Any suggestions?

[soon to be rabbit owner]

Hi everybody! I am new to the forum, and I would like to adopt a rabbit. I have not yet, but my friend has been pressuring me, and I have come to realize that, through research, a rabbit seems like the right pet for me.

I have two questions. First of all, I own two young cats. They are not very aggressive, but then again, I have never had a bunny, and I am worried that the cats might attack. My friend has said that a larger rabbit may work well with cats, but I would still like suggestions.

Secondly, I need to convince my family that a rabbit is a good pet, and that they are not smelly or unclean. Any tips

Thank you so much! 

[Juniper]

My bunny is medium sized and could beat my full-grown cat in a fight.  Also, bunnies are only smelly if the cage is not cleaned. Bunnies are very clean animals, so they will clean themselves. This doesn’t mean you can skip brushing them, though. Bunnies will shed a lot if they aren’t groomed or brushed. All of this aside, bunnies are very great animals, but aren’t for everyone. I read about them for months, but no amount of reading could have prepared me for the amount of time and responsibility they need. I recommend adopting from a shelter. But beware, bunnies have very different personalities. Some are sweet, some are hyper, some are mean, etc. If you want a lower maintenance pet, go for guinea pigs. I love piggies!

[tobyluv]

Hi and welcome to Binky Bunny! You shouldn’t let anyone pressure you into getting a pet. That needs to be your decision. You are the one who will be taking care of the rabbit for 10 years (or more). There are expenses involved. You need to make sure that no one is allergic to rabbits or to hay, which is the most important food for them and which they should have 24/7. You will need to find a vet who treats “exotics”, which is what rabbits are considered. Costs of spay and neuter are more expensive for rabbits. If you adopted from a rescue, the rabbit would probably already be spayed or neutered. You will need to buy fresh produce on a regular basis. They can’t stay cooped in a cage all day, so besides having an adequate size cage or x-pen, they will need to be let out at times during the day. Most rabbits are bad chewers, so any room they are in has to be “bunny proofed”. Regarding the fact that you have cats. Some people do successfully have rabbits and cats or rabbits and dogs in the same household, but rabbits are prey animals and cats and dogs are predators and they can act on instinct. There have been posts here in the past, where a cat scratched a rabbit’s eye. You would have to be very careful when introducing them and not leave them alone until you were sure that there wouldn’t be any problems. I don’t know if you’ve seen the BUNNY INFO link at the top of each page, but it has a lot of good information.

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