What should I say to her?

[Shadow13]

My friend just came over yesterday and was playing with my rabbit and she really liked him. Now I found out today she now wants a rabbit just because I have one. I know for a fact she’s not prepared to have a rabbit nor does she even know anything about rabbits. This would also be her first pet. If she ends up getting a rabbit I don’t think she would take very good care of it just knowing her personality and sees how she pet my bunny shadow yesterday. (It was like a hard massage around his neck which he absolutely hated). I’ve told her before that rabbits are a HUGE responsibility because of how often some need to go to the vet, how long they can live, and how much money the cost. She also is a very busy person doing at least 2 hour activities everyday except Saturday and Sunday. This would make it hard for the rabbit to get the full 8 hour exercise it needs. Since she would go to school tell 4 have activities for at least 2 hours and she normally goes to bed around 9-10 so that leaves a maximum time of 3-4 hours out a day if she even did take they rabbit out.
I’ve kind of been stressed out about this so that’s why I posted this.
So I wanted to know what you all think about this. Should she get one or not? And is there anything else I can tell her so she doesn’t get a rabbit. I don’t want to be mean.

[Wick & Fable]

I don’t think it’d be mean to tell someone their current lifestyle would not work well with a particular pet. Just let them know, citing your experience. If they become defensive and offer solutions, point out if those solutions are realistic, something they could keep up with consistently, and also how that’d affect an actual pet.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Dface]

Alternativley try remembering all the bad things your rabbit has done (peeing on your bed, chewing your wires, digging the carpet, how it smells bad) We all know as bunny lovers that these are all fixable and that you end up not caring, but making her very aware of the “problems” could be a good idea. (and maybe tlking them up a bit) hearing what terrors they can be might discourage her from getting one

[Mikey]

You could also advise her to read through BinkyBunny forums When people meet my bunnies and say they are starting to look for one, I point them here. After reading through a few of the scary threads (“is this dangerous for my bunny?” “spay/neuter recovery is not going well…” “my rabbit ate through my carpet!”, ect) it usually changes peoples minds about getting a bun.

[Wick & Fable]

Dface brings up a wonderful point. It’s pretty easy to convince people out of pet rabbits when you let them know that rabbits typically hate being picked up, chew on everything, require rabbit proofing of your household, jump on everything, etc..

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Shadow13]

Thanks! I will definitely try all these tips

[Author]

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