Would like some info from a expert rabbit keeper/breeding on keeping them as pets..?
I see lots of things on rabbits here… But nothing directly pointing to on how they will be as a pet.. Well, at least not while I’m on here, and not as informative as I’d like.
I would like to here from people who’ve been keeping them for years.. And no answers like, "oMG! They’re so cute! Get one!"
Them being cute is the least thing I’m worried about.
First, do any specific breed of rabbit make better pets than others?
How much are they? I have a cage already.. So what would I be expected to spend on the rabbit and any other supplies?
Do they smell? Do they ever need baths?
Are they sweet and cuddly and like human interactions?
I’ve heard from different people that rabbits make great cuddly pets.. And then I’ve heard that once they age, they do not, and will bite. I don’t want an animal that won’t let me hold it and will bite.. So any info on this would be great.
I have 3 dogs (a 4 month chihuaha, 1 y/o retriever, 11 y/o lab). All dogs are really sweet and wouldn’t hurt a thing. In fact, the 85lb retriever, ever so gently plays with the 3.3lb chihuahua. But does anyone see this as posing a treat to a rabbit? Once again, I KNOW my dogs, and I KNOW they would not attempt to catch and kill it.
Besides my 3 dogs, I have 3 fish tanks (2 with fish, one thats still cycling)… So I know the amount of care they all require.
But how much does a rabbit require? Cleaning wise, what do I need to do weekly, and how long does it take?
Any other care info I should know?
This all started when I went to buy a new filter at our local pet store… They had a mini rex/lionhead rabbit that was already potty trained.. And I fell in love. But, I always must know everything before actually considering a new pet.
Besides having these questions answered I honestly wouldn’t mind if someone wanted to volunteer to just talk back in forth with me about this. I’m sure I’ll have future questions and worries if I continue on this thought… Plus, I just like having informative people to talk to about my animals… lol.
Is there any questions you think I may have forgotten?
Sorry for the long post and lots of questions. I’m very interested and would appreciate any tips, info, or comments! Thanks!
Oh… And if I did get a rabbit and it wasn’t already littler trained.. How hard is it? And how do you do it…?
Let me preface this by saying that I’m definitely not a rabbit expert. 
Breed:
However, when I was younger, my mom used to breed lionhead rabbits. My experience with them was a very positive one. I was only around 9-11 years old, and the rabbits were not used to my presence because I don’t live with her, but all but 2 of the adult breeders were very friendly with me. (Even the other 2 were not "bad." One was a very timid female; the other was a feisty alpha male.) They were also good with my little sister, who is not exactly a calm kid. 
Granted, she lives there year-round so they were more used to her. Still, I think that’s fairly impressive.
Cost:
The cage is what accounts for most of the expenses for a rabbit. Just make sure it’s large enough. You can always extend the cage with a playpen if you wanted to. Like other small mammals, bunnies like to RRRUUNNNN!!!! Anyways, without the cage, I’d expect to spend ABOUT 50-60 dollars, definitely not more than that though.
Smell/Bathing:
If you keep the cage clean, they shouldn’t smell. You do need to brush their fur regularly, and sometimes the area around the bum will need wiped off if poo or other waste gets in the fur. However, actual baths are only a 1-2 times a month thing.
Cuddle Factor:
To my knowledge, lionheads are good cuddlers. They would let me sit and brush them while I watched tv, and would come sit by me or on my lap when they got tired from exploring. Personality is a huge factor obviously. Some rabbits will be more cuddly than others. Also, the amount of handling they recieve plays a huge part. I favored this one albino boy named Monet. He was super social and friendly. Luckilly he went to a great home to be a family pet. The buyers actually contacted my mom later on and said how shocked they were at how friendly Monet was and continued to be.
Dogs:
Honestly the stress is my biggest concern. I might question an older chihuahua’s reaction, but since your’s is still young I would not deem him a threat. If the chihuahua was older he might be a little more snippy…but all of this is based on my own chihuahua’s behavior…he’s a friggin pain in the butt. Hehehe. Just keep the rabbit separate from the dogs for the first few days. After that, SLOWLY introduce the dogs to the rabbit INSIDE the cage. Only when both parties are comfortable should you try getting the rabbit and letting them scope each other out.
Cleaning:
Change the bedding and disinfect the cage and accessories once a week. It should only take about half an hour at most. Make sure you have a carrier or playpen to keep the rabbit on while cleaning the cage.
(Eek! I’ve been reading this as I go, and I just saw that the one you looked at was a lionhead mix! That’s too weird…!)
Other random things:
OXBOW, OXBOW, OXBOW. Nuf said. Other than that…meh, you know to do your research so I won’t bother.
—-
Potty training:
I actually had my hamster potty trained, and I know the method is basically the same. You will notice that your rabbit will choose one spot as the preferred dumping zone (O.o). Put the litter box and some soiled bedding in that spot. The rabbit should automatically go in the litter pan on its own. Once it’s completely used to it, you can slowly move the pan over to a more convenient spot, although they usually pick a corner anyways so you may not even have to do this. Training my hamster was a cake walk.
April 16th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
You have alot of questions to be answered. I own a mini rex and a holland lop. My rex is a neutered male and my lop is a spayed female. Both are fixed, as rabbits should be. You need a good rabbit read. Look up the book Rabbits for Dummies. It will answer all those questions for you and more! Its worth the buy. I constantly go back to it. It tells you absolutely everything you need from picking the right breed for you, to housing, handling, etc. Trust me with this. It’s an awesome book!! I bought mine from Pet Smart. If you dont have a store near you, you can order it online. And good for you for doing your research before getting a bunny. They are alot of work, more than most people realize. My two are my dogs, no joke! I have about $1500 invested in them, with housing, vet bills (fixing and check ups) and spoiling them with toys! Love them to death, you’ll never find any bunny that are better taken care of then mine! And I got alot of my info from that book!
Good Luck!!
References :
April 16th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I agree with the 1st answer. I have several thousand dollars in my dwarf and she’s not even a show rabbit!!!!!!! That’s with cages/playpens/and medical only-not counting food/time/and the rest of her life syringe feeding her. Rabbits are the hardest pets to care for besides a dog. You can also research online..I did about of year of research before getting a rabbit and when the vet couldn’t save my rabbit from dying, I did by my 2nd round of research of about another year..She would have died if I wasn’t willing to be so determined to save her. I had to rush home ever 3-4 hours to syringe feed her when she stopped eating..Everything medically wrong was ruled out, plus, I had to keep hot-wrapped water bottles around clock for her to lay against to keep her body from shutting down. It took me over a year to stabilize her..No thanks to the damn vet!!!!!!! Now, the reason I still syringe feed her is to keep her from ever getting back to square 1. She eats on her own now, but I will never trust her to eat enough to keep her from getting back to the way she was. Honestly, I believe she stopped eating on her own due to my son and I crying so much over our beloved dog we lost almost 3 years ago. Everything the vet had me doing-my research showed me the vet was wrong!!!!!! Make sure you have the time, money, and determination to care for a rabbit. They are cute, loving, and are very tempting to get..But, Many people forget and doesn’t know or care, about the hard work it takes to properly care for a rabbit. Now, AFTER your research and you commit to getting a rabbit..I am emailing you my main email address to help you with anything I can..But, right now..You need to research and decide if you can make that kind of commitment. With proper care, a rabbit can live past 10 years. Cami is 6 now and despite what she went through- is 6 now and very spunky and happy. TC!!!!!!!
References :
April 16th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Let me preface this by saying that I’m definitely not a rabbit expert.
Breed:
Granted, she lives there year-round so they were more used to her. Still, I think that’s fairly impressive.
However, when I was younger, my mom used to breed lionhead rabbits. My experience with them was a very positive one. I was only around 9-11 years old, and the rabbits were not used to my presence because I don’t live with her, but all but 2 of the adult breeders were very friendly with me. (Even the other 2 were not "bad." One was a very timid female; the other was a feisty alpha male.) They were also good with my little sister, who is not exactly a calm kid.
Cost:
The cage is what accounts for most of the expenses for a rabbit. Just make sure it’s large enough. You can always extend the cage with a playpen if you wanted to. Like other small mammals, bunnies like to RRRUUNNNN!!!! Anyways, without the cage, I’d expect to spend ABOUT 50-60 dollars, definitely not more than that though.
Smell/Bathing:
If you keep the cage clean, they shouldn’t smell. You do need to brush their fur regularly, and sometimes the area around the bum will need wiped off if poo or other waste gets in the fur. However, actual baths are only a 1-2 times a month thing.
Cuddle Factor:
To my knowledge, lionheads are good cuddlers. They would let me sit and brush them while I watched tv, and would come sit by me or on my lap when they got tired from exploring. Personality is a huge factor obviously. Some rabbits will be more cuddly than others. Also, the amount of handling they recieve plays a huge part. I favored this one albino boy named Monet. He was super social and friendly. Luckilly he went to a great home to be a family pet. The buyers actually contacted my mom later on and said how shocked they were at how friendly Monet was and continued to be.
Dogs:
Honestly the stress is my biggest concern. I might question an older chihuahua’s reaction, but since your’s is still young I would not deem him a threat. If the chihuahua was older he might be a little more snippy…but all of this is based on my own chihuahua’s behavior…he’s a friggin pain in the butt. Hehehe. Just keep the rabbit separate from the dogs for the first few days. After that, SLOWLY introduce the dogs to the rabbit INSIDE the cage. Only when both parties are comfortable should you try getting the rabbit and letting them scope each other out.
Cleaning:
Change the bedding and disinfect the cage and accessories once a week. It should only take about half an hour at most. Make sure you have a carrier or playpen to keep the rabbit on while cleaning the cage.
(Eek! I’ve been reading this as I go, and I just saw that the one you looked at was a lionhead mix! That’s too weird…!)
Other random things:
OXBOW, OXBOW, OXBOW. Nuf said. Other than that…meh, you know to do your research so I won’t bother.
—-
Potty training:
I actually had my hamster potty trained, and I know the method is basically the same. You will notice that your rabbit will choose one spot as the preferred dumping zone (O.o). Put the litter box and some soiled bedding in that spot. The rabbit should automatically go in the litter pan on its own. Once it’s completely used to it, you can slowly move the pan over to a more convenient spot, although they usually pick a corner anyways so you may not even have to do this. Training my hamster was a cake walk.
References :
April 16th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
You need to keep on the just admire, rabbits are very delicate to take care of. They can’t be too hot or too cold! But they can live in groups. Your attitude is all wrong for a rabbit for a pet. They are not just "so cute", that statement alone keeps you on the admirer side as opposed to keeping one as a pet.
References :