Kids Want A Rabbit...

[rachellouise]

My children have decided they want a Rabbit and at the moment we have told them that we will think about it.
I had a Rabbit as a child and he was lovely-very tame, used to lie by your feet like a dog! Used to come in and wander around the house.
He was a Dutch Rabbit.
I know that it will be me doing all the cleaning out etc and i am aware that they live for some years but just wondered if anyone had any advice? Any particular breeds that are better than others? Male/female?
I have seen some good hutches that have 2 floors-the top leads down to a run that is double the size of the hutch.
We do have a large completely sealed garden that it will be able to exercise in and it will be allowed in the house at times too. However i worry about other animals if your were to leave it out unattended in the garden? We have lots of cats near us that like to come and toilet all over our lawn I wonder if this owuld cause problems? Any ideas on how to keep the cats out??
As i said we are just considering at the moment so are open for advice

 

[tahneen]

rabbits make great pets but I think that for kids they aren't the best
most rabbits get stressed easily and usually don't like be picked up and if dropped can lead to broken bones even from short distance, also your kids will likely want to have them out a lot and you likely know they poop every few steps
from my experiences keeping many small animals from mice, hamsters and rabbits even hedgehogs and working at a pet store mainly cleaning small animals I can say IMO
rats are THE best small pets
rats are very clean if properly maintained, I had one the i raised at the shop who LOVED getting shampooed in the bath he would purr and completely relax
they get to know their owners, can be easily trained and love to sit on your shoulder as you do your things around the house, they are great acrobats which means they are a lot less at risk of injury such as a rabbit
rats crave attention unlike rabbits who generally tolerate it
which means that they MUST be taken out at least 5 times a week for an hour or a half hour every day
i also recommend getting two of the same sex to keep each other company and from my experiences males make better pets
I hope that helps
and good luck!

 

[rachellouise]

Thanks for the advice but i am really not too keen on rats
I have been looking into other small animals but my little boy is adimant that he wants a rabbit!
I also had hamsters as a child but i really don't think they are as nice as rabbits? They sleep all day and come awake when they are in bed! I also don't think they can be tamed the same as rabbit.
Any one got any other advice?

 

[Curiosity101]

If you're going for rabbits I'd always get a pair as once the novelty wears off the bunnies still have eachother for company.

As for the points tahneen was making against rabbits, well they're completely valid. But at the same time presumably you would teach your little boy the correct way to look after and handle the rabbit (ie. don't carry it places unless it's 100% happy being carried and is small enough in comparison to your little boy). Same goes for when he wants to spend time with the rabbit, so long as he knows where the boundry is it should be fine.

I don't know about which species to go for, but best advice I can give is to go to a breeder/rescue (not a pet shop) and get babies that have been tamed since birth. Also ask the breeder(s) which breeders they'd particularly recommend for children.
Oh and don't mix guinea pigs and rabbits, I personally haven't ever has a problem but alot of people do where rabbits have kicked guineas and killed them.

I wouldn't worry about the cats by the way (unless you're going for a really small species of rabbit). Most cats wouldn't even dream of attempting a go at a fully grown medium sized rabbit. Especially if there are two. It's foxes and dogs that are the worry.

I agree that I'd always pic a pair of rats for a child as a pet... but if you don't like rats then that's not an option lol.

 

[angelfishguy]

if rats were called "chickies"
i bet alot more people would want them lol

 

[Curiosity101]

I think it's the tail that swings it for most people. I know lots of people happy to have hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs etc but hate rats. lol.

 

[ian]

it may have something to do with the black death, but who knows.

 

[tahneen]

rats didn't carry black death, they just had fleas that carried it lol

but yes rabbits do make good pets but I always warn people that they aren't the best pets for kids
have you seen degus?

 

[silverrabbit]

I wouldn't really recommend rabbits for kids... as mentioned above they get stressed easily and they can kick/ scratch if handled incorrectly by mistake. Personally I think guinea pigs make cute, friendly pets for kids. They will happily sit on a lap for hours having cuddles, whereas a bunny wants to do his own thing.

Male rabbits are nicer IMO, especially after neutering (which is REALLY recommended for both males and females - stops males spraying and prevents aggressive nesting behaviour in females, as well as uterine cancer), but I think it's kinder to have a bonded pair of rabbits unless you are going to be spending alot of time with your bunny, as he/she will get lonely.

Could just be coincidence but i've found rex rabbits to have the sweetest natures and i've found netherland dwarves to be the most highly strung and least cuddly

A hutch for 1-2 small-medium should really be a good 6x2x2, but a double decker would be even better, with run access so they can run and "binky" and enjoy life

Cats aren't really a prob - I have 4 and if anything my bunnies chase them! Magpies and crows get a bit close sometimes, but get chased off by my big female.

 

[ian]

I know rats didn't carry it! But ask people and the general concencous is that it was the rats fault.

 

[rachellouise]

Thank your for all replies!
I have been reading up a lot on the internet last night....

It seems to be, that yes you should have a pair of Rabbits(which i never thought was the case-and you should never have a bunny and a guinea pig! Which i also did not know! )
I have been looking into all possibilties incuding whether to be an indoor or outdoor rabbit.

Also it seems that the larger breeds are better personality wise?
I am very keen on the Rex breed? Anyone offer any more info here? The colourings are beautiful and i like the smooth hair-would i be right in thinking if you were to have this bunny in the house it would moult less?

Guinea Pigs could be an option as they are smaller etc and seem to be a good choice for children.
It seems i seem to be on about Rabbits more that my little boy now!

I have also been looking at Re-homing centres near me that have Rabbits for re-homing. Lots have bonded pairs that will be neutered etc. I would rather a younger bunny that we can tame but i would have an older bunny if he had been handled lots.
I don't want a difficult bunny that has been shut away most of his life and is not used to contact as i think that could be quite a challange.

 

[silverrabbit]

Rex rabbits have wonderful personalities and make great indoor rabbits. I have one and he was so easy to litter train, and was so loving. He's now bonded so lives with his GF outside, but you could deffo have a pair indoors.

There are loads of young rabbits (inc rexes) in rehoming centres, you can find tonnes of great info here: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/

Rex fur is amazing - seems to be the least irritating to my asthma and very easy to keep brushed and looking nice.

 

[nessar]

I would definately have a look at the local rehoming centres, or some pet shops (Pets at Home) have an Adoption area for animals that could no longer be looked after. The problem with young animals is that they are often not tame when you get them, so they may well be frightened, bite etc for a while. They are pets for your young children, who will make mistakes no matter how careful they are, and may end up scaring them. Plus if your child is bitten, scratched etc, they may in turn become scared of the rabbit.

I would see if you can find a pair of well-handled rabbits that have lived together for a while. That way, they will be more used to humans, and probably children too. Also if you would prefer one rabbit, you can sometimes find rabbits put up for rehoming because they are unable to live with other rabbits. I would however, like you said, steer clear of any that have been abused by children, as they may be nervy, however the rehoming centre will know which rabbits will best suit your family.

Something to consider with the housing is that if you get an outside hutch, you can get ones with a run attached, so your rabbit can hop inside and outside as they please throughout the day. EDIT - you will find though that some rabbits are fine but some will refuse to use ramps if they are narrow.

I agree that guinea pigs might be a better option, I dont have much experience with them (I've had over 40 rabbits but only 3 guinea pigs) but I think they tend to nip less. They will also just sit there on your lap, whereas rabbits wont really. When happy to see you they will also make lovely little noises.

 

[Curiosity101]

or some pet shops (Pets at Home) have an Adoption area for animals that could no longer be looked after. The problem with young animals is that they are often not tame when you get them, so they may well be frightened, bite etc for a while.

There have been some reports (based in facts) that some (not neccessarily all) petsathome's have used the 'adoption' area for the older rabbits/guinea pigs from the store itself that haven't been bought whilst they were still 'cute'.

And also it's very untrue about young animals not being tame. Get them from a good breeder and that breeder will have handled them from the moment they safely could (without upsetting the mother of course).
Although I very much agree with trying a rescue centre I would never get babies from a rescue centre (for the points nessar mentioned), but would happily rehome adults.

 

[nessar]

Yeah they do that when the animals get older, although they normally state the reason. I can understand with hamsters etc that can only live a couple of years but with rabbits it seems silly.

I think the best thing to do is see how easy they are to catch and hold yourself before deciding on some.


Oh and I forgot to mention females can have fake pregnancies, and become very aggressive during that time so might be an idea to get them neutered.