To adopt a rabbit when short of money?

[chocolateroses]

So we are a stable household, married with two steady incomes. 2 young DC who don't go without and a nice house. We are always careful with money but make sure we have enough to cover all costs each month. After the mortgage and food shops can't afford many luxuries - no holidays for us etc.

My eldest DC (who is 5) is desperate to get a rabbit.

I am looking at re homing two rabbits from the RSPCA, but I'm worried about the cost. I assume I would need to pay for:

• hutch and run (these look expensive!)
• some kind of indoor cage?

-hay and food

• some kind of monthly vet insurance

• costs to buy the rabbit?

Do the RSPCA charge you? I would love to donate, but after buying the essentials above we'd be skint luxury wise for a couple of months.

I can't imagine rabbits are that expensive to keep? Unless I'm missing something?

I can't help but feel that us adopting a rabbit (who would be deeply loved and cared for) but being a bit skint to start and unable to make a reasonable donation would still be a bette option than a rabbit staying in the RSPCA?

If you are actually going to go ahead (I wouldn't personally give in to a five year old esp if I couldn't afford it)
Look on Facebook for second hand hutches etc be cheaper than brand new. Hay straw food etc will need to be bought regularly
Make sure u can afford all the appropriate things and any extra incase of emergencies.

We have a rabbit as I had fond memories of always having rabbits and guinea pigs as a child and thought it would be lovely for my DS5. Im wondering if my memory is failing me as it must have been the guinea pigs that were cuddly, would sit on your knee and run up to you. My rabbit is unpredictable but is more likely to attack your hand than not, she chews everything when she is out, she runs behind furniture so she cant be caught. I have frequently thought I would like to get rid of her but cant think who would want her! I would honestly get a cat. Take her somewhere where she can handle them , she will get kicked a few times then will soon change her mind.

Rabbits in hutchs are usually unhappy and nervous. They need a big open space to run, jump and play, such as a fully fenced garden with an open shed (keep them in the shed at night in case of foxes). They're prey animals and don't like being handled unless you've had them as babies and handled them daily. Please read up about rabbit psychology before getting one. They rarely make good children's pets.

Also think of vets bills, one of mine had an abscess that needed surgery and racked up hundreds in the space of a month!
You also need to pay for hutch cleaning products, fly-strike protector (to stop flies laying eggs on their bottoms which can cause maggots to eat into the rabbit), anti flea/mite stuff.

Cleaning a hutch is a horrible job. They don't all use a litter tray as books have you believe so it's a daily job of sweeping out poo and smelly damp straw, scrubbing, letting it dry. They like to chew wood so hutches often get destroyed (one of ours chewed a hole in the hutch floor and dug a burrow to freedom!)
We also had an issue with mice coming into the hutch after the food, and it was full of spiders.

I have always told my children that it wouldn’t be fair to the pet if we had one. I’m at work all day and they are at school. Poor pet would be lonely. I don’t mention the fact I don’t want one because of the hard work involved even though that does come into it. We compromised on regular visits to a petting zoo instead. Maybe you could sponsor a rabbit at a local petting zoo for a small fee?

Thanks everyone.

The hutches I've looked at have big runs attached. Admit though I'd need to check if it's big enough before buying. We also have a large empty shed they could have the full run of.

I am an animal lover and just think we could give a rabbit a lovely life in a nice garden. My DC would love it.

I found two beautiful bunnies on the local RSPCA site which are stated as fine with children at all ages. There was another who needed to be homes as a single bunny - she wasn't suitable to be homed with any other rabbits. I think I fell in love with the pair of rabbits I saw and just started thinking how lovely it would be.

I think though I have under estimated the work involved. For now I think it would be too much for us, financially and effort wise. I don't think I'll even call the RSPCA to chat about it more. Maybe in a few years I will consider it again x

I had guinea pigs for years. They are lovely animals, gentle, sociable and very funny. I then bought a rabbit as my GPs died and it was a whole different ball game. She was lovely but she scratched, didn’t like attention and wasn’t all that much fun bless her. I wouldn’t get another one but I’d certainly buy guinea pigs again if I had the time for them.

Thanks for suggestions of other pets. We can't have cats - allergies. Hubby doesn't like guinea pigs (I'm gutted!)

I LOVE rats, but DC terrified.

We have two rabbits and they're lovely :)

Of course there's cost and time involved, but it's about priorities.

Rescue bunnies tend to cost about £30 each, but they should come to you neutered, which is expensive and essential. They need to have a companion really.

You will need a large hutch and run for them, but don't need an indoor cage as well. A well-insulated outdoor hutch with loads of hay etc. is fine in all but the most extreme weather. Our bunnies live in a converted wooden playhouse, which we picked up v cheap from a Facebook selling page and converted ourselves. They also get out to play in the garden and / or house every day.

They are pretty cheap to feed in my experience. A small handful of pellets each a day, plus unlimited hay, grass and weeds from the garden and any kitchen veg scraps - carrot peel, cabbage stalks, end of the cucumber, apple cores etc.

Vet wise we've been lucky and over the past 10 plus years have only ever spent money on vaccinations, which are essential.

My 6yo daughter adores the rabbits and is perfectly capable of cleaning them out by herself. They are great pets, full of personality and extremely sociable. The more love you give them the more you get back.

We also have a totally adorable hamster. He is far more lovely than we ever imagined a hamster could be.

Thanks for suggestions of other pets. We can't have cats - allergies. Hubby doesn't like guinea pigs (I'm gutted!)

Your husband "doesn't like guinea pigs"?

I'm baffled that someone could be fine with getting a rabbit and not a guinea pig. Guinea pigs are quite simply easier, lower maintenance versions of rabbits.

Guinea pigs are hilarious and cute but they do stink (the males, anyway)

Guinea pigs are rodents. Rabbits are not, and are actually more closely related to horses :)

Some people (not me) just don't like rodents. GPs have the rodenty feet and body shape I guess.

I've had guineas as a child and my DD (now nearly 17) and I have kept them for eight years.

They have their charm but they have their limitations .
If you are considering rabbits in the future (having taken on board all the excellent advice above) then don't see guinea pigs as an easy "starter" pet substitute .
Guinea-pigs are amazing in their own right they are not a compromise because someone wants a dog/cat/rabbit

They are messy , the hay gets everywhere . We have our old girl up in the small bedroom (next to DD0 with no door so she cn whitter away and help DD with homework. She's the last of the line , we've always been in the neverending spiral of getting another pig or two (we had 5 at one stage)

My DD is bloody brilliant with them, we have always shared the feed/clean routine . But there will be times when she's ill, or away , it falls to me . I owned half of the pigs , but it is the adult who is responsible , morally and legally.
At 9 my DD was a bit unsure picking up her large male guinea-pig , I wouldn't trust a 5yo to (let alone a rabbit)

I have had one pig that was a bit bitey (we have all rescues) . The others would only clash teeth with you if they missed the food , but it was no more than a gnaw.
Anything with teeth can use them if they want .

Guineas don't have vaccines , they are only neutered to bond mixed sex (unlike rabbits who need neutered for health/behaviour)
They also need careful monitoring , they are quite fragile .

We had to have one euthanised in Oct , one in Jan and it breaks your heart each time

Guinea pigs are hilarious and cute but they do stink (the males, anyway

Whoah there - they do not stink if your animal husbandary is up to scratch. And males are tidier than females .
They only time our male smelled was when he was ill.
Females when they're in season do very strong pee (but it lasts a day or two)

We had boars and sows ( same sex and mixed over the years) they were given fresh bedding daily .
Its the hay that smells , not the animals

If you are going to part with money for a small pet then rats are far and away the best of the bunch - friendly, loving, entertaining and easy to look after - honestly, they are so much better than rabbits. Its like having a dog in miniature.

I took home a rabbit from the care home where I work as they didn't want him anymore. I estimate he's cost me around 1k as I had to buy everything, his original hutch was a tiny piece of junk so I got him a 6ft double plus a 12ft x6ft run attached by tubing from a company called runaround (that cost like £40 alone). Then he needed enrichment, plus all food, hay, bedding etc. He then decided to dig up all the grass in his run and almost dug out a few times so I had to mesh the floor, then paved half of it as he still tried digging. He hadn't seen grass before coming to me so I think he was just overexcited by it. He has a digging sandpit now.

As I have dogs I had to build a whole fenced and gated off area for all this to go in which was a few hundred. For the cold I had to get a special thermal cover with another plastic cover over that, water bottle covers a heat pad. He's a lone bunny as vets said he's too old for neutering (he's 10). I love him and he's fun to watch but he doesn't like being handled, he will take treats from my hand so I take that as he likes me and he comes over whenever I go to see him. Moral of this is that rabbits are hard work and expensive! They need more than people think.

OP by your own admission you don't want a rabbit so DON'T BUY ONE. Your dc will grow bored and ultimately the poor bastard will end up neglected locked away in some hell hole. I used to volunteer at a rabbit sanctuary so I know what I'm talking about. They only let adults adopt

l have three house rabbits. All of them are insured, and we're with the 'health club' at the vets which covers them for nail clips and their yearly vaccinations.
However. Even with insurance, you have to pay an excess. For my oldest rabbit (she's 8) it's £85 for each separate course of treatment. The 'health club' at the vets is £5 a month each. Their insurance premiums are over £100 a year each. The eldest one is nearly double that.
A small bag of pellets is about £5, that lasts about a month. l spend about £5 a week on greens and the same on hay.

l agree with previous posters - rabbits aren't really suitable for children. They want to pick them up and cuddle them, and as rabbits are prey animals, when they're picked up, they think they're going to be killed. l've had my first one for four years, and he still fights like a tiger if l pick him up. He's quite happy to be petted on the floor, he gives me nosebumps if l say "mummy kiss?", but l don't pick him up unless l absolutely have to as l don't want to stress him.
lf you adopt, they should be neutered and vaccinated. But l personally wouldn't keep rabbits outside in a hutch especially if, as you say, money could be an issue. My friend keeps hers outside, they have a fabulous 'shed' with blankets and cushions, and a huge run. But it cost her a lot of money. They need a hutch at least 6' x 2' x 2'. That size is just for one rabbit, they need room to move and stretch.
The two little boys next door to me pestered their parents for a rabbit after seeing one at a friend's house. They're nice people, but the poor thing lived on it's own in a hutch in the garden. lt was fed and sheltered, but they lost interest. lt used to break my heart seeing the poor thing sitting on it's own. lt died last year, and it was only two, poor thing. My eldest is 8, has always been a house rabbit and is healthy and very feisty.
l'll be honest. l'd never had rabbits until l got Bertie four years ago, and l had no idea of the work involved. l've had dogs, and rabbits are a lot of work. They're also very fragile health-wise so you're constantly checking on them 'just in case'.

l wouldn't part with my three for anything. But l took them on with the mindset that when l get an animal, it's for life. l help out at my friend's rescue, and it breaks my heart. Please think very long and hard.

Rabbits are very hard to look after and have as pets, guinea pigs are a better alternative for children but don't underestimate the cost of buying hay and pellets regularly plus fresh vegetables daily.

We have a house rabbit and are just about to adopt a second (please remember they should be in pairs or groups!) They cost quite a bit, need lots of space and toys etc. They aren't a cuddly animal but our girl is super affectionate and loving, personally I wouldn't get one for a child as they need a lot more than people think

How much cleaning out etc do guinea pigs need? I would have thought their upkeep would have been similar to rabbits?

Rabbits can be litter trained .
Guinea pigs hold no truck with this though our males used to have a pooh corner .

Our old lady can go two days (she has a 4'x2' cage) when we had more than one it was daily cleaning .

I know there are people who can make their cage last a week ! but our pigs would've needed gills.
You don't use sawdust or shavings with guineas , they can use non dusty paper or some non scented equine bedding.
I use puppy pads (ours don't chew them) and newspaper and sometimes a fleece (depending on the season)

Having kept rabbits for 20 years, they actually make wonderful pets. But I would second that a guinepig would be better for a five year old as rabbits don't tend to like being picked up and may scratch.

Also, I wouldn't like to put anyone off rescuing but my exp with rescue rabbits is that they need a bit more work and a lot more time out of their cages (more prone to cage stress) so I would probably keep those as outdoor bunnies with lots of garden space (and time) as they can also be more destructive in-house.

Neutering is probably the main cost and whilst some rabbits are fine without, others may develop behavioural issues (plus there are higher cancer risks in non neutered rabbits). Teeth problems are common in rabbits (hooks growing on backteeth fir example) and may result in expensive vet visits. Cost of adoption was £35 if I remember right.

But yeah, get her a couple of guineapigs instead. If she still wants bunnies at ten AND you do, then go for it.

Get a hamster or some guinea pigs, I have had rabbits, guinea pigs and a variety of hamsters, and whilst rabbits can be lovely they can also be difficult personalities, are hard work, and bite easily. And you always need two of them, or they can be really quite psycho.

Guinea pigs and hamsters can be kept inside, a hutch or cage is much cheaper (make sure you get a sufficiently large one though, hamsters need space). Hamsters dont eat much and they dont cost much new either. Guinea pigs are much more cuddly but are easy enough to keep, and both animals can have their feed supplemented with things that would otherwise be binned (cauliflower leaves, brocoli stems etc).

At 5 I really really really wanted a pony. We lived on a farm so had the space and was used to large animals.

I'm now nearly 40, own our home that has stables and paddocks - but still do not and never have gotten a pony.

Mainly because imo getting a pet is not just about what you get for a pet but about what you can give to a pet.
You have 5 yr who's obsessed with rabbits - so she is going to be trying to pick it up and cuddle it. Which is normal 5 yr behaviour. You have everyone here saying rabbits don't like being handled and some can be evil!!
I think in this case you are going to have to say no, and occasionally bring her to a petting farm or something like that to see rabbits.

Your DC will just start mithering for something else.