How can I convince my parents to let me keep a bunny in my bedroom

[Inaya]

Hi!

 

I am 15 and looking to adopt a bunny. I live with my parents, obviously, and I’ve almost convinced them to let me keep a bun, but they still have two concerns. I’m putting together a presentation that I can show them, to fully convince them! The bunny I’m looking to adopt is coming in my area on September 13, so I want to convince them as early as possible. (I already have most bunny supplies as I petboard bunnies at my home.)

I have experience with bunnies as I petboard them at my house, which will obviously stop when I get my bun, but that has caused some more concerns for my parents.

They told me that their main concerns are:

a) my studies

my dad’s afraid ill focus and spend way too much time caring for my bunnies and not focus on school.

b) cleanliness

I want to keep my bunny free roamed in my bedroom when I’m not home and around the house when I’m home, but my parents are scared that the bunny will shed and the hay will make my room dirty and will smell bad. I’m trying to convince them that I’ll vacuum every two days and get an air purifier, hooded letterbox and keep hay in a separate room.

c) my parents are concerned that if I keep my bunny in my bedroom ill spend too much time in my room and they hate when im in it all day. I’ve told them that since I’m home ill let the bunny roam around the whole top and bottom floor when I’m home and so if the bunny is around the house and not in my room so will I be.

My parents want me to keep the bunny in my dads office, but I told them I want the bun’s main space to be my room because I feel like sleeping alone in the office will be lonely. My parents also want me to ‘share’ the pet with my younger sister, but she doesn’t put any effort and last time we shared a pet I did all the work and she just got to make the important decisions.

Do you guys have any advice of what I can include in my presentation tin order to achieve this?

I’m so sorry if I sound ungrateful but I really just want to make sure I can give my bunny the most ideal life.

Thank you so so much if you read this whole thing im so grateful!

Have the best day to you guys and your buns!

🩷

[Wick & Fable]

To be completely honest, I most often recommend people who still live with their parents (and those parents are not completely on board nor knowledgeable about rabbit care) to wait until they move out and have more control to get a rabbit.

While the free roaming arrangements sound fine, there is a lot of money and trial and error needed to properly rabbit proof a room, in addition to an entire house floor. Rabbits can be one of the most destructive pets, and unlike dogs, it is not a behavior that can be trained out– rabbits need to chew because their teeth constantly grow and it is their way of engaging with the environment as well.

Also, keep in mind rabbits are crepuscular, so when you are trying to sleep, the rabbit is going to be most active during that time and rarely can owners sleep with a rabbit pen-rattling and/or jumping on and off a bed (also rabbits pee on human beds– another behavior which cannot be effectively trained out).

What would be more realistic is seeing if they are open to purchasing an xpen or two and permanently designating space in the home as the rabbits, that way if free roaming cannot get done consistently or safely, the enclosure space is at least adequate.

Re: the hooded litter box specifically, these are actually not recommended for rabbits as it can trap the fumes and become a respiratory hazard for rabbits. It is best to go into ownership with realistic expectations, so yes, hay and fur will get everywhere and may not look cleanly, but you can continually vacuum and can try to keep it to the rabbit’s designated area.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Inaya]

Hi! Thank you so so much for replying quickly.

My parents understand the whole bunnyProofing thing, they love helping out when I petsit. We also already have an x-pen so I already have an area like that! But it takes up a lot of space in my room and what I want to do is to keep the bunny in the x-pen for the first while and once I feel like the bunny-proofing is okay and they aren’t getting into too much I want to transition to my whole room. My friend also has her bunny in her room and she can help me in this process. And I know it’s super hard to bunny-proof the whole house, so basically I will only let the bunny around when me or my dad are with them.

But thank you so so much! Yesss the mess is crazy but they’re so cute and my whole family loves bunnies so I will make it work! I’m not adopting the bunny unless I feel like we are giving them the best life we canQ!!

thank u so muchhhh

also, with the fact that they pee on human beds, is that also when they are fixed?

[Wick & Fable]

Yes, peeing on the bed can and likely will still occur even when spayed/neutered. It’s important to keep in mind that rabbits are not “litterbox trained” in the same way cats are– rabbits tend to eat, poop, and pee at the same time, so it happens to be if you set up a box with hay, they will use it consistently. This does not stop them however from their nature, which is marking territory in general. Spaying/neutering does help a lot, but it does not guarantee a rabbit will not poop and pee outside a litter box, especially in areas with a lot of cushions, animal/human smells, and just large spaces. Rabbits are able poop 100+ droppings per day, so they will go where is comfortable.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Inaya]

Thank you so so much. Yes i’m aware I”ve unfortunately had quite a few bunnies pee all over my new carpettt but they’re so cute its worth it.

Thanks so much for the help tho!

[LBJ10]

So… why do you not want the bunny in the office? Is it purely because you don’t want to “share” with your sister? I love my bunny to death, but there’s no way he would be in the same room where I’m trying to sleep. LOL

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