Rabbits as pets for younger kiddies??

[Mrs R]

Could anybody advise if rabbits are a good idea for younger children?? Mine are 3.5 and 1.5 years. Obviously they will always be supervised, but id like them to be able to have a little responsibility and thought a pet might be a good idea.

We have plenty of space outdoors and housing them won't be an issue. Just wondering if they are nippy?? Should we buy 2 rather than 1? Would they be afraid of younger children?? Anything I should know??

 

[MoonLove]

My honest advice would be to get them as 'family' pets. Me and my younger sister had our 'own' pets from a young age and i am NOT planning on doing the same with my LOs.

When me and my sister had Guineas at a young age, they were just manhandled all the time. The day we bought them, my 6 year old sister dropped hers on the floor (from her standing height) because it scratched her. My Nan ended up looking after them, doing all the dirty work, but that was because we weren't encouraged to actually look after them. (Thankfully, my love for Pigs remained and i obviously treat them very well now!)

I currently have three G'Pigs. My nearly three year old LO likes to look at them, help me feed them etc, she will stroke them occasionally and i teach her to be gentle, but i will continue to encourage that they are 'family' pets. I wouldn't allow her to hold them, they're far too flighty and i fear for them! She can't quite comprehend the idea that they are 'real'!

I think its a fantastic idea to buy rabbits though, i really do. It's amazing to have pets from a young age and you are right, it'll totally encourage responsibility - but i would take the lead, and never let them alone with them (i'm telling you what you already know, i don't mean to patronise!). I've just seen my LO stroke my Guinea's really roughly and it makes me cringe for them! It'd be awful if she really hurt them!


I know that Guineas should always have a cagemate, as they get so lonely, but i am not sure about Rabbits, i have never owned one, so i wouldn't like to say. I'd google it rather than asking at the petstore you buy them from as they'll just tell you whatever they want to get you to buy from them !

 

[seoj]

I would suggest same as above- more of a family pet they help with As that is what tends to happen anyway! haha.

I've owned bunnies- and, although they are cute and can be very well trained- I don't know about with young children? Mine scratched me once cause it got scared and jumped out of my arm before I could react-- and I got a big scratch. And this was a tiny one too-- they are good for kids if all they do is maybe pet them. But handling might be hard? Plus- mine was kept inside and although she was litter trained (kinda cool) it was impossible to keep her from chewing! But if you had the right outdoor space... could be totally different. IDK- I'd for sure a bit more research first about how they are with kids. I know daycares that keep them in cages for the kids to view- pet. So the right rabbit might be good for them.

I'm sure you'll find the right fit!

 

[Lauraxamy]

I had a rabbit and guinea pig when I was little, think I was around 3 or 4 when I first got them. Obviously it was more of a family pet that I helped out with. I used to love going to pick dandelion leaves for them mine were pretty used to being handled when we got them so they didn't wriggle about so much as I've seen others do and therefore didn't really scratch, the guinea pig especially would sit on you for ages.

 

[FAB mama]

I had a friend with the sweetest rabbit in the world, so my parents got me one and all it wanted to do was bite us. I think we did something wrong in caring for it. It also only lived 2 years. My cousin is VERY into animal protection and is against giving rabbits as pets to young kids, especially at Easter since people don't keep them or treat them well. Not saying you wouldn't… but yes they can be mean in some situations.

If you do a lot of research and know what you're doing more than my parents did, maybe it's a good idea. My parents just weren't animal people and I was too young to know any different.

Edit: My cousin that I mentioned does have a pet rabbit that runs all over her house. She loves it, she's just against giving them to little kids if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[hannah22]

I've recently bought two baby bunnies (they strongly advise pairing them) and oh my goodness they are hard work. Really think about housing beforehand. I'm too soft to put them outdoors so they are indoor rabbits but they chew everything, they have ripped my wallpaper and have even started on my skirting boards tonight. They cannot ever be unsupervised as they even dig around the fence in the garden. My little girl adores them but it's very rare they will sit still long enough for her to have a good cuddle - though that may just be because they are still so young. I'm hoping with neutering they may chill out a bit. They are also quite expensive to keep. You need sawdust, hay, variety of fresh veg every day, dry food, toys so they don't get bored etc....

Having said all that they are every sweet girls and very cheeky. They make us laugh a lot but blimey they are hard work!

 

[AP]

I think it just depends on the rabbit too. Our one was fab, again, house trained, and would lay on the carpet like a big cat, or jump onto your knee and sit and watch tv with you all calm.
If I could find another like him I'd be there in a shot, but you can't guarantee of they will be all cutesy like that or tear the house to shreds (I had guineas that enjoyed that :/)

 

[wishuwerehere]

My sister has 2 rabbits. One is a sweetheart, the other one isn't allowed out of the hutch when my lo is about. There is definite luck of the draw with bunnies!
Having said that we always had them growing, with a real mix of personalities, and i have largely fond memories of them all

 

[pillarbox_red]

Rabbits are brilliant pets, but not for little children to have a lot of responsibility for.
They are pretty expensive, they need vaccinating yearly, neutering and many can be prone to certain health problems requiring ongoing veterinary treatment (teeth issues being the main one, which need operations to sort out)
Some rabbits are nippy, some aren't. It depends on the rabbit and the amount of handling you would do with it. Even the tamest rabbit will nip/scratch in self defence if they feel threatened.
It is recommended to house them in pairs as they usually love company of another rabbit. The best pairing is boy/girl, obviously neutered!

 

[bohemiangel]

Hello,

Not to be a Negative Nellie here, but I have a lot of experience working with rabbits and have to say they tend not to make very good pets for young children. I worked in an animal rescue specifically for rabbits for several years, and cared for hundreds of rabbits that were abandoned by their owners. Most people have no idea how much work rabbits require in order to be healthy and happy, such as an outdoor place to run with good fencing, LOTS of things to chew on, and a regular supply of hay and fresh greens for starters. They don't do well being kept in a cage all day and fed carrots and pellets. A well cared for rabbit can live up to 12 years, which is another consideration. Something else to consider is travel- it can be very difficult to go out of town if you have pet rabbits. With dogs you can just take them to a kennel, but if you want to go out of town for a few days you would need to find a neighbor or friend to feed and look after the bunnies.

With all that said, they do make wonderful pets! If you are seriously looking in to getting some rabbits, I would suggest www.petfinder.org to look for rescue bunnies in need of a good home, and also www.rabbit.org as a great resource to learn how to properly care for pet rabbits.

Hope that helps, and good luck!!

 

[Marie000]

I have had a rabbit before and I don't think they are the ideal pet for young children. If you want to have a rabbit and did all the research about their care, you could make it work, but as with any animals, be prepared to be the one being responsible for them, including in the eventuality that your rabbit doesn't like being around young children.

Most rabbits do not like being picked up. It is instinctive, to them it means that a predator got them and they might defend themselves, mostly by kicking. That can cause serious injury to a young child.
With young children, a larger rabbit would be a better idea since it would be too large to pick up like a stuffed animal. In general, large rabbits tend to be more calm too.

I have only ever had one rabbit, but hearing from people who had more than one, I would stick to just one rabbit. Even if raised together, two rabbits might become very territorial once they hit sexual maturity and need to be separated. Getting two grown rabbits to accept living together can be very complicated.

I heard guinea pigs are more docile than rabbits, but I have never had one. It might be worth looking into.
I am personally a big fan or rats, but they're not for everyone. In any case, look into what pet is right for you (since it will be your pet) and share the experience with your children.

Whatever you choose, please look into rescues. Lots of animals need a new home, not just cats and dogs.

 

[Mrs R]

This info is excellent girls, thanks so much. I think I will do a lot of homework before considering it any further x

 

[Incubus]

Guinea pigs are much better for children than rabbits, guinea pigs are generally less likey to bite than a rabbit. We have a guinea pig at the moment, we had 3 but the others have now died, she's fine with being petted by Keelan and he likes the way she squeaks, Keelan 'helps' to feed her and clean her out but we had her long before Keelan so she isn't a pet for him. Keelan loves the cat a lot more than the guinea pig, constantly giving him cuddles and kisses but it's taken a lot of work to teach Keelan to be gentle, our cat is a maine coon so he's huge, if he wasn't so big I'm sure Keelan would of accidentally hurt him by now trying to pick him up etc.

 

[Rachel_C]

I don't think I'd get rabbits for young children - they can kick really hard! I'm a big fan of cats for children, especially if you get an older cat from a rescue so you know their temperament in advance. As they're more independent, if you get a cat who is used to children they will just walk away from a child who is being too rough.

 

[jd83]

We had rabbits growing up, and honestly, I really wouldn't recommend them until your kids are older. While they are great pets, they do require a LOT of work, they need a good amount of space to run around and plenty of things to chew on, and its kind of the luck of the draw if you get rabbits that bite/kick/scratch, or more docile ones. We had a variety throughout the years, and some of the meaner rabbits scratched me pretty good a few times, and bit me. And I was older, so I can only imagine how much worse it would have been for a young child who is rougher with animals (not that they mean to be, they just have a hard time knowing how gentle to be).

My sister tried an indoor rabbit with her kids a few years ago, as she missed having them, and it was really, really destructive. It chewed up EVERYTHING in site, tore up the walls, the baseboards, etc...And she rents, so the landlord made her get rid of the animal when the damage was found out.

I think its a big decision, not to take lightly. MAke sure you are fully aware that rabbits can go either way, docile, or more aggressive. They are still great pets if you are up for the amount of responsibility they take, but I do think older children would do better with them.

 

[Jes.shortcake]

I think it just depends on the rabbit too. Our one was fab, again, house trained, and would lay on the carpet like a big cat, or jump onto your knee and sit and watch tv with you all calm.
If I could find another like him I'd be there in a shot, but you can't guarantee of they will be all cutesy like that or tear the house to shreds (I had guineas that enjoyed that :/)

This

We had a rabbit and she was a great pet. She used the litter box, would come to you when you called her name, and would lay on your lap. She thought she was a cat. We didn't even have her in a cage bc she used the little box and mostly hung out in the laundry room. We also had a dog and cat and all 3 got along great! She lived to be 13 years old.

But I know some people who got rabbits and they were the exact opposite.

Just do your research on the different breeds.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

Small pets are often chosen as the best option, people assume they are less work etc, but I can honestly say I spent more time at the vets with my rabbits then I evet have with my dogs. I was unlucky in that I had a rabbit with that tooth growing condition and I needed to have them filed down. Their cages should be about 3 times bigger than what most people keep them in. Family pet yes ..
Child pet to care for? Nope. X

 

[pinklizzy]

I work with animals and have always said I would never have a rabbit as a pet, much as I think they are lovely animals.
They need so much space, I think the minimum size of hutch should be 6ft long with an attached run that they have constant access too. They need to be kept with another rabbit (not with guinea pigs) and making sure that their diet is correct can be expensive-lots of timothy hay etc. to ensure that their guts work correctly and to help keep their teeth from becoming over grown. Some rabbits will end up needing expensive regular dental work even with the right diet.
We have 4 guinea pigs and although my daughter loves to help feed them and hold them on her lap under supervision, they are totally my pets! They've ended up with their own room in the house as I'm too worried about them being outdoors when it's cold and I spend lots on fresh veg, bedding substrates, hay etc every month.

This is a great website for rabbity advice though https://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/index.php

 

[mummylove]

Afew of my friends have rabbits and they have young children and their kids love it. They help their mum feed and do the cage

 

[d_b]

We had 5 rabbits when I was a kid and I had one as an adult. Only one of the 5 we had when I was young was friendly (would hop onto my lap, follow me around). A few of the others were ok but some were aggressive (the males). Rabbits can bite and scratch quite hard (they only bit each other, not us). The one I had as an adult was litter trained and roamed the house. He was friendly and followed me everywhere. But you have to clean their cage a lot (they stink) and ours ate a lot of the baseboards and chewed any exposed wires. And after a few years he would go through phases of humping everything. He was also quite skittish and didn't like loud noises. So although I do like rabbits I wouldn't recommend one for a toddler.