Hello and questions for maybe owner??

[bunny525]

Hello--I apologize if this post belongs in another category!

My 10 year old would like a pet, so I have been researching guinea pigs and hedgehogs. I just recently stumbled upon the idea of a rabbit as a house pet. I've done research but have found that forums from real owners provide the best advice/information.

Just a few questions:
1) I would like a small bunny. Are there breeds that are more friendly than others? Ones that enjoy being held and petted?

2) Time required for daily maintenance? I am assuming the usual once a week cage cleaning is required.

3) I have read that most can be littered trained. Is this really true? And how much do they smell?

Thank you so much for your help. Any other information anyone could provide would be greatly helpful in my search!

 

[Preitler]

Hi,
1) Yes, definitly. I'm not much into pet rabbits but the differences in behaviour and temper are big, although it also to some part depends not only on the breed (which is a big factor), but also on the specific line - search for breeders that have a reputation for friendly rabbits. My rabbits earned their names, like "Black Fury" or "Red Shrew", you wouldn't want them as pets, believe me.

2)Well, doing just the chores takes me 15 minutes twice per day for 16 bunnies (at the moment) , but if you want a rabbit to stay friendly, docile and happy I would say more attention is adviced. Mine live in groups, so they aren't bored easily, imho a single rabbit should get more attention.

3) Yes, it's a natural behavior to have litter spots, mostly they prefer corners. They may not always be those you think they should be, but moving litter boxes is easy . Also, it somewhat depends on the rabbit. But, as far as I can tell, it works fine with most rabbits as long as they don't get hormonal, then does and bucks can mark everywhere. Spraying bucks can have an amazing range. Guess thats why most pets are neutered.

 

[Blue eyes]

For a 10-year old, a pair of guinea pigs may be a better choice. Kids tend to want to hold and pet their bunny (or guinea pigs) whenever the mood strikes. However that isn't how it works with rabbits. Most rabbits may enjoy pets but very few want to be held. But even with pettings, rabbits only "permit" themselves to be pet when they happen to be in the mood. In other words, it takes a lot of patience and understanding about rabbits in order to "read" them and know when they are open to affection.

It isn't uncommon for children of that age to bore easily of their rabbit because bunny isn't always willing to be given attention. With rabbits being a 10-year commitment, that leaves the parents to take over for all the care.

Cage cleaning may be weekly, but litter changes are usually twice per week (some prefer daily changes).

Also, bear in mind, that even the smaller breeds of bunny need at least as much space as larger breeds. They tend to be higher in energy. (They may also be more skittish while the larger breeds are more laid back.) If one really wants to get a bunny for such a young child, the larger breeds are generally recommended. Not only are they more laid back, but their size helps to deter the child from attempting to pick bunny up.

Rabbits that are fixed do litter train quite easily. They may have the occasional stray poo but their poos are dry and odorless and easy enough to sweep up. It is the urine that one wants in the litter box.

If you'd like further info on rabbits as indoor pets, might I suggest you take a browse around my site?
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com

 

[stevesmum]

I hope I don't offend anyone with my opinion but I don't think rabbits are appropriate pets for children. Unless it's really your pet and you love bunnies and will take on all of the work and responsibility whilst letting your child help and learn to interact with bunny. Otherwise I agree, go with the Guinea pig or a hamster. You'll probably still be doing most of the work but hey. Remember that rabbits can live up to 12 years (some longer I bet) so it's a long term commitment. Vets are harder to come by and often cost more. And bunny can be verrrry quiet and sneaky about letting you know he doesn't feel well. If you're not in sync with your pet and interacting regularly those subtle signs can easily get missed. I think it's great that you're doing your research in advance though. Good luck !

 

[stevesmum]

Oh and one more thing which might have been mentioned; bunny needs a bare bare minimum of three hours out of the cage daily. So you would probably have to bunny proof at least one whole room.

 

[ladysown]

Guinea pigs are an easier first time pet, they do require regular cleaning.. more than once a week DEPENDING on how you keep them. Many do fleece blanket overlapping puppy pee pads. my preferred bedding with guinea pigs is horse stall pellets, does an excellent job at soaking up urine so you don't smell it. They are noisier than rabbits, but generally if you keep food in front of them they aren't as noisy. They do need a good supply of Vitamin C.

The right bunny will work as a first time pet as well. Daily cleaning is recommended. I would recommend getting a mature rabbit as opposed to a baby as you have a better idea about adult temperament. Smaller breeds that tend to work well as pets for children: polish (male or female), neutered male holland lops, NOTHING with wool, some male netherland dwarf but observe them well, mini rex(male or female).

Both animals have an odour. Cleanliness makes a big difference as does type of bedding used.

 

[Azerane]

1. As far as smaller breeds go, from what I've seen the mini lops and other lop breeds are often quite calm. Avoid Netherland Dwarf, they have a tendency to be high strung and skittish. That being said, I'm sure that there are Nethies which enjoy being held and pet etc. Simply make sure that the rabbit you get, is well adjusted to that already.

2. Daily maintenance is quite high, for either guinea pigs or rabbits. Since you mentioned a cage I'm assuming that your bunny will be caged, just free-ranging when you're home? For Bandit, I would clean his litter tray daily or every other day, and then once a week clean his cage (vacuum/sweep and wipe down, wash out food and water bowls etc). Some bunnies are messier than others when it comes to hay and depending how much mess bothers you may alter how much time you spend daily. I could have easily swept the hay from the cage floor daily, but simply didn't. Changing a litter tray can take about 10 minutes depending on your process, plus feeding and watering time (3 feeds per day, morning pellets, lunch time greens, evening pellets + one or two hay top ups, usually when I changed the litter tray). Then time spent with bunny for social interaction. Guinea pigs (though I've not owned them I've done some research) tend to have a higher daily maintenance as they can't always be litter trained, so you often need to change bedding daily (whether it's fleece or carefresh etc).

3. Yes, pretty much all rabbits can be litter trained. Desexed rabbits are usually very good with litter training, intact rabbits can be trained, but they're not as consistent. A rabbit is considered litter trained if they always pee in the box, and mostly poop in it. Given that rabbits can do upwards of 300 poops every day, you can't get too picky to find 1 or 2 elsewhere in the cage or somewhere in your living room. As a general rule, rabbits don't really smell. Their main poops are dry and fibrous and emit practically no odor. The pee doesn't really smell (except of unaltered bucks) and if you use the right litter you don't notice any odor. Rabbits also have "night poops" called caecotrophes, which they usually eat immediately, although if they don't they are smelly if accidentally squished

The main differences between rabbits and guinea pigs in terms of a pet for a child and maintenance are that rabbits have very powerful hind legs, scratches from back claws are easily received if a bunny doesn't want to be picked up and as such rabbits are very adept at escaping/falling from unpracticed hands. Rabbits can be free roam, guinea pigs can't really. You can have pigs out for exercise time, but without the litter training you will end up with mess everywhere. Guinea pigs need bedding throughout their entire cage, rabbits don't. Pigs need the bedding to absorb urine and collect poop, with a litter trained rabbit you only need litter in the tray (bedding may simply confuse them as to where they should go) and then a soft surface like a fleece blanket elsewhere for resting, the rest of the cage floor can be an easy clean surface like linoleum, a plastic tray, tile, etc.

Rabbits as a general rule are not a pet to be picked up and cuddled. Bandit never liked being held, he would tolerate it, but I knew he didn't like it. He would however happily sit next to me on the couch with me petting him, he just didn't like being held or sitting on a lap. You also need to keep in mind that until you discipline your rabbit (especially if you get a young one) you can expect them to communicate with their teeth. If your foot is in bunny's way and they want you to move it, they may give a nose bump first but if you don't move your foot, you may get a nip. A nip like that isn't really painful, it usually feels like a pinch, but you should be aware that it's the way bunnies (and possible pigs, I'm not sure) communicate, and your daughter will need to be aware of it too. Bandit went through a phase of it between about 4-8 months of age, but as an adult it was a rare occurance. I suppose it's not much different to a kitten or puppy playing and biting and learning not to do that to hands.
The other thing you need to keep in mind is that rabbits like to dig and chew. This means that if you have a bookcase with books on the bottom shelf it's possible they'll be a chewing target, skirting boards are another common target and any power cables will need to be protected and other non bunny safe items kept out of reach. Providing you have a wide enough variety of a number of toys though you shouldn't have too much trouble

 

[bunny525]

Thank you everyone for the wonderful feedback! I don't take offense at anything. I'm just researching my options. I honestly like the idea of a small bunny rather than a guinea pig. We already have two birds and a 10 gallon fish tank and while she can't clean either by herself, she is good with helping me. A cat would be easy but with two birds and a husband who is allergic to cats, that isn't an option.

The researching continues....

 

[ladysown]

IF your husband is allergic to cats there is a STRONG possibility that he is allergic to rabbits as well. Check that out thoroughly first!!!

 

[Blue eyes]

Just wanted to toss out one other thought...

I'm wondering if you may be thinking more about what you yourself may prefer. There is nothing wrong with that either!

When my kids were very young, I got a rabbit but it was more for me. Of course they enjoyed the bunny too and could help out on occasion but it was more of a 'family' pet that was housed in the family room (not my kids' room). We viewed the rabbit the same way people may see their dog or cat -- where mom (or dad) is the primary caregiver, but the kids enjoy them too.

If this is more what you had in mind, then a rabbit would be fine and I would encourage bunny to be housed in the main area of the house. (You can see how this can be done at my site that I linked above.) The site answers your other questions as well about how to be odor free, how to litter train, and a section on common myths about rabbits as pets - don't miss that!)

Of course, ladysown brings up a good point to check for possible allergy with your husband. Though, in my own case, I happen to be allergic to cats which is one reason I have rabbits. I am not allergic to rabbits!

 

[bunny525]

Thanks for the the warning Ladysown. He isn't allergic to dogs and one of our birds has a lot of dander and he isn't allergic to it. I joked with a student of mine today and asked if I could borrow her bunny so my husband could rub it all over his face.

Blue eyes, thanks for the website. I'm checking it out now!

 

[ladysown]

I've run into more than one person giving up their rabbit because of allergies and in all but one case they were also allergic to cats. No other allergies.

 

[bunny525]

Ladysown, that's sad because I was starting to get excited about the idea of getting a bunny.

 

[ladysown]

test it out well.. for a minimum of 15 minutes... hold sniff be near UNLESS it's a life threatening allergy... then just pet and walk away with an epipen handy.

 

[Gnoccibun]

Hi there! Hope I'm not coming in too late! I am a nanny and have been for over 5 years now, and I personally think that a 10 year old girl needs a bit more credit! I agree that bunnies are not suitable for young children at all, however I do believe with the right research and preparation, a 10 year old girl, who is already helping with other pets and clearly lives in a pet loving environment, would definitely be able to raise a bun. Especially if you are just as keen and excited to have a bunny and you share the experience together! There is a LOT of reading that needs to be done, I myself was amazed at the research I had to do before I brought my bun home. But if you make the experience of learning all there is to know about raising a bunny something interesting and exciting, you would probably be surprised with how understanding your daughter will be. Obviously your help and supervision will be needed at times but bringing a bunny into a home is a learning curve for everyone and once you understand your bunny, so will your daughter.

And to answer your questions
1) if you are wanting a friendly rabbit, a good idea is to adopt from a shelter. Depending on the bun and their time at the shelter, buns from shelters can be quite used to people and dying for some love and affection. I adopted my bunny from a farm who sent rabbits and their new babies to schools for a few weeks. So my baby was being held for hours each day and was always around people. From the get go she has been a snuggly little thing who never leaves my side.

2) it took me a very short time to litter train Gnocci. Rabbits naturally like to go in the same place every time, so when she was first brought home she was in a big box almost cage sized and she stayed pretty close to the box at all times. She peed in the same spot in the box every time,so I would let her roam further from her box while also reducing the size of the box, and she continued to return to the same spot. She now knows that her business must be done in the box and makes her way back there whenever she needs. I barely see a rogue poop anywhere! It also helps if her hay and water are next to or in the litter box. If you keep your bunny inside, I recommend litter changes at least 2 times a day... If I start to smell a hint of anything coming from the litterbox I change it but I think I'm a bit fussy!

Sorry if you've heard all of this before but hope it helps!

 

[Bonsai]

A lot of very experienced and insightful people have helped you but I thought I'd chime in too.

1. There are small bunnies that are more docile; I have owned 2 of the 'dwarf' breeds and I found that my Holland Lop is sweeter than my Netherland was. My Netherland was very sweet, too, but I only had him a few weeks before he passed so I can't be sure of how his personality would have been at maturity. Due to his small size, however, and the small size of all Netherlands, I would not suggest them for children as normal rabbits are very fragile and Netherlands (and other 1~2lb breeds) are as well. I think a Holland Lop, Mini Lop, French Lop, German Lop etc are probably something you should be looking into in terms of breeds. Since none of you have owned rabbits before, it's good to get a breed that's known to be docile and not nervous, Nethies are VERY nervous little guys! Every little thing can set them off. Similarly, you'll be learning how to hold and handle them - meaning a teeny bunny is at a bigger risk of being injured from mishandling.

I must concur that I think a rescue rabbit would be the best idea for your family - I understand how exciting having a baby rabbit is, but personalities of rabbits tend to change once they hit sexual maturity so it's hard to gauge how they'll be once they're mature. If you rescue, rabbit (usually) comes vetted, socialized, and has had desexing done meaning no hormonal behavior. They're more bombproof from the get-go. So I highly suggest rescuing should you go the route of a rabbit especially since you're new to them. The rescue should be able to guide you through owning one and help you whenever you need it, as well as make sure the bun you take home is the best fit for your family's dynamic.

2. I clean my boy's cage bi-weekly, sweep up stray poops in-between. This largely depends on housing and preference, really. Some do daily, others less frequently, but hay is messy! It gets everywhere! My boy is in my room but I'll find hay in the kitchen, the bathroom, even the room upstairs - we're on the ground floor! I'm not sure how it gets there, but hay certainly seems to get everywhere. I would also make sure no one in your family has hay allergies, they are very common and since bunnies need hay, it's a good idea to make sure no one is allergic to it as its residue will be on bunny, too.

3. Rabbits are easily litter-trained, for the most part. I've had litterbox training success with 2/3 of the rabbits I've had. First one refused any litterbox. Because of this, she had to be housed outside (She was in-tact, which is probably why she was so inconsistent but I have no rabbit vets in my area that I can trust). She was VERY messy and peed everywhere, pooped where she pleased - it was not a pretty sight. Second bunny loved his litterbox, some poops made their way out of it but he was mostly consistent. Third one is VERY consistent. Though he is in-tact and mature now, he never pees outside his box (except one time, on his donut bed... Hasn't happened since, I think he was too lazy to move LOL). The poop doesn't smell (unless gotten wet - phew!) but the urine has a strong odor, similar to cats except I notice it smells like pellets... Ammonia and pellets. It's a strange but very unpleasant smell. I only smell it when emptying the litterbox but for those brief moments, it is very stinky.

Rabbits have no "odor" on them unless they have feces or pee on them, but that shouldn't be happening anyways unless they're sick. My cat makes more smell than my bunny does.

For your husband's allergies - DEFINITELY make sure he is not allergic! I am allergic to cats and rabbits but mine is very mild, a few sneezes and that's pretty much all. But if his is more severe, rabbits may not be a good mix. Guinea Pigs make good pets, I have heard, as do rats - they'd both be great options for a first-time pet. Rats are pretty much dogs in a teeny body. They don't live as long but they're very good pets and must be kept in pairs so you'd need two same-sex rats. I used to work in a pet shop and I loved handling the rats and the rats enjoyed being handled, too!

 

[Bville]

Another thing to consider if someone in the house has allergies is the hay that rabbits eat. They need hay available to them at all times. Most rabbit owners get Timothy hay, which some people can be allergic to. Sometimes people with a Timothy allergy can use another hay such as oat hay or orchard grass that they aren't allergic to. If you are testing a bunny to see if your husband is allergic, test some hay the next day too.

 

[Aki]

Everything was said in the replies you got : rabbits aren't really the best animal for children, as the majority of them don't like being handled, except if your son is really patient and gentle. Guinea pigs or hamsters are a lot easier. I also want to point that, as you said that you wanted a 'small' bunny, if netherland dwarfs are by far the smallest rabbits they are also the more skittish (most of them hate to be handled and will bite / scratch if you try to force them), they also are more high energy than other breeds and thus, contrarily to what a lot of people think, need as much space as a big rabbit would.
As it was said before, rabbits need several hours of freedom everyday. You need to be aware that a rabbit jump very high but can also sneak in tiny spaces, meaning that everything that will be in the room they are free in will be eaten if not protected (and I mean EVERYTHING, from wallpaper to wooden furniture, electrical cords, books, clothes, shoes...). Also, yes, they can be toilet trained but there will be hay everywhere in your house.
Last, but not least, if you take a baby you will have to go through the teenage phase which can go with biting, humping your feet, spraying urine on your walls, furniture and sometimes on yourself (I remember a rabbit who used to run around when there were people at home, spraying smelly urine on everyone's shoes and legs in one single run - it was a thing of beauty, in a way XD). This will stop with spaying / neutering which will cost you around 150$. Spaying is necessary if you want a female to avoid uterine cancer, phantom pregnancies, mastitis and tons of other health issues... Also, most rabbits won't take to the litterbox training very well if they aren't neutered/spayed.
So, if those things don't deter you... rabbits are great when you respect them and give them the living conditions they need. I would also try to find out if there is a rabbit savvy vet in your area. Rabbits are notoriously hard to treat when something goes wrong and a surprisingly small number of vets are competent when it comes to them.

 

[bunny525]

Thanks again everyone! IF we do get a bunny, I think I have narrowed down to a Holland Lop or Mini Rex, and will get get it from a shelter for all the reasons that have been mentioned above. I am sure I can get my hands on some timothy hay from one of my students who has buns to test out the allergy issue and a trip to a shelter will take care of the actual bunny allergy issue. I'm think our most cleared out area is our dining room--No cords, no bookshelves, no couches or chairs to hide under. Bunny would be watched whenever out.

I wish I could get past the fact of rats being rats because I hear they are such good pets.

 

[Azerane]

Thanks again everyone! IF we do get a bunny, I think I have narrowed down to a Holland Lop or Mini Rex, and will get get it from a shelter for all the reasons that have been mentioned above. I am sure I can get my hands on some timothy hay from one of my students who has buns to test out the allergy issue and a trip to a shelter will take care of the actual bunny allergy issue. I'm think our most cleared out area is our dining room--No cords, no bookshelves, no couches or chairs to hide under. Bunny would be watched whenever out.

I wish I could get past the fact of rats being rats because I hear they are such good pets.

If you find that there are allergies to the timothy hay, you could try a different type such as orchard grass, meadow, oaten, or bermuda. I know some people on the forum are allergic to timothy, but can use orchard with no problem.