Hi Debbie and welcome.

One thing I’m not certain of is if you are allowed to have an altered rabbit for 4H – from what I understand the rabbit must be intact so I would find that out first. We always recommend spaying and neutering but they may not allow that for showing. I’m not sure what is involved in the program either and how long you show the rabbit for so you may want to inquire about this as I’m certain you will eventually want to get your rabbit altered.

As for allergies – it’s just very hard to know and I would suggest that you try to see about handling a rabbit and see how you react. Also you may also be allergic to HAY – I find that many people with allergies are allergic to the hay too and that may be a problem so try handling hay as well and see how you react to this – rabbits MUST have grass hay in their diet.

Also, we advocate keeping rabbits inside so they can be part of the family and also there are so many hazards outside (fleas, ticks, predators including coyotes and raccoons among others and they can suffer heatstroke as well).

Welcome!! And thank you for checking out as much as you can about having rabbits prior to adding one to your fuzzy motley crew!

I am also not too sure about 4H rules, but I would highly recommend spaying/neutering any bunny you get because they can be more easily litter-trained. Their hormones are not driving them to spray, and mark their territory as much. Their urine also becomes much less pungent with altering. Which makes them a much better “House Rabbit”. Also, unaltered females have a high rate of cancer of their reproductive organs.

My husband is allergic to most cats (except for the one we currently have amazingly enough), but he is not allergic to rabbits. You said you had horses, so you must not be allergic to hay – that’s good as that can happens alot. I think the best way to find out if you are allergic is to go visit a rabbit shelter, and pet some rabbits and see what happens.

I love the fact your daughter likes big bunnies too. They actually make great companions. The general idea is that smaller bunnies can be more hyper and nervous, but really, rabbits are very individual and so you can find many exceptions to this.

There are so many great reasons to keep a bunny in the home:

1. A bunny’s spirit really shines when they have the freedom and the regular interaction of a caring family.
2. Rabbit’s hide their illness very well. Having them inside with the family allows you to notice subtle changes in behavior that may otherwise be missed.
3. There is nothing better than a binky (happy dance) in the living room and zoom down the hallway.

I know there are many other 4H activities that your daughter can do besides raising a rabbit, so if you you find that after doing research you would rather have your bunny altered and that doesn’t mesh with the rules, why not try and introduce your daugther/family to a rabbit shelter if you have one near by. (NOTE: one of the rabbit rescues I volunteered for actually works with 4H – developed some sort of “rescue education” program instead of breeding program – so who knows)

Though my first bunny came from a breeder and he was a great bunny, once I learned more about rescue bunnies, the rest of my rabbits have always been adopted from rabbit rescues. They have just been wonderful! Already neutered and litter-trained. (not all may come litter-trained – I guess I just got lucky) The great thing about it this way is you can choose a “personality” instead of focusing on a breed. Many rabbit rescues know their bunnies very well and can help with making the right match depending on the bunny’s personality and how you describe your household (busy, calm, chaotic, whatever)

Many times people think that if they get a baby, they will help them form their personality. And yes, socialization is very helpful, but the a bunnies true character comes out once they reach sexual maturity, and it may not be what you thought it would be, or hoped for. At least if you get an adult bunny from a rescue, you have more control over what characteristics you bring home.

But even if you still would want a baby bunny, many rescues get those too.

Plus, adopting one rabbit actually saves two rabbits – the one that you adopt, and the bunny that will be saved because a space was opened up for him/her. What a wonderful life lesson.

If you want more than one bunny, many rabbit rescues have bonded pairs! Which can save you alot of time. Many bunnies don’t get along right off the bat -even if they were raised together. Once sexual maturity happens, it can be every bun for himself.

Also, the other thing to consider is costs – many don’t realize how expensive one little ‘ol bunny can be!  To prevent sticker shock, I developed the “cost page”, that might be worth checking out.

Well, that’s all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks again for checking things out beforehand, and we’re here to help answer any questions you may have!

OH, and I forgot to tell you – You were asking how do you know if you are getting a healthy bunny.  i know with the rescue I adopt from, they have all their health records, and part of the intake is they immediately get treated for mites and coccidia regardless.  I also get a free vet exam to double check health.  

Also, it’s good to note that sometimes dwarf breeds and some lops are more susceptible to teeth issues that can cause long-term financial costs.

Depending on the type of home-schooler you are (I know some follow a very structured curriculum, some a mix of curriculum & interests, others are free, and others follow an educational philosophy)….anyone, I love the idea of working w/ a rescue and really developing your own curriculum.  I would suggest working w/ them to do a service project w/ the possible goal of teaching others about House Rabbits.  You could foster & volunteer w/ a shelter, don’t forget that even if you don’t have a bunny only shelter, other humane societies take small mammals.  Learn about bunny health & husbandry, socialization, etc.  Her goal could be to develop a campaign to increase rabbit care education or teaching others about the value of rabbits.  My other thought is to promote spaying & neutering in pets.  Bunnies are a great mathematical project when it comes to how many rabbits from one single unspeutered rabbit!

Hello Debbie, welcome to Binkybunny!

I was in 4H when I was little, and I will say that what they were teaching when I was in 4H as far as the treatment of rabbits is very different from what we promote on this site, and what we believe to be the best way to treat rabbits. They treated the bunnies as outdoor animals, and I disagree with that because I just love having my bunnies indoors, and I feel good knowing that they are safe inside. They have wonderful personalities and are very sweet and very smart (they outsmart me routinely ) I don’t know if practices have changed, but I know that they are very much into breeding, which I don’t really agree with due to the high number of homeless bunnies that there are.

I think that the idea of getting involved with a shelter is really great. There are lots of positives to that, and one of them would be that you would find out if you are allergic to bunnies or not! I am quite allergic to cats as well, and do not have problems with the bunnies inside, unless I pet the rabbit and then immediately rub my eyes or nose. The fur in my eyes and nose does irritate them. Also, the hay makes me sneeze, but it just means that I can’t actually change the litterboxes and give hay out, but once it is settled and not flying through the air I am fine. Also, be aware that when you are in a shelter, the high concentration of hay and rabbit fur may make you allergic even if just one or two bunnies would not.

Another positive to getting involved with a shelter is cultivating the idea of helping others with your kids. My mom always made sure that I was doing some type of weekly volunteer activity, and I still continue that even though I’m living on my own now. What I really like about volunteering is that I can get involved in all kinds of things from educating others, to helping clean up the animal sanctuary, to fundraising.

Anyways, let us know what you decide and if you have any more questions!

Welcome to Binky Bunny!  It is great that you are here asking questions and doing research!

As for pet store bunnies- many times the babies are for sale earlier than the recommended 8 weeks old- smaller/younger=cuter= higher sales, is what I think the philosophy is on that.  Young bunnies are difficult to determine sex so often they are mis-sexed and either sold as opposite gender or sold pregnant and new owner gets a surprise litter from a bunny who is not ready to be a mom.  I have to admit- my first bunny was a pet store purchase- I saw her and fell in love- before I walked into the store I would have sworn I did not want a rabbit and had 10 reason why.  But I saw Cotton and fell in love, and I believe that she was meant to be my bunny.  But looking back after the worry of spaying her- which needed to be done due to her hormonal aggression- the cost of spaying- I have only adopted adult bunnies afterwards that are spayed and neutered already.  It is much cheaper and if the surgery has already been done- if it is over a month ago- the hormones are well on their way to a better level.  I adopted Schroeder for $30 from the local Humane Society and he was already neutered- perfectly healthy and still young at  1-1/2 years old, great personality.  I think I paid about $180 or so to have Cotton spayed.

So even though baby bunnies are really cute- I still think I will stick to bunnies that are already fixed- it takes a huge emotional and financial burden off my shoulders and the shelter gets to rehome a rabbit in a forever home!  It is hard to watch your cute little bunny go thru the hormonal stage being territorial, stomping, biting, growling, etc- it is hard not to take it a little personally.  And you count down the days to the surgery- yet dread the surgery and recovery.

I think what others have suggested about visiting a shelter that has bunnies is a great idea- pet them and see how you react.  See if you can handle the fur being by your face, eyes, etc.  The theory is that most people that are allergic to cats are actually allergic to some of the proteins in their saliva- but since they groom all the time the proteins are constantly being deposited on the fur.  While rabbits groom often like cats do their saliva is different than a cats so should not evoke the same allergic reaction.

Julie

Hey Debbie – I’m a homeschooler too!!!!! My son will be turning 13 this summer and are bunny ownership started as a project for him. We had origianlly looked into 4H, but as I am a vet tech, I was not thrilled with their “ideas” of pet ownership!!!! On top of him being responsible for his bunnies (he currently has 4!!!!), he also volunteers with me at a local rabbit rescue/shelter!!! Not only does he help with the general shelter jobs (cleaning cages, feeding, haying and watering, and socializing), he also started making very nice bunny toys, which the shelter sells in it’s boutique (all $$ is donated back to the shelter!!) and his looking to expand to homemade bunny treats as well!!!! So there’s a lot of lessons to be taught all connected to these little furballs!!!!!

I don’t have much to add, other than this is a great site with great people for advice (and to even be silly with)!!!!!! Keep us posted on your bunny search!!!!!!!!!!! We’ll have to swap “school experiences” sometime too!!!!!

Welcome, Deb!

I just checked out the craigslist post (and that’s OK – people copy those links once in a while to get other opinions) and he is an adorable bunny.
My first thought, though, is that he is a lot of work to care for his fur. They said they brush him 3x/week, but I think most owners of that breed brush a couple of times a day. It’s more upkeep, but also the lengthy fur may hold your allergens more and make him harder for you to live with.

I wanted to suggest that you go to an allergist for a quick scratch test. It doesn’t usually cost much to have one appointment where you are tested for basics – grasses, animals, trees, dust, etc. – and you can ask specifically for a test for rabbits. You might discover that animals are fine, and the hay just needs a slight moderation to get you feeling better.

Very glad to hear you’re considering checking out shelters and adoption. You can ask if any up for adoption have lived successfully with dogs in the family. You wouldn’t want a bunny who’s had a bad experience with a dog in the home. Are your doggies good with other pets? Many members here have multiple pets so can give better advice on shared living than I can. Another thing to consider.

Bunnies are the best pets! But I’m a bit biased….

I LOVED flipper’s reply!  That’s why I love BB….there’s so many folk w/ awesome input & info.  I think it’s awesome that flipper’s son also volunteers at the shelter and makes bunny toys.  This was a similar goal to my “bunny Luv” project for my former classroom.  We were in the process of making catnip toys and dog treats, all in the shape of a rabbit, to sell and raise funds for the care and speuters of our rabbits.  I still have most of the materials and the half sewn items….alas for when I set up my next big project in the world.

Each of the rabbits that we had in “Bunny Luv”, 4 total, came from craigslist.  Each of our rabbits were free & the previous owners provided cages, etc.  They seemed very interested in finding a quality home for their rabbit, since quality homes can be hard to find.  Our most recent acquisition from the weekend was completely free, but we made a donation to Petco’s animal charities.  He too came w/ food, shavings, & cage.  I just think that $150 is kinda high, even for an angora.  I too agree that that bunny is gonna be A LOT of work. 

I’m drawing a blank on our BB member w/ 2 angoras…bunnyluv, bunnytowne….the avatar was a bunny w/ a pink ribbon in her hair…latest pics have the bunns on a park bench?  I believe she lives in FL?  Anyway she would probably be able to give you the best input on angoras, here’s seem very well cared for.

Altered rabbits are not allowed to be shown in 4H or any show that I know of. Just like dog shows, the point is to have an intact animal for breeding to continue the perfection on the outside. I will throw out that these rabbits also often spray, and if you have multiple of the same gender it can get even worse. I know a few breeders, and the rabbits have a very strong, unpleasant smell. These rabbits also, while looking healthy on the outside, can have many hidden problems.
While you didn’t mention breeding, and everyone has given you good reasons to not so far, I also want to point out that breeding doesn’t always end with the miracle of life touted by the 4H and such. E-vet bills for rabbits can be very expensive, and I’m sure the other option of ‘just letting nature take it’s course’ isn’t something that you want to teach your daughters after intentionally breeding animals.
My view of 4H is that it works better for those who want to raise animals for food or some other product(wool,ect). While things like horse training should take effort, if there is something to win, people will take short cuts in order to get that gratification of winning. Rabbits aren’t much different in that if you want to show you need to keep breeding to get a better one. Even if you have a better one it will get ‘old’ or a better one will come along, or you won’t be able to show it in the class you want to any more. The people who I know in 4H don’t have just 1 or even 4 rabbits, they have 10, 20, or more! I just don’t think that many rabbits can be properly cared for or pets. If you did get just one rabbit to show it would be a temporary thing compared to the rest of the rabbit’s life.

It’s so cool that your mention natural horsemanship! While I no longer have a horse of my own, my mom has a 32inch mini that I plan on playing with when I get the time. I mostly followed Parelli, but took ideas from many other trainers. Unfortunately my horse had serious mental problems as well as some physical problems that prevented her from living a comfortable and happy life. With college and the rising price of hay it was not feasible to get another horse at this time of my life.

If working at a shelter doesn’t count as community service you could also get a super people friendly rabbit from a shelter and clicker train it to do tricks and such so that you could volunteer at a hospital or elderly home and brighten someone’s day! While 4H looks good on school records, so does community service and I can promise you that community service is the thing that will make you feel better at the end of the day as your helping, not just fulfilling the desire to show off (which you will be doing anyways with a trained rabbit, and getting someone to smile is better than any sort of blue ribbon!).

Hey Deb – me again!!!  I thought I had left a post last night, but apparently I hit the cancel tab and was too tired to notice!!!!!  Anyway, I had to laugh, since I was trying to cook dinner the same time I was on here (I should really learn not to be on here when I shouldn’t), I didn’t take to time to check out your craigslist link!!!!  Interestingly enough, we just picked up an English Angora yesterday afternoon!!!!  Her baby pic is my avatar and you can see a more recent pic in my “Introducing” thread in the Lounge!!!!  Although I have had her less than 24 hours, there are already a few things I can comment on!!!!  The person that commented that grooming is more like 2 times a day, not 2 times a week is spot on!!!!!!  Her previous owner had her completely brushed and fluffed for our arrival, she went into a carrier with some hay and we drove about 45 minutes to home – what went in a a lovely furball, came out looking like a bale of hay!!!  So I cleaned her up!!!  We let her explore for awhile and everytime she zipped past me, I noticed something else her fur had picked up(now, I’m sure it doesn’t help that I have some OCD tendencies!!)!!  So again, I cleaned her up!!!!  After dinner, we went to let the other buns out to play and I took Lola out to sit in my lap – I spent most of the next hour brushing out little mats I kept finding (thank goodness she enjoys this!!)!!  I was actually a bit afraid to look at her this morning – fearing I would have one giant matball!!!!  I am quite thankfull she is to be my bunny and not my son’s, I’m not sure he would be able to keep up with her grooming requirements (I find it a bit theraputic to sit and brush!!).  This also leads me to comment on allergies!!!  I have been tested and actually reacted least severly to rabbits out of all the animals tested for!!!  I live in a house with multiple species and have teched for somewhere around 20 years, so I’m pretty much acclimated to pet dander (which is what you are usually allergic to, not their fur!!!).  After our evening grooming session, I have to admit that my eyes where a bit red an itchy and I had to change my shirt to get away from all her fur stuck on it!!!!!  I also know that her previous owner had sever allergies/breathing problems and had tried everything.  Everything was pointing to Lola as her biggest trigger!!!!!  So, I guess I’m saying that I would recommend you definately spend some time with the breed, even doing some grooming, before you make a decsion!!!! 

With all that said, I must also say that Lola has an awesome personality and is the perfect size (about 6lbs) for a lap bunny cuddlebug!!!!!  She has been a joy so far

Welcome to Binkybunny! I’m glad toh ear you’ve ruled out 4-H. I don’t know a lot about it, but the little I do know goes against my philosophy of having buns as indoor, altered, house pets. It certainly sounds like you are quite busy. I’d encourage you to do more research regarding rabbits as pets. Check out the links others ahve given you, and you can read more articles on rabbit.org. Believe it or not, rabbits require as much time and money as cats and dogs, vet care is even more expensive. And they are not good pets for children unless you are committed to being involved with the day to day care and cleaning. You mentioned your children keeping the bun in their room. Another thing I’ve found is that bunnies do better in a central location where they receive attention and interaction from the entire family. This is something to keep in mind also since you have dogs. How would they react to a rabbit?

If you’re having any doubts whatsoever, I would wait. Bunnies are not going away, so you could always get one later on down the line. We adore our bunnies, and some of us only have buns by choice. Stick around here too if you’d like, you’ll learn a lot about what common issues come up when there’s a bunny in the house.

Oh, okay. I missed where you shared their ages. That is a little bit different then since they are older and mature, altho you’ll still have be careful that they don’t start to lose interest (as teenagers have the tendency to do). Keep us posted on what you decide!

Generally in the shelter though, you don’t have to deal with sick and/or dying animals!! Animals coming into a shelter situation are generally vet checked and healthy, since you would not want to spread illness through the whole place!!! You quickly learn that an animal’s abscense is due to the fact that it has been adopted – and that you had a hand in making sure it was well taken care off and socialized so that it could find a furever home!!!!! Even us big people shed a tear or two when one of our favorites gets adopted, but they’re good tears!!!!!!!! My son really enjoys it(way more than he thought) and as I said, he has gotten involved in the fund raising aspect as well! Last month we had a volunteer wide yard sale. When it was over, the kids were the ones to count the $$, then the director presented them with the costs of different things we need to keep the shelter running – you can not believe how proud the were when they realized that there was enough $$ to feed the bunnies for a month, or pay for so many spays/neuters, ect, ect, ect. We also take the kids along to adoption events and let them discuss proper bunny care, demonstrate proper handling skills, and show off with a trained (clicker) bunny (if we have one available)!!!! They love it!!! Definately look for a shelter that has a solid youth or junior volunteer program and the possibilities are endless in terms of education!!!!!!!

Rabbits are very social, and they benefit greatly from having a friend living with them. I’m not sure how much interaction two rabbits who are not allowed contact are really going to have. My bonded pair will snuggle together, eat together and groom each other. Two buns in two separate cages are going to be just as lonely (IMO) as one single bunny. Plus it’s more work… two cages to clean, two separate playtimes…

I would recommend getting a bonded pair, if that’s what’s going to work for you, that come already neutered/spayed. Babies are cute but they’re messy and it’s very expensive to alter them. Rescues adopt out buns that are altered so you just pay the adoption fee.

It’s hard to generalize breeds/sex.  It does depend on the individual rabbit.  Another benefit to adopting an altered adult is that you can see first-hand what their personailty is like.  If a less-destructive bun is important to you, that is something you can look for.  If perfect litter habits are important, you can seek that out.  It’s especially helpful if the buns are kept in a foster home situation b/c you may see more of their personality than at a shelter.

Are your friend’s rabbits spay/neutered?

Oh, So sorry to hear about your kitties!! I don’t know of any cat forums, but if you have a question, throw it in the lounge section – I know alot of people on here have pets other than bunnies (me included) and a couple of us are vet techs too, so someone maybe able to help you out!!!!

I actually have a pair of neutered, bonded mini lops and they are wonderful!!!! If the male was a human, I’m sure he would be a comedian!!! They are both extremely gentle and sweet!!! I also have a neutered, bonded pair of “mutts” – both female – go figure!!! One is very sweet and somewhat reserved and bashful, while the other too outgoing for her own good!!!!! Personalities, even among certain breeds, can vary to extremes!!! So I would recommend keeping a bit of an open mind to as far as breed and look for the personality that best fits your daughter and your family’s!!!!! At the shelter, rarely does someone actually leave with the initial bunny they came to look at!!!!

I am sorry to hear about your kittens.

As far as if bigger ones are more calm, that is the basic idea – sort of like small dogs can be a bit more hyper, the same can be said for bunnies, the dwarf breeds like (netherlands) can be more skittish. But after volunteering for years at a rabbit rescue, I have seen many exceptions to this.

As far as friendliness goes, I don’t think that has anything to do with large or small. Of course if one is more skittish, they may not greet the neighbors! But other than that, once they know family members, they will trust them. I know with my bunnies, they always take a little time to warm up to strangers, but with just a treat, they can quickly become their best friend within five minutes.

Many times people think they have gotten a mean or psycho bunny because when a rabbit reaches sexual maturity around 3 – 6 months, they can lose their litterbox habits due to territorial marking, and show territorial aggression. (though this won’t happen every single time – but this is the number #1 complaint) So that may be when you might seem some undesirable behaviors.

I was also thinking that since your daughter doesn’t like the idea of working at a shelter, maybe you could “foster” a rabbit for a couple of months or so, and that way you could get a feel for what it is like while at the same time providing help to a shelter.

I know you said you don’t have a shelter nearby, so that may not work, but you might also want to finding rabbits/shelters via petfinder.

http://www.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?pet.Animal=Rabbit&pet.Breed=&pet.Age=&pet.Size=&pet.Sex=&location=burlington%2C+wa

I just want to add to all the excellent advice that you should keep in mind that many rabbits don’t like being picked up and don’t really cuddle. They’re not like cats that will just snuggle into you. I know a lot of people get bunnies because they look so snuggly and cuddly and they have images of being about to just pick them up and cuddle away and then find out that’s just not going to happen. Bunnies can be very affectionate, but definitely in their own way and on their own terms.

– Annette

In general the larger buns are calmer and lazier and the tiny ones can be hyper and irritable, but there are exceptions and every bun is an individual. 

Today I worked a fundraising event for my local shelter and the rabbit coordinator had a pair of her buns in a pen next to Pepper’s.  Drake is a 12 lb REW New Zealand – huge lazybun who loves being held – he was Mr. Popular at the event because he’ll let ANYONE hold him.  His GF is April, a spotty 3 lb rex dwarf, and she is totally the one in charge in that relationship.  Once when they were putting Drake back in the pen she got out between her human’s feet and took off.  I tried to grab at her and fell out of my chair and by the time I untangled myself she was 1/3 of the way across the park!  We had a couple of people trying to catch her, and once I floundered free I had the presence of mind to grab the folding display off the table and we used it to sort of block her off until someone was able to grab her. All this time, Drake was just sitting in the pen chowing down on clover. 

Hi Deb. This is Deb. The 4 buns your friend has are all supposed to be pretty calm breeds. But, there are exceptions to every rule. Hollands are smaller so they might be alittle more active. Mine wasn’t.