Should I Get A Bunny?

So you want a pet of your very own, and you think that a bunny might be the pet for you. Bunnies are so cute and fuzzy and you love the idea of having one hopping around you all day long, being your best bunny friend. But should you get a bunny? Here are some things to think about before you go and buy a bunny.

• Bunnies Are Smelly

Bunnies will need to be cleaned out EVERY DAY, even days when it is snowing or raining, or when you are sick. Because bunnies usually use their cages as toilets, they get very dirty very quickly. Some people find that they need to keep their bunny cleaned out twice a day even. That can add up to a lot of work or a lot of smell if you don't do it.

• Bunnies Bite

Sometimes even the best bunny bites. There are a wide range of reasons why bunnies bite, including being possessive over their territory, being hormonal as they grow up, or just not liking you touching them. A bunny bite can be very painful indeed, and can even draw blood. If you can't handle the idea that your bunny might bite and scratch you before it learns to be a good friend, then you shouldn't get one.

• Bunnies Take A Long Time To Be Friendly

Baby bunnies are usually friendly because they are too little to know better. It is very common for people who buy a sweet baby bunny to wonder a month or two later what happened to the friendly little bunny they thought they knew. As rabbits get older, they start to get grumpier. This doesn't last forever, and being neutered or spayed helps this problem, but don't think that your bunny will be a cuddly friend without a lot of work and time.

• Bunnies Cost Money

Some people think that bunnies are cheap pets, and in some ways they are, but there are some big expenses you will have to pay to keep your rabbit healthy. It will need a good cage, and it will also need veterinary attention, for check ups, and vaccinations, and being desexed. If you don't vaccinate and desex your rabbit there is a good chance it will get very sick and die very young. If you don't have the money for these things, which sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, or don't want to spend money on a bunny when it needs it, then you shouldn't get one.

• Bunnies Are A Lot Of Work

If you are going to be a good bunny owner, then your bunny will be a lot of work. You will need to groom it, daily if it is long haired, and you will need to keep its claws well trimmed. Then there is the cleaning of the cage which I have mentioned already. If you don't have at least an hour a day to devote to your bunny, then you shouldn't get one.

• Bunnies Need Good Housing, Preferably Indoors

Keeping bunnies outside is now widely recognized as being about as cruel as keeping a cat in a cage outside. If you are not prepared to get your bunny a good indoor cage, and let it get regular exercise, then you probably shouldn't get a bunny.