where to buy a bunny?

kimberley wrote: i was thinking of getting a bunny for the kids for easter. any advice on what type and where to buy it? i saw some at the pet store but i hate buying from there since most don't take care of their animals and they charge an exorbitant amount of money. all my cats came from flea markets or spca. also, is bunny fur like cat fur? my son is allergic to cats. tia.

Mommy2BAK replied: umm... I don't really know much about bunnies, but my sister has one that she got at Petco or Petsmart. He is sooo cute, his name is Oreo. I am not sure if their fur is the same as cats but I doubt it, Blakely and I were actually playing with Oreo yesterday and I was amazed at how incrediably soft his sort fur was. My DH used to have bunnies when he was little (actually I think they were his sisters) and they had long haired floppy eared bunnies. I think those are like the elite?!!???!

5littleladies replied: I would look in the newspaper. Around easter there are always ads for bunnies in the paper. And I'm not sure about bunny and cat fur-have you tried googling it? I'm sure you could find some answers somewhere.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Yeah I'd say check the newspaper, or maybe PetSmart has bunnies you can adopt - I know they do that with cats and dogs but I'm not sure about other animals.

3xsthefun replied: You can try maybe one of your local shelters? Newspaper ads? PetSmart?

3xsthefun replied: You could also try Petfinder, you can search for a shelter near you has rabbits or look in classifieds. I know there has been few people in my area had rabbits up for adoption in the classifieds.

Here is the website Petfinder

mommy2owen replied: Petfinder works great! Thats were we found all of our dogs.

kimberley replied: thanks! that is a great link! any advice on breeds? male or female? how much care does a bunny need?

TANNER'S MOM replied: I would like to say that Bunny's as pet a good. But there are some things you need to know.

1. They have very sharp little claws, and have a tendency to scratch. And usually bring blood when they do. So little ones who grab them have the potential to be scratched.

2. The shed alot. I am not sure if they have dander the same as a cat or dog but they shed alot.

3. Their waste has a distint smell, that is strong. If this animal is kept inside that really becomes a factor. It is hard to get rid of that smell and it usually takes daily cleaning and changing of bedding.

4. You have to bunny proof your home if they are going to be down, they are really bad about eating electric cords etc.

5. If they are going to be outside then you need to be aware of extreme temps, Heat worse then cold for bunny's due to fur. They need lots of water and most of the time a fan.

Bunny's can be great pets , but like a dog and cat alot of work. The animal shelter here in our area discourage getting bunny's for easter due to the fact that scarth or bit(nibble) on children and they usually end up homeless and have to be out down.

We have a few rabbits and they are more work than I thought!

Mel

kimberley replied: thanks Mel. the kids really want a pet and i don't want a dog for so many reasons and can't get another cat since we now know James is allergic. i don't mind caring for a bunny, i am just worried if maybe Jade is too young to have one yet. the boys know how to deal with animals since they had a cat most of their lives and she wasn't declawed. i will gather all the info i can before i make a decision. i have been toying with this idea for a long time (i always wanted a bunny as a kid and still do ), so it is not a hasty one just for an easter gift. back to bunny research

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: We just got dwarf 2 bunnies about a month ago. They are pretty low maintenance, I have had to change the bedding 1-2 times a week, they have a bin feeder so refill that 1-2 times a week, the water bottle lasts for a long time, it has never run out but I clean it once a week. They have a hay ball thing that I think i have refilled 3 times...Oh yeah i will also give them some lettuce once a day, they ignored it for the first few days but now they love it and mow it down right away.
KAty is really good with them, if we sit her on the ground (and lock the dog out ) and hand her a bunny she is really gentle with them and will pet them. THe hardest part with her is when we pen them outside she will get excited that she is outside playing with them and start jumping up and down, that is when they run behind the tree or something to get away from her. MAtt likes to say hi, but is still in the stage where he prefers jumping on the dog so we don't let him too close to the bunnies.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: We got our bunny at a feed store around Easter for $7 I think. I LOVED THAT BUNNY!! Here is a picture of Maddie holding her. Yep, she died, but we won't go into that. It was ALL my fault.

TANNER'S MOM replied: I think for indoor pets Netherland Dwarf's are a good choice and they are sweet!

We had one when my daughter was little that was actually litter box trained like a cat... But it ate the wrong electric cord.

Mel

gr33n3y3z replied: I have a house bunny and he is 6 years old
Mel is right about the smell we have to use a multi cat litter and you cant buy the cheap stuff on this and it must be changed once a week or every 2 weeks.
When the time is right get it fixed wether its a boy or girl this way they wont spray.
Start litter traing right away and soon it will be trained
Mine was trained in 3 weeks and was going out to do its potty stuff in 3 months it would scratch at the door to go out and in.
A big must is it has to be held alot so it will be alot tamer so a baby bunny is best.
Size of bunnies its up to you mine is about the size of a small dog so he is huge.
Mine will eat out of your hand and help himself if he likes what your eating also.
Bunnies are great pets but keep his nails clipped short we take ours to the vets and to get a bunny fixed they charge the same price for a cat.
Rabbits do loose fur alot during certain times of the season but they dont have dander.
But the list that Mel made is pretty much right on target.
Maybe the 4 H can help you with finding a baby bunny

kimberley replied: this is great info! thanks. i found a place (about an hour drive) called bunny rescue shelter. they have all different sorts of bunnies... all ages. they fix them for you before you adopt them too. what kind of litter are you using? i was using the no name clumping cat litter that had deoderizing crystals that was great for the cat... also found a couple at the local humane society too. i doubt you will be able to pry the bunny out of my hands for a long time LOL

more questions... is it okay to cage it at night or when we are out and let it roam in the day? or will it stay in a little bed? can bunnies use leashes? i don't want to lose it in the yard.

loveydad replied: We had a bunyn we got from a freind but we gave it away. Man, that thing was mean! Never let my son hold it it would scratch the crud of out him! And after a while, since it wasn't inside, it got mean and cranky and he got bored of it.

mummy2girls replied: Be careful with bunnies. coming from experience with mine they chew cords and such if let out of the cage. My moms cords all got chewd!

Some are nice but some can be mean. My first bunny i had i treated this bunny so well! But this thing would attack us. We go to put food in the cage and it would bite our hands. We always let it run in a room so its not like he didnt get that ... It was scarey. But then i had one that was so sweet it licked me like a dog. I loved him soooo much!

mummy2girls replied:
you should cage it at night because bunnies do chew cords. Unless you have a certain room free of cords and keep the door shut then you should be ok. i used a leash on my bunny! i used to take him for walks... im not sure if it will stay in a bed.. sorry

Mommy2Be replied: Hello ,

First off good idea not getting one from the pet store I hate how they treat there animals . Second I have 2 Netherland Dwarf's right now but I have had and raised bunnies all my life and my mom rescues them .
Bunnies are a HUGE decision to be honest and they take a LOT of time and care to be cared for properly it really is something you should think about herd before getting one.
I am sending you a PM if you need anymore help let me know.

gr33n3y3z replied: We use Fresh Step cat litter we found it works best Bunnys have a very strong urine the strongest of any animal I've ever had.
We cage ours at night and if were not home.
Our cage has an open bottom this way if he goes in the cage it falls through
We have a bunny leash but it wont fit him any more he is too fat for it.
So he goes out on the 2nd floor deck which he cant escape,
make sure you buy a heavy food bowl thick glass type bc they like to dump the food.
Water bottles are good bc they cant dump those but they can also drink like a cat or dog.
Good luck