Get a Pet bunny?

Pets Pets & Children
1

My daughter fell in love with a bunny today, and really wants one. She is almost 4 and actually very responsible with pets. She would keep it in her room.

Obviously I’m going to be responsible for most duties until she’s older but she is always willing to help and has age-appropriate duties with her pets.

Anyone have tips on a pet bunny? Do they make good pets? She loves her pets to pieces, and we recently lost our older dog. I’m not ready to add another dog to the mix, so I think this might be a good way to bring another fur ball to love into our home. She had been asking for a guinea pig but after the bunny incident today, I’m wondering if a bunny might be a better pet. She will want to hold it all the time and the ones we were interacting with today seemed much more tame/sweet then most guinea’s I’ve seen.

I would love to know of any bunny experiences you have had before we actually purchase one.

2

My husband had bunnies when he was young and loved them, except he developed terrible allergies and can’t be around them now that he is older. I also have a friend who has 2 bunnies and loves them to pieces. They are like cats she says, they jump up on you and snuggle and have great personalities.

3

I didn’t have bunnies - I had guinea pigs. But I have a friend who had bunnies and told me some very sad things about hers that I want to share with you, JUST so that you will know from the get-go…

Bunnies have very weak backs. It is easy for any mishandling to translate into a broken back. So you must be vigilant about being with your daughter 100% of the time that she is holding the bunny and never let her carry it around. At 4 years old, she is too young to carry it.

The second thing is this. If the bunny gets sick or injured and is so bad off that he needs to be put to sleep, it’s different than dogs and cats. Bunnies have a different kind of system (I cannot explain this part to you - when my friend told me what happened, I kind of shut down…) that makes it so being euthanized is painful. Her bunny screamed as it died. The vet apologized that he didn’t prepare her in advance. It haunted my friend for a long time - she’s very sensitive and an animal activist. It was so devastating to her that she never took in anymore bunnies, though she is expert at taking care of them. I kind of felt hard at the vet. He should have told my friend that it was his practice to not have the owner in the room during the procedure to have prevented her from hearing this.

Guinea pigs don’t have that problem, but they do come with issues of their own (like catching a cold either killing them or costing you a fortune in vet bills). My kindergartner dropped our little guinea pig the first week we had him, and it died in 5 days. That was really awful. I have a lot of experience with guinea pigs, and that STILL happened.

For either one of these little animals, make sure you get a baby. It is SO important that YOU, mom, handle the baby every day. It needs to be used to being handled lovingly by you so that it won’t act scared or wild. If it runs around the cage when you put your hand in, don’t let that go on… scoop it up decisively so that it doesn’t get used to doing it. Make sure the animal has “breaks” from being handled too… too much handling will wear it out.

Good luck in your decision.

4

Bunnies are lot more work than a lot of people realize. They need more space than a guinea pig or hamster if kept caged, and still need to be able to run loose for more exercise- which means if it’s in the house, they need to be supervised because they will chew on wires, carpeting, etc. They also have specific dietary requirements and can get very ill if not fed properly. They eat and graze constantly, which means they poop constantly too. And while they don’t need shots like dogs and cats do, they should get regular vet check-ups and need to be spayed and neutered. Not every vet sees rabbits or is comfortable or experienced enough with them - so you have to find one that is.

Also, most rabbits are not as cuddly as you might think - unless handled a lot from day 1, they do NOT enjoy being hugged, cuddled or squeezed. They are prey animals, their instinct is to run away from anything they find threatening. In a struggle to escape, they can kick hard enough to break their own backs and become paralyzed.

Also, here is the link to the answers I got when I posted a question not long ago about my daughter pestering me for a pet bunny. My advice? Get a stuffed toy bunny instead!

5

We have a pet bunny.
Gotten when, my daughter was about 5-6 years old and my son was only about 2. And, they were BOTH really good with it. And still are.
We still have, our rabbit. Close to 5 years now.
BUT, since the get go… I TAUGHT THEM HOW… to handle a rabbit.
How to carry it.
How to touch it.
How to do it properly.
You always have to support their hind legs from the bottom if carrying them, they are bottom heavy and their backs are weak.
And, when my kids were younger, I was the one that carried the rabbit, FOR them.

This type of cage is the best. It has a plastic bottom:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23958
This is the one we have.

  1. I would NOT keep it in her room.
    Keep it somewhere else.
    Remember, a pet has food. ie: rabbit pellets and hay. AND, this will get over the floor, even if you are careful. AND it may, attract bugs/ants.
    Ours is kept outside on a covered patio area, that is enclosed. And, there were ants that started going to and from our rabbit cage and making house, there.
    DO NOT, keep it in her room.
    You will also NOT be able to supervise her with it… properly. Continuously. Not enough supervision with it in her room.

  2. It is a good pet. Ours is a docile rabbit. Some rabbits, are not. You need to choose one, that you like per personality. At our pet store, they let you carry it/hold it etc. before choosing.
    My daughter, and us… spent TWO hours at the pet store, just deciding which one, to get. My daughter, then chose a good one. We still have her!
    My daughter’s friend’s rabbit… is a biter. Ours is not and likes children and is very gentle.
    Our rabbit is half “Mini Rex” and half “Jersey Wooly”

  3. Rabbits are easy, to me. The poop is pellets and can just be scooped up. They can also use a Litter Box. But, sometimes they miss and pee/poop may get elsewhere on the floor.
    The pee, can and does stink… IF you do not clean the cage regularly.

  4. For our rabbit’s cage, we use a wood shavings litter. Or there are other kinds. This will soak up the pee. But never use sand, like with cats. It is bad for their lungs.
    And, rabbits, will choose a particular area of the cage, to pee and poop in. Ours will ONLY pee/poop in one certain corner of the cage. For example.

  5. Rabbits cannot only eat pellets. This is not well balanced of a diet. You also need to feed them hay, and fresh veggies.

  6. You also need to get salt licks for it, and toys. So that they can chew on it… keeping their front teeth, from overgrowing.
    And I, clip the toenails of our rabbit when it gets too long.

On nice days, we put our rabbit outside, in a kids’ “Superyard”, while having a cover over it… so that predators/stray cats, cannot get at it, and so that it will not jump out. But our rabbit likes being outside in our yard, this way.

  1. Rabbits can hang out in a house, putting a litter box nearby.
    I know a store, where the Owner has his rabbits just hanging out in his store, loose and they are fine. But he has, several litter boxes in certain corners of the store. And the store is clean.
    BUT, be aware that you can’t just leave it out all night. They can and do… chew on things in a house. ie: the door jambs, electrical cords, furniture etc. So you need chew toys, for it.

Rabbits are nice, to hold on your lap. If it is a “mellow” personality. Our rabbit, can literally just stay on my kids’ lap with no problem and is very relaxed, just being with them on their lap watching tv.
Or they put her near them on the floor when they are doing homework. And we than, have the litter box nearby, and a pee-pad.

We also had a Guinea Pig. I dunno, but I find our rabbit, more like a “pet.”
We also have a rabbit harness for it and a rabbit leash… and the kids can “walk” her. But not all rabbits will do this. Some rabbits, are “hyper.”

One tip: I have found, that “mini” breeds… are more hyper and less mellow. We had a mini before… and it was so hyper… and one day it actually JUMPED our 4 foot enclosure and ran away.
I prefer, the other breeds. Not minis.
My daughter’s friend’s rabbit, is a mini… and it is a biter.

It should be a “family” pet.
To me.

But, if your daughter is rough and yanks on things… the rabbit will get irked. Like anything.
When my kids were that age, they were gentle enough and were good with our rabbit.

Our rabbit is really great.
Good with kids.
Mellow and docile and so, sweet.
She is actually like a “dog.”
A lap, dog.
And you can teach them things.
But, we don’t have to take her walking like a dog and she is litter box trained. We did not have to litter box train her. They just do it, there.
Our rabbit, is quite large… like a watermelon.

**Oh and another tip:
our rabbit is neutered.
Which is what you should do.

6

Guinea pigs make awful pets, for anyone, but especially for young children. They don’t like people much, they are prone to mites, heart problems, and bladder problems. They have to eat a diet with a carefully balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio, to prevent sludge and stones in the bladder. They make a ton of noise, too.

I know, because I had 17 (yes that’s right) at one time.

We just got a rabbit, and we love it. She’s very friendly, and greets us at the door to her cage in the morning (as opposed to the pigs, who ran she they heard us coming.). She plays tag with my kiddo (he’s 3), and a little fetch. She pals around with my cats, too. She’s quiet and litter ox trained,and friendly. She’s got tons of toys to chew, but we bunny-proofed, too. Hoppy has been a great addition to our family.

Good luck!

ETA: there are all kind of rabbit sanctuaries, where you can adopt a rabbit needing a home. These rabbits are usually already fixed, litter trained, and the rescue workers can direct you towards one good with children.

7

I had a bunny for a long time, got him as a pet that could live in my college dorm with me. In addition to the great info below, one thing I loved about my bunny was I could litter box train him. He did still drop little poop balls everywhere, but he only peed in his litter box, and the poop was easy to vacuum, much better than dog poop.

8

We don’t have a bunny, but I have heard that they are not as easy to handle as one might expect and are more fragile than other types of small animals.

I completely disagree that guinea pigs are not good pets for kids. In fact I would argue that they are one of the best first pets for young children. They do require a lot of space though, and too small of a cage is one mistake that people often make when they have one.

We have 2 because they like company and are happier that way. We find them entertaining and sweet and easy to handle. I’ll be happy to pass on other information if you’d like. We adopted ours from a woman who fosters them, so we knew a lot about their personalities when we chose them.

My best advice is to do your research on whatever pet that you choose to get, so you know what to expect and budget for. So often people get an animal that they are not prepared to care for long term and when/if the child loses interest the pet doesn’t get the care or attention it needs.

Best of luck~

9

OMG I wish I could give you our bunny!
Seriously, our rabbit was a gift to my oldest daughter, for her 7th birthday (she’s now 17.) She was interested for about a month and then he became “my” pet. So yes, 10 plus years of feeding, cleaning and vet bills.
He’s very sweet, clean and box trained, but he HATES to be held, which is not uncommon in rabbits (he’s a mini rex if that helps.) And he digs and chews on everything, especially cords.
He lives in the office. He has a large cage, which remains open so he can hop around. Since he’s terrified of the wood floor and stays on the area rug we don’t need to worry about keeping the door closed, but of course the rug is full of holes from his digging and chewing.
The good news is that he’s been very, very healthy and easy.
But he’s not very interactive, certainly not a cuddler.
If you DO decide to get a bunny google “house rabbit society” because there are so many awesome rabbits given up by people who didn’t understand what they were getting into, please rescue one of those!

10

No no no

We had one. Lovely bunny but so much work. Life span is 8+ yrs. ours was loved and treated like a king, as all of our pets are. I have scars on my hands from feeding ge bunny, changing litter and feed. He was litter box trained.?

A lot of fun loving but a lot MORE work . We loved him but don’t miss all the work that went along with him.

11

i don’t know much about bunnies except that theyre cute and a friend of mine used to have one.. the thing was huge but really friendly, she used to pick him up and carry him around n he didn’t mind at all .. What I do know about is guinea pigs.. my twin neighbors have 2.. they’ve had them almost 5 years and everytime they go on vacation I take care of them.. those guinea pigs are the messiest, noisiest little things iv ever seen, and they are not fans of being handled.. when the girls first got them as babies they used to be able to handle them enough to put little harnesses on them and walk them in the yard but that didn’t last very long. When I take care of them I spend more time vacuuming the floor and cleaning the table where the y leave the cage than I do actually feeding them and all their other various pets. They kick their food all over the place.. oh and they stink .. I sound so anti guinea pig.. if they stayed the way they were when the girls first got them I would actually like them, but unfortunately they did not

12

I had a dwarf gray rabbit when I was in college. He was so adorable, but he was a lot of work, and he destroyed everything. He had free reign in my apartment. He was paper trained for the most part, but it was a mess to clean, and quite smelly. All of my electrical cords were chewed up. He chewed on the couch. He chewed up the carpet. Obviously, I had to shell out some money for all of that damage. He never bit me though, and he liked to cuddle.

I had to take my rabbit to the pet groomer quite often to get his nails clipped. This is not a pleasant experience for rabbits, so keep that in mind. My rabbit was always getting fleas too. I would pick up the fleas on my socks when I went running, and they would get into the house and take up residency on my rabbit. I treated him for fleas several times using a kit that is safe for kittens, as recommended by my vet. Unfortunately, the last time I treated him, he would not stop licking the treatment off his fur. Although I tried to wash all of the oil off his fur, he died a few days later. I hate to admit it, but it was a relief when he died, because he really was a lot of work and a bit responsibility.

If you plan to keep the rabbit in a (large) cage, then it might be a good pet for your daughter. But just realize that her room will be smelly if you don’t clean the cage everyday. The rabbit also might chew on the cage all night, which is extremely noisy. If you let the rabbit run free in your daughter’s room, just know that there will be poop and pee everywhere, and everything that the rabbit has access to is fair game for some chewing. Good luck!

13

Lots of responses to this post, & wow, lots of diversity!

I have had many bunnies, some just another animal in the house, some became like children.

I think before you bring home a bunny, do some research on having them as pets (vs. as a 4-H project outside or in a barn, etc.)

Different breeds have different personalities & handling abilities - the larger the bunny, the more mellow is the tendency (think the lop-eared type) but also more difficult for a small child to pick up.

They can be like dogs in the house - litter-box trained, & even trick-trained!

Check out the House Rabbit Society page (rabbit.org) for tons of information to any questions you might have.
Also, your local Humane Society might have information/resources. I know ours does in the Milwaukee area… pet stores are too hit-or-miss to rely that you are getting good information for long-term care.

Tara

14

Personally, I would never get a pet for my kids. I would get a family pet and realize that ultimately, if I make the decision to get a pet, I may end up being the one that takes care of the pet. I would think it through too. Who cares for the pet if I go on vacation? How much will that cost me? How much maintenance per day/per week? How much does all the supplies, medical care, food, pet food, etc. cost? Can I afford it, long term? Grooming, socializing, training, feeding and yes, cleaning up and bathing pet all takes time, money, and work. Go visit a shelter OR foster a pet! That way you help a pet. You make a firm decision to ONLY foster, don’t adopt just cuz you fall in love with the pet and explain that to your family. That way, getting a pet is based on LOGIC, not emotion. Because in 5, 10 years when the pet is older, costing more money for medical care, needing assistance, you have to care for the pet. When you foster bunnies, cats, dogs, guinnea pigs, you get the joy of helping the animal. Your daughter gets an understanding of what having a pet is like and some of the responsibility that it entails.

We, as a society, need to realize that having a pet is a lifetime commitment instead of this throw-away society where pets are literally disposable! And please, do not buy a pet. Adopt one that is in need of a home. I guarantee you there are millions and millions, and when those are killed for not getting a home, there will me millions and millions after that.

15

I have had a pet rabbit before. Quite a few actually…when I was in middle school/high school. Just do your research first. Age 4 is young and you will be cleaning this rabbit’s pee and poo and cage on a regular basis. You need to do this OFTEN or it starts smelling. I love animals and think they are a great addition to the family, but I’m not sure I’d get a rabbit again. Each rabbit I had had very different personalities. The first one was the best…social, sweet, full of personality. Some of my rabbits were shy, some nipped. Some kicked the living daylights out of you when you tried to pick them up! I think a guinea pig would be a better first pet but a rabbit would be ok.

16

I have heard that bunnies are not the greatest pets, and that picking them up freaks them out because the only time they get picked up by anything in the wild is just before they get eaten.

17

Rodents in general, and rabbits in particular are high maintenance pets, especially if kept indoors.
We have had guinea pigs, gerbils, and rabbits, and while I loved them all dearly, I honestly cannot recommend any of them for a pre-schooler.

18

Dwarf rabbits can be mean, especially as juveniles. If anything I would get an adult full size one. When we breed animals to get smaller and smaller they get more aggressive, you can see this in many dog breeds. A full size rabbit can be a wonderful pet, but they need space. Ours used to just live freely around our home, and was litter box trained. I would do some real research before adding a bunny to your household. If you decide to move forward check your local animal shelter, they often have tame adults looking for a good home.

19

My sister has two house rabbits. I would say no, they are not a good pet for a 4 yr old. They require a lot of care and maintenance to be happy and healthy. You will need to bunny proof your home more than you did when she was a baby and they may still eat your baseboards.

Please read Newcomers - Rabbit.org to get an idea about rabbits’ needs.

I wouldn’t get a guinea pig, either. I have had guinea pigs off and on for years (decades?) and will not be getting my own 4 yr old a pair (not a breeding pair, just a pair, as the are herd animals) til I am ready to pick up their care again. They are lovely animals, but IMO, require just as much from you as a cat and they are not something a 4 yr old can handle. It will be “hers” in name only. Since you had a dog, you probably already realize this part of family pet ownership, but I am also posting it here because of whoever else might read it and not realize that you can’t just put a small animal in a child’s room and not be really involved.

I would also not judge the species by one animal. Some pigs will fall asleep in your lap, and some rabbits will kick the heck out of you. You really need to talk to a rescue and find the animals that work for your household.

Here’s a thought, since 4s are so mercurial - get her a toy whatever she wants today. Research the animal. Talk about the care and cleaning and feeding. See if she really still wants one in 4-5 months or if it’s a passing fancy because she liked THAT rabbit vs really wants one of her own. My DD has not gotten to the point where another set of guinea pigs (ours died when she was a toddler) is really more than a nice thought, and I’m not investing in a nice thought for 5-7 years.

20

I researched this issue once because my boys also wanted a pet rabbit and the answer is No. They are messy, fairly high maintenance and not recommended for kids under age 10. Guinea pigs, although also messy, are better for younger children. There are TONS of rabbits at local humane societies because people get them home and realize that although they are so cute they need a lot of care, make messes and the novelty wears off. I cured my boys of wanting a pet rabbit by borrowing one for two weeks from a friend who raises rabbits for 4H. We couldn’t wait to return that rabbit to her home!

If you do get a rabbit, I wouldn’t keep it in a bedroom. People can be allergic to rabbits just like any other fur-bearing pet and the above-mentioned mess.

I LOVE animals and have two dogs, but will never have a bunny. Oh, I got a lot of my information from the humane society. If you contact them they can give you information about rabbit care and general pet recommendations. I’m not sure our humane society would even adopt out a rabbit to a family with young children. Good luck.