Need some advice on Emus!

[Iceweasel]

I would definitely worry about keeping them with rabbits.
We have a pair of emu, and they love to chase anything that will run. Ours are far more enthusiastic than they are graceful, and rabbits, although fast, are also pretty fragile. Even if they didn’t intend harm, they could still easily crush a rabbit while running.

2 metres is taller than our fences and we’ve never had problems. As long as they’re sturdy I think you’ll be fine.

I think your emu would need a friend, but I’m not sure if that friend needs to be another emu, or just a companion that shares space. We kept an emu and a goat together, and they were good friends, but I haven’t known enough emus to know if this is common.
They’re pretty charming birds, and they make amazing noises!

 

[Squilla]

I would start by saying you will need more than one emu, emu do much better with their own company. You will need a minimum of an acre with 6ft (minimum fencing).
I wouldn't say emu get aggressive as they get older, they will do in the wrong conditions, but nearing breeding season their behaviours will change, this can come out as aggression, or it can go the opposite way when the emu become super friendly, especially the boys.
They eat ratite feed, which is formulated for ratites, it will have more copper in it than standard feeds. You must make sure that no other animals can eat the emu feed, for example, too much copper in a sheeps diet can be fatal for the sheep.
It's worth doing your homework before getting emu. I've written caresheets on www.emu.services if that is any use to you starting out.

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

Thank you so so much for all of your advice everyone. I thought I had mentioned it before, but we have decided not to add emus to our many animals. It's just not worth the risk of injuring or killing my rabbits. (Or other animals) I know they are amazing birds and we have such a great space and environment for them but I'm afraid it's a no. our other animals come first. thanks again! Really hope this info can help someone else as much as it has helped me.

 

[DutchEggs]

Sounds like emus probably aren’t the best fit for your situation. They absolutely will kill your rabbits. They are basically the llamas of birds... They absolutely will destroy your garden- greens are their favorite snack! And, you really ought to get two, not one. They do much better together.

 

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

Sounds like emus probably aren’t the best fit for your situation. They absolutely will kill your rabbits. They are basically the llamas of birds... They absolutely will destroy your garden- greens are their favorite snack! And, you really ought to get two, not one. They do much better together.

Yeah as I said earlier in this thread we definitely won't be getting any! Not while we're on this property anyway.

 

[lost-duckling]

the danger to the rabbits would only be when they are young rabbits or if they are with out a proper brush pile to hide in. your fence will be fine. they can be aggressive but they back down if you show no fear and get aggresive