I NEED HELP REAL BAD

[rabbitlover04]

Hey everyone. My name iskatie and i am 14 yrs. old. Its been a day now since i got tons of helpfrom you guys and last night i went home to talk to my mom about what ilearned about rabbits on this page. but she just doesn't seemconvinced =( for sum reason my mom doesnot want me to get a rabbit and i just dunno why! i am a big animallover and plus i am responsible and loving. any rabbit would be soooolucky to have me as an owner. my mom says that they can chew eletricalcords and die or that they smell bad (which i know can be true) or thatshe could be allergic cause she is allergic to dogs and cats and shesays they are similiar. it seems like she is making all the little tinyexcuses she can make to make it so i can not get a rabbit. does anyonehave any idea what i can do to make her feel more reassuredabout me having a rabbit as a pet =) plz let me know. i really need sumhelp here. everyone tells me that rabbits make a great pet and i know iam up for the job. does anyone know any good perks and good thingsabout rabbits that i can use to convince her? plz let me know. thanx!this chat room rocks and i appreciate everyones help! writing meresponses soon!

love, ur rabbit partner in allthis........ ~KatieMcConnell~

 

[u8myhouse]

Unfortunately for you your mom does have final say in this, she may be more unreceptive to the idea if you push her to much.

She's right about the wires, when I first got my rabbits and Ithought my room was rabbit proofed one of my rabbits got behinda barricade and chewed through my internet cable. There are productsthat protect cords though, so you could invest in those.

To make her feel better about the idea of you having a pet I'd eitherstart with something smaller, like a fish or something like that, orask if I could pet sit for someone. She may not realize howresponsible you are. Or maybe she'shad a bad experience inthe past with orjust doesn't like rabbits.

~Christine~

 

[Brandy]

okay I kinda am actually on your moms side on this one,

when you're a parent, its not a great idea to get a pet for your children if you dont want it also!!

first off, you're 14, what happens when you start doing loadsof high school activities, such as a boyfriend, dances, parties,etc,,whose going to be taking care of the rabbit???

what about if the rabbit gets sick, who pays for it? do you have a job to pay for all of these expenses?

yes rabbits can stink, will you have the time to properly carefor it, give it the love, time, everything that needs to be put into abunny!!

do you have the money to get it fixed? you dont want anaggressive female and a unaltered buck running around sprayingeverything, would you be able to afford to have the furniture cleanedif it did this? would you be able to pay for the damages it does? suchas chew wires?? trust me, they will chew and even if you say"I promise I will watch it when hes out" but trust me there will be atime when you turn your back and that cute little bunny chewssomething!

do you have the money for cage, food, bedding, all other expenses??

what happens in a few yrs if you move out and go to college? who will be looking after the bunny!!

its a big thing and i dont think its something you force onyour mom, if she agrees even tho she doesnt want it, trust me, it willcause alot of issues, everythign that goes wrong, you're mom will getupset, everytime you say BUT MOM he needs food, I promise Ill pay youback, your mom will get upset, ,,,its really not worth it!!in a few yrs you will be out on your own and can do what youlike!!

 

[Fergi]

I have to agree with Brandy on this Katie. I am25 right now and I was never able to have pets growing up because mymom was allergic to them. I LOVED animals and constantly plotted andschemed on how to get one. I even asked my grandparents if they wouldlet me keep an animal there. Now that I am on my own I have two dogs,two buns, and a bunch of baby buns! I am happy that I am now able tohave pets if I choose but I understand where my mom was coming frommore now. Pets are expensive, and they require a lot of time and care.It takes me forty mins a day to clean up and feed my animals, thatdoesn't include exercise time or loving them up. I can relate to howhard it is to really want a pet and not be able to have one but I canassure you that in four short years you will have the opportunity tomake that decision on your own and think of all the information youwill know bythen about the pet you choose!

Fergi's mom

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

I agree with the moms in the room, but I also know how you feel.

I always wanted a pet of some sort, so every day my brothers and Iwould ask my mom "can we get a herbie?" (yes we'd already named himbefore we got him cuz that made her know we really want one" so about amonth of asking her and saying we could take care of him, she gave inand got us our little hamster! Then that lead to another hamster...thenanother hamster....then finally I was like "Mom...hamsters don't reallylive long...it's sad every time one dies after like 2 years...can weget something bigger?" and she's like "no! no more animals!" and Isaid..."ok..." then the next thing I know I came home from a movie, andlittle Maggie was sitting in her cage

So, sometimes moms will give in eventually on some things But if shereally doesn't want something, she won't. Trust me, my mom still won'tlet me get that dog I wanted....so...I moved out!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Brandy wrote:

first off, you're 14, what happens when you startdoing loads of high school activities, such as a boyfriend, dances,parties, etc,,whose going to be taking care of the rabbit???

what about if the rabbit gets sick, who pays for it? do youhave a job to pay for all of these expenses?

First of all, I just beg to differ with these 2 points.

I'm 16 and juggle all those things (with a very heavy grade 11 courseload) and I manage to keep most of my grades up and still have time tospend an hour with each of my 2 bunnies every night. I have a hugefamily and we're constantly at family functions so I juggle that stuffinto my schedule, too.

Many people on this board also know that I have paid for vet bills of arabbit that I found abandoned and abused out of my own pocket moneythat I earned. I now keep money tucked away just for vet bills in casemy parents aren't willing to pay for it.

Just thought I need to make a point not to stereotype all the young people.


[align=center]***************************[/align]

[align=left]Ultimately the decision is up to your parents. We cannottell you anything to help convince them but maybe you do need to proveyou are responsible enough to handle it. Allergies is not a littleexcuse, it's actually a relatively liable one. My whole family hasallergies to my bunnies, my dad most severely and sometimes it just notfeasible to have them. Even if a rabbit is kept in only one room, thehair gets every where! Over clothes, drifts through the air, etc.Allergies can really be a problem because hair gets on your clothes andit tracks through the house and it's just a mess.[/align]

[align=left]I do want to make a point to make sure you are ready for apet rabbit in case you do manage to change your mom's mind. You need tobe able to care for it, let it out to run for an hour every day (ATLEAST). The cage needs to be cleaned often to prevent an odor andhealth problems with the rabbit.It should be ensured that youhave a way of paying vet bills as they can get extremely expensive. AndIcannot emphasize how much I want to make sure you do notlose interest in a bunny and ship it off to a shelter or set it looselike so many people do.[/align]

 

[*nepo*]

It totally know how you feelbecause Nepo is my first pet. I am an animal lover and I kept trying tobeg my mom but she said no. But one day something fantastic happened,my dad's work friend gave my dad Nepo! When I came into the kitchenwhere Nepo was, I saw a really small bag with a little white bunnyinside. I couldn't believe my eyes abd I kept asking my dad if it wasfor me. I was really happy.

Unfortunetly I don't know what to say. You couldtell your mom that pets including rabbits are a great experience theygive you love and they are like you're best friends. Petsitting is areally good idea. When I went to my aunts house (she has a dog), mywanting a pet grew even more. But maybe it is not the same when youpetsit. Well to me it wasn't,if the person's pet that you arepetsitting for gets sick you might not get really worried because itisn't your pet( well maybe if you're really close to them), but if ithappens to your pet you will be worried andprobablyhaveto pay bills, but the good thing is your bunny will giveyou love in exchange for your caring.

 

[rabbitgirl]

I've had rabbits since I was 12 or so. Still going! But they are outdoor, which changes the issues you have to deal with.

Rose

 

[bunsforlife]

I wanted a pet all my life... my parents wouldonly let me get fish or hermit crabs. Then one day my momwent to my biology class for a parent teacher thingie and the teacherasked if I could have one of the hamster's babies (Because I was theone always doing the dirty work with the hammies) And she thought aboutit and then said yes. I had 3 hamsters, I stopped with themafter one got REALLY sick and his eye bulged out, really icky and scaryfor me.

Then in my 3rd year of Junior High, a friend of the family was headedoff to college and needed to find a home for her bunny. Mymom agreed and I got my first bunny. And boy did I lovehim. He lived with me for 9 years. (he was alreadyat least 4 years old when I got him) and he really taught me howwonderful bunnies are.

Maybe you could come to an arrangement with your mom. see ifone of the shelters would let you foster a rabbit for a couple ofmonths to let you know exactly what the responsibility entails and if arabbit really works for your family.

 

[gjsara]

hello again i dont know if you read my other post "i need help please thank you"

but i also have to agree with your mom it seems you have yourheart set on something and want it but reallly dont want to wait dosome reaserch and make sure this is what you want first when i firstgot lyla we had to replace many things due to her chewing computermouses and a key bored not to mention my cell phone charger justbecause i didnt pay good enough attention, now i have sinced moved andhave more control over where she goes. i am 19 now and have had animalsall my life. turkeys,cats,dogs, fish, rabbits,pigs, goats,horses, cows,hamsters,gerbils, birds,and even peacocks. but i can honestly tell youeven when i had my rabbit when i was younger i didnt reaize compleatlyall the needs that they had.the best advise i can give you is to settledown read some books andconsider a hamster or a guinea pig for a firstpet they are great and they dont require as much attention as a rabbit!

and again im not tring to rain on your parade.

sara

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-7/brandolino-poem.html


http://www.michiganrabbitrescue.org/soyourchild.htm

 

[Delphinum]

Our rabbits have bitten through so far... 3 mousecables, 2 keyboard cables, 3 telephone wires, a light cable, manycushions, curtains, wallpaper, skirting board, shelves, a handbagstrap, trousers, chairs, any books (my uni ones especially) and ourfuton is completely ruined but we don't mind since we don't likeit! LOL

Your mum has a point, the rabbits can be destructive... mostly wehaven't rabbit proofed the house enough... try as we might, they alwaysseem to get through the barricades. I don't mind so much asour furniture, etc isn't that important atm... got way too many otherthings to worry about, but things like electrical cables are reallyimportant to secure.

My dad bought me a book on bunsbefore he'd allow me to have arabbit so that I knew how to look after her when we did buyher. Try doing as much research as possible and hope that youcan come to an agreement with her. I know how you feel as Iwanted another dog so badly after ours died when I was 15, but my dadwouldn't allow it. He said he didn't want to go through theheartache of losing another dog in 10 years time. I acceptedhis decision but always said I'd have my own dog when I got my ownplace... now I have, I've got 2 dogs at the moment, 2 rabbits, and 5fish! LOL I don't do things by halves!

 

[Loz n Ebony]

I just wana say if your mums worried about yougetting a rabbit because it smells or it will chew wires then why dontyou keep it outside. And if you say your responsible then your mum wontneed to do much. The only problem with your mum agreeing is you needsomeone to buy the food bedding vets bills etc.

Hope this helps.

xxx

 

[JimD]

Hi Katie,

My daughter got a bunnie from her boyfriend on her 16th birthday a yearago. She named him Benji. I was totally against having him and waspretty angry that he was given as a gift.

I felt this way until my daughter put Benji on my lap and told me topet him. Well, we sat there and Benji looked at me and I looked atBenji. Then he hopped up my chest, sat on my shoulder, and licked mycheek. Okay, Benji stays.

We now have 5 bunnies (plus one that passed over the Rainbow Bridge).In addition, we have 8 hamsters (used to have 19 all together, lost allbut one baby of a litter, and the grandma crossed over just about amonth ago), 3 hermit crabs, 4 fish, and a dog. If we had a partridge wecould put him in our pear tree and have a whole song!!

My daughter works part time and helps with some of the expenses. Heryounger sister and her help with the cleaning, but it's still a big joband everybody pitches in. Even my wife, who would not go near thehamsters when we first got them, holds the hamsters while their cagesare cleaned.My wife is also allergic to cats, butthe bunnies don't bother her at all.

Just remember that bunnies can live a long time if they have the propercare. They also need care daily so unless they go on vacation with you,you'll need to have someone take care of them while you're gone.

Ultimately the decision will be your mother's, but peolple can change their minds.

Good Luck,

JimD

 

[Loppy Earred Mom]

Hiyas Katie,

Being a mom I have to go with what your mother says she's not wrongthey do smell if you dont clean up after them they do chew things Ijust replaced my internet wire because she chewed it and my hubbyalmost made me rabbit stew.

Heres what you can do tho if you are really really really serious aboutgetting a bunny. They are ALOT of responsibility and they dotake alot of money to care for. Why dont you try with gettinga little babysitting job or something and show mom your responsibleenough to get a job and are willing to pay for things for the bunnycage food bedding.

Just an FYI for me when I got my Stitch she cost me $40 dollars then Ihad to get her a cage $80 dollars bedding for a huge bag of pine $5dollars Litter boxes $10 dollars and trust me you will needmore then one of those water bottle $5-$7 dollars food bowl dependingon which kind another $5, Food $5, Hay or alfafa depending onthe age of your bunny another what $3 and this was when I just broughther home!

When she gets 4 months of age $150 - $300 to get them spayed neutered

Understand what Im saying? You have to show the responsibility thatyour willing to take care of the rabbit before the rabbit gets there.Show your mom your willing to do it by making your own money to takecare of it most parents see their children gettinig a pet as beingextra responsibility for them when you get tired of it.

If you really want one and are really wanting to be responsible for itreguardless of if your a teen or not you can do it but uhonestly want to really WANT it and will do these things to show you do.

Marie

 

[SLRabbits]

I agree with everyone else, rabbits are a hugeresponsiblity. Take my brother for example (he is 14).. this kid has nosense of responsiblity. His first pet was a frog that I bought him.. Iended up taking care if it for him most of the time, and when I didgive him complete responsiblity he ended up killing it. After the frog,I bought him a crab. Once again.. I took care of it for awhile and thengave him the responsiblity, and it ended up dead. Then came a bettathat he bought for himself.. dead 2 weeks later. Then 2 goldfish. Heactually did a little better with these.. actually feeding them andwhatnot. But when they got sick he decided not to cough up the $5 formedication, and they died a couple days later. Now he is asking for oneof my baby rabbits.. do you think he will get one? No.. because as muchas I know he might try, he would end up bored with it and neglect it.

Now, I am not saying that you will do that by any means. It was just anexample of how people can want a pet and then get bored with it andneglect it. I have been lucky.. being only 16 myself, I am allowedpretty much any pet I desire because I have always put my animals aboveall, and that's the way it should be with pets. If you do not think youhave the time to clean cages (should be everyday if inside, every otherday if outside), take them out to run around an hour or more a day, andjust provide general care (such as feeding, watering, housing, vetbills, ect.) then please do not get one.

If you are really serious about getting a rabbit.. then I suggest doingmonths of research. I did 3 1/2 years of research before I finally wasable and ready to get a rabbit of my own, and I still do not knoweverything I would like to. I suggest not jumping into owning one rightaway. Like I said, months of research will pay off in the end. I wishyou the best of luck if in the future you do decide to own a rabbit.

~Nichole

 

[Meganc731]

Perhaps you could do some volunteer work andmaybe foster a rabbit (that includes giving the rabbit up when it findsa home!!! hehe). The biggest reason I see so far is that you mom isallergic to other animals. Many many animals end up losing their homesbecause someone in the house is allergic. It's unfair of you to keep ananimal in the house that your mother is allergic too. Trust meadulthood comes soon enough and there will be plenty of rabbits afteryou finish school. That's what I did

Megan

 

[*nepo*]

I got Nepo when I was 11,I'm 12 now. I got him from a 7 year old that didn't take care of him.Her mom ended up telling her that he had died because she didn't takecare of him. When I heard that story I was so sorry for her, because Ifsomebody had told me that I would've been really sad. Now I know howthe people that have lost bunnies or other pets feel.