Yes! or NO!

[Waffles123]

My husband and I have tossed about the idea of adding a bun to our home. I had buns as a kid and they were wonderful animals. My first bun was a big white girl named Sparkles. She was a fabulous house bun and I have fond memories of that girl hopping up and down the hall after me when I was around 6. I could do anything with her – dress her up, carry her around, paint her nails. Yep, one in a million patient bun.

The one thing currently holding us back from diving in – we have a son. He is 1. Yes, one. We also have a cat and he is fabulous with our cat (big fat patient ginger cat). He’s learned not to grab at or hit the kitty and most times ignores him – until kitty walks over and flops in front of him to get baby love and slobber.

I’m familiar with all bunny care needs – space to run, feed/hay quality, proper vet care – but a toddler and a bun? Does anyone have any experience?

And if you think this is a great idea – what type of bun? My hubby is smitten with holland lops but I wonder if they might be too small?

Thanks!!

[Elrohwen]

If you want a bun, I would get one with the intention of keeping it separate from your son and then see what happens. Some bunnies like kids or don’t mind them, while others want nothing to do with them. If he is able to leave pets alone and not bother them, then I think it would be fine.

I would get an adult from a rescue who is known for being laid back and friendly, vs getting a baby who could end up being skittish, or generally a tricky temperament.

[jerseygirl]

I would get an adult from a rescue who is known for being laid back and friendly, vs getting a baby who could end up being skittish, or generally a tricky temperament.

Ditto. Consider a rescue bun that has experience and does well being around children and cats.

Definitely check out some of the bigger breeds.

[LBJ10]

I agree with everything the others said. You would likely have much better luck with an adult rabbit with its true temperament already known (babies are wild cards since they are often nothing like they were as babies once they reach adulthood).

[BunnyLady1989]

I second (third) that. Adopt an adult and I would stick to a larger breed. There are plenty of larger lop breeds that you can go with since your husband is smitten with the lovely lops lol I don’t blame him!
My girl is a holland and from experience she gets along great with my cousins little girl who is now 4. They will play together and play with building blocks. It’s pretty cute. My cousins son, who is now 5, on the other hand is not liked by Bunnylu (Lulu’s nickname). She will growl and lunge at him. It’s just something about the male gender!

[KytKattin]

I agree with everyone else. There are so many bunnies that need rescuing as well, so getting an adult would be just great! I have to say, from experience, sometimes children are better with rabbits than adults. They are obviously not pets for children, but a well behaved child can seem a lot less intimidating than an adult. I remember having Nova in an apartment, and my roommates were almost offended that she didn’t want anything to do with them. They wanted to go up and grab and cuddle her, and she didn’t want anything like that. Then my sister’s uh… nephew I guess (her boyfriend’s nephew) came to visit. He was about 5, and while he was pretty fascinated with the fish tanks, he also would just sit on the floor and give Nova nose rubs. She actually ran right up to him when he sat on the floor. Not sure if it is just because he got down on her level, but she was much more affectionate with him within 5 minutes of him being there than she ever was in the 5 months of living with my roommates. Or maybe she just picked up on my not liking my roommates? Or at least not really relating to them.

Basically bunnies + children can make really great friends when properly introduced and supervised.

[Author]

Messages