should we get a bunny?

[recycling goddess]

ya my daughter has a bunch of ratties... 10 i think. a giant african land snail, a giant african millipede and a 29 gallon fish tank. she does the care for them all.

and now... a bunny. all of these reside in her room - which isn't all that large as it is... which is part of my concern.

so... we'll see.

[recycling goddess]

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=7268095

oh how cute is she!!! i wonder if she's already spayed? i'm going to call tomorrow and ask about her.

[Wolfsnaps]

Here is my two cents...coming from a former bunny owner and pet store employee who had to deal with a rabbit that lived in the back room....


Lion heads are very cute and are considered a dwarf species of rabbit. They have a mane that will grow as they do (usually).
Rabbits have a rabbit smell...just like anything else. Next time you can, smell a rabbit. Get close and take a whiff....thats what you have to get used to. They have a strong smelling urine too. Rabbits are fairly easy to litter train when they are in their cage but when they roam free expect them to just go wherever. They like to keep their homes clean but could care less about yours.
Male rabbits can spray urine (although if you get them altered they usually stop just like a cat)(btw, you gonna pay70-100 bucks to get them fixed?)
Generally, while rabbits are social animals, it is best to keep them seperated and only keep one bunny per cage. Obviously m/f will breed m/m will fight as will f/f although sometimes f/f will be ok but I personally do not reccommend it.
Female rabbits can def. be bossy!
Lion heads and other dwarf rabbits must be kept inside but many regualr rabbits can live outside.
rabbits have more taste buds than we do and can become quite finicky with what they eat..thankfully, there are many different types of foods, hay, and treats to keep them happy. SOme even play with toys!
With cages, I recommend a wire bottom cage that is lifted off the floor pan, they are much easier to clean as the droppings fall to the floor pan. If it is a plain plastic bottom and the bunny is sitting on the actuall bedding, they tend to kick it out everywhere and sometimes pee in it.
Generally rabbits are inexpensive to care for and when you get into the routine, it really isnt that much work (every animal takes some work!).
If you have small children, you have to teach them how to hold a rabbit correctly or those back legs with kick the living tar out of them and bloody them up, their nails are sharp even with regular clipping. Their kick is strong, so strong that baby bunnies in small cages have been known to get so excited and jump so hard that they break their own neck/back and die.
The choice is yours, I don't want to sound negative, for some people a rabbit is the ideal pet and sooooo flipping cute. Whenever I get a new animal, I research the crap out of it until I am almost sick of hearing about it!
Anyways, sorry for the long post, hope I helped!

[recycling goddess]

thanks for sharing your thoughts... i appreciate it!

[Wolfsnaps]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention was that they chew! They are a lagomorph, not a rodent, but they still chew everything that has that "special" taste or texture. The rabbit I worked with was chewing through the walls and through stock (dog food and bird food bags) we kept in the back room. That bunny cost the owner more than she should have...lol.

And if they chew through wires.....well, rabbit stew anyone???

[MedusasOwl]

Man, what a cute little dude you found on Petfinder! Linking me to that site though is dangerous, as I fell in love with this little local face, but as Daphne has cleaned us out there's no way that's gonna happen.

I gotta disagree with you though, Wolf, on a few things.

Wire floors are bad for a rabbit's feet. It may make cleaning easier, but it's very painful for them and not at all recommended. Outdoors is no longer recommended either for a number of reasons.

Petshop situation is very different from a house rabbit situation. At a store, the rabbits tend not to be spayed or neutered (WELL worth the money) which of course leads to behavior problems and pregnancy. They also do not get to pick out their roomies. Rabbits are NOT solitary creatures, and if you keep one by themself they need a lot of attention to stay psychologically happy. They live in warrens in the wild and have a complex societal structure. Like dogs, most rabbits need to feel like a part of a group to be happy. Although there is of course the occassional hermit who likes it that way, exception to every rule and all that. But bonding is more than possible and extremely rewarding.

When we first took in Daphne, she was very depressed. She'd just been seperated from the sister she grew up with (before we came into the picture, otherwise we'd have taken them together) and had an extremely low activity level and appitite. When we took her to the rabbit rescue to "date" potential roomies, she took to Bowie right away and perked right up. So did he, having been in a foster home with no other rabbits, and they've been extremely close ever since. They huddle together when afraid of the vaccuum, they groom each other, they lay together, etc. Bowie's foster mom described him as very shy and nervous, but here he never was. Very outgoing friendly and feeling more secure. Huge difference in both of them, and they get very nervous being separated.

Of course, a lot of rabbits will fight with each other which is why either you let them pick each other out or you need to take time to get them to bond. They all have different personalities, and personalities clash. Male/Female bonds tend to be the easiest (and of course, need to be altared) but it varies with the individual rabbits. Some rabbits love each other, some rabbits hate each other. First impressions and introductions are important. With babies it's a lot easier initially but you have to wait to fix them, which can be a problem. Hormones create personality changes that lead to fighting. We were really lucky with Unut.

Anywhos, yes, there can be smell depending on how often the litter is changed and man... they chew EVERYTHING. Chew toys, blocks, etc are a huge help there. But the socializing stuff I feel is important too and had to pipe up. I don't just want critters, I want happy healthy critters. And well socialized indoor rabbits are healthier and happier than isolated outdoor ones. They live longer too.

[recycling goddess]

i just called and it's $118 plus tax to get a bunny spayed or neutered here.

we 'think' we've settled on getting a holland lop. with all the reading i've been trying to do, it seems a nice choice for us. they get 3-4 lbs... so not too large.

now just to figure out how to make a cage which won't have shavings everywhere...

i'm hoping to find a rubbermaid type bin on the bottom and build the cage out of the cube shelving within the bin bottom... but i have to find a bin large enough...

now... i have a question for you sheree. seeing as you have bunnies.

getting one bunny and her living and being socialized... in my daughter's room where my daughter spends 70% of her day... will this be okay? cause i honestly don't have room for two bunnies.

[MedusasOwl]

70% of her day, that should be just fine. Long as she gives the little sweetie lots of affection and run around time. I'd also get the bunny a plushie. We use a "vet/hospital cage" bunny plushie* so they don't feel too lonely in there at night or when they need to be isolated. Long as she feels included and that your daughter is the head bunny of her "warren."

Rubbermaid is a good idea! We still get a lot of ours kicked out. Some folks use stuff called Coroplast too for the bottom, which might be easier to get at the right size. We plan to try that eventually too. http://www.guineapigcages.com/rabbits.htm

Holland lops are gorgeous, when someday in the distant future we can get another, that's our breed choice too.

Edit: *Don't be alarmed if bunny chews on/tosses around said plushie. Sometimes they just take out bad moods on them as much as they do groom them, lol.

[recycling goddess]

look at this site!

[recycling goddess]

does the stuffie need to be a bunny or can it be anything?