Do you know about rabbits??

[StillNorks]

Have been offered a boy bunny 6 months old for free, including hutch and bits and pieces, so think I only need to get a run.
What do I need to know about keeping rabbits before I say a final yes. It will be a first pet for the DC apart from the fish.
Will be outside living as DS had asthma

One thing to remember is that they can live for 15 years, so you need to be sure DS will still be interested when he's a teenager, or you'll end up doing it all yourself.

I would say don't do it, not very interesting and you will end up doing all the cleaning out of hutch etc.

Put it this way I am glad we got 5 year old ones from the rescue place....

Oh I do know you should have two as they like company!

we just got two boy bunnies for dd 13. she has wanted a pet for ages,so first for us. apparently boys are better natured. ours are handled daily,but very cute and lovely. need alot of cleaning out we've found!! maybe cos we have 2,but even so,more than dd thought i think!!
ours were born on good friday.....proper easter bunnies,and 15 weeks when we got them.

you need to check bottom for stuck on poo!! it can lead to flystrike,whichn is maggots,if not careful.

I am fully expecting it to be my pet iyswim and children are still preschoolers.
Its just that I have never had a pet before and am therefore a little anxious about getting it right

I kept rabbits for a couple of years. A few things I learned in that time:

Rabbits are shy and diffident, and often don't like being held or picked up because they are fragile and will be injured if dropped.

You will need more than one rabbit. A rabbit alone, in an outside hutch, will be a very lonely bunny indeed.

Rabbits need a varied diet with plenty of hay, something to bear in mind if DS is asthmatic. It's one of the reasons I had to have mine rehomed.

Rabbits are a lot of work, particularly outside. You will end up doing a lot of heavy lifting of sawdust, hay etc. They wee a lot, and although you can litter train them to go in one place, it can get whiffy if not changed frequently.

Rabbits need a lot more space than most people think. How big is the hutch?

Rabbits can live for a long time and you will do the bulk of the work (and it is work!), however if properly handled and socialised, they can be very good pets.

www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=RabbitsPetCare