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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Hi, I’m new here!

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    • skitza
      Participant
      2 posts Send Private Message

        Hi, i’m skitza and i am new to the “binkybunny.com” forum.

        i currently don’t have a bunny, but i really want one.
        i currently have 2 ratties. One named daisy and the other named cookie. i am apart of ratforum.com.
        i just have a few questions:
        do bunnies make good pets?
        are they hard to take care of?
        do make a big mess if they are let to run around the house for a bit? (with supervition)
        are bunnies good with rats?
        do they need a large cage? how big?
        what is a diet that is good for bunnies? (could i feed them vegtables? – thats what i feed my ratties)
        what gender is better temperd?
        i am wanting to get a dwarf bunny, because they are smaller.

        thanks for reading!
        skitza

        p.s.- i still have to convince my dad! (lol, wish me luck!)
        ttyl,
        skitza


      • BinkyBunny
        Moderator
        8776 posts Send Private Message

          Welcome skitza!!   We’d love to see pics of your ratties!

          I am so glad you are checking out what goes into a having a rabbit before bringing one home.    Part of the problem is people get overwhelmed with the cuteness and don’t realize how much work they are.   Both a time and financial commitment. They may be rather cheap to get, but they are not necessarily cheap to keep! 

          So now to answer  your questions.

          Rabbits do make good pets….for those that are prepared and know what to expect. (looks like that is what you are trying to do right now.

          Are they hard to take care of? It depends on what you consider hard.  They should have at LEAST three hours out to exercise everyday.  They are a “group” animals so they need attention.  They can get bored easily and become inactive or destructive, so you have to really be on the ball with figuring out what they need.   They are chewers and so you need to do some “Bunny Proofing” to prevent damage to your home. 

          Check out the “Bunny Proofing” tips under Bunny Info in the top menu bar.

          You also have to make sure their diet is right, and watch their health very carefully.   They hide illness and so you sort of have to become a poopologist as their poops, the size, how much, etc can indicate health AND illness.

          They can be expensive when it comes to vet care – rabbits are considered exotics because they require special care when it comes to antibiotics, anethesia, and other treatments.  This does not come cheap as you pay for the vet, no the pet.

          do make a big mess if they are let to run around the house for a bit? Baby rabbits and rabbits that are not spayed or neutered can be quite the challenge!   However once a bunny is old enough to be spayed/neutered most can be litter-trained.  Many still have a habit of marking around their litterbox.  Also, if you have other animals in the house, and you happen to have a dominant bunny, you can sometimes deal with territorial marking.   Even the best littertrained rabbit may have a few stray dry poops every once in awhile, but dry poopers are easy to clean up. 

          I always recommend  you check out a local rabbit rescue as you they will have bunnies that are already spayed/neutered!


          Are bunnies good with rats?
          I really don’t know much about rats, so someone else may have to chime in here.  I know you could not house them together, and I don’t know if either would try to hurt the other.


          do they need a large cage? how big? 
          YES!  Most cages in pet stores are WAY too small.  Check out our Cool Habitats section to get an idea of what consider ideal.

           


          what is a diet that is good for bunnies?
            A Babies diet is different than an adults – check out the Diet section.

          what gender is better temperd? Though there is a general belief that males are more easy going, I really have  found it to be a very individual thing. You will also find that smaller rabbits may be a bit more skittish than larger rabbits.
          i am wanting to get a dwarf bunny, because they are small:  I think that if you do decide to get a rabbit, you should figure out what kind of personality you want, head to a rabbit rescue where the bunnies have developed their personality and try to find a match. Try to erase small, large, female,male, color choices out of your mind and focus on the type of characteristics you want.

           

          Another great site to check out is rabbit.org, especially this article: http://rabbit.org/care/living-with-a-house-rabbit.html


        • Beka27
          Participant
          16016 posts Send Private Message

            i don’t have anything to add to what BinkyBunny said, i just want to reiterate her recommendation to go to a rescue and meet several rabbits before making your decision. dwarf bunnies are no easier to care for than larger bunnies. they both need very large pens and plenty of run around time. rabbits are wonderful pets, for the right person. they do require the same level of care as a cat or dog, and in many cases they are more expensive to care for than a cat or dog. if you have any other questions, please ask.


          • bunnytowne
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            7537 posts Send Private Message

              yes a rabbit rescue is a good choice. an adult rabbit will have it’s personality already developed and you will know what it will be like. young buns go thru adolescence and can be a handful or can go thru smoothly. Usually they are a handful. Moody etc. Once spneutered their hormones die down and they calm down. Some people find bigger rabbits to be calmer. Smaller breeds to be more curious. Tho not all rabbits fit into those stereotypes. Have fun.


            • skunklionshow
              Participant
              1257 posts Send Private Message

                We do have some rat & bunny folks on here, so I’m hoping they can touch upon some of your specific questions.  I have a dwarf & a lionhead.  Dwarfs can be more high-strung & nervous, so please keep that in mind.  My lionhead is much more laidback, social, & easy going.  I ditto the rabbit rescue…the rescue folks will know the bunny personalities very well and can address your specific concerns/questions.  Plus a rescue rabbit will likely be spayed/neutered.  That will save you quite a few bucks.  Babies are very cute, but adults tend to be more stable.  Just a thought.

                I have 4 cats, 2 rabbits, & 2 geckos.  I find that my rabbits tend to be more high maintenance than any of the others.  I say that just because they have specific dietary needs (fresh veggies & hay) & need access to regular/ quality health care.  If you notice something off w/ your rabbit, you can’t just say “let me wait 24 hrs to see if it has resolved itself”.  So keep that in mind as well.


              • xXPanicXx
                Participant
                286 posts Send Private Message

                  HEY WELOCME first of all, u need to remember this site. it is my best friends since i started owning a bunny. ill try my best to answere the questions  :3

                  do bunnies make good pets? – i personaly i think they are. they are calm at moments and are very entertaining to watch. for the heads up, only a rare bunch or rabbits are the type that will actualy sit with you and relax. they are not the cuddly type. (although they do like to be pet) they will not stay put all the time. ALSO they do eat and poop alot. THEY DO SMELL (well their pee, so make sure you clean the litter box alot)
                  are they hard to take care of?- they do require alot of vet attention and there are many things your bun could catch so you have to be very carefull. we also do recommend at least 4 hours of free run around space. BUT  again,  if they are healthy, have food and water, alot of running around space, it should be fairly easy.
                  do make a big mess if they are let to run around the house for a bit? (with supervition)- rabbits do chew. you will need to put things for them to chew befor you let them go. also, if they are not potty trained, they will pee and poo (even potty trained bunnies will poo at times) otherwise, they should be good. BUNNY PROOF THE ROOM
                  are bunnies good with rats?- bunnies are only good with other bunnies. i do suggest getting 2 bunnies because one will be lonely and need more attention (not that im saying you can pay less attention to them one should be fine) they are also good with cats if the cat is willing to be-friend your rabbit, but not rats.
                  do they need a large cage? how big?- they should have a fairly big cage. imagen if u were gonna be stuck in a cage for ur life. how big would u want it (if u were a bun) its nice to have levels for them to hop around on. the site has good sized homes for rabbits.
                  what is a diet that is good for bunnies? (could i feed them vegtables? – thats what i feed my ratties)-  there is a diet page for rabbits on the site, but rabbits are like people. they should have a set diet, non changing. they do need ALOT of timothy hay, to keep healthy. after, its what you decide. there is a page that says what they can have, what they cant, and how much.
                  what gender is better temperd?- this one, i dont really no. im sorry. im thinking the boy, but then again i have a girl bunny and she is very well tempered. she does lick me and relax alot. shes very nice with other animals and binkies when shee feels. im sorry. bad on that one

                  ps. haha i tried to convince my mom and dad to. what i did was made a power point presintaion with cute cute rabbit pictures and saying what i was willing to do for the rabbit, and how i wasnt going to put the responsibility on them (haha i added sad cute music in to make more tempting to say yes)


                • Kokaneeandkahlua
                  Participant
                  12067 posts Send Private Message

                    Welcome Skitza! We’re glad to have you here! It’s a really informative and fun forum board-Can’t wait to see pictures when you get your bunny!!


                  • BunnyLiz
                    Participant
                    1212 posts Send Private Message

                      My rats do fine with my bunny Hammer. I never leave them unsupervised! They do not run together without my undivided attention whats so ever. I am still VERY VERY closely watching them! But nothing has happened thus far to cause concern. No grooming goes between them but Hammer has presented himself to my rats for grooming twice. I almost always am holding one of them or have my hand on or near one of them. I wouldnt ever leave them alone for one second or turn my head from them. They are behaving like i said but they are still to different to really trust together. As far as caring for them bunnies are much much harder. My ratties have a large cage, toys, greens you name it (Check out Dapper Rat for their cage, Its modeled after the grotto, just so you get my idea of large).But Hammer is much harder to care for. I worry more about him, his behavior is more puzzling and needs more attention. Hammers cage is bigger, his vet bills larger and more frequent, his run time tripled, his food more expensive, his diet more monitored. Bunnies can not have the fruits like rats, nor the grains and most veggies. Bunnies have to have more leafy things, which my rats will not tolerate so i end up making two different salads three times a day! Thats six salads! Hammers cage is tidied daily along with changing his litter box, really cleaned every three or four days. Where as the rats only need theirs cleaned once a week, usually without much tidying through the week. My rats toke to me and there surroundings much much quicker then Hammer so it is really hard.

                      I think bunnies make better pets then rats and my relationship with Hammer is stronger! But they are so much more work its unreal


                    • kralspace
                      Participant
                      2663 posts Send Private Message

                        Kinda like having kids again (for us empty nesters), except you can shoo them into a nice cage when they’re bad…heheh


                      • BunnyLiz
                        Participant
                        1212 posts Send Private Message

                          ^^lol i agree Kralspace! We do kinda treat our buns like kids hehe

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                      Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Hi, I’m new here!