DID YOU KNOW….bunnies can live for 8-12 years? If you get a tiny, cute baby bunny for your 8 year old, the bunny will still be with you when said child heads off to college. Not tiny anymore, maybe not cute1 and chances are, with a lot more attitude. Think teenagers that never grow up.
1Okok, I might be biased, but I think bunnies are cute at any age. 😅 I tend to favor the older ones especially.
They need to be spayed or neutered by a rabbit-savvy vet
Even if you have a non-breeding pair or a single rabbit, you will have a lot of problems on your hands.
- Unaltered rabbits tend to be a lot more aggressive and territorial. The Monty Python bunny is not too far from reality (though with less flying leaps).
- 80% of unaltered female rabbits end up getting cancer (uterine and/or ovarian) and end up dying at an early age. (Poor Daisy is one example. 😢)
More info: Spaying and Neutering
Rabbits poop A LOOOOT.
Their digestive systems are always turned on and need to be constantly going 24/7. They accomplish by eating boatloads of hay. So if a bunny stops eating after 24 hours, they’re already at death’s door.
And the chickens…
I’m not too familiar with chickens, so I won’t give chicken trivia. Though it’s the same as bunnies. You think you’re getting a cute, baby animal then a year later, you have a full-grown chicken. D:
Now if you’re actually interested committing to 8-12 years as a bunny/chicken parent, you’ll need to do some research. There are some good resources online that can help. Check rabbit.org for bunnies, and on Facebook. There are some local rescue groups–the Bunny Brigade who I linked to in the Daisy story above is also really good.
As for finding a rabbit, the months following Easter is a good time to start looking at shelters and rescues for unwanted, “throw-away” pets. This is usually when people bought these critters start to think “what have I gotten myself into?” and will want to get rid of them.
(I always support adopting rather buying rabbits. They are the 3rd most euthanized animal in shelters.)
Source: a bunny volunteer of almost 4 years at the local animal shelter here. We’re no-kill and more often than not, overcrowded, so I’ve seen hundreds of bunnies of different ages, temperaments and health conditions go in and out of the shelter.