Bad Ideas for Rabbits

Our hotline gets calls from people all over the country. We have offered a lot of help with bonding, which often takes a lot of time and suggestions. We are happy to help people and rabbits make the most of their coexistence. However, over the past 6 months we seemed to have an had abundance of very misinformed people wanting rabbits for all the wrong reasons. Others have some very mistaken ideas about rabbit care. Here are some of the standouts.

I want to get a bunny for my baby
(two calls like this in 2 months!).

Get a stuffed animal instead! As cute as a baby and a bunny are side-by-side, a new parent will have no time to take care of an infant animal and will likely be neglected by the harried parents or injured by an infant that doesn't have motor control. The bunny will be a mature rabbit before the child is out of kindergarten and will die of old age before the child is out of 4th grade. The parents wanting this have no idea what is involved in rabbit AND infant care. An active baby rabbit with sharp nails and teeth is also dangerous to a helpless and tender infant.

I want a baby bunny

Babies are cute for sure. However, rabbits grow quickly. They are only babies for about 4 months. What happens next? They start sexually maturing. They become aggressive and territorial. Their sharp little nails and teeth scratch & bite easily. They will definitely need to spayed or neutered at this point. People who paid $20 for a bunny at a feed store are typically unwilling to pay $100 to $200 or more to alter their bunny. At this point they are often surrendered to a shelter or turned loose. Someone else will want another baby. And the cycle starts again. This revolving door keeps breeders in business. The rabbits at the shelters who can't find homes are euthaniized. And people blame the shelters for killing animals.
Adopt a mature rabbit from a rescue group or a shelter. Their personalities and behaviors will be a known quality and you will be saving a life

I want to get a rabbit for my child's classroom, I've seen them in other classrooms so that must mean they are appropriate.

Rabbits for the classroom suffer from inconsistent care and attention. They need their own quiet space and time. Rabbits are typically active at evenings and dusk and dawn, This schedule does not match well with young children. Contrary to perhaps your own history and experience, rabbits do not thrive in the classroom with many little hands and caregivers intruding upon them.
Many private school classrooms think they need to have animals to have a rich child instructional environment. We have had first hand experience that many of these educators are unprepared to give appropriate care and attention to live classroom residents since their first concern is and should be the children.

What are rabbits in the classroom really teaching kids?

Classroom rabbit FAQ

I have a misting system so it is OK for my rabbits to live outside
(in hot summers).

Domestic rabbits should not be exposed to temperatures above 80º-90º, period. Misters are a workaround for livestock and pet rabbits should not be treated that way. They run the risk of extreme heat exposure.

See our hot weather flier

I want my rabbit to have babies.

Do not let your rabbits ever have babies. There are too many rabbits that cannot find good, loving homes and these poor rabbits are either euthanized in the shelters (a terrible but only alternative given the situation) or turned loose where they suffer even more because they cannot survive without human help.

Read our Easter Poem

My 4-month-old rabbits used to get along but now they are fighting.

Quick,Separate them! They are becoming sexually mature. Two males will become hormonal and fight. A male & female will fight too, but the female will also get pregnant. Spay and neuter your rabbits. All rabbits' reproductive organs will get cancer with age. Males can be neutered at 4 months. Females can be spayed at 6 months.

See our spay/neuter fliers

My Netherland Dwarf is fighting with my other rabbits and/or biting me.

See the bullet above to be sure your rabbits are spayed and neutered. Although they are very cute and popular, Netherland Dwarfs are known for having a lot of personality and they are generally more aggresive than other breeds. The need a lot of gentle and careful attention to be sure they are peacefully socialized.