rabbits vs. ferrets

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Perez28

Perez28

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middletown, New York, USA
Ok so id like to know if anyone on the forum has ever owned a ferret and if so please explain if bunnies are anything like them for instance do bunnies have an odor and how hard are they to litter train compared to a ferret ive heard its hard to compare bunnies to other animals just wondering cause ive had ferrets and for the life of me could not train them to do their buisness were they needed to go and there odor was horrid i trained different ways used different litters and boxes i spent a year trying when my parents had enough i dont want that to be the case if i get a bunny i have cats so cleaning a bunny litter box everyday isnt a big deal and a weekly cleanout is a breeze constant food no problem but i had to clean the ferret cage 3 times a day every day it took an hour each time no joke cuz they had fecies every where so if anyone out there went through what i did could you tell me if caring for a bunny is anything like that:pray:
 
Perez28 wrote:
Ok so id like to know if anyone on the forum has ever owned a ferret and if so please explain if bunnies are anything like them for instance do bunnies have an odor and how hard are they to litter train compared to a ferret ive heard its hard to compare bunnies to other animals just wondering cause ive had ferrets and for the life of me could not train them to do their buisness were they needed to go and there odor was horrid i trained different ways used different litters and boxes i spent a year trying when my parents had enough i dont want that to be the case if i get a bunny i have cats so cleaning a bunny litter box everyday isnt a big deal and a weekly cleanout is a breeze constant food no problem but i had to clean the ferret cage 3 times a day every day it took an hour each time no joke cuz they had fecies every where so if anyone out there went through what i did could you tell me if caring for a bunny is anything like that:pray:
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[align=center]My Aunt had Ferrets and from seeing them and having bunnies- Bunnies are less smelly. Like, definitely.

If you keep their litterbox clean, they hardly smell at all. Their poop is easier to clean up as well (they poop to mark territory sometimes). They mostly use a litterbox though (more likely if they're fixed, and if you get them from the Humane Society, they come fixed.)

Bunnies are very different from ferrets. =]
 
did your aunt successfully litter train her ferrets if she did would u say its easier than a bunny cause those ferrets potty habits were a nightmare
 
They may not come fixed, I got Becky from the SPCA and they didn't know if she was fixed or not! They really were clueless when it came to rabbits.

I have never had a ferrit because the smell in the pet store is horrible! Becky herself has no smell. Her litterbox is very tame in comparison and I only smell it when I am emptying it. She is in my bedroom, I wouldn't tollerate even pet mice or hampsters in my bedroom because of their smell.
 
That good news because their smell really is bad how often do u clean your box ive heard every day every 2 or 3 days and some say once or twice a week
 
@Perez: Yes, I think so. She had like 10 but she always kept their cages really clean which was why it was crazy they smell so bad!

@Brandy: That's crazy =O Lol! My Humane Societies get a lot of rabbits so yeah.. They always check and see if they're fixed.
 
Perez28 wrote:
So do u think bunnies are easier to take care of not saying easy takig care of any animal properly is hard but easier?
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It comes down to what you define as easy. Rabbits do need out of cage time like ferrets and the area needs to be rabbit proofed. Rabbit proofing is probably easier than ferret proofing as rabbits can't get into spaces like a ferret and they don't climb like a ferret would. Rabbits aren't playful like ferrets, they don't wrestle and want to climb all over you, they prefer to run around and chase. I don't know if rabbits are any easier to litter train, but if they miss the box the poops are easy to clean and the pee is usually not too bad. They can have odor, but it is usually from a dirty litter box or the scent glands. Since rabbits are herbivores, the poop doesn't smell like carnivore poop. In the cage, rabbits need more floor space while ferrets can deal with more levels and tubes and hammocks.

I can't really say if rabbits are easier as I have never had a ferret. I would imagine that cleaning would be easier just based on the kind of poop. Rabbits do require a specific diet and can be messy (mostly hay and litter).
 
I clean her litter box every other day and the whole cage & play pen area once a week. The biggest mess is hay getting everywhere, but sweeping with a rubber broom helps greatly. I sweep the stray hay back into the play pen most days so it doesn't get tracked through the house.

Personally I think once you have the diet down and everything set up they are only slightly more than a cat. I don't have a dog, but I'm guessing they are less work since you don't have to take them out. However, I do observe my rabbit more carefully to make sure she is not chewing on things or have any health issues. I look at the contents of the bunny litter box more carefully than the contents of the cats' litter box. That is just me though.

I think it is wonderful that you are getting education BEFORE the rabbit. The House Rabbit Society has a great webpage full of educational articles as well.
 
Thanx guys u r a lot of help the fact that you can do it every other day is very cool that to me is low maintenence and i would definetely agree for a once a week over all cleaning so far the only thing that would make me a bit unsure on deciding to get a rabbit is the teritorial pills ive heard that even being altered they can still leave them around a bit even tho odorless and easy to clean my parents just wouldnt be okay with the reality that something exited the wrong side of a bunny on to our floor has anyone mastered their rabbits enough to keep pills away:dunno
 
i would definately not say that rabbits are low maintenance. definately much more work than a cat or dog. but it just depends whether you see it as being worth it.

remember rabbits can live for up to 16 years so it's not a temporary pet
 
Holly- out of curiosity, why do you feel they are so much work? I have heard this before. Perhaps I am doing something wrong?



EDIT: I may just have a different perspective. After all, I have turtles which are a 100 year commitment, so 16 doesn't seem that long to me. Yes we have made arrangements if the turtles out live us.
 
MiniLopHop wrote:
Holly- out of curiosity, why do you feel they are so much work? I have heard this before. Perhaps I am doing something wrong?

 

EDIT: I may just have a different perspective. After all, I have turtles which are a 100 year commitment, so 16 doesn't seem that long to me. Yes we have made arrangements if the turtles out live us.
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cleaning mainly... *sigh*

also i think health issues are much more challenging with rabbits than any other animal. so hard and expensive to diagnose and fix etc. most vets have no clue so you really have to be intuitive and well researched.

also, bonding is a pain in the butt
 
Becky is picking out a husbunny next weekend so I will start that process soon. I'm setting up the xpens in my office tomorrow to make sure we have everything we need.

I'm extremely lucky that my vet really knows what she is doing. The clinic works with several rabbit rescues in the area and people drive for hours to go to them. I love to watch her for hours every day so I just know if she is off.
 
Well when it comes to medical stuff im getting my first job and since i dont have bills or any other responsibilities everything would be going to the welfare of the rabbit and im sure that they arent "low" maintnence just less than those other crazy fuzz butts and i've heard about the problems with bonding i'm pretty confident though i've rehabilitated a few nasty feral cats mostly i find that just letting them come to you and patience is the key most people say the same about rabbit bonding
 
Perez28 wrote:
Well when it comes to medical stuff im getting my first job and since i dont have bills or any other responsibilities everything would be going to the welfare of the rabbit and im sure that they arent "low" maintnence just less than those other crazy fuzz butts and i've heard about the problems with bonding i'm pretty confident though i've rehabilitated a few nasty feral cats mostly i find that just letting them come to you and patience is the key most people say the same about rabbit bonding
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i dont know about in your town but bunny operations are exxxxxpensive. i've heard of people paying in the thousands. just be prepared. if you can maybe get insurance?
 
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