*please note that the bunnies are here to stay with us and I LOVE them, but I want you to know exactly what your getting into. rabbits/bunnies should NOT be brought home on a whim or without decent preparation. I had a couple years of planning and I still am surprised. *
This is a public service announcement to those who are thinking about getting bunnies. I am here tell you that the exhaustion on my face this morning isn't unique to today. There are two cute little demolitionists living in my house, and the construction starts at 5:00am.
For those of you out there who may think that those cute little faces and bunny feet are attached to a docile animal that will curl up on your lap and cuddle, think again. Rabbits are amazingly active and HATE being picked up. There may be one or two out there that might enjoy the feeling of soaring through the air, but let me tell you most rabbits will kick and struggle even if you support their butt and stomach like they tell you to. The reason for this is that you (the big animal that brings the hay) are removing them (prey animal to hawks and other flying critters) from their safe ground where they can run from the scary things. At the very worst a bunny can break it's back if it struggles and you pick it up incorrectly. I recommend the following video of the nice lady picking up the bun who is as docile as a stuffed animal. They all aren't like that and that bunny is freaked out...look at it's eyes.
The other thing is, bunnies have their own personalities and may not like being manhandled. Like cats some want to be pet when they tell you, some love it, and some hate you and want you to know it. A lot of times their personalities develop, so if they are lovable when they are little, this may not be true when they grow up. So you need to realize that when you bring home a rabbit they are bound to be a bit of a surprise.
Another thing that few people realize is that rabbits usually need some serious space. I say usually because when they are hurt or in need of care, often that means putting them in a small area so they don't make it worse. Most rabbits need at least a 24 sq ft of space. This really doesn't diminish when they are smaller rabbits either. They need excersize, and they also need a home to call their own. This is usually in the form of a cage. In our case we hacked an Ikea bookshelf which doubled the space we could give the buns but looks classier than that piece of junk we had before.
Unfortunately the holes in the screen were too big and we had to put cardboard over the bottom half of the screens to make sure they don't get out. We'll be able to change this when they get older but for the moment there is a brown cardboard barrier that prevents havoc in the house.
Now for those who are not aware, bunnies like to destroy...that's their job! You should see the little ones go through the cardboard egg crates and boxes I put in there. They've been here a couple weeks now and they can rip things apart faster than my dog could. Unfortunately this brings me to another point. Those rabbits have to sleep somewhere. In our case it's our bedroom so I can keep an eye on them. At 5:00am for the last week I have woken up to the sound of nails running down cardboard. It's awfully creepy and all the shushing in the world will not stop them...they want out and to hell with your plans of sleeping and waking up like a normal human being. In my case they also start ripping at the cardboard, and I will immediately jump out of bed and put them in their bunny run for the morning while I'm doing chores and making breakfast.
Unfortunately the damage doesn't stop there. Now they are trying to get at the baseboard, or they have figured out how to pull the sheet of paper that was a foot away into their area and are now tearing it to all hell. I've discovered that more cardboard on the bottom of their run has solved both problems but they also like to pull that apart. For now we have a good supply since we just moved but I'm not sure what we'll do when we ruin out.
Care for rabbits is a little intense. Since they are apartment rabbits I clean their cage once a day. It keeps things neat and prevents odors from getting disgusting. Many websites will tell you that rabbits can be litter trained. This is relatively true. My girls will go in the litter box to do some of their business. But I want to stress that they are NOT like cats, knowing that they should go there all the time. They may try it and not like it, or perhaps they are like ours and poop EVERYWHERE! I'm grateful for small favors, but it takes a LOT of work to have them go in the box. Their water is changed every day, they need clean hay, and then there are food pellets. All of which should be checked...often. Rabbits will eat their weight in hay each day, so in the last couple weeks I've gone through 4 mini bales of hay, and a huge thing of carefresh. They also need mental stimulation in the form of toys. If you want to see a bunny get happy and jump all over, just give them a new toy. OMG they go insane.
So when it comes down to it, they cost a lot of money. Think about 6 bales of hay a month for a single rabbit, pellets, carefresh litter, treats and something to keep their teeth down. Then add in the cost of the cage, the water containers, the food bowl, and any other tidbits. The cost of just getting your rabbit can exceed $500.
And then there is the Vet. Rabbits need to be fixed if you have a pet or you will realize what it means to own a teenager filled with hormones. It will hump your leg, spray to mark it's territory and might even become a bit agressive in regards to it's territory. In order to fix this I recommend a very quick run to the vet to schedule a little snip. The change could save everyone a lot of grief, and it takes about a month to get back to normal but some people have noticed a change right away. This will cost you a whole load of cash. My current lowest quote is $255 for a female and $175 for a male rabbit. This cost obviously is based on the cost of living where you live but it can be extreme. The highest quote I got was $485. Females tend to cost more than males since there's more work involved. Our bunnies will be fixed when they reach 2 pounds and are at least 3 months old but every vet is different. If you adopt, which I think you should, the buns are usually spayed or come with a spay coupon. HOORAY! However the adoption fee may be a little high. This is always less than an actual spay/nueter.
So now that you know bunnies are expensive, will take over your house, and make you feel like you're waking up early on a farm you know some of what goes on. It's not all bad. When they kiss you on the nose, or binky cause you brought the hay, or they flop down beside you it's worth all that effort. But bunnies aren't for everyone. We've made adjustments to our lifestyle in the few weeks that we brought them home and I'm sure there's a lot more fun to come too. We'll just have to see what it is when it comes...
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