I've been wanting to get a rabbit, but others say that they're hard to take care of...?

Question

Is this true?

Answer 1

Not hard, but they do need time and attention. They need a roomy cage with a solid floor for small to medium bunnies. They appreciate a nest box to hide or sleep in. They must have hay as their main diet--alfalfa for very young bunnies is OK but adults need grass hay like timothy. Alfalfa is too high in calcium. Give only 1/4 cup of pellets for every 5 lbs. of weight. A water bottle with fresh water daily. They are very prone to hair balls, so furry bunnies should be groomed regularly. New bunnies should have a vet check for ear mites and intestinal parasites. A yearly check up is a good idea, but no shots are needed. Keep nails trimmed. Handle often and gently--a struggling rabbit can break it's back rather easily! They can be litter trained, but if left unsupervised will often chew on and destroy anything they can. Neutering males and females will help decrease aggressiveness--some bunnies are very aggressive. Uterine cancer is very common in middle aged-older bunnies (another good reason to spay).

Answer 2

NO!

I have bred rabbits for six years, and if they are properly cared for they will never need a vet visit.

They need a properly sized cage and daily food and water, at the very least. Otherwise toys can be homemade and playing with your rabbit is as simple as letting it run around in your house or backyard. They can be potty trained, but I have never actually done it.

Answer 3

Rabbits are high maintanance pets. They are not the cute nose twitching fluff balls that people think. There are many things to consider when purchasing a pet.

The start up for a rabbit will be around 500 dollars, and you should always have about $1000 set aside for emergencies. You need cage, bedding, waterbottle, bowls, hay, veggies, pellets, toys(expect these to be ruined, I replace toys once a month), litter boxes, etc.

Not all rabbits are friendly. Most do not like to be held or cuddled. They freak out if they are picked up incorrectly and kick with thier back legs.

They are farily independant when they are out of thier cage. I consider mine pretty friendly, tolerates being picked up, pet in cage, but even she will not let me pet her once she is out. If you don't mind watching a rabbit run and hop, then they make good pets.Rabbits have a specific diet. Under one year they need alphalpha hay, and pellets, with veggies introduced one at a time. After one year they need mostly veggies(mine gets two cups of assorted veggies, half cup pellets and timothy hay),no more alphalpha past one year. Weight needs to be maintained, as over weight rabbits will have health issues.

Rabbits need to be spayed/neutered. Males will have sexual agression, and females can get cancers if not altered.

Rabbits need a cage large enough to hop around and should be out of thier cage for several hours per day. They must be supervised as they chew wires, books, carpet, etc. They are destructive, I knew a person whose rabbit ripped the wallpaper off the wall. Be prepared to have bare spots in your carpet from chewing and furniture ruined.

Keeping a rabbit outside is not advised as they can be killed by predators. No hutch is completely secure against dogs, raccons, etc. Your rabbit will need to be kept inside.

They most certainly smell, the urine is very potent. They urinate frequently, my rabbit can sometimes drink an entire water bottle(32 oz) in one day. There poo gets everywhere. They can be litter trained, but are not like cats that will seek out the litter box. You need several boxes all over and even then they might not use it when out of the cage.

Rabbits are messy, they like to dig and throw out litter, I find poo pellet everywhere around the cage.

I have a rabbit and love her, but that is because I respect and understand the kind of pet a rabbit is. Rabbits are not for everyone, and it depends on what you are looking for. If you don't mind a pet that is not too cuddly, does thier own thing, than a rabbit may work for you. Reversely if you are looking for a pet that can be held then you may want to go in a different direction.

Answer 4

No Not at all! In my opinion they're one of the easiest animals to take care of! here's why...

*They can be inside or outside pets
*All they need is Rabbit pellets & Water (which are both very cheap)
*They have only one common illness , Earmites which if it's taken care of early on will not cause any problems.
*They can be potty trained
*They can do everything a dog can, with half the hassle
*They don't take up a lot of space!
Please consider this pet!

Answer 5

It depends on what size your looking for. I've owned five Dwarf bunnies(Not at the same time, LOL) and was so happy I had them. The first one was given to me because the people had to move out of state. He loved to play with my kids and our cats. The only thing that you must have is a proper cage, something where when the bunny urinates or poops it won't fall out of the cage. Also, they tend to chew on things, like wires and curtains, so when you have them out of their cage be sure to supervise them. We clipped our bunnies nails once a month and made sure they had lots of free time outside their cage. My last Dwarf (Noel) loved Popcorn and when ever we watched movies and had Popcorn she would lay on my lap eating and enjoyed being petted. As long as you clean their cage once a week and give them lots of exercise they make excellent pets.

Answer 6

Not really...
Keep the cage clean
Plenty of fresh food/water
Give it a varied diet
Plenty of exercise...let it run around in the garden/backyard

I had to take mine to the vet once for injections because it had really bad hairballs.

So, beside the givens...food and water...an occasional vet visit may be needed.

Answer 7

ya..they smell..butr they are very nice. maybe you should try getting a dwarf rabbit . ther small and easier to take care of.