Parents?

[Bunbun101]

My parents hate animals. My mom is allergic to most animals but not rabbits. I currently have one who is spoiled beyond wildest dreams. When I am at school, my mom and dad are both at work, so there is no one with my rabbit. She gets extremly lonley and sometimes won’t eat her hay. Lately I have brought up the idea of a second rabbit. They firmly said no. I respect their descision but I know it can be swayed. I have lots of time on my hands and have a small summer job. Even if the bonding didn’t work out, I would still be able to take care of both of the rabbits separately. What can I say to my parents to convince them that a second rabbit wouldn’t be a bad idea? My mom loves my current rabbit, which surprised me a lot. To get my first rabbit, whew, that took 4 months. They said no, no, no. But they underestimated my determination… 

[LBJ10]

Have you tried leaving a radio or tv on when you’re not home. Sometimes just having human sounds helps.

I don’t really have any advice for convincing your parents. Perhaps if you gather up some information about the benefits of having a pair, that would help. And, of course, if you can pay for all of the associated expenses then that might help as well. It always helps to have a plan and show how you’re being responsible.

[Sarita]

My rabbit is home alone all day as well and he’s just fine.

[Roberta]

A plushie is good too. They do tend to sleep all day so having a plushie friend gives them something to snuggle with. Pascal loves Mr PB and Nermal has Road Kill Skunk and Frank the Wonder Plushie, she ripped the limbs off Mr Heffalump, I’m guessing she doesn’t like blue.

[Bunbun101]

She has a stuffed animal in there but she knows Mr. AustralianShepherd isn’t real and ignores him . The tv and radio cannot be unplugged and they aren’t anywhere near my room, so even if I turned up the volume all the way, I still wouldn’t be able to hear it from my room. She might be able to though. And even if she could my parents wouldn’t let me have it on all day.

[Flopsie]

I think to better help you first we need to know what is the reason why they don’t want a second rabbit. I would guess getting a rabbit would be harder than getting a second one. Since they relented the first time, can you tell us what reasons they agreed on letting you get the first and why they are apprehensive about the second?

[Bunbun101]

@Flopsie your bun is adorable btw.
Ok so I pay for everything that comes to my rabbit: food, bedding, and all of the other supplies. This is what I think convinced them. They say that one is enough but I know that two are better than one. I asked them for reasons a while ago and my mom is this type,”Because I said so!”

[Sarita]

Well, I have to be honest with you that two are better than one is not the case – it sounds like you want another one and that’s okay. I honestly would say to you that just love the one you have and don’t push your parents…not what you want to hear obviously….

[LBJ10]

There are certainly benefits to having a pair (as I hinted at before), but Sarita is right. Having a pair isn’t always the best solution. I say do some research on the pros and cons, making sure to play out any possible scenarios in your head. Sometimes what humans want and what bunnies want are not the same thing. What if they don’t bond? You said that you could take care of them separately, but that doesn’t solve your problem of a “lonely” bunny. I’m not saying this to be mean, I’m just offering up suggestions for what you should be thinking about if you’re really serious about getting a second bunny (for whatever reason).

[LBJ10]

Could you buy an inexpensive radio for your room?

[Flopsie]

so I agree, two isn’t always better than one, in fact 1 + 1 doesn’t always equal 2 in this case when it comes to responsibility. Having 2 doesn’t necessarily mean its double the responsibility, it might mean more.

A lot of other people have responded on maybe just sticking with one for now, I have to say, i don’t disagree with them. It might not be worth pushing. However, I also believe in that the “heart wants what it wants.” This has definitely gotten me into trouble at times. Haha. Given that, I will try my best to help you convince them.

1. i think that you need to approach this from a logical and factual approach. No emotion

2. You need to find out why your parents don’t want it.. it might be a deal breaker. There has to be a reason for their response. Do they think you aren’t taking enough responsibility with your current one? Is the area messy? Do they feel like you are neglecting other duties? Do they think it is a waste of money? There can be a lot of reasons why they think its a bad idea. It would be ideal to find out why because then you can address it. Sometimes, they just don’t think another is necessary, if that is the case, then your request will be more difficult

3. Once you find out what the reason is, try to approach them about what you can do to address those concerns. Outline a plan if needed. Create a contract with them if you need to so that you can abide by the rules. You have to show that you are serious and responsible.

4. have an open discussion with them. Ask them if you can discuss as a family of having another pet. If they say no, don’t fight it, keep the door open by asking if you guys can come back and revisit the conversation in a few months. When a few months have gone, revisit the conversation in a logical, and mature manner.

5. Ask questions, be open minded, try to understand where their concerns are so that you can best address them.

Good luck!

FYI, thanks for the comment! Flopsie can be quite cute when she wants to be

[Beka27]

Something I did not see mentioned is vet care. Do you pay for that as well? It’s cheaper to vet one rabbit than two. If one or both require expensive treatment/medication, you need to make sure that this can be provided.

I am firmly in the “don’t rock the boat” camp. You have one, focus your energies on her! Give her lots of love and spoil her! When you’re out on your own, you can have 2 (3,4,5,etc) and no one can say anything about it!

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