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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To get a rabbit?

47 replies

Aoifebell · 17/08/2015 18:16

Two in fact. They're black velvet balls of beautiful fur. I've fallen in love with them. I want them now!

Everyone is telling me not to get them the reasons the give are these

I live in a flat
I have a dog
They're a lot of work
I could spend the money of better things
It's a life long commitment
I'll be out the house 3 days a week come September

My reason for:

I love them

Is it a terrible idea? Can someone give me some practical advice? Is it a terrible idea?

OP posts:

mintpoppet · 17/08/2015 21:17

No you shouldn't get them. They would get stressed with dogs around. It's not fair to them. They are natural pray animals so are always alert to danger.
Most of them hate bring handled and certainly don't want to be cuddled, despite their gorgeous silky fur!
You'll obviously come across those people who say there's was super tame etc but the majority aren't. I've had 3 and the only one that was tame only became tame when he was too old to care about being anxious anymore. I won't be getting any more. They aren't supposed to be pets. They are very wild animals, not like guinea pigs, rats etc which are tamer.

elementofsurprise · 17/08/2015 21:43

I want to save all the unloved bunnies This is an appeal to those thinking of getting rabbits - please try to rehome some from a shelter or even gumtree etc. Shelters usually have them neutered and bonded into pairs for you

HATE pet shops selling them with such stupid advice. Bet she didnt tell you they'll both need to be neutered on reaching puberty, and this is likely to involve keeping them apart and a potential long/complex re-bonding process?

Mine are in a hutch/run that's about 3ft by 6ft, and they still spend most of the day out in the severely bunny-proofed room. Also they get an hour or so in the backyard. They used to be free range but we had some disputes over who owned the sofa... there was spraying of territory (and the bunnies weren't that well behaved either ) Stripping wallpaper is another of their strengths...

I had no idea how much work rabbits were til I got some.

Mint Depends what you mean by tame? Mine love being stroked provided you get down on their level, they always nose me when they pass and come when called too. But HATE being picked up.

binkiesandpopcorns · 17/08/2015 22:32

I would not get rabbits in your case. Get a cute fluffy toy.

LavenderRain · 17/08/2015 22:38

Rabbits are evil!! We had 2 balls of fluff who grew up, and one ate the other!! It was awful. Before eating his brother he ate a whole 3ft cactus!
They had a huge run, a converted shed ungrateful fuckers
Also, dogs do love bunnies for supper

Original poster

Aoifebell · 17/08/2015 23:13

Jesus Christ that sounds like something out of a horror movie!

OP posts:

wannaBe · 17/08/2015 23:18

I had a mini lop and he loved to be cuddled. But I believe that mine was in the minority. My house now is far too small, garden is south facing so far too hot, far too small and we get too many foxes around here, so when he died just after we moved in here I didn't get another one and won't be having any more, house or otherwise.

BridgeOfWhys · 17/08/2015 23:28

I would say it would be a challenge to keep them in a flat. Do you have a shared garden that neighbours wouldn't mind a run going in?

I adopted two sisters. Who turned out to be brother and sister and we now have 4 rabbits. All are now spayed and live happily together. They have a large two tier hutch which has a tunnel into about a third of a shed with soft blankets in, plus food, hay and water.

Despite having all that space they are pretty miserable if they don't have the run of our garden regularly. They don't go in a run, they just spend the day hopping around anhilating my plants. We don't really hold them, they are great fun to watch though. We have a dog who goes in the garden with them and they love her. They leap over her and cuddle up to her if she lays down.

Bastard cats are another matter.

I guess what I'm saying is that perhaps you won't be able to give the rabbits enough space to roam as they need. Although, if you were really committed to them I'm sure you could make it work. I love my rabbits but having them indoors in a flat would be a hell of a lot more work than I would want.

Lavenderice · 17/08/2015 23:40

Ok hands up, who thought vibrator?

honeyroar · 17/08/2015 23:56

All rabbits should have access to a run and grass, and ideally company. Far too many are stuck in wretched tint hutches for far too much of their lives because thoughtless people think they're easy pets.

But that aside, any well trained dog should be able to live alongside other animals and not chase/kill them.

lunalelle · 18/08/2015 00:04

I have 4 rabbits. The vet bills have run into thousands. Their hay and litter and green foods cost me at least £100 per month. Insurance £55. They will eat your furniture and destroy all cables. They are lovely but a lot of work and cash. I don't go out because I spend all my 'free' income on them.

They do not like dogs, either.

elementofsurprise · 18/08/2015 08:17

LavenderRain That's awful, but don't blame the rabbit. One of mine would kill the other if they hadn't been neutered and carefully bonded.

I hate hearing about aggressive rabbits and knowing it's likely the human intervention or lack thereof that's made them like that... they can take fright easily and become traumatised and aggressive over time too.

The problem is people don't know/aren't told about proper rabbit care.

I know I'm a crazy rabbit lady!

LavenderRain · 18/08/2015 08:33

It was years ago element me and my bro were 12/13 years old. We sat with those rabbits all summer cuddling them. their home was like a palace!
One day it all went tits up tho!
They weren't neutured, they were brothers so I guess my parents thought they would get along.
the remaining rabbit lived into old age and had the run of the garden aswell as his palace.

NoahVale · 18/08/2015 08:41

get a hamster, or a gerbil,

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 18/08/2015 08:57

Rabbits are shit (imo)

They fall into That pointless pet category. Uurrgh cleaning out their shitty cage.

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 18/08/2015 09:00

Honeyroar I'd disagree about any well trained dog not killing them. I have a Jack Russell thats golden, but its a ratter and goes for anything small, fluffy and moving (won't try it's luck with the cat though)

hellsbellsmelons · 18/08/2015 09:02

And they will chew through your cables like you never thought possible.
They need outdoor space and grass to eat. They like to run and jump. They need lots of freedom.
I always had bunny rabbits as a child and into adulthood.
We got one for my DD years ago. We had dogs too. It did not end well!!!

Original poster

Aoifebell · 18/08/2015 09:04

Look at them

OP posts:

Lurkedforever1 · 18/08/2015 09:08

Yabu. I won't have any animal if it means it being cooped up most of the time. In my mind the minimum is a large run ( as in the size of a driveway) with access to a larger space to run in supervised. Even our hamsters have been mainly free range. And mice that couldn't be had a humongous cage/ tank, supervised play loose, and a run twice as big as the ones pet shops sell for rabbits in the garden. I won't get dd another rodent because our cats would mean it spending 23 hrs a day in a cage.

SacredHeart · 18/08/2015 09:09

That cage is horrendously tiny!!! It's shocking they are allowed to hoodwink people into thinking this is how they can live and that they are "easy" pets.

Wolfiefan · 18/08/2015 09:13

We rehomed a pet rabbit from someone who did exactly this. Bought a cute black bundle of fluff and tried to keep it in a hutch on the balcony of her flat. It got stressed. Tried it as a house rabbit and it ate wires.

We had a shed with a hutch in it. Door open all day so bunny had the run of the shed. Outside run during the day. And they can need teeth doing at the vet (we had one with teeth that didn't line up. Left to it his teeth would have grown round and into his jaw.) then there's the risk of fly strike. The regular handling and what about holidays?

RedToothBrush · 18/08/2015 09:23

I thought rabbits were lovely until we looked after a friends.

HORRIBLE CREATURE.

Nothing like the cute fur ball it looked. Unsocial and vicious despite being kept in the house and being well loved.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 18/08/2015 09:27

This sounds like a recipe for disaster.

My cousin has two rabbits. They basically have their own room which has been totally turned over to them and the run of a massive garden out of patio windows from their room. Even with all that, I'm not sure she would get anymore - they can cause massive damage with chewing (she has already had to replace the door to their room)

Plus, one bites everyone and isn't very friendly and they smell

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