Well first and foremost you will want to make sure this is okay with your parents. If you adopt a rabbit they will have to sign the contract to care for the rabbit since you are not old enough.

Have you made sure your parents are committed to this as well?

I’m not sure what you mean by that, I am on-line so I answer the posts.

As you still live at home, this is definitely a family decision so you will need to consult with your family on this.  While you want ot be the primary caretaker there will be times when others will need to help out so you need to make sure everyone is on board with this.

With proper care a speutered house rabbit can live 8-10 years so you will need to look at this from the long-term point of view.  Do you plan to go away to college?  Most dorms do not allow pets.

What about vet costs?  It can be hard to find a good rabbit vet and they can be expensive.  How would you pay for any illness or injuries? 

I’m not trying to put you down because of your age, but these are serious questions that need to be looked at before you being any pet into your home.  No one is questioning your heart, but your head has to be part of the equation as well.

Are there any shelters or rescue organizations near you?  You might want to start by volunteering with them or maybe even fostering a rabbit for them – that way they would take care of the expenses and you would provide the home and socialization.  These might be good ways to get your “bunny fix” until you are in a place in your life where you can make a longer-term committment.

Yes, I think you’re ready to adopt a bunny but I agree that you have to make CERTAIN it is okay with your parents first and that they are fully aware that there will be vet expenses and other hefty financial needs involved. There are so many kids who try their hardest to take care of a bunny and do really well, but when the time comes for a vet trip or something else expensive or dramatic often the parents deny it because they don’t realize how crucial it is to get the bunny taken care of properly.

My first bunny was an agouti. It’s not a breed, just a fur pattern. My Binkles was an agouti dwarf. She was the best thing that ever happened to me.

As long as you have your parents full support adopting a bunny is a great idea.  To avoid any heartbreak just make sure that your parents are not expecting a $5 bunny that lives outside in a hutch and never needs vet care.  That is a very common stereotype.  But rabbits make awesome housepets and they are full of personality.  I don’t think that they are as “easy” as an indoor cat- but they are certainly rewarding.

I wold strongly encourage adopting a bunny.  It is cheaper to adopt a bunny from a rescue that has already been spayed and neutered than to get a baby bunny- raise it- endure the hormone issues and then pay for a spay or neuter.  I adopted Schroeder from a local Humane Society and his adoption fee was only $30 and he was already neutered.

And keep an open mind when looking at bunnies- I know you have a color preference but sometimes the perfect bunny for you isn’t what you thought you were looking for. 

Good luck on your search and keep us posted!

sarita, i think he means that you were quick to respond.

I’m 19, so my decision to adopt a bun was definitely a joint decision with my parents. I also have a full time job and I go to college so I dont live with them too much, but I needed their support in case anything tragic happens and I cant afford a huge (over a couple thousand dollars) vet bill- they agreed to help.

it might help to do some quick planning on the costs- think about a cage/pen, litter, food, veggies, toys, hay, etc. BB has this site:
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/CostofHavingaBunny/tabid/145/Default.aspx

i would start talking to your parents and see if they are willing to put the cost into adopting a bun.

Hi, youngbunny,

Just a little aside: we are kind of protective of our members, particularly anyone who is younger than some of the others. So we edit out mention of your exact age and do not allow posts of photos of you until you are at least 18. I don’t mean to intrude, but it’s a precaution, along with not allowing anyone to give out their personal contact info., addresses or photos that show where they live, in order to maintain relative safety on the internet.

You protect your wee bunnies when they need help, and we protect our members.

Now, have fun finding your furbaby!

i recommend an adult bun (over a year) since they already have their personality

I also agree with some who have suggested adopting from a rescue if you and your family do decide to go that route. What better way to honor the bunnies and your efforts to save them, then to give a forever home to a bunny that has been saved by a rabbit rescue. And not only that, when you adopt a bunny, you not only have given one new bunny a new life, but a space at the shelter or rescue has opened up and can save another bunny – so in a sense you help save two lives by going through a rabbit rescue or animal shelter.

A good way to find a rabbit rescue, rabbits at a humane society etc are to google “Rabbit Rescue” and your state. You can also try Petfinder.com and you can put in your city and state there and the type of animal.

Before you get a bunny though, I do suggest checking out all the info you can and also be aware of how much vet bills can cost. Your parents will need to know since sometimes it is more money than a young person can afford. We just recently had some discussions where a few of us have spent $500 – $1500. So your family will want to have a Bunny Vet Savings IF they need to prepare for that kind of expense.

And I also double ditto that your bunny will most likely live up into your college years, so your family will need to be prepared for this to be a “family” bunny, not just their daughters bunny. Tell your folks they are also more than welcome to come here and ask questions, and we can help your whole family be prepared. Rabbit’s can make great animal companions as long as people are truly prepared.

High five youngbunny for still being….. underage. My decision to get a bun was actually me and my mom’s decision, my dad was not really in on the plan. He didn’t even know about my second bunny, thistle, until we had already gotten him.
Luckily my mom loves animals and when Fern was sick, my mom didn’t think twice before taking her to the vets. I am currently putting twenty dollars a month in the emergency vet fund, just in case. Sorry my response is kind of all over the place subject wise.

It’s great to see you’re going to adopt your own rabbit! As long as you and your family all agree with getting a bunny and you’re prepared for everything involved, rabbits can make a great pet for responsible younger people.

I suggest getting an adult bunny over 1 year. Baby/teenage bunnies can be messy, hormonal and might still need to be spayed/neutered. Also, smaller bunnies are, generally, more hyper than larger bunnies.

I was fifteen when I got my Binkles, so it was definitely a joint decision between my mom and I, and one neither of us will ever regret. Actually it was more like my mom had always wanted to get me into bunnies once she felt I was responsible, and when I was finally offered the opportunity I fell in love.

I find it very admirable that you’re not dead-set on a particular breed or colour even though you have a favourite. I was that way too -I didn’t want to judge a book by its cover, but when I was going to pick out which bunny I wanted to bring home it came down to Binkles and this little black and white one. I thought that the black one’s colouring was way cooler at the time (you know, teenage, I thought dark was just so cool) but in the end I stuck with what my heart told me and brought home Binkles.

God, am I glad I did!

I think generally, you don’t want a long-haired breed for your first bunny because they take a LOT more work and supervision than shorthair breeds. So I would look for dwarves, rexes, mini lops, mini rexes, etc.

Heh Binkles, that reminds me a little of how I got Mr. Bunny. Last November, my dad was going in for a dentist appointment out of town, and my mom and I went along. My dad had the idea to stop in to some random Petsmart, just to look – we hadn’t planned on having a bunny for another month. There were 3 bunnies there, 2 tiny black rex mixes and a freshly-neutered lone REW, big compared to the little black bunnies. My mom really really loved the rex mix pair, and at first, I did too…but then the little white bunny hopped up, stared at me, and sniffed my hand…and I was sold. The black rex mixes ended up being returned to the shelter as very fearful, anti-social 9-pound adult bunnies. o.o

I definitely suggest a bunny over 1 year old, alreayd fixed for your first bunny. Those teenage buns can be a handful, trust me! My Monkeybun is just getting to her 6 month birthday, and oh boy.. she’s more hormonal than my pregnant friend! Bites more than my friend too >.> …cuter tho

Welcome here! I am really sorry to hear that the wild babies did not make it, but it’s difficult for them to pull thru when there is no mama bunny around. I rescued a wild baby bunny when I was about 10 or 11, and that kind of opened my eyes to buns. Like the others mentioned, this has got to be a FAMILY decision and I’d recommend you show your parents the Cost page on this website, it outlines how much certain things cost. A shelter will be your best bet for adopting a rabbit. Petfinder has many rabbits all around around the country listed, but someone also mentioned that not all rescues list ALL of their current adoptable bunnies, so it might be worth driving there to check for yourself. You would absolutely want to go into this open-minded and let the bunny pick you.

I also recommend a rabbit over one year old that has already been spayed or neutered. Babies are cute, but they turn into troublemakers QUICKLY and you won’t have any idea how they will behave as an adult.

Hi Alex,

Glad to see you’re still interested in taking care of bunnies. (it’s funny how they are ‘rabbits’ until you’ve had the chance to know one, then they’re bunnies)

I’m a mom and when my 18 yr old wanted a bunny 3 yrs ago we brought home this tiny fluff ball from the pet store and THEN started reading about houserabbits and thank God, found this site.

Now I love the lovely Ms. Pringles and wouldn’t trade her for anything, BUT in a couple of months that cute tiny fluff turned into a huge teenage monster Frankenbunny. She chewed everything, pooped and peed everywhere, chased anything that moved and then she went into her fake pregnancy stage where she was tearing up carpet and making burrows under the furniture and stealing everything in sight. It got to be normal to see her run by with a hammer, dishtowel, cup or my old nightgown, treasures to hide in her nest. The vet techs were always hesitant to open her carrier because it sounded like a dragon banging around in there, barking, huffing and growling.

When she was old enough we went through the spay surgery and got her a friend and things settled down but for the next year she was still a terror.

That same rabbit today is 3 yrs old and you wouldn’t believe she was the same bunny. She has gotten the hormones completely out of her system, is so mellow I can scoop her up and cuddle her. She’s got a great personality, friendly, sweet, loves to follow you around the house to explore and be in your company and only poops outside the litterbox in revenge. She will still nip wires, but she’s trained me to keep them behind fences. I can not believe the change in her as she matured.

Babies are cute, but you might really want to consider an full grown adult from a rescue or shelter. By joining this community I felt I was prepared for the ‘terrible time’ they go through, but it was much more difficult than I could imagine. Unless your parents are fully prepared for this and willing to make a lot of adjustments in your home they might decide to make you take him/her back when the destruction begins. If they’re forewarned, it’s more likely they will help you with the problems and not just banish the trouble maker.

All six of mine have very distinct personalities, just like people. I hope you get a chance to visit a rescue/shelter or even maybe foster a couple of bunnies before you decide to see just how individual and opinionated they are. It would give you a chance to learn to handle, hold and do routine things like clipping the nails and checking their overall health.

Kathy (I have to admit my little agouti Hershey IS my favorite)

Welcome and congrats on deciding to adopt a bunny!!

You’ve had great tips all around!

The only thing I would say again is-get a rabbit who is already fixed (spayed or neutered). It’s expensive to do, *has* to be done, and going through horomones with a teenage bun before they can get fixed is NOT fun (they *can* ruin your things, pee on things on purspose, spray you with pee and bite you!!).

Also you can get Agouti (which means ‘wild type’ ) colored buns in almost any breed!

Breeds of rabbits are not like breeds of dogs-where you need to research the breed before commiting as it entails personality and energy level. In rabbits, all breeds can generally have all personality types. The only real predictor is smaller breeds will generally be less easy going then large breeds

So hop-a-long to your shelter and start meeting the bunnies. Ask them for help choosing the right bunny to fit with you-they often know the bunnies well and can help you find the perfect one

I know, but Sarita was there when I saw her and can tell you, it was love at first sight! She was the most beautiful rabbit I’ve ever seen. We adopted her about a year ago, she’s around 7-8 yrs old.

Here’s fun site to visit so you can learn to speak Bunnese, or find out just how many ways a bunny can disapprove of you and show it.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/rabbittalk.html

Don’t rely on just the internet to see if there are bunnies available or not.  In my area some of the local Humane Societies have spayed/neutered bunnies at petstores for adoption- and those are NOT listed on petfinder.com  So it is worth a call to ask if they have any bunnies for adoption.

Katnip makes a good point. I found a Wildlife Rescue Center in Ft. Lauderdale via listings on Petfinder, called them, and learned that the photos were just examples of their bunnies. They actually had over 80 bunnies to see. I never got there because I found Sammy first, but it was good to know.

Posted By kralspace on 09/23/2009 07:28 AM
Now I love the lovely Ms. Pringles and wouldn’t trade her for anything, BUT in a couple of months that cute tiny fluff turned into a huge teenage monster Frankenbunny. She chewed everything, pooped and peed everywhere, chased anything that moved and then she went into her fake pregnancy stage where she was tearing up carpet and making burrows under the furniture and stealing everything in sight. It got to be normal to see her run by with a hammer, dishtowel, cup or my old nightgown, treasures to hide in her nest. The vet techs were always hesitant to open her carrier because it sounded like a dragon banging around in there, barking, huffing and growling. 

*giggles* I tell the hammer and nightgown story all the time when people ask about spaying their rabbits.  Poor thing.

Youngbunny – that is great that you and your family are considering a bunny that is a bit older (hopefully already neutered/spayed as that will save you $$$ and headaches).

Keep us updated.