Bunny help needed ...any rabbit experts out there who can help me to choose a pet?

[Bluenosesaint]

We are thinking of getting dd (almost 8) a rabbit and could do with a bit of help ...

From what i have read, it appears that a mini lop or a dwarf lop would be best ...does that sound right?

Ideally i would like the bunny to be friendly, tame and handle-able (is that a word??). DD swears to do all the cleaning, feeding etc. although we all know that THAT isn't going to happen so as its most likely going to be left to muggins to clean, are they easy pets to clean and care for?

Also, its important to know that I have 3 dd's. The eldest is almost 8 and i also have a 4 year old and a baby. Plans are that the bunny will live in a hutch outside in the girls' playhouse, but will be brought into the house for playtime and lots of handling. Is this feasible?

We are complete rabbit novices and I have told dd that she needs to buy a book and read up on them first before we buy one. Can anyone recommend a good book for a child to read?

Oh and just to add, we have a young Golden Retriever (she will be 2 in May), can you see this being a huge problem? She is a great big softy and we chose her breed partly because of her supposed compatability with other animals (we had a cat too ...but he ran away )

Thanks in advance for all replies

Hmmmmm.
Rabbit could be a good move.
Negative sides with inside care is:
a) Phone cords - never trust the rabbit with it. They love to chomp through them.
b) Wooden furnishings - are nice to nibble but don't recover from nibble marks well. Rabbits have constantly growing teeth and therefore NEED to chew constantly, constantly, constantly otherwise their teeth grow horrendously and well... not good.

Positive sides:
Rabbits are very easy to litter train, provided of course that you agree with them about where to put the litter tray? (They also tend to defecate in the same place all the time which is nice for cleaning purposes).
They CAN be really affectionate or you can get one like we live with who likes pats but hates being handled.
They are very quiet - but if they squeak watch out. Also teeth grinding is the largomorphic equivalent of purring.
They do prefer to be on their own - do NOT get two of the opposite sex, they are sexually mature at around nine weeks and have enviably short gestation periods.
If they get out of their hutches they may stick around for a while but then will probably disappear.

Hope that helps...

M

Whats Largomorphic?

hmmm.....we used to have bunnies and actually found them really hard work and the vet bills were huge. I don't think they are the easy pets many think they are.....

Thanks for your replies

i've always found male rabbits the best.

make sure he's handled every day and he'll be a tame companion (like human males really).

he'd be more tame if you had him 'done' too.

If you choose a dwarf make sure it really is a dwarf you get given - soooooo many people get a much bigger rabbit once it grows up.

Rabbits need vaccinating for HVD and for myxymatosis. HVD is once a year but myxy may be twice a year depending upon the vet recommendations in your area.

Diet - by far the most important factor for health. Get that right and you are much less at risk of dental and digestive problems. Good quality timothy hay and complete pelleted diets are a good start plus fresh foods.

You can get rabbit pet insurance for vet costs - worth considering.

IMO guinea-pigs make better pets, they are generally more sociable & don't live as long.

IMO guinea-pigs make better pets, they are generally more sociable & don't live as long.

I've had lots of rabbits and they've all been totally different. I had one who used to come when she was called, and one who used to attack me every day when I fed her

As others have said they are quite clean and "go" in the same corner of their hutch. You have to watch out for fly strike but otherwise I found them easier than g pigs (which can be quite delicate). Would be a bit concerned about the dog though.