YAY!!! congrats on your new addition! that is very exciting.

please, do not worry about the bunny and the baby at all. if you want it to work, it will work. it’s no different than people who have a cat or dog and a new baby. i had Stephen, my first rabbit, when i was pregnant with my son. it takes a bit of juggling, and it’s helpful if someone can help you care for the bunny in the first months after the birth b/c you’re going to be majorly preoccupied.

our Stephen Bunny passed when Michael was a young toddler, but before that he pretty much left him alone. we’d sit together sometimes and i’d help him pet the bunny gently and Stephen was always great with him (and he was unneutered to boot!) Michael doesn’t remember our first bunny (he says he does when i show pics, but i doubt it). we got Meadow when Michael was 4 years old, and that was more of a challenge than a newborn and a bunny.

just enjoy this time. you could even prime her for the new baby. spend a lot of time getting her used to pets (if she will let you), you could try clicker training and teach some simple commands to make things easier on yourself later. i don’t remember if she is or not, but if she’s not spayed yet, you will want to do that before the baby comes.

edited to add:  this is a great FAQ from HRS… http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/children.html

halfway down it talks about a new baby in the house and then there are different things to teach at different ages.

oh! Lilo is a boy! sorry… ;o)

Congrats!

I often wonder about baby/bunny combos too as my fiancee and I have been talking about maybe wanting children in the near future. I have 3 bunnies and 4 cats and would never give up my animals to start a family, they are my family too!

My concern would be the added noise of a baby crying. I can’t help but think buns would be very stressed out by all the new noise?

Hi, congrats on baby!! I just wanted to add that I know as far as cats are concerned a pregnant woman is not allowed to change cat litter. I don’t know if this applies to bunnies but I would check with my physician to see, if I were you. As far as having both a baby and bun, you can always get a gate and separate the two. Might be a good idea to do that before baby comes so your bun with have gotten used to that. Other than that with baby crawling you should just have to look out for loose bun hair on floor and maybe some little poop balls that baby may be sure to try.  Yummy  I’d be more concerned about baby hurting bun verses the other way around. A baby/child does not know their own strengths. When  I have my niece/ nephews over and they are always looking to hold my Coco. When I know they are coming over I will let my bun out in advance and then leave him in his cage until they are gone to protect him. They try giving my bun food and stuff through his cage, you gotta really watch them little rascals, they think and move fast. 

^^^oh yes, along those lines, you might want to have a baby area that is off-limits to the pets. that, along with regular vacuuming and dusting, should help. the thing with teh cat litter is true. there’s some kind of parasite in the feces that is harmful. there is not anything like that in bunny feces tho. i was cleaning the bunny litterbox until i could barely bend over.

At least according to Dr. Carolynn Harvey DVM, Toxoplasmosis only comes from cats’ litterboxes http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/toxoplasmosis.html. 

Congratulations on your new addition!  I think baby will be fine for your bun, when the baby becomes a toddler it will get more difficult.  You’ll just have to be vigilant to keep the toodler and the bunny separated when you are not there to watch the interaction.

I have a 2yo and a 4yo.. they are great with the bunnies. We have not had any problems with biting or rough housing either. We just make sure the bunnies stay on the floor (not picked up by them) and we have always taught the boys “nice” we would hold their hands and let them pet everything they wanted to, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, exc. Even when my baby was born I never discouraged his brother from “playing with the baby” (who was 21mos at the time) we just encouraged him to be nice. I personally vacuum twice daily and mop every couple days.. its mostly me being a clean freak but i also want to make sure things are not only clean for the bunnies but clean for our children who do play (And eat) off the floor.

With a newborn you have plenty of time to think about those kinds of things.. I would just keep and eye on both and things will be great! You dont have to worry about a cat jumping into the crib or a dog barking/running over baby and waking them up. I love bunnies they are the best of all worlds. Congrats and good luck!