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Zach and I don’t have children and at 38 and 34 we don’t have any plans to change that. We do however, have a fabulous fur family.
Our fur family includes two shih tzus and a bunny (he’s technically a rabbit because he is 4). Sir Pancakes is our sweet and hilarious bunny. His formal name is Sir Pancakes because Pancakes is apparently a “girly name”. We call him Pancakes for short but introduce him as Sir Pancakes to new friends.
He was not a planned addition. I was visiting a friend in Whitefish and stopped at Rosaurs to pick up some food. A vehicle pulled up and these kids started setting out cages with bunnies in them. I observed from a distance as car after car pulled in and started hauling these rabbits away.
A 4H family was sending their kids off to MSU Bozeman (ESGGCG) and would no longer be showing rabbits. I watched with total fascination at how quickly this all happened and within minutes I was standing there and it was just me and Pancakes.
Over the past few years, I casually thought about getting a rabbit at some point, but in that moment had no idea what was about to happen.
How we ended up as rabbit owners
I asked if I could hold him, which was the first time I had ever held a rabbit. I liked it. Normally, I am type A. I like to obsess over every possible scenario, make sure everyone is on board and come to a conclusion with how a decision like this will affect my life.
Things like, are the dogs going to try to eat him? Will Zach not want him in the house? Where will he go when we travel? As I have grown in my mental health journey to find peace, I have changed in a way that allows me to live more freely.
In that moment I thought, what’s the worst that could happen here? A kid in Townsend ends up with a free rabbit. So I just went for it. I didn’t ask Zach what he thought, I didn’t think about the fact I was staying at a friend’s house that weekend and what she might think. I just said, I think I need him. The family was awesome. They went with me to Murdochs and showed me everything I needed to care for a rabbit.
And guess what? It all turned out better than I could have imagined. If I would have over thought that decision, I likely would have said no. I am so glad I didn’t. My sometimes new motto is, act now and beg for forgiveness later. I don’t want to miss out on an adventure because I have a bad case of the “what ifs”. Pancakes and the dogs get along great. At first the dogs wanted to chase him around, but he quickly learned that if he just held his ground they would leave him be.
From House Bunny to RV Bunny
Pancakes is a house bunny, well actually an RV bunny now. When I adopted Pancakes, I had no idea we would be transitioning to full time RVing. When we decided we would full time RV, everyone asked what we would do with Pancakes. I just said, “we will figure it out”. And that’s just what we did.
We easily figured out how we could full time RV with a rabbit. He lives in the RV with us full time and loves it. He is litter box trained, so he roams the RV freely. We chose a 37′ Sundance RV for the living space it gives us. Zach did build him a custom bunny litter box that would fit snugly in the corner of the RV. He has a bunny blanket in the living area that he chills on in the morning and evening. He sleeps most of the afternoon behind the sofa.
How we full time RV with a bunny
Here are few points on how it works for us to full time RV with a bunny.
- I buy a bail of hay from Murdochs and store it under the RV. I have an old Timothy hay bag that I refill using the hay under the RV. The entire bail cost me $15 and it’s not even halfway gone after nine months. I refill the Timothy hay bag every week and keep it inside the RV to restock his hay feeder.
- We also keep his pellets under the RV in storage and keep a gallon zip lock bag full in the RV.
- I get a two pack of baby carrots from Costco every three weeks. My rabbit eats a lot. He knows that the carrots are in the fridge so every time he hears the fridge open, he runs for a treat. It’s hilarious.
- I keep some wood chewing blocks set out for him behind the furniture.
- Pancakes has recently chewed on two baseboards. I just ordered this bitter apple spray that hopefully keeps him from chewing more.
- We have a fairly large animal carrying cage that I keep under the RV. I He goes in the carrying cage when we move the RV to a new location and that can mean a few hours in the cage. That’s why I have a pretty big one. I also made sure to get one with the top opener. It’s easier to put him in from the top.
- Pancakes has a rabbit harness so he can go outside with us. I do plan to order a travel pen I can set up outside under the RV. I just worry about other dogs that think he may be a snack – so we will see on that. I will keep you updated on what we do there. However, he really doesn’t like being outside in the heat so he is staying inside right now.
- I sweep a lot. Luckily tiny living, means less floor space. But with the five of us, we track in and move around a lot of dirt. So I sweep a couple times per day.
- I keep all of my computer/printer/phone cords plugged into a power strip on the table. The power strip is plugged into the wall and I have a piece of PVC pipe around that cord.
This is Pancakes in his rabbit harness enjoying some sunshine.
Pancakes and Maisy taking a nap in the RV.
A Part of The Family
Having a rabbit is awesome. Zach and I have both fallen in love with Pancakes. He definitely loves us to. That’s one of the first things I learned about him. He really likes being with us and gets lonely if we are gone for too long. When we first put our house on the market, I moved him into the attached garage. Pancakes didn’t like it. He actually stopped eating for a few days until I brought him back in the house.
We are just one big happy full time RVing modern family – 2 person, 2 dog, 1 bunny family.
I’m a couple weeks into my research for RV living. And I am so glad I found you!!!! I have an adventurous bunny named Apollo and want to bring him with me. But I have some concerns. Does Pancake like to jump and climb and get into things? What precautions do you take to keep him from getting hurt in the RV? How is cord management?
Any advice is greatly appreciated and love the idea of little food storage inside and big food storage outside!
Thanks!
Hi Jam!
Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. I thought I might be the only one out there that was quirky enough to bring our bunny in the RV. Pancakes has adapted to our RV even better than he did in our house. He does like to jump onto the couch and our lazy boys, but usually just in the morning. The couch is right next to the kitchen counter top and he hasn’t tried jumping up their yet.
After I get up in the morning I sit on the couch with him for a little bit and scratch his head and then feed him. He usually only jumps on the couch if he is needing some extra attention. Otherwise he is sleeping behind the couch or chilling on a blanket on the living room floor. He runs around a little bit in the evening and pals around with our shih tzus. I haven’t had any safety concerns. He doesn’t go up the stairs toward the bathroom or bedroom.
I do have a ton of cords for my computer and printer. I have a power strip plugged into the wall and put a piece of pvc pipe around it. I then have that up on the table (which is my computer desk) and plug everything into that. All other cords are hidden within cabinets.
He has recently chewed on two base boards in the kitchen. Both instances we were gone for a long day and he got lonely and maybe a little anxious. So, I did just order some bitter apple spray to see if that keeps him from chewing. https://amzn.to/314pr86 If that doesn’t work I might try wrapping those areas with tape.
We are also going to make his litter box a little wider and will post a picture of that once it is done.
All in all, it’s been great. I had someone say “poor rabbit” to me when I told them we had him in our rv and I said our rabbit has a better life than most people! He is a spoiled, happy guy. Let me know how it goes. Do you already have your RV? Maybe try introducing Apollo to the RV slowly and let him get comfortable with it over time? I’m excited to hear how it goes for you!