Tell me about rabbits

[Mrbrownstone]

Tell me about having a pet rabbit (or 2) can they be kept outdoors all year? Do they take a lot of looking after? What kind of temperament do they have? Are they a good pet for a child? Would neighbouring cats try get them? Thanks

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

They need a HUGE amount of space, and it needs to be like Fort Knox to keep them in- IME they spend their entire time dreaming and scheming of freedom however much space you give them!

They are great pets if you have time, but IMO as much as a commitment as a baby dog.

[megletthesecond]

Think of them as more like cats or dogs than a little pet. They need huge amounts of space, ideally a secure garden to free range in and a cosy area in the house. They'll end up on the sofa with you though .

[BertrandRussell]

Rabbits are rubbish pets for children. Grumpy, scrabbly, bity and if you live in the country, the mixy vaccination is only 75% effective.

Guinea pigs every time for me.

[barrygetamoveonplease]

Rabbits United Forums

My advice? Don't do it.
If you insist, learn a heck of a lot before you take them on. They need more commitment than a dog or cat.

[lemonzest123]

I have had two rabbits for years and had them most of my childhood.

Much as I adore mine I would advise against it.

They're not easy pets - massive commitment

[friskybivalves]

We have two rabbits and while I love them dearly and give them the run of my garden I would never recommend them as pets. Not least because it costs me £75 a week to get them fed twice a day when we go away.

As PPS have said they make useless pets. Permanently bit scared (they are prey animals), dislike being picked up and are distinctly ungrateful about my painstaking attempts to bribe them for love with insanely expensive camomile hay and freshly picked dandelions.

[megletthesecond]

yy, piggies are easier. I've had both and rabbits are way harder. I'd get another one but I know it would end up sleeping in my room and chewing through endless charger cables.

[SoftSheen]

Rabbits aren't really ideal pets for young children, as (with a few exceptions) they don't usually enjoy being picked up or cuddled. With patience, they can however become very tame and are fascinating to watch.

It is possible to keep rabbits outside all year round, provided they have good quality, weatherproof housing and lots of bedding in cold weather.

Rabbits are social animals and so you will need to keep at least two. Generally, a neutered male and female pair work best.

Rabbits need a minimum hutch size of 6 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet, with an attached run at least 10 feet in length. Large breeds are better off in a small shed or Wendy house, perhaps with free run of the garden. Rabbits need lots of exercise! Most adult rabbits are too big to be in much danger from cats, but unfortunately they do sometimes fall victim to foxes.

Rabbits need to be neutered and vaccinated, just like dogs and cats. The bulk of their diet is hay, with smaller amounts of rabbit pellets and fresh vegetables.

Rabbits can make great pets, but please do your research thoroughly, because their needs are often poorly understood- particularly with regard to the amount of space they need.

[Mrbrownstone]

Thats that out the window then! Thats for the info

[GuntyMcGee]

They're great pets if you recognise that they're prey animals and don't really enjoy human company so you won't get cuddles out of them.

They need a lot of room in a secure hutch and a lot of outside time to exercise. Their hutches need to be cleaned regularly as they're prone to fly strike. They chew, so will nibble away at your garden plants and their hutches if they're bored. You'll need to consider where the hutch would be - they need shelter, not direct sunlight, they need protection from bad weather so you'll need to consider where they'll stay when it's raining heavily/stormy/snowing etc.

They need a really good diet with lots of fresh hay and a small amount of fresh veg - the cheap rabbit muesli style food is terrible for them. They're expensive and time consuming to keep and you'll also need to consider the cost of pet insurance/vet bills and cost of annual vaccinations.

They're not cuddly pet and will naturally freeze when picked up and can jump out of your arms when lifted and damage their fragile bones.

So no, not a great pet for kids.

That said, there's a lot to be said for watching them run and leap around your garden. They're fascinating animals and can be hugely rewarding if treated well.

[DimplesToadfoot]

I agree with pretty much everything else that's been said before me. On a night mine get shut in their hutch/run as there are urban foxes around us, during the day I give them the run of the garden but its not the neighbors cats I have problems with, its blooming magpies, they are always swooping down at them I've become a crack shot with a water pistol gun thing out of the bedroom window now lol

Rabbits are also blooming destructive, this week I left the back door open, one of mine came in and chewed through my tumble drier wire .. thanks rabbit

I wouldn't be without my bunnies but I would never recommend them as pets for kids

[dangermouseisace]

I think they have their own personalities and they can vary enormously. I had one rabbit that was basically wild and didn't like humans. It liked next doors dog though. And I had another that seemed to think it was a dog, actually enjoyed human attention and would come and find us- on his own terms, of course! The first time I saw my dad cry was when a nasty fox got him when he was 9- we were all devastated as he was such a character.

I'd say they are good pets for older children who appreciate their nature and how they live in the wild. As others said they do not like picking up, although they might like coming up to you for a pet if you're sat around. If your children are the kind that are just happy to watch them hopping about, and come up to them when it feels like it, rather than something that will play with them then rabbits would probably be ok. The positive aspect of their disposition is that your kids won't get a crazy bunny seeking them out to attack, as a cat or dog might do. They only tend to bite if picked up and scared.

They do take a lot of looking after, and a lot of space. They need daily (I'd say at least twice daily really) attention. They need things to play with, and lots and lots and lots of hay. You can still get hefty vets bills. If you let them in your house they LOVE biting cables and they can zone in on the bloody things like some kind of bunny ninja, bite through them, and scarper off to hide before they get rumbled.

I don't know if cats are too much of a risk once they are big. The cats stayed out of our garden when we had rabbits. Mainly because rabbit-who-thought-he-was-a-dog would try and shag them I'm only letting mine free range when I'm in the garden this time as I don't want a repeat of the fox incident.

I've got kids and I've given into the demand for pets because I'm sick of my son infesting my house with woodlice/snails/newts as 'pets'. I'm getting rabbits as they are the only pet that I'm personally happy to look after and I know that I am going to be the one doing nearly everything, if not everything. They are my favourite animal- they are vegetarian like me, aren't in your face all the time demanding strokes like dogs are, their poo isn't disgusting like dogs, and I'm allergic to cats. We also have a mahoo-sive garden and I'm shit at gardening. We're hopefully getting 2 rabbits from a rescue- advantage being you kind of know their temperament. I am spending a small fortune housing them in a massive wendy house- aviary set up…cheap they ain't.

So…I'd get them if YOU want them and want to look after them, and have the capacity to do so. Which is what I expect anyone would say about a pet.

[Excitedforxmas]

We had a rabbit and to be honest found him harder work than the dog we had. He was soooo loud thumping at night so we ended up having to bring him inside. He shit everywhere! He was so lovely though and we miss him but I wouldn't have another one.

[BertrandRussell]

Go for guinea pigs. We all loved our guineas. I still miss them.

[megletthesecond]

danger the local cats and hedgehog never came in the garden when I had a rabbit either. She well and truly stamped her authority on the place. I saw a cat wander in once and she bounded towards it, and it scarpered.

[lemonzest123]

danger I've noticed the ninja cable finding skills too.... someone said it because cables give off a faint scent that smells like dairy that humans can't smell but buns can....no idea if that's true

[DudeHatesHisCarryOut]

friskybivalves - I missed the "when we go away" part in your post and was trying to work out what you fed them that cost £75 a week!!!! Calculated that at that rate it would cost me nearly £900 a month and almost fainted! Then I reread what you'd written!!!!!

I love my rabbits but, as others have said, they're not for children.

[Mysteriouscurle]

Rabbits can bewonderful pets but I wouldnt buy. Reputable rescue is better. Heard too many stories of 2 girls or 2 boys from the pet shop that turned out to be one of each. If you have a shed or wendy house thats a brilliant environment for them. Attached run via runaround system or catflap is great. I have my run on concrete as my bunny is a prolific digger but also foxes could easily dig in as well if it was on grass. If you are able to rabbitproof your garden they will love running free and doing happy jumps (binkies). But there is an awful lot more to looking after rabbits well than sticking them in a hutch and feeding them. The 3 most important things are space - lots of it, hay -lots of that too, and company

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I was watching (no not coveting in the least) some rabbits today (PetStore) .
They had a fairly sizeable enclosure , a hidey space .
There were two pairs in 2 cages. One of them leapt sideways about 2 feet and over its cagemates head , binkeyed over , stood up on hind legs, looked cute .................

I can see why people want them. They are lovely.
I also have an insight (from Small Pets) what a massive pain in the arse commitment they are.

[bbpp]

They'll chew everything, dig warrens and tunnels in your garden, spray pee everywhere, lunge and growl at you if you block them/stick your hand in their hutch, kick off if you try and pick them up, refuse to be caught, thump at you if you look at them funny.

They're cute, and you can't help feel privileged when they come over for a cuddle, but the hardest god damn animals I've ever had (and I've had everything from mice to horses to dogs to chickens) and they don't give much love back.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

How do owners do the check ups if rabbits are reluctant to be picked up?
Things like eyes/ears/teeth/claws/bottoms/lumps/wounds?

At least with guinea-pigs they are gentle enough that even if they really protest (like nail cutting) the worst they'll do is a small nip , usually they just scream like they're being skinned !

[FernieB]

70 - check ups are conducted by waiting until bunny is asleep and then grabbing him quickly

I've always made sure that our bunny is handled daily, whether he likes it or not (and Current Bun does not) just to get them used to it. If you do this from an early age, then usually they'll be fairly still when picked up. I usually give Current Bun a few strokes and then pick him up firmly and quickly. He'll now stay still for about 3 minutes before wanting to be put back down, it's long enough to check him.

On a separate note, Gingerpig had to visit the vet recently and needed 2 injections. When the needle went in, he actually cried! Sounded like a baby sobbing. He's such a wuss.