be stroked and played with, however he's not the biggest fan of being picked up. This is common among rabbits which is why they don't actually make the best pets for young children. Rabbits are delicate - their backs are very fragile and can break easily, so they need to be handled with care. We don't pick Billie up too much - I tend to once a day for a quick cuddle, and 9/10 times he's okay with it for a brief amount of time but he's never going to love it, it's just not in a rabbit's nature. 

 You can follow Billie on Instagram here to keep up with regular doses of cuteness!

Does having a house rabbit appeal to you?