I was thinking of getting my daughter who is 9 yrs old a rabbit. she wants one soooo bad but i know nothing about them and how to care for them and if anybody has had any exprenicence having them, i would appreciate you to share...thanks
Answers:
The first thing to consider is how mature and responsible your daughter is.
Rabbits are great animals, but not always the best pet for a child or for someone who many lose interest. They are longer lived than some animals, averaging between 6-10 years, with some living even longer. They can bite or scratch-not out of aggression, but usually out of fear or discomfort. Rabbits can become attached to their people but they won't play with you like a dog, nor will they usually come curl up next to you like a cat would. Rabbits may also need vet care and usually will have to see an exotic vet, which can become pretty pricey.
Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits is still one of my favorite books for the beginner, even though it's geared more towards breeders (by the way, I don't recommend breeding unless you have a pedigreed rabbit of good quality, show, and do a LOT of research) there is a lot of good basic information in the book about feeding, health, rabbit behavior, and handling.
Speaking of showing...have you considered getting your daughter into an extra-curricular activity? She could start in 4-H with a rabbit project, and learn a lot about their care and handling, work on projects with other kids, and go to local shows. It's a great way to help her learn some responsibility and build confidence, too.
Rabbit needs start off pretty basic:
A cage (I prefer all wire, something with a solid bottom is fine if you plan to litter train) at least 24"x24".
Food bowl and water bottle
Rabbit-safe bedding (there are some arguments against cedar and pine shavings)
Good quality rabbit pellets (most pet store pellets are junk, it's better and cheaper to go through a feed store for these, or order from a good company like Oxbow)
Good Quality GRASS HAY (same as with the pellets, and NO ALFALFA hay!)
And some kind of brush and some nail clippers would be a good idea, too.
My rabbits get hay daily, and are fed pellets at 1 ounce per every pound of body weight (so a 4 pound rabbit gets about 4 ounces of pellets, you can adjust this if your rabbit is losing or gaining too much weight). Once or twice a week they get a little slice of banana or apple as a treat. Mine get no veggies as a regular part of the diet, and while you can choose to feed them on a diet of primarily vegetables, you don't HAVE to. I like feeding pellets because they're easy to store, cheaper to buy (I get a 50lb bag for $12), and they are guaranteed to have all the nutrition the rabbit needs.
Here are some of my favorite rabbit links:
http://www.arba.net./photo.htm
http://islandgems.net/
http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/...
http://www.rabbited.0catch.com/...
http://www.showbunny.com
well i got a guinea pig and new nothing about them so i went to the libary and took out a childrens book abou them it told me everything. i also know about rabits they need a big hutch.
I know that rabbits are quiet, litterbox trainable, friendly and make excellent house pets
But a good place to start is at the house rabbit society.
www.rabbit.org
They are an excellent resource on owning a bunny, and they even have a list of organizations where you can adopt a bunny.
Well, rabbits need a large cage.
About 3' x 2'
they also need a litter box, litter, food, toys, a hide out, a water sipper, timothy hay or alfalfa, and bedding.
I would change their food bowl 3 times a day.
She/he will need PLENTY or timothy hay/alfalfa so that needs to be in her/his cage 24/7.
As for toys, chew sticks, hide outs, balls, stuffed things, and other things like that.
The litter box looks kinda like a triangle, and fits in the corner of the cage.
to train them to go in there, when she/he poops in the cage pick it up and put it in there, she/he will understand that there is were the poopies go.
for bedding (the stuff you put on the bottom of the cage) get CareFRESH.
It sucks up odors and is soft on thier feet.
if you have any more questions go to www.rabbit.org
have fun!!
you should tell her if she can accept the responsibilty
does she hav a place to put it
food
will she play with it
and the most IMPORTANT
will she clean it's poo
they may poo little pieces
but they can poo alot
so also tell her if she will clean it in her spare time
you should also check out this site
http://www.allearssac.org/basiccare.html...
My first pet was a rabbit and i believe i was only 5. my parents got for me for easter and i couldnt have been more ecstatic! over time though (a period of about 2 months) the rabbit grew up and wasnt as cute and exciting as before. We ended building her wood hutch out in the backyard for her to stay in and she lived there for a good 10 yrs. I would definitely suggest making sure your daughter is ready for pet responsibility before buying a bunny. YOU must also like bunnies considering you will probably be the one who ends up taking care of it for the most part . If you feel that you and your daughter are ready for that responsilbilty (cleanup, health, playtime, feeding etc) than by all means go ahead and get your rabbit :)
They are fairly easy animals to care of, but do require some time each day. I would like to recommend that if you plan on getting one, you find a place to keep her indoors. Our rabbits were outdoors and in the summer months, it was hard to keep them from heat exhaustion and maggots, and in the winter it was hard to keep them as warm as they need to be. A large wire cage will do, and some kind of bedding or towels (which WILL get chewed) are probably best to have in there. The rabbit diet is fairly simple. pellets for the everyday main diet, and of course fresh water. Check out online for treat options. i know we used to give ours little yogurt treats, lettuce, carrots, apples, and potato peels. make sure that you handle your rabbit often, as rabbits can be prone to biting and with teeth like those, you dont want your daughter ending up in that situation. considering most cute little bunnnies end up becoming rather large and heavy, i would consider getting a dwarf bunny if at all possible (as they are more manageable and would be easier for a young girl to take care of.) check out dutch bunnies! we had a few and even breeded them. great pets :) good luck!
Rabbits are ah-mazing pets!! I keep mine inside though. Most ppl generally keep their bunnies outside, but I like to keep mine inside my bedroom. You need to let her pick it out and make sure it's compadable with her. If it's going to be an inside pet then you will need a fairly large cage. I would recommend getting really big bags of feed at a time because it's cheaper then the little bags and Mana Pro you can get it at tractor suppley. It's like 6 dollars for a 25 lbs bag. Do not get the feed from petsmart, some of there food was infected with mycotoxins lats year ( a type of mold) It killed both of my rabbits because the vet couldn't do anthing about it and they both bled to death. It was terrible and heart breaking so I would only get food from larger feed stores. I'd say she would love a mini rex because of they're fur. They have the softest fur of any rabbit, most ppl describe it as feeling like your petting velvet or silk.
http://www.centralpets.com/php/search/st...
here is a little bit of info about the breed incase you are interested in it.
Good Luck!
鈾es鈾?
rabbits are not good with little children because they bite or etc
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