Come and talk Rabbits with me.....!

[StarryEyedMama]

Went to the pet store yesterday and once again DS headed straight for the rabbits. They are two beautiful rabbits which are up for adoption - they are both female and we would need to take them both as they've lived together for a while.

Wondered if anyone had any thoughts on Rabbits as pets? I remember having them as a child and finding them quite easy to look after until we realised Freddie was actually a Francesca and ended up having about 50 babies that we ended up giving to a kids farm!

Been looking a hutches and we would have to have an outdoors one as we have no room in the house - love the look of the Eglu ones but at £450 each that is way too much. Have found a lovely pagoda one on zoo plus though!

Would appreciate any thoughts you may have!

We have two rabbits, along with two young dcs (5 & 3).

I think they make great pets as long as there are firm rules in place. For example my children aren't allowed to pick the buns up at all. But, if they sit in the run with them they will hop up on to knees.

My children are too young to pretend they are their pets, so feeding and cleaning the hutch out etc all fall to me (although actually my 3 yr old dd loves to help put the hay in).

Start up costs mount up too, hutch, run, jabs, neutering etc

I love our buns, and imagine I'll always want to keep rabbits, they do make lovely pets

Disclaimer:I don't own/never have owned rabbits, but loads of GPs.

The first thought I had was "went to pet store" "2 beautiful rabbits for adoption"

I don't know which store you went to (Was it Pets@Home by any chance). But there's a reason why these bunnies are up for adoption. Not neccesarily due to the rabbits themselves.Could be someone has bought them, can't keep them and returned them.Or surplus stock from a previous batch.When the new ones come in, they can't mix them. And if they weren't sold before, they won't compete with a load of cute babies.

Aside from the ethics of petshops (rescues are full of rabbits and guinea-pigs who are bought as cute babies, the adults are a different kettle of fish to look after )

They most likely won't have been handled much apart from lifted them out to clean, and maybe a hug.

Take your DS to a rabbit rescue.They will have adults that they know the history or will have had time to assess.And give them a Health Check. They may be neutered and innoculated already (depending on their age).
They might have some baby bunnies- people often unload pg animals .
Rabbits need neutered regardless of gender (does are prone to uterine cancer, bucks have aggression tendancies) both addressed by neutering.

They can give you an honest overview of what you need for rabbits.

(I've got 2 GP boars and they need more space than sows. They were adult rescues (not neutered) but even in their most arsey of arsey moods -thankfully rare- my DD has no problems with them.
But rabbits can bite, kick, some not happy to be lifted.

And don't forget- no matter how much your DS wants them (how old is your DS?) , it will be you that does all the work. Children start off with good intentions but cleaning a big cage is hard work. I clean my Pighouse every day, my DD helps to feed them.And we all cuddle them .
Not so bad in summer but Winter at 6am is another story .

Hello Starryeyedmama

V. good advice here.

I've just bought rabbits for the first time, as have always previously had guinea pigs (see thread here I think if you are going in to it with your eyes open, esp with regard to time and costs, then you will be fine. They are a lot more work than gps - much more intelligent and interactive - and I think a rabbit needs at least one hour's interaction/stimulation with you a day (that's two hours if you have two). If your life allows you that much time then no problem!! We are really enjoying ours (save for some chewed wires!!)

If they are older rabbits then at least, as you say, you shouldn't have problems identifying gender or character.

My dd (nearly 9 yrs) picks up both of our rabbits quite regularly and they tolerate it well. The vet said to continue to do this to make medical examinations easier for her and less stressful for them. Doubt if dd could have had the confidence/patience/dexterity to handle them properly before the age of 8 yrs though.

Fyi - so far thave shelled out Euros 50 for rabbits themselves, Euros 60 for innoculations, Euros 30 for another precautionary vet check, approx Euros 330 for hutch/run various bits of tube and piping, regular fortnightly dosh for good quality hay and litter (approx 70 euros a time), plus around Euros 40 to replace my dd's DS charger which they had chewed!! And will be paying for two lots of pet sitting whilst we are away this summer!! They are not cheap pets!!

Sorry. That wasn't a very positive post was it? Should have also said, they are great characters, very funny and hugely entertaining!! I mostly work from home and they are great companions to have around. I adored my gps but rabbits are definitely more intelligent and trainable/interactive. Our have distinct characters, one likes to be out wandering in the garden all day and comes in at night covered in seeds and bits of twig and the other likes people and being indoors, is v. inquisitive and likes to join in what we are doing.

Good to know your rabbits are doing well sanguinechompa - did they turn out to be both boys in the end?

Aren't you just the tiniest bit sad that you've given up the purr,wheek,squeak,chatter,rumblestrutt,popcorning and sharking (what my DD calls 'going round and round nose to rump, like sharks' ) that you would've had if you bought guinea-pigs?

Stampy back feet and a wiggly nose just doesn't compete IMHO

I keep rabbits, I love them and can't imagine not having any. They have lovely characters - they're incredible inquisitive and love to explore. They're not the MOST expensive pet you can buy, we didn't even get a hutch for one of our pairs, we were given a childrens wendyhouse which we converted (added ramps / tunnels etc, swaped perspex windows for wire. It cost very little, however we were lucky. We have been paying for 3 vaccinations a year (myxo every 6 months and vhd every year), but the new combined vaccine should be available soon if it's not already, which would mean just one per year. All of ours come from a local rescue (look up Cottontails rabbit rescue for loads of useful information), so were already neutered and healthchecked, meaning no nasty surprises (especially dental problems, which are rife among rabbits).

On the negative side, they don't usually make great pets for young children. Most don't like being cuddled (although some love it). Hutches must be kept clean or you risk flystrike (really, really awful). Good quality food (nuggets, not muesli) can be pricey, and you need to keep them in greens and hay all year round. Claws need clipping and many breeds need brushing, too. I also give mine panacur to prevent E. cuniculi, which can be faff (oral medicine).

Hope that helps a bit!

Cupcakes love the converted wendy house idea!! (And v. interesting advice about panacur - have noted that!! )

and 70isalimit !! Sorry - only just saw your post!! Yes, I must confess to really missing all the squeaks and wheeks ...rabbits are v. silent in comparison ... but don't ultimately regret decision (although it's early days yet - still haven't gone through adolescence!!) ....love the intelligence of rabbits though nd the fact that they always want to be involved in whatever you are doing... Another compensation is abundant twilight binking and the lovely furry strokeable undersides of their feet

BTW - we've gone from both being blokes, to one girl - one bloke and now confirmed as both girls !! Vet was very apologetic!! I'm happy though as they seem to get on v. well.

Dream of the day when I have sufficient space to accommodate both gps and rabbits!!