Thinking about getting a bunny as a pet

Because im isolated and i don’t really have anyone, i was thinking of getting a pet and since i love bunnies it might be good for me to have something to take care of. Im asking anyone whos owned a bunny or pet in general, what goes into it? What steps do i need to take if i want this to work?

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i think they chew a lot so even if they are in a wooden box they may gnaw through the wood over time, i think its because there teeth grow and grow and its to stop them getting too long and needing to be filed down.

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I don’t have a bunny (although I have a dog that is the size of a bunny) so I can’t give you bunny-specific advise. I have suffered from severe depression/anxiety for many years and I have found having a pet to be the greatest joy and solace of my life. Of course, antidepressants are also very important to manage my condition, but there is just something about a pet that really helps my mood. I think it is a combination of the unconditional love and taking care of another sentient being that needs me. I would highly recommend getting a pet!

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I’ve heard that you can litter box train a bunny so that you can have it roaming free inside the house.

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We had one when I was a kid. Well, you have to clean their cage/hutch, they like to be petted just like any pet really, They do like to chew on things this is true. Love their veggies but there’s rabbit food too, pellets. Ours liked to lay around in the backyard with our beagle and eat grass in the sun.

It’s true, I knew a family when I was young who had two rabbits who were house trained and roamed freely like cats.

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they would chew everything, sorry, not trying to put you off but you’d have to protect wires and they may chew on furniture as well so you may have to train it to chew on something first so it concentrates on that but i am just guessing as i never had or trained a rabbit before.

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Very good point about the potential for chewing and definitely would not want them to chew on stuff like extension cords. Sounds like a bunny would have to be in a crate or cage when not directly supervised.

When I am at work I confine my little dog to a large exercise pen I have set up in my bedroom. This is to keep her safe when I can’t supervise her directly. Pets, when left to their own devices, can get into mischief!

I had a Lion’s Head and it was very docile. However, I had a Boston Terrier. It came to the point that I moved it outside in a bunny condo, until it escaped.
It was very friendly yet skittish. You will clean up after them often. I was always stepping on “pellets”.

I had kitten who became obsessed with chewing wires, did $400 in damage to various electronics.

I had a few bunnies over the years. one thing they should not be kept outside. carnivores can easily get into their cages and cause harm. they do poop a lot they need hay and pellets as well as fresh veggies. they also need chewing toys. I bought a baby key ring for one of my rabbits midnight, he loved tossing it around in his little running space. but you have to take plastic toys away when you put them up.

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paging @Bunny :slight_smile:

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Er… I hope you’ve discussed this with @Bunny, because, awkward!

:blush:

Pixel.

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You beat me to it! Snot-nosed punk.

Harumph.

(Waves cane, puffs dust.)

Pixel.

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Haha! Maybe you should invest in a better walker next time :smirk: .

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Man I don’t know, but I had a bunny for a few weeks as a kid, and that thing hated me. It was the type that has floppy long ears. The neighbor girl down the street adopted it from me, and it just loved her, she could flop it over her shoulder and carry it around, and it was super mellow and nice with her. Maybe I had too much negative energy going on or something. But given that experience, I’d advise adopting, like go spend time with a candidate and if it likes you, then take it home. That way you know its temperament and how it feels about you before committing.

Rabbits are great pets, but need a lot of care. I have had 4 bunnies in my lifetime.
Just forewarning: if you have a free-roaming, litter trained, rabbit do a LOT of research first. They are lot of work, at first, and they will eat everything in your house, so you’ll have to really bunny-proof your home.
Have fun vacumming and lint-rolling your life for the next 8-12 years. :wink:

My current snugglebunny, Margaret:





Yes, she is sitting in the garbage can in the last one. She’s just a little bit weird, like that.

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I might go guinea pig and work my way up to a rabbit

Thats awesome! i heard they also smell too. Idk i like rabbits a lot and theyve never minded me so it would seem cool to have one. I might start with a guinea pig and work my way up to a bunny. Honestly i don’t think my room would fit a bunny (as i was at petsmart earlier looking at cages and other goods i would need). It would be possible if i moved stuff around. And yea by bunny proofing how do u do that? Ive done a decent bit of research on owning a bunny over the past year but still am unsure. And its their personalities im unsure of too since ive been around dogs my whole life.

They don’t smell if you clean the litter box every day or at least every second day. It’s just their urine that smells.
Maybe a guinea pig is a good idea.
Bunny proofing is mostly making sure there are no cords and thimgs for them to chew on, or places for them to get into. If you look it up, you will find good ideas for how to maje your house safe.
Bunnies are nothing like dogs. They are very sensitive, and easily frightened. You need to be very careful and quiet with them.

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