Rabbit questions?

[Aquatic_blue]

So, a friend of my husband's is moving away and she can't take her two does with her. She has their rabbit hutches and such and food to give with them. I don't know the full story behind these rabbits and we will meet them later this week. I believe they were used for breeding for a time so I'm pretty certain they will not be spayed.

We have young kids that would of course probably be excited for such an addition. We've thought about rabbits before, but never jumped on it (no pun intended). I worry about the rabbits not being spayed. Should I be concerned? Are they that aggressive when they are not? I'm not certain we'll go the breeding route as the kids will probably like them as a pet. I definitely don't want them bitten, either - those bunny teeth can be sharp. They would need to be situated outside in our particular situation. I'm not sure how old the does are so I'm not sure if they can still be spayed or not (it would be like $60 per rabbit).

Some thoughts on this are much appreciated.

 

[chickenlittle21]

Ask you friend if they are spayed

 

[EverythingDucks]

What breeds are they?

 

[Mylied]

If the rabbit wasn't raised to be a pet, they will probably be skittish and try to avoid you. I've had no problems with unspayed females being moody. I've never had a rabbit spayed. They are more likely to scratch than bite. They prefer hiding if they are scared. If you pick them up when they don't want you to then they will kick out with their back feet and scratch you. The scratches hurt. Last resort would be biting and I've never had that happen both with pet rabbit and less tame breeder rabbits.

Personally I'd pass unless you know they are well socialised. Rabbits can be great, sweet pets. You just have to handle them gently starting young.

 

[EverythingDucks]

If they are pets, then I would not get them. Pet rabbits should really be inside with a playpen, not outside in a hutch.
And if you do keep them as pets I would definitely get them spayed if they aren't already.

If they weren't bred or raised as pets I wouldn't get them.

Kids usually aren't the best with rabbits. A rabbit could bite or scratch them and a child could easily hurt or even kill them, even on accident. If you do want to get them. But, if you teach your kids to be respectful and gentle they can get along fine. They'll have to know that they aren't toys and they shouldn't be picked up, grabbed, or played with like a dog. I would always supervise them together. Then I wouldn't worry about biting or scratching.
Providing them with plenty of toys will help.

If you're considering it more I would watch Lennon The Bunny's videos on YouTube.

 

[Mylied]

I have a pet bunny outside in a pen. She loves it. She can eat grass and dig into dirt. She's a lionhead.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

Ask you friend if they are spayed

I plan on it, but we know they were used for breeding so the likelihood they are spayed is low.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

What breeds are they?

I have no idea. Husband didn't say if she told him. Hopefully we can find out.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

If the rabbit wasn't raised to be a pet, they will probably be skittish and try to avoid you. I've had no problems with unspayed females being moody. I've never had a rabbit spayed. They are more likely to scratch than bite. They prefer hiding if they are scared. If you pick them up when they don't want you to then they will kick out with their back feet and scratch you. The scratches hurt. Last resort would be biting and I've never had that happen both with pet rabbit and less tame breeder rabbits.

Personally I'd pass unless you know they are well socialised. Rabbits can be great, sweet pets. You just have to handle them gently starting young.

Good to know!

Yeah, that's one thing I worry about is how socialized they are. I'm not sure if she was the type that went and spent a lot of time with them or not. We're hoping for a meet and greet this week to see. The only details I know are from my husband and it all sounded vague. "You want rabbits?" That's the most I got of it. Hoping for more details soon.

 

[Jmiller89]

Unspayed rabbits are prone to uterine issues as they age. If you get them and want to avoid large vet bills and very sick rabbits then get them fixed. That being said my mother had an unspayed female that lived about 6-8 yrs before it ended up with suspected uterine cancer and died. If possible bring your children to see the rabbits and see how the rabbits behave with them. Might help in the decision process.