Can someone who actually has a lop rabbit tell me....?

Question

Is it a good pet to have? My friend wants a rabbit but he's not sure if it's a good pet and also the fact that they chew everything might be problem. Can you leave them in a cage during the day and then just play with them in the evening? They seem very relaxed in the petshop. Also, what is the best breed to get?

Answer 1

OK for someone who owns 2, I figure I would offer my opinion...
Only if you have the patience for a rabbit should you own one. Yes, they can stay in the cage during the day...but if you want a tame and friendly rabbit they need a lot of interaction. They are very lovable, and need love and affection.
They (like any rodent) chew, mine chew like crazy. You need to provide them with chew sticks and salt licks, along with a variety of food. They need alfalfa every now and then, along with other special treats to provide them with vitamins and nutrients.
If you're going to have it roam through the house remember to have the vacuum on hand at all times and be careful because THEY DO CHEW, mine chewed through a phone cord once and got a horrible zap. You have to keep an eye on them.
They need a decent sized cage, considering they are originally wild animals who roam freely. Make sure they are provided with a nice bed of either hay, or wood chips. They also like to have a "safe hut" basically mine is just a wooden box with a hole cut out for them to climb into (and it provides them something to chew).
Also being they aren't able to roam in the wild and get those vitamins and minerals you might want to consider supplimenting their water once every 2 weeks or so with either vitamin drops or even something as simple as tang. We're not talking go overboard...just enough to ensure they are getting vitamins and minerals. Too much much cause them to have an upset tummy, and difficulty or extreme ease with bowel movements. A few drops of one or a spoon full of tang should suffice. Plus it's a nice treat.
Um that is about all I can think of for now. Consider maybe litter box training it, so you should get one fairly young, otherwise you have to clean the entire cage once a week. With the litter box you change it everyday or everyother day and clean the cage itself about once every 2 week to once a month to ensure fresh bedding.
I hope this helps. Let me know if I left something out.

Answer 2

I have a rabbit, and have bred rabbits too. Pet store bunnies are usually "culls", or rabbits that have been bred specifically for the pet store market. For this reason, I recommend getting a rabbit from a reputable breeder. Rabbits do chew everything, so the owner of a run-of-house bunny must bunnyproof electrical cords and be quite vigilant - they can't be left unsupervised. People will tell you they can be litter trained, but that's touch and go, usually you find yourself having to vaccuum a lot of bunny poops. They are crepuscular, which means that they are most active at dawn and dusk, so first thing in the morning and evening are good playtimes. Generally, the larger the head of the rabbit, the better pet it will be. Lop rabbits make good pets, as do New Zealands and Californians. The very small breeds can be snappish and skittish. Look for a rabbit with eyes that don't bulge, that doesn't scrabble and scratch when held, and doesn't bite. Rabbits have to be spayed or neutered, and if they get sick, the vet bills can really add up, so that should be considered also.

If you're looking for a friendly, low-maintenance pet, I'd recommend a cat.

Answer 3

My rabbit was very cool,

When he was young he lived indoors, lived in a cage, except when we played with him or he was hanging out at home with us.
chewed up the carpet, and would bite electric
wires in half,
he was good about using his litter box., except those coco puffs always were popping out

When he grew up, I built a Condo with a large basement for him in the enclosed back yard

He loved the Freedom of no cage , once he figured out that he had the run of the yard .
He would stand in one spot and jump straight up in the air , just cause he was happy, always he was practicing jumping, and then running fast, then stop, and your eyes would lose track of him, he was expert at that, standing by a bush and blending in
it is important to a rabbit to have freedom,
he had to learn how to jump,

I would call him or whistle and he would come running, he played tug of war with a towel just like a dog,
his favorite game was for me to pick flowers and stuff and feed him,
He would follow me all over the yard, and help me whenever I was working in the yard


living indoors
He did not know how to dig a hole,. so one day I showed him how it was done
dig with his front paws,, and kick it out with the rear

Wow did he catch on fast. He started tunnelling , digging up the yard, I never knew they were such awesome diggers, I had to block his excursions under the house.

Somedays he would have his friends the neighborhood cats over to work on their suntans, the cats were about the same size, he was a big rabbit by this time, they all got along well,

the dogs are dangerous for rabbits but cats are OK,.
I thought the cats were sorta boring company, but it amused him .
He kept the lawn and all the plants well trimmed you could see he was eating from the ground to about 1 foot high.

He enjoyed his condo, there were several entrances , and plenty of dirt, in an area where it twas always high and could not flood.

Most of all he loved his freedom, never even wanted to come into the house at all.

Rabbits do not live very long, they usually die of a heart attack, and they are so cute, it is very sad , when they go to the big rabbit tunnel .

They are territorial, and this one was attacking another rabbit , since we originally had two, one we gave away.

An amusing story, when I was getting him ready to move outside, the first thing I didwas take all the screen off of his indoor cage,
thinking he would hop down and get used to living without being in a pen.
Well after 3-4 days he was still sitting in his cage, just as if it still had walls,

Dumb bunny is right, I could not get him to make the move on his own, and had to evict him and remove the cage



\

There were rabbit cCoCo puffs every where

Answer 4

I have had lop rabbits in the past and they make lovely pets. One of my rabbits had a facination with tearing up newspaper but chewing is not usually a problem. Just don't leave them running about the house unattended and keep them in their hutch the rest of the time.

As long as they have fresh hay, bedding(in our case newspaper), food and water they should be fine in a rabbit hutch during the day. However during spring/summer we kept our rabbit outside in an enclosure on the lawn during the day as it gave him room to run about.

I'm not sure about which breed is best, I would just get one you like.

Answer 5

I've had multiple rabbits in the past, and from personal experience male rabbits are calmer and more friendly. I have had two purebred female rabbits, both of which were mean and bit [so it broke the skin], but then I recieved a free male mixed rabbit from a friend who was very friendly and loved attention. My cousin's have had lop rabbits and they all have been calm and friendly also. I hope this helps. :)

Answer 6

You've had some good answers, the only thing I'd add is that lop eared rabbits are more prone to ear canker so you have to check them at least once a week.
Plus rabbits need vaccinating against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease. They also get a disease called 'coccidiosis'. Google for it or tell your mate to ask the vet.

Answer 7

loops make great pets we had several we also breed Rex which look like heirs with a short coat like velvet how about a dwarf breed, it all depends on the situation were they live if thay have a garden rabbits love a run outside in warm weather as long as they have plenty of water food and some shelter and love to play chase when thay run and jump just for the joy of it its so funny one rabbit we knew loved a ball to play with.

Answer 8

Nah...they poop all over everything.Keep them in the cage.

Answer 9

yep i had one it was sooo cute!