To get a load of bunnies for the kids?

[JoanCollected]

Any rabbit owners who do it properly here who can advise me? I have finally agreed to get rabbits for my daughter and other kids. Mostly daughter (9) as she loves animals and has proven to be very responsible minding other pets and animals, as well as being organised and mature in general. I’ve tried googling and have a pretty good idea but it’s not the same as hints from real owners in the context of my own set up.

Ive an omlet run which I’ve bought a long tunnel and additional fox proof run off it for them to be in safely. They will be in a larger area that is chicken fenced and walled full of grass and trees. My chickens live there and I am planning to slowly introduce them to each other. (Anyone ever done this?).

Bunnies would be able to dig out of the area when let loose, but anyone know if I can get them to imprint enough on their big fenced area to at least go back or stay close when given freedom? We could only let them loose when supervised but ideally I like them to have as much freedom as possible while making sure they’re in their safe runs at night.

I think we’ve loads of space for 4 but is 2 better to make pets of? Would they be less friendly if they’ve more of their own buddies?

im planning on wood shavings in their hut as I’ve loads for my chickens. Is there anything easier for cleaning? Or better for bunnies?

I haven’t a good or water dish yet, any recommendations?

Anyone know if they are wise enough not to fall into a pond?

Thanks for any advice.

That’s an interesting thought. I have a few large sheds currently empty that would be easy to sort with a cat flap to garden. The omlet hitch I have though I do trust. The same one has kept my chickens safe years despite seeing the fox on my ring doorbell every couple of nights. Maybe they could have the rabbit run, the chicken run and a tunnel out to garden with the old stable as a second home.

I don’t know why you think that’s foxproof it’s not even remotely foxproof.

I have a feeling OP have vetoed looking at rescues. There are so many rabbit in rescues waiting for home so to say you contact one and they didn’t have any is just pussyfooting your way out of rescuing. Sad and irresponsibly contributing to the issue of so many abandoned rabbits.

I think this sounds like a terrible idea but if you are going to go ahead get a bonded pair from rescue and keep them away from the chickens . We’ve had rabbits but mainly as house pets who went in the garden and the friendliest one was a rescue Belgian hare , who came when you called him and was more like a dog than a bunny .

Our rabbit loves being handled. We've had her since a baby and she loves my young kids 2 and 11. It's her 4th birthday today 😆
She's an indoor rabbit so I dint have much experience on the outdoorsy stuff. We let he rin the garden for a run around but only when we are with he incase neighbours cats attack.

Not sure what you’re talking about? I have a fox proof omlet iglu and run, fox proof tunnel to another fox proof run for space. This is where they would be trapped at night and when I need them to be safe. I want them to have use of a huge chicken run full of trees and grass and hedges and no, that’s not fox proof. The shed I could put a cat flap in is fox proof as long as the cat flap is closed. But I’d probably only let them free to use that when we’re about.

F

Feel quite sad about people saying rabbits are rubbish pets who don't like being handled. Here is our rabbit playing in the kids tent. If handled regular they're lovely pets.

Yeah I googled and looked at all the rescues I could find online as I would actually like an older rabbit pair and could find very little with most of the animal rescues I found saying they no longer rescue small furries. The rabbits they did show were not suitable (ie. No children or other pets etc). Maybe there’s smaller ones not good at being findable on the web. But I’m also not too delighted with house visits and stipulations and exclusions as happened when I looked to rescue a donkey and a cat in the past. But I have a very good home for some rabbits and they’ll want for nothing (safety, food, space or dental care).

We adore our two buns, who are both males from the same litter. Their bond is so cute and they are affectionate with one another and with us. We got them for DD aged 14 after years of campaigning (!), five years on she is still main carer. We handled them regularly as babies and although they don’t love being picked up, they do love a stroke and a cuddle!

They live outside in a large Omlet run, with the Eglu inside with its door always open, and a small run, hay hutch and tunnels. It’s recommended that you over-mesh the top of the Omlet run as the spacing is too large to prevent predators such as rodents/stoats etc.

We use Haybox for fresh Timothy hay and the paper Back2Nature litter instead of wood shavings.

Sounds as though your DD will be an ideal owner. We’ve been blessed with our rabbits, they’re so entertaining and a lovely addition to our family. I’m sure yours will be too.

Posters have offered to help you find somewhere, if you gave a general idea of location. It's unlikely that you will have a home visit - some places might ask for a photo of your set up. They are doing it to make sure that the rabbits are well-looked after - why would you object to that? Getting an older pair is a good idea, because then they will be well bonded.

Also forgot to say that with our setup being more spacious and safer than the majority of pet boarders, when we go on holiday we use pet sitters instead who visit the house twice a day to feed/clean/supervise bunny exercise. Similar cost to boarding but more peace of mind for me (plus they bring in post/put out bins/water plants etc).

Sorry but keeping a single rabbit is not a good idea, as they are social animals and you nor your kids can provide the bond a rabbit needs to fulfil its social needs and grooming at later stages of life. 🙄

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/companionship/

NO NO NO.

Never house them together, they do not belong together and rabbits carry Bordetella (respiratory bacteria) which can be fatal to guinea pigs.
They both have very very different nutritional and other requirements.
Please don't house them together.
Often you will find that the rabbits will bully the guinea pigs.

Agree. I had Guinea pigs as a child, teen and a mum. As soon as I got my first house I got Guinea pigs! I spent so much time cleaning them out and handling them as a child.

Rolling your eyes at me 🤣 she gets groomed and is very happy. Her bunny hopping around the garden tells me she's fine.

Laugh all you want, but the fact you're keeping a social animal singularly and the fact you think that science of animal behaviour does not apply your pet is quite sad for it. The FACT remains you cannot provide the companionship it requires from another of its species.

Ignorance is bliss i suppose, once again 🙄.

Fuck..I better go out buy another rabbit right now! Thanks for your info rolly eye person 🤪🤪🤪

https://how-to-rabbit.com/keeping-rabbits-alone/

Plenty of scientific papers to back me up, but then again your an expert aren't you 🙄.

The problem with cruelty, it starts with ignorance. I'm just glad all my pets are cared for in the right way and have the correct companionship. I doubt yours will live to see old age never mind its early teenage years.

• Are you available 24/7 for your rabbit until the day it dies?
• Do you groom your rabbit by licking its ears and eyes?
• Do you hop around with your rabbit and explore its environment?
• Do you lay next to your rabbit around 7 hours a day and cuddle (body contact)?
• Do you know how to speak rabbit and talk to it every day?
• Do you protect your rabbit by keeping an eye out for possible predators and stomp if needed so your rabbit can relax because it knows that you are guarding it?

Can you answer that all yes lol 🤔

How often is you rabbit able to come out of a an alert state of animal behaviour knowing that its companion is ensuring its safe, the levels of stress hormones in yours will very rarely be reduced. 🙄

You obviously read past all the posts about people saying their rabbits didn't like being with other rabbits. Having to buy 2 separate hutches for them etc? But hey there's Science that says they must be kept with others.

I'm glad you posted this because you have just shown 100% that you lack knowledge of keeping rabbits.

If you did understand the complex nature of rabbit behaviour you would understand that people who try to plonk two rabbits together and not follow the correct bonding procedure is never going to work.

Rabbits are sentient beings and bonding will not always work between rabbits, that means they are not a compatible pair in some instances. That does not mean they do not require social interaction of their own species, it either means the pair were not compatible for reasons only known to the rabbits themself or they were not in a situation to allow bonding to occur correctly.

So than you for proving my point about your ignorance and lack of knowledge.

Please try one of the many rabbit rescues first. I wouldn’t get more than two as they can be difficult to bond and often need separating. If you go to a rescue they are likely to have bonded pairs which are already neutered.

I've always had rabbits and keep them outside in a bunny shed. They do have a large run but I let them out daily in the garden to free roam when I am home. You need to be careful with cats, foxes and birds of prey if you let them free roam though.

I think you would be unreasonable to do so, yes.

Rabbits are wonderful animals, but not good pets. Especially for children.

They are exceptionally hard work and such a tiny proportion of pet rabbits are cared for adequately.

I think there are much better pet options for your daughter.

Lots of people are telling you they aren't suitable pets for children. My daughter in law is a vet and says rabbits are difficult to look after and totally unsuitable as pets for children. Think about this again for the sake of the animals.

@Curlymam88 you don't have just the one do you? They really shouldn't be alone, they're social animals.