What Breed Should I get, first time owner

[SamBunny]

I am getting a bunny after Christmas and I was wondering what breed would be a good match for me. 

Here’s my situation! I currently live in an small apartment and the bunny will have free-run of my bunny proofed kitchen. I work from home so I can spend lots of time with my new friend. I live with my boyfriend with no children or other occupants. At night bunny will be caged in a XL rabbit cage for security, so unfortunately I won’t be able to look into any large/giant rabbit breeds. I would really like a small-medium friendly bun, nothing too energetic, and something willing to have cuddles now and again. A lap bunny would be lovely. I am hoping to also have him litter trained after he is neutered.

Also….What age rabbit would you suggest.? Is it a better idea to buy a youngster? and will it be easier to get a good bond with a baby bunny rather than an adult? I am hoping to adopt

If anybody can give me any advice or suggestions on what bunny would be best, it would be a great help!  I want to make the right choice! I have done tonnes of research and bought a lot of bunny books but would like to hear what other people have to say first

[JackRabbit]

Most bunnies do not like to be picked up or cuddled and baby bunnies who don’t mind will usually outgrow it once their hormones kick in at @ three to four months. Bunny personalities vary so much between bunnies and within breeds so its difficult to say what breed would best fit. Dwarf breeds have a reputation for being more active, and lops have a reputation for being more laid back. Similarly, male buns have a reputation for being more living and females more, well, female! That being said, my female dwarf is more active but she is also our only cuddle bun. My male lop is more laid back than my girls, but he’s also the one most likely to rearrange everything!
If you want a bunny that you can cuddle occasionally, I strongly suggest you look to shelters and rescues that will be more likely to have adult bunnies (> 6 + months old) that will be spayed/neutered before adoption. By going this route, you will be able to get a better idea of the bunny’s personality, full grown size, and will be giving a homeless bunny a permanent home.

Since you’re in the planning stage now, I would also suggest you don’t use a rabbit cage, but instead get an xl dog crate or better yet, a dog xpen (exercise pen) to use as your bunny’s night time house. You’ll save money and bunny will be happier!

[Megabunny]

That has to be one of the most often-asked questions and JR answered it beautifully. In fact, I think it’s one of the topics we pretty much all agree on in this forum. And I really don’t think it would be hard to bond with a mature bunny. When you see one that you fall in love with, you will be in love and soon see that it didn’t matter!

[LBJ10]

Babies are so adorable. But JR is right. When it comes to babies, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. It’s a surprise once they mature. If you’re looking to a specific kind of personality, then it’s much better to adopt an adult bunny.

[litheandgraphic]

Welcome! I also agree with what everyone else has said, especially with regards to baby bunnies. If you adopt an adult rabbit from a shelter, then you will avoid the high cost of spay/neuter, as most rabbit rescues do this before they adopt out the rabbit. With that already taken care of and the rabbit already having reached adulthood, you’ll have a good idea of what personality your rabbit will have. I also second the idea that you should look into getting an x-pen, building an NIC condo, or possibly getting an extra large dog crate. These are better options that will give your rabbit the necessary amount of room to run around and get exercise, which is extremely important to their health.

Check out your local rescues/shelters, and http://www.petfinder.com — ask for or read the descriptions about the adoptable rabbits and set up visits with the ones that look the most interesting for you!

[Deleted User]

I got my bunny as a baby! He’s now the biggest brat on BB! LOL! Who new a cute baby bunny could grow up into an ignorant, selfish, ignorant, demanding, bossy, destructive, ignorant, brat. Did I mention he was ignorant??? Ha ha ha ha!
If you want to know personality, go a mature bunny.

PS – I love Henry to pieces (please don’t take my post the wrong way), but it’s true – I never knew the true Henry till he reached adulthood. Good thing he is super cute, I have to have one reason to still be so in love with him, lol!

Good luck SamBunny! Cheers.

[SamBunny]

Thank you so much to everybody who has replied!
After hearing all of your suggestions I will now start looking into mature neutered bunnies instead of the babies. It’s hard for me to find a shelter local enough because I don’t drive but my local pets-at-home store have an adoption centre and there’s always unwanted bunnies that are in desperate need for new homes! I have also been looking at adverts in the paper for older bunnies who are now unwanted and need new homes
I will also look into buying an X-pen for my new friend, I think this is definitely a better idea than the cage, I don’t want my bunny being cooped up and unhappy
Thanks again for every bodies help! I can’t wait to bring my new friend home!!

[Beka27]

What an exciting time to be planning for a new addition! Welcome to BB! I can’t wait to hear what lucky bunny becomes yours!

[Bun. Love]

When I got my rabbit I was focused on finding a personality that matched mine not so much as to what breed it was. Hope this helps!

[Megabunny]

Petfinder has bunnies and they are pretty honest, I think, with what they know about the personalities. I got a very sweet bunny through that site, but like another bunny I adopted, after I called and showed up to look at it, the owner just put the rabbit in my arms and that was that. Not like I felt I had a choice. The first time I wouldn’t have taken that rabbit. He was always an idiot until I bonded him with another. The second rabbit, handed to me wrapped in a towel…she had poopybutt and was matted like crazy, though I was somewhat warned about it by the owner ahead of time. There was quite a surprise under that towel, but we would have taken Gracie anyway and never regretted the vet bills or the brief time we had her.
So my feeling is be sure you take your time deciding. Just because you’ve been in contact with the owner repeatedly does not mean you are committed to adopting that rabbit once you meet it.
This will be such a lucky rabbit!! Enjoy!!

[Flopsie]

I think that it’s great to prepare but you want to temper your expectations. For example I would love to have my bun free run but she can’t. She will basically kill herself or id have to watch her non stop to make sure she doesn’t ingest anything. So I guess what im saying is you can attempt to set your ideal environment up but be prepared to be flexible if it doesn’t work out.

I would also say that bunnies can be divas and it would be better to find a bunny to match with you personality wise rather than the breed. That said if you have a few that you click with go with the breed you like. As others have said bunnies aren’t really cuddlers but you might be lucky and get one. Just don’t force him or her to be one if not. Again you have to go with how the bun is rather than your expectations and values

Also I know that baby buns are adorable and I cherish my time with baby Flopsie. But if I do it again, I would get one from a shelter. This way you can bypass the spay/neuter phase and hopefully they will be litter trained already. This way you don’t have to 1) deal with cost of the procedure (can be expensive), 2) deal with the bun after the procedure. This can be stressful for bunny owners as evidenced by the plethora of post spay/neuter posts and 3) not deal with pre litter training fun. And by fun I mean spraying, urine accidents and poop all over the place

Good luck!

[SamBunny]

Thank you so so so much to everybody who has taken the time to give me advice and suggestions about my new bunny friend
I had a long chat with my boyfriend about it last night and we have now decided that we will definitely be adopting a mature bunny from pets-at-home adoption centre.
I also agree with the fact that it doesn’t matter about what breed/colour I get, as long as the personality matches mine
Thank you so much for giving me all this help and support, I look forward to brining my new friend home (hopefully before Christmas so we can spend Christmas day together!)

[Flopsie]

good luck and keep us updated!

[Beka27]

Awesome! Definitely keep us posted!

[SamBunny]

I just wanted to update everybody on my new arrival. He is a very young mini lop! Unfortunately he couldn’t find a home due to his colour…..To me colour doesn’t matter, besides I think he is extremely handsome! 

He is settling in really well, he was so scared and timid to begin with but this morning he has eaten some pellets out of my hand and even ventured out of his cage for 10 minutes! And did a binky!! I am so thrilled that he has settled in so well, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since his arrival 

I have named him Pepsi! 

[SamBunny]

How do I submit a photograph of him?

[Roberta]

Pikkies ?

[SamBunny]

Worked out how to post photos! Here is my new friend

[JackRabbit]

He’s adorable, and beautiful color!

[Roberta]

What a cutie !!!

[Sarita]

He’s cute! I love his color – don’t understand why someone wouldn’t want a beautiful black rabbit with shiny black fur – I guess that’s why he was meant for you.

[manic_muncher]

I don’t understand why people veer away from black animals either. Shelters always end up with the black cats, dogs and rabbits being the last to go. I LOVE a shiny black -insert random animal here-. Pepsi is adorable!!! Congratz!

[LongEaredLions]

I know I am always one to head for the less-adopted bunnies, all of mine have been white with ruby eyes. I just don’t understand it.
He is so handsome and adorable, I am glad he has a wonderful home!

[Deleted User]

WAYYYYY TOOOOO CUTE! You did so well! Lucky you!

PS – When I chose my bunny, I wanted brown cause my dog’s and black & white and white – I wanted him to be a bit different. As it turned out I had a choice of different shades of’ brown’, ha ha ha ha! Do you like my brown bunny? Lol! So funny…..

But how lucky I wanted brown? Lol! And lets be honest, if brown wasn’t available (as my only option), I would have taken a purple one, I didn’t care – I just wanted a bunny!

I am super happy for you!!! Your black bunny is adorable!!! Did I mention you are so lucky??? Enjoy…..

[Author]

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