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"Frank" from Donnie Darko.
The Dark Side of House Rabbits
Just to confirm: rabbits are not only warm, fuzzy, & cute. The following is a list of considerations you might not have thought in relation to rabbits.
Youth and Sex
When they are young they can be also very hormonal, frenetic, territorial, & aggressive. Many cute baby bunnies are brought home & soon enter their adolescent stage (4 months to a year). A demon may emerge; circling & nipping you, spraying, digging up carpet, & chewing baseboards.
Just think what happens to humans when they go from toddler to child to preteen to a teenager. All this happens in under a year with rabbits. Plus rabbits have probably 10 times the sexual drive and bad behavior of human teenagers which can't be limited by training. At least you can alter your rabbit.
When the fantasy clashes with reality, rabbits are turned over to shelters. The adorable baby becomes a handful more than anybody bargained for.
Take Heart! This is mostly a passing phase which goes away with maturity (the rabbit's) and altering.
You can enjoy your baby bunny's special time of life if you plan for and anticipate the challenges.
Allergies
People who are allergic to dogs or cats may or may not be allergic to rabbits. Rabbit's fur and saliva enzymes are different from other house pets.
Often people who think they are allergic to rabbits are actually allergic to the rabbit's hay or the dust on the hay. You can try different types of hay: timothy, orchard grass, oat grass, wheat, and barley to see if you react differently to any of them.
Before adopting, be sure to handle your rabbit and be sure to put them up to your nose and face to see if you have a reaction. Be sure to include the whole family. We have had several rabbits returned because of allergies.
Jumping
Rabbits can jump higher than you might think. Most rabbits can easily clear a 24 inch height if they want. You need to be sure to secure your rabbit's area to ensure he can't get out if you don't want him. Consider what can happen to the rabbit and the house if he gets loose. You may need to set up another containment zone. Younger rabbits will jump more than older rabbits and take more risks. Consider what might happen if your rabbit doesn't make it & falls back. Can he injure himself by falling on a corner or edge? Rabbits' jumping & climbing ability is especially amazing considering they do not have the depth perception and binocular vision of dogs and cats. Rabbits' ease of jumping and hopping is joyful to watch and one of the qualities that makes them fun to have as house pets. Enjoy and appreciate this natural ability that make them Rabbits.
In addition to rabbit proofing, remove items from areas where your rabbit may be able to jump and knock down.
Be prepared to accept your rabbit's jumping activity and plan their space accordingly.
Digging and Chewing
See our page on rabbit proofing to protect your house and rabbit to cope with these natural behaviors. Exercise your own ingenuity to develop solutions for your situation.
The fallout from digging and chewing is that your floors, carpet, and furniture will not be in their pristine condition anymore. You need to accept some wear and tear and teeth marks if you wish to live with rabbits. Holes and bare spots might appear. Litter from their boxes will likely be kicked out onto the floor, but can be swept up. The aim of rabbit proofing is to minimize these impacts.
