Newbie from California

[Bones]

My mom finaly said that I could get a pair of rabbits. My last one died 6-8 months ago and I am down to just 4 cats, 1 red eared slider, 1 hamster, 6 geckos, 3 bettas and 1 toad. I’v been looking at breeds and I’v narrowed my choice down to Netherland Dwarf, Britannia Petite, Rex and Flemish Giant. I am leaning toword Flemish Giants. 

[TriBun]

Hi Bones . Wow, you have a full house! If I were you, I wouldn’t think in terms of breed so much (go to a shelter). I would just look for bunnies you like (at shelters). If you’re getting a pair, it would be nice to get one that’s already bonded (at a shelter), it would make your life much easier. Oh, did I mention they have great, already spayed/neutered, bonded pairs at shelters

[Arthur'sMom]

Welcome! I agree with TriBun. Don’t have your heart set on a certain type of breed and if you want a pair, an already bonded set would great! You probably could go meet a few pairs at local shelters and find a pair that will bond with you! What kind of geckos do you have? We just have one at my house, a leopard. Her name is Leah.

[Bones]

Thanks, I wanted to get some from a shelter but the local shelter that has rabbits will not adopt to me because my mom has a American Pit Bull Terrier. I have 6 Leopard Geckos and I forgot that I have a House Gecko as well.

[Stickerbunny]

Wow, really? I dislike shelters with such narrow minded views as to think any dog breed is that dangerous – gr! Pit bulls are no worse than any other dog breed, especially the “hunter” breeds with high prey drive bred into them! *rant off*

Welcome and I agree with no getting attached to a breed – just find one that you click with.

[Monkeybun]

Honestly… I wouldn’t adopt a bun to a house with a pit bull either. I have seen the damage they can do. I believe the humane society here does the same thing, I’ll have to check next time I go in…

[Arthur'sMom]

I hate the way Pit bulls have gotten such a bad reputation due to stupid human behavior. However, I just think they are being cautious, especially since a lot of shelter animals in general have such sad histories. It’s really unfair for responsible pet owners Are there other shelters/rescues you can call around to? Maybe you could get a vet reference from your mom’s dog, it may help.

[Bones]

 

They are pretty much the only one with rabbits that I have seen.

Posted By Stickerbunny on 08/22/2011 04:19 PM
Wow, really? I dislike shelters with such narrow minded views as to think any dog breed is that dangerous – gr! Pit bulls are no worse than any other dog breed, especially the “hunter” breeds with high prey drive bred into them! *rant off*

Welcome and I agree with no getting attached to a breed – just find one that you click with.

I totaly agree. I never saw how a APBT could be any more dangerous then a American Bulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso, Presa De Canario, ect, ect, ect.

 

[Stickerbunny]

Monkey – but ANY dog can do the same damage to a rabbit. And a properly cared for Pit is no more dangerous than a Shepherd or any other dog of comparable size when it comes to other pets. Any dog can kill a rabbit, period. ALL dogs are dangerous to them, if they have a high prey drive and view rabbits as food. Even a ferret is dangerous, or a cat. My dog when I was a kid caught a wild rabbit and we had no hope of getting to it in time to save it and he was a chow-chow mix and only a few steps away. My brothers husky was the most dangerous dog to other pets I have _ever_ seen, she wanted to kill anything that moved, her prey drive was insane.

Pit Bulls have a bad rep due to bad owners. Look at Vicks dogs – all pit bulls, all were trained to fight and kill other animals … and now live happily beside other animals. One has a blankie because it gets so scared of everything it won’t even bark, so the other dog in the home (much smaller) barks for it to go outside or when it gets scared.

There is no reason to punish the breed, have shelters put them down because they are so “vicious”, try to make it hard to own them, outlaw them in cities, have special rules for them, etc like people do to them. They are just dogs and like all dogs, have the potential to be dangerous if not cared for properly. And they have the potential to be awesome dogs – American Dog Magazine highlights a Pit every week, my favorite is the one that works as a therapy dog to children.

But this is getting off topic!

I hope you find the bun you want – it’s a shame you can’t adopt. You could keep an eye out on Craigs list and other such places too, I got my mini-rex from there because a lady rescued her from a neglected home and needed to find her a good place to stay. I avoid any people selling their pets, but there are so many unwanted animals that end up there. Should have seen it after easter, I wanted to take all the buns home that were up for rehome.

[Beka27]

Flemish giants need a lot of space and your food/litter/hay costs will be much higher than with a smaller breed. This is just something to keep in mind, especially since you are considering two. Also, if you cannot go thru a shelter/rescue, all of the costs of spaying and neutering will fall on you. For two rabbits, that can be well over $500 dollars. I would recommend you start with getting ONE rabbit, get him or her spay/neutered first, then in a few months, look for a second if you still want another one. They do not need to be the same age or breed.

What are your habitat plans for a flemish giant? Do you have plans to go free range eventually, or is that not possible with the dogs?

[LoveChaCha]

One, I believe is a good start. You may have your hands full with one and learning all about them.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Phew-lets drop the pit topic-that’s such a loaded one

Welcome!! If the shelter won’t adopt to you, I’d suggest focusing instead on finding a reputable breeder in the area and (finding a good rabbit savy vet while your at it, since you’ll have to spay/neuter yourself if you can’t adopt) then choosing a rabbit from them based on their good practices and health, rather than breed. You may choose flemish giant and then find it’s impossible to get a good breeder in the area -so pick your breeder first. Ensure they are registered with ARBA in good standing, provide pedigre’s, show their rabbits-and visit them to ensure they are feeding good food, it’s clean and the rabbits are in good health. Don’t rule out genetics in personality and perhaps choose your rabbit by picking their parents-i.e. handle the parents and if they have a good personality, choose from that litter.

[Bones]

The rabbits will be free range for the most part but I will give them limited free range until they lean how to use the litterbox. My vet only charged me $30 to get my last rabbit neutered and microchips are $30 also so it will only cost me $120 for that or about twice that if I got females but I want to get males. I know the costs of having a rabbit because I’v had 3 before so that’s not a problem.

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