i dont know what to do!

[rabbitsrule1]

i went to the pet store today and the last twoweeks to see a dwarf bunny that i fell in love with i even named itcrissy! i have all the money to buy it and stuffbut i am almost positive that my parents will sayno. i already have two dogs but theyare really freindly. u guys all have got rabbits.how did you do it????????

SOME BODY PLEASE HELP ME!!!!N I AMINDISTRESS

FROMCAROLINE

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Caroline,

First, did you ask your parents?

Secondly, you have to accept the answer they give you.

Rabbits aren't easy to care for. There's a lot to take intoconsideration: buying good rabbit pellets, buying a proper cage for it,having timothy hay on hand everyday for it, getting the right litter soyour rabbit doesn't get sick, getting the waterbottle, crock for food,etc., etc. It's not cheap. Then you have to consider vet bills to getthe rabbit fixed, in case it needs to get medicine if it does get acold.

Dogs are natural predators to rabbits. Some dogs get along well withthem, some don't. Even the kindest of dogs will follow their nature andgo after rabbits.

If you are to get the okay from your parents, go to a shelter or abreeder and get a rabbit there. You're taking a chance getting a rabbitfrom a petstore because petstores don't always tend to what therabbit's needs are and they're sick. Unfortunately, it's not uncommonfor rabbits to die quickly after symptoms of sickness occurs becausethey're masters at manipulation. They have to hide their ailments sothat a predator doesn't spot a weakness for then the rabbit will beeasy bait.

I know you love rabbits. Maybe you could enter a 4-H group and startout that way taking care of rabbits. If you show responsibilitybeforehand, your parent's might say okay after a while.

Good luck!

-Carolyn

 

[rabbitsrule1]

hey thanx for the advice! i wanted to tell u thatmy dogshave been with a rabbit before and they got along sowell that i was hard to seperate them! but that was a longlongtime ago. i think i got all the cage and foodthings. maybe i should learn more aboutrabbits but i still need moreadvice THANX

caroline

 

[Carolyn]

That is an excellent idea, Caroline :dude:

Read some posts in this and other rabbit forums, get a book out at thelibrary about rabbits. As you show knowledge, commitment, andresponsibility, you'd make it hard on your parents to say no after awhile considering they have the space, no one's allergic, and youdemonstrate to your parents that the rabbit will be taken care of byyou, not them. The 4-H group is really a good idea for you to look intobecause you can learn so much and you'd have to follow the progress andcare of one rabbit in particular. It gets your foot in the door.

We also have some very mature young adults on this board who might beable to tell you how having the rabbit works at their house with theirparents. The posters on the board are completely devoted to their petrabbits and one scoulded one parents for giving the rabbits too manytreats because she knows what that does to a rabbit. I tend to forgetthey're young adults because of the way that they study, love, andteach about their rabbits, besides being awesome individuals.

-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Now now Carolyn, who might you be talking about.I know you were probably referring to me as I tend to scoldmy parents for feeding treats! They still don't listen to me!

And yes, indeed my parents were not fond of me bringing rabbits home,but my dad made a nice out door hutch for them. They are almost alwaysoutside, but come in often for pets and attention, my parents don'tmind too much, as long as I vaccuum, I have to with so many people withallergies in my house. I convinced my parents when I did a lot ofresearch on what they needed and all. I also told them I was animaldeprieved because I had just recently stopped riding and we owned noanimals. I would suggest reading the posts on here to find out more,there is a variety of things you can learn from them!

Laura

 

[rabbitsrule1]

yea, the only problom is that i can not go intothe 4-h club. the other thing is that i can not tell my mom becausethat is a big no no trust me i have experence with my otherdog how long do u think i have to waittill i ask my mom?indeed the rabbit will live inside becauseof no allergies thank u so much and i will study a bit butbehind my moms back





caroline

 

[Carolyn]

Excellent Post, Laura. :dude:

Loved your game about animal deprivation, how you took the time, did your homework, and abide by their rules.

If anyone hasn't told you lately, You're Awesome.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Caroline, you're onto something. Study, but you don't have to do itbehind their back. Having them seeing you study and learn isn't a badthing. I'd suggest you read here and other forums and some books, justas M&SMom said, for at least 2-3 weeks. After that point, you'llhave learned something about them and you're then on your way to PhaseII.

-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I never QUITE abided by the rules. lol, I asked mydad, and we started building before my mom knew, and by the time shefound out, oops! Too late to say no! lol.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Caroline,

I would suggest studying about them quite a bit, finding out theirneeds. I wouldn't rush it, and my favorite way of springing it upon myparents, is to make a powerpoint project with pictures, facts, and soon, it works quite well from my experience!

 

[Carolyn]

Just like a Rabbit, M&SMom! You're Just Like a Rabbit.

-Carolyn

 

[Carolyn]

Caroline,

I believe M&SMom has given you the secret.

-Carolyn

 

[rabbitsrule1]

that was really good advice!thanx. my dad knows about it and he said that ihave to prove it. HE said that i should tell my mom later and prove itto him in a about 3 - weeks. i will use the facts and thingswhen i show them! i think that that is really cool. i feel somuch better thank u i hope ican stay like this godbless







caroline

 

[mom2many]

Sounds like you are off to a great startCaroline. My rule is that until my children can prove theycan take care of animals the only ones we have are the ones I amwilling to care for. I think most parents are the sameway. My children also are only 3 1/2 yrs old and even theyhad to work before we got our bunnies, proving they could listen, cleanup after themselves (cleaning their bedroomeverymorning)and behave themselves!! (Iwould have gotten them anyways but now my girls get to "own" each oneof their own). My husband has the same rules for me gettingmore animals. My number one job is to take care of our houseand family, if I can't manage to maintain my home and proper care of mychildren and hubby then obviously I'm too busy for moreanimals. Thankfully I have recently become a SAHM so now Ihave plenty of time to devote to my whole family and that includes the10 soon to be 12 animals we have.

Good luck, and I'm sure you will convice them!!

 

[rabbitsrule1]

thank you, i know i will soon haveone. more advice would be greatlyappreciated! do maltese usally fight with bunnys? even if thedogis really nice?








caroline

 

[Dawn]

Sorry if I repeated what some one already said.

I would suggest you research not just the supplies but where to getthem. You can shop around on the internet for the best deals. That wayyou will know how much money you will need. Also look into to whatbread of Rabbit you would like. Do you want one that requires a lot ofcare and brushing like a angora or some thing a little easier to carefor like a short hair. Take your time in finding the right bunny foryou! I looked for months and really wanted one but wanted the bunnythat was right for me. When picking out a touch his/her feet if theyare ok with you touching the feet it makes it a lot easier to trim thenails! I would not suggest getting one form a pet store. There are lotsof Bunny's in shelters who need good homes. By getting it form ashelter, breeder or a rescue chances are the bunny has been looked overby a vet and given a clean bill of health before it is put up foradoption.

I hope you can prove it to your parents and they let you get one. Sounds like you are on the right track!

 

[StickyBird]

Hithere! I'm 19 (I got my rabbit when I was 18), and I live athome still, so parents were definitely something to consider whenwanting a rabbit.

Luckily for me, my parents and Ibegan talking about me getting a rabbit for a few months inadvance. I got a job over the summer months when school wason break, and saved up a good sum of money. Rabbits, whilenot overly expensive, do need a constant supply of hay, and food, andbedding/litter, so there were expenses I had to take care of.Not to mention buying the cage (which cost me $80!! AHH!!),and the waterbottle.

My parents, not knowing anythingabout the care of rabbits, trusted me to find out how much everythingwould cost, and how to take care of it. A GREAT book toread/buy would be "Rabbits For Dummies". It is nice and easyto read. I loved it, and it covers almosteverything! It was gooodd...

About your dogs... SinceI've never met them, I wouldn't really know what their personalitiesare like, but I would still keep them away from the rabbit at alltimes. My family owns a dog, and I had to prove to my parentsthat I was able to make sure that Mac (our dog) would never get thechance to hurt my rabbit. I purchased a baby gate (for about$20, I think), and used it to section off my room from the rest of thehouse. If that's possible, I suggest you do it too.Umbra (my rabbit) never leaves my room, but at least he'ssafe. And I had to make the sacrifice of never seeing my doglay on my bed with his fluffy head on his cute paws, but that wassomething I was willing to go without.

Lastly, I had to prove to myparents that I had enough time in the day to devote to taking care of arabbit. Being a new college student and full-time at thatonly gives me so many hours of free time in the day! I givehim 2-3 hours a day to play around my room. And somethingelse I do for myself is make sure that I play with my dog almost anequal amount of time. Even though he's a family pet, my dogis one of my best friends, and I wanted to make sure that getting a newrabbit wasn't going to mean losing an old dog. Oh yeah, and Italk to my two goldfish a little bit too.

Once I had done all of this, itwas really my parents' call still. My parents are reallygreat people. They saw how hard I had worked and wanted this,and knew that my responsibility level was as high as it needed to be,and so they agreed to take care of any vet bills that my rabbit wouldneed in the future. I paid for the first vet visit with someleft-over money I had, but the rest was all them. They alsoagreed to help with the costs of food. Of course all of thiswas accompanied with 20 million questions that my Dad asked every nightabout the care of rabbits. I have dubbed him "TheQuizmaster"!

I think that half of the decisionto get a new pet is probably still going to be your parents'.Unfortunately, that's kinda what happens when you live withthem. :? Hopefully, your parents are as kind andunderstanding as mine were. Wow them with knowledge aboutrabbits, andsweeten them upwith adorable picturesof rabbits! If they do still tell you no (which your Daddoesn't seem like he's going to), try not to get too mad atthem. Just keep pushing for it, and learning more, andeventually you might convince them.

Good luck! And I wrote a TON! My fingers hurt....

--Melissa and Umbra

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

It doesn't matter how nice the dog is, most dogsare naturally hunters and, as nice as they are to humans, will eat upyour rabbit before you even know its gone. Its sad but, that's life. SoI suggest you keep your dog and rabbit seperate. No rabbit is easy totake care of. The angoras have to be brushed lots, while the dwarfslike mine, tend to be nippy at times and will bite you....(in the butttoo lol). So I'd do as much research as you can.

 

[Dawn]

mom2many wrote:

My husbandhas the same rules for me getting more animals. My number onejob is to take care of our house and family, if I can't manage tomaintain my home and proper care of my children and hubby thenobviously I'm too busy for more animals.

Thats a Very good rule!!
Only my bunny makes less of a mess than my Boy friend!! LOL

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I know I am totally going against what everyone issaying. But you can introduce your rabbit and dog through a gate orsomething see-through where the bunny is safe from the dog. If theyseem to get along, and the rabbit is not afraid (I would suggest atleast a week of introduction this way) then you can remove the barrieras long as you have a hold of the dogs collar.

I introduced Mocha to my sisters Golden Retriever, which as you know,is a retrieving breed and is likely to attack or "retrieve" it, butMaggie didn't do anything, they just did a lot of chasing eachotheraround fighting over an apple branch piece. They LOVE to play together,and I allow it as long as I am there to supervise.

Not all dogs get along with rabbits, but some do, so don't bestereotypical of the dogs. I mean Maggie was so attached to Mocha thatwhen I put him away she started whining.

Laura

 

[Dawn]

I agree with you M&SMom my sister has alittle miniaturepincher and itplays so nice and genital with my sisters bunny. Iyhink ithelps that the bunnyweighs more than the dogButit is just too cute to see them together playing.