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?

I bought two rabbits for myself the children a couple of years ago and we are ALL bored with them now! They are rescue rabbits and have a fabulous life - runs, two hutches, regular check ups etc - but I hadn't really appreciated their psychology as prey animals.

As I said, they are well cared for and will continue to be, but I can't say I'll be sorry when they finally float off to the runs in the sky...

Although reading your posts...maybe you should get rats. If DC is terrified then that's all the more reason as you can help her overcome her fear. Rather strange for a kid to be scared of rats anyway considering her parents arent... Also, baby rats are adorable! Not sure how rats are as kids pets mind you.

Ah Guinea pigs...do smell. It most certainly isn't the hay lol xD but I has one as a kid and he was hours of fun and took no crap from me xD chased me around the sofa thinking I was his mate every day. Good memories.

Might be worth researching a degu to see it that could work.

Took us nearly two years of thinking about getting our rabbit before we got her. We have 4 children aged between 12 and 2. It was our 4 year old who kept on to me.... But it was myself who ultimately adopted her she's not the children's pet she's a family member. She costs a lot of money to keep and time too. Between 4 children a cat a rabbit the house and uni work it's busy. But she is never lonely. All the kids adore her and stroke her and of an evening she either sits on my shoulder or I sit on the floor and do my uni work with her running around like some sort of lunatic lol. Can't get a rabbit just for a child it has to be for yourself or the family.

So I'm really warming to the idea of a couple of guinea pigs. I'll ask DH more later why he doesn't like them. I know he had some as a kid, it was something to do with that. Xx

chocolateroses you really really need to come on over to 'Small Pets' on the Pet section.

Loads of guinea-pig chat on there .

My DH isn't wild about the pigs but he buys them veg, will help DD if I'm not there and when DD and I both had flu , he did all the Pig Care .

He will cuddle a pig if we have more pigs than laps .

You need to have him onside .

Would your DD be happy with a guinea pig? I would worry that I'd get a GP and she'd still bang on about wanting a rabbit.

Sorry I didn't mean that to sound harsh about your DD by the way. I was thinking (with fond irritation) of my own kids...

Please do your research before getting guinea pigs, they aren't the easy animal most people think. If you can't be arsed cleaning etc you're not going to get on well with them. They need social interactions with other GPs so you will need at least 2 and a LOT more space than pet shops will recommend. And if you don't have spare money, how will you afford vet, medications, food etc?

1. I promise you hand on heart rabbits LOOK cute - but are destructive, can scratch, can be territorial and also make a mess of your home.
2. Please dont ever think any cage in any pet shop online is a suitable size for a rabbit - these are ALL (yes even the XL ones) very very cruel. Its an old outdated notion rabbits should be caged. Rabbits need a whole house, bedroom or a whole converted shed to themselves. All of which come with problems ... in the home? Expect carpets to be ripped up, walls to be chewed, wires to be chewed etc etc. In a converted shed? Look at an XL shed for around £600, that has a window and ventilation, then convert the inside which will at minimum cost another £200 for everything. total £800
3. Rabbits never have been and never will be cuddly. They are such a bad pet for a young child - just because theyre small and look cute doesnt make them suitable. Long gone are the days where people think rabbits are a starter pet, as years go by we have learnt they are very VERY demanding. I have had most possible pretty much.... cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, chickens, guinea pigs, a parrot and the top highest maintenance pet was the horse, followed secondly by rabbits! I have 5 cats and 1 dog in my house and my 2 bunnys are the biggest expense, and time consumers than 5 cats and 1 dog put together!!! Plus, they absolutely wreck your house. I am fortunate and lucky to have a spare bedroom they can have all to themselves - yes this one bedroom is not "house proud" but the rest of the house is. But picture ripped carpets, chewed walls.. skirting boards damaged etc etc.

1. Their food, hay, injections, are very expensive as they are a specialist animal. Plus, I have a boy and girl, each of them costed over £100 to spay and neuter, then an extra £30 each to microchip. If you want an easy going pet look at a cat which wont need walking 3 times a day, wont destroy your house, wont get lonely in a tiny cage outside, and will come and go as it pleases. I beg you, do not get a rabbit!

If you look at hutches for rabbits , remember that they will need enough space to do 3 hops and stand upright without their ears touching the roof.

A rabbit in its natural state will run 5 miles a day .

The concept of hutches was introduced by the Victorians when rabbits were kept for meat and sadly the concept has stuck.

I know b* all about rabbits but I often hanker after a pair of Polish rabbits (they are like tiny hares , weigh less than a kilogram and not for novice keepers) . I have a large garden and a wooden shed that our guinea has moved out of .
Luckily for them, they rarely come up in Rescue and those which do would probably not be suitable for me . I know enough about them to know that I don't know enough to keep them .

@70isaLimitNotaTarget I will def look at the small pets section once my monsters are in bed, thank you 😊

@PCohle that's my worry, that we get an alternative pet and my DC STILL doesn't shut up about a rabbit 🙈

I wouldn't get a rabbit. If you handle them they get very nervous, take ages to get used to you (months and months) then if you don't handle for a day or so you're right back to the beginning again. Difficult to sex and they will breed before you know it - they also readily eat their young. They are quite scratchy and kick hard. Go to a petting farm if you want a rabbit experience.

When my DD was Yr 6 (and had the first of our guineas) she helped out with the school rabbits . They had an enclosed yard, houses, exercise areas . She helped with cleaning and coralling them back at the end of the day .
She much preferred her pigs .

Haven’t read the full thread so apologies if I’m being repetitive but try Facebook selling groups for hutches. Lots of people get nagged into small furry pets by their kids and by the time they’ve died the kids have outgrown the desire to own another. Along with the parents who have ended up looking after it!

We had a rescue rabbit when I was a child, it was angry and violent! I have told my kids they will never own one, it put me off forever!

Ours are a mini lop male and mini Lion lop female - the female one is from a professional breeder and fine with DD handling it and if stroked seems to ask for more, the mini lop is less friendly though can stroke it when flopped but think that's as we got it from a man who had kept it in a hutch in a beer box and got it initially at 6 weeks. I think having one from a professional breeder makes a difference. First set up costs are £550 for the two - vaccines, neutering, run, food, housing etc which was more than I expected.

We love them but wouldn't recommend anyone taking on without thoroughly researching, wanting them, having the money and motivation to look after what is around the equivalent of an additional toddler. DD convinced us they get lonely and needed two but female was quite happy on her own and happy with us as company - different if you are keeping outside. It could be if you know a friend with rabbits you could offer to look after them one weekend though from what you've said sounds like too much for you and would stick to something smaller and easier. We also have a cat but they aren't always great with kids either - ours can attack ours and also digs up carpet. I would never get a pet just as child wants it as they often change their minds or lose interest when its not a baby - just look at the for sale ads to see. Plus they never do the work until they are much older - my DD is 13 and she's doing half it plus doing jobs for us at £10 an hour to pay some of the costs but even then it will live 12 years or so long after she's left home. Always assume the child will do nothing to help and you will rarely be proved wrong

I got three rabbits because I was lonely and couldn't commit to a dog.

They can be vicious fuckers if they aren't neutered, at least £80 each.

They are destructive, they eat everything and go on seek and destroy missions if I have anything new in the garden.

If they aren't neutered they stink and spray, male or female.

They need fresh veg, daily. I live by an Aldi and Lidl, so only spend about £1.20 a day on veg. That's as well as Hay and nuggets. If the weather is bad I have to buy £4 digging boxes from Wilkinsons. They need to dig.

I love mine, but why anyone thought that they'd make good pets, I don't know.

Old people and people from other countries tell me that they used to keep rabbits and let them breed and eat the older ones. They should never have been pets.

They're noisy and I've had to bring them indoors when it was frosty, which means they haven't got a winter coat, so they're in until April.

Our cat that attacks the children was from a pet shop - I suspect it wasn't 8 weeks old like we were told, more like 6, she was so small. She's 14 now and she's fine but if she had professional start in life expect she wouldn't have had some of the issues she has. The aggression comes from fear. She was scared of the rabbits but only for a few hours though only raised a paw then put it down. Given all 3 their own areas now and all is fine. The girl rabbit doesn't mind cat but wants to escape the hyper boy rabbit.

Chocolateroses have you told your DC that rabbits don’t like being picked up? You might also want to mention the fact that they eat their poo

We have two indoor rabbits. They both like a cuddle and pet and are more like dogs now in the fact they come to us and follow us around to see what we are doing. They are both neutered. They have the run of the conservatory when we are out and the house when we are in and both have their own hutch for when they are feeling mardie or need quiet time. Our Labrador is scared of them. They are scared of the degu's so it works out well. Don't find them expensive or destructive. just depends on their nature I suppose.

Somewhat controversial but here goes...

I have had two rabbits, the first one was from a family with two pets that kept breeding.
The babies were constantly picked up, stroked, messed about with by the family’s children and baby bunny was given to me for free.
He lived to 12, an entire male and was super super friendly, confident and lovely.
You could hold him and cuddle him, he had not an ounce of nastiness.

My second bunny was a rescue, I thought all rabbits would be like my first..
Second bunny was adorable to look at but a complete and utter cunt.
He bit everyone!
Especially my son but everyone was fair game, he would actually run across the room to attack you and believe me they have unbelievably strong and painful bites.
We were all terrified of him!

If you want a pet rabbit I would personally go for a baby from a professional breeder that has been constantly handled and socialised rather than a rescue.

"The hutches I've looked at have big runs attached."

My three would be out of the run overnight. I have to regularly fill in holes. They'd practically dug a full borrow under an azalea shrub. They dig under big plant pots and knock them over for fun. They also like to sit in plant pits just to show me that I can't grow anything unless they say so.

I had gardeners dig down and fixed rabbit proof netting to the fence then top soiled it. Ive had my back door sealed at the bottom and a raised bed put in the back.

Mine renact the plotting and cunning of the great escape.