Should I get a rabbit?

[Nigellas]

Oh wow, I thought I would come back to a bunch of "Don't do it!" messages, but it looks like most of you love having rabbits. Very interesting... Let's see if I make it home tomorrow without a bunny tomorrow. lol

 

[wannabchick]

I have a 10 week old flemmish giant doe..she is really friendly..but hard time with her hello nipping..errrr
Xoxxo

 

[Fawkes]

i would say only do it if you are sure you have the money. like any animal really, there's no way to tell whether they could have high vet bills. however, rabbits are even more delicate than the average animal (dental problems and stasis especially big problems) and imo require quite a lot of room. I have house rabbits but if yours will be outside I would really recommend a 6x2 hutch with a 6x4 run attached. They will be a lot happier and more rewarding pets this way

90% of their diet should be hay (grass hay, not alfalfa), 5% veggies/herbs, 5% rabbit pellets.

DEFINITELY get 2, they are highly social. Get 1 male, 1 female as that pairing works best.

You will need to have them neutered/spayed by a rabbit savvy vet who knows what they're doing. If they are not neutered/spayed they will almost surely fight due to hormones. Also, 85% of female rabbits over the age of 3 yrs old that are NOT spayed die of urine cancer. Males quite often get tumors and cancer in their testicles if they are not neutered. As an owner who has had 1 female rabbit die of urine cancer and 1 male rabbit die due to a situation caused by a tumor in his testicle I really stress the importance of having them fixed. I didn't know at the time that neutering/spaying was so important and wish I knew what I do now

I have very friendly rabbits but be aware that most don't like to be picked up (though may love being petted) because they are prey animals, so they can be a little nervous sometimes. Really depends on the rabbit's personality though

I know of a good forum if you'd like

 

[clubby]

I had 7 and the first 2 were impulse buys the rest were given to me by parents whos kids got bored with them ,i have to say i found them difficult ,no matter how hard i varied their diet their teeth grew ,especialy when they got older ,my favorite one bubbles was my young nephews and tired of him but i said i woulnt take him till he was neutered ,he would constantly jump on his Rothi and bite him ,after that he was the perfect pet . the first time he got his teeth done it was fine but the second time he was older didnt make it . i dropper fed another 1 and he grew into a fine big rabbit and kept him indoors but even with been handled a lot he still bit and chewed the anything with a wire , i dont know why people get them for kids and i have never heard pet shop staff telling parents their teeth grow and they need a vet to file them ,their realy just cute fluffy rodents .

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:

Great post.

I'll just say that I've had over 8 pairs of spayed/neutered rabbits that were mostly all *in love* with each other (each pair), just beautiful to watch. I rescued rabbits from all kinds of difficult situations and most all became friendly with the right treatment and lots of love. Make sure that you commit to caring for them for a good long time as I had some that lived to be over 10 years old and know of others that lived to be 15!

 

[bullyforme]

Quote:
I've never heard of urine cancer?

 

[debilorrah]

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I've never heard of urine cancer?

Urinary tract cancer. You gotta check their butts!!! Keep them clean. They do a pretty good job of it on their own, they are like cats in that respect, but their scent glands need to be cleaned every now and then.

 

[BarredCometLaced]

I remember begging my parents to let me have a rabbit. The idea of a little fluff ball running around my house thrilled me. After months of power points and persuasions they caved. I went to the pet store, and picked up a young (probably 2-3 month) old rabbit. I named him Noir (he was all black) and put his cage in my room. He was an interesting rabbit... he liked me but no one else. Then things got bad.. he would rattle the bars of his cage all night long and refused to be house trained. He seemed in constant distress, and i had no clue why. He got daily love and was spoiled constantly. I had no idea what had happened. He went from kind to evil. In a last ditch attempt i got him neutered. No change at all. My father suggested we move him outside; i agreed because i was losing sleep from his cage rattling. Being the nervous mom that i am i equipped a large outdoor rabbit hutch with a cage heater and water heater. We placed the cage by our hot tub so that he would be near activity. The difference was seen immediately; he went from angry and destructive to playful and kind... all from moving inside to out.

Then he became lonely, so we introduced two more rabbits(we thought two females to go with our neutered male). They went through a month of fighting ( establishing social status) and then all was good. Serenity at last. That is until i opened the cage door and found baby bunnies. Tip: make sure that you actually do have two females and not one un-neutered male and female.

So, i say outside is better (less smell, and the novelty of indoor living wears off quickly). Not all indoor rabbits are suited to life indoors.
I also say get a pair or trio, but make sure that you know their correct gender.

Also, make sure you give them plenty of loving if you have them outside, because they can quickly become unhappy with contact (not a problem that we have). I do love my outdoor bunnies!

Now we have two males, as the doe died of unknown causes.

 

[wolftracks]

Seriously!

You have to ask?

Just look at this face!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Is that the eating end or the poopin end?