should we get a rabbit??

[dancingmum]

Hello!
dh and I have been offered a rabbit. I'm really tempted, but have never had a rabbit before. How much work would it be - how often do they need cleaning out etc. My little girl is just one year old, is it too early to get a pet??

Would appreciate any advice - if we don't say yes by tomorrow, the poor little thing will be an ex-rabbit

I think they are alot of work, and some do bite, although not 100% sure on that.
Have you got enough space for a run?? because it's not fair to keep them cooped up in a hutch all the time. what do your instincts tell you??

this should provide you with all the answers

If you do get a rabbit, and you live anywhere near Bedford, I have a very large, ggod quality rabbit hutch which I am wanting to give frre to ggood home!

Thanks for that link mn! Will have a good read.

Sadly we're in switzerland, so a bit far from bedford unfortunately.

I agree about not keeping them cooped up, breaks my heart bto see that, dh would build a run.

As for my instincts, they say yes!! Rational mind says no!!

Hi, i'm a vet nurse and see a lot of rabbits bought for children, however they do not make good pets for young ones as they can be difficult to handle resulting in bites or scratches to the child and injuries to the spine of the rabbit.
If you are desperate for one then get a male as females have very bad temperaments.
Guinea pigs make fantastic pets for kids.

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we acquired what was supposed to be a male rabbit - the vet says she is a female. She certainly has attitude already but is still fun. Rabbits are not good pets for little children as they have sharp claws and aren't usually that keen on being picked up. You need to see it as a "spectator" pet. They poo and wee a lot, although they can be trained to use a litter tray (we're told, haven't tried yet). They eat their own poo but the second droppings need to be removed daily to avoid flies and they need a full clean out at least once a week, preferably at least twice. They are social animals so the RSPCA recommends keeping pairs.

agree with what was said abotu females, we took a female back as she wouldn't stop biting. I then got a dwarf lop eared male and he was adorable. He didn't like being picked up, but he was very friendly - loved being stroked and handfed.
We never had much luck with guinea pigs - we could never tame ours, they stayed very timid.
I think one year old is too young for anythign like a rabbit really. I'd stick with soem goldfish or somthing, that she can watch and feed but no danger of her causing harm (or getting hurt) by getting her hands on it. Small children do usually love fish.

We too had a rabbit, (fox got him last year though) and I think if you have your dd in mind, then it's not the best choice of pet - they're very nervous creatures and don't particularly enjoy being handled which can result in scratehes etc.
However, if you just want a pet to look after, then IMO, they're pretty easy to care for and inexpensive too. They need to be cleaned out regularly, but it's a fairly easy task and doesn't take long to do. Nice to look at and enjoy being hand fed, just not picked up. For a family pet, I recommend cats. Ours love attention! guinea pigs have a good reputation too, but I've never kept one.

'scratches' - oops!