mjpeter
Jenn
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2014
- Messages
- 135
- Reaction score
- 44
I know that this probably belongs in the rescue section, but I thought I'd put it here so more people may come across it while they are lurking on the boards while looking to find their first rabbit.
A few months ago, I decided to add a pet to the family. I'm terribly allergic to cats, and it's so cold here in WI that I would be terrible getting a dog out for enough walks everyday. So, we eventually decided on a rabbit. My sons (ages 15, 13 and 10) and my husband and I were excited, so we started looking over the web for nearby rabbit breeders. Now there is nothing in this world cuter than a baby rabbit, so we decided to contact a few and get on waiting lists. While we were waiting for the babies to age to 8 weeks, I began to lurk on some forums. I learned how important it was to spay/neuter rabbits, the actual amount of space required (vs the small cages at the pet store), how important the diet was versus a dish of pellets....etc. I also learned how difficult it can be to start with a baby rabbit considering you have to go through a hormonal change, and you can't really determine an adult personality from how friendly or gentle a baby is. We have close friends that bought an adorable, cuddly baby from a pet store, and ended up with a biting adult and refused to spay because it cost too much. We didn't want to make the same mistakes.
I had feared that going to a rescue would inhibit us from from forming a close bond with a bun since we would not be starting from a baby, but learned that this is not true. So, I started looking at local rescues. I already have enough teenagers at home.
Anyway, a couple of weeks later, we came home with Bella, an 8 month old spayed female Dutch rabbit. She's a dream. She has immaculate litter habits so I've never had to train her, she loves being petted and held, and she's inquisitive and a joy to watch. In her former home she wasn't allowed out of cage time, so it's great to watch her explore her NIC condo and the house. She came spayed since she was in a rescue, and we payed a grand total of $30, rather than having to pay hundreds down the road. Now, we would have paid to neuter, but it's nice to save the money for other vet issues we may have down the road.
Anyway, I just wanted to share our story and how wonderfully rescue has worked for us. I think for first time owners who are novices with rabbits that it really makes a lot of sense to find a compatible adult so you can be more confident of the temperament that you are going to have for many years to come. Babies are adorable, but they only stay babies for so long. Plus, you don't need to worry about spaying and neutering (the cost or the slight risk to the rabbit.) I've found many stories regarding impulsive buys of baby rabbits that are looking to be rehomed down the road.
I'll get off my soap box now, but I just wanted to share our thought process as new owners and how wonderfully our girl worked for us. Again, it's important to stress that there are a lot of people who go through breeders or pet stores and do wonderfully with their buns, but I just wanted to share the success and simplicity of our rescue of Bella.
Now I can't get the thought of another out of my head....are rabbits like potato chips?? We might take Bella to the rescue down the road to start "dating."
Thanks for reading...
A few months ago, I decided to add a pet to the family. I'm terribly allergic to cats, and it's so cold here in WI that I would be terrible getting a dog out for enough walks everyday. So, we eventually decided on a rabbit. My sons (ages 15, 13 and 10) and my husband and I were excited, so we started looking over the web for nearby rabbit breeders. Now there is nothing in this world cuter than a baby rabbit, so we decided to contact a few and get on waiting lists. While we were waiting for the babies to age to 8 weeks, I began to lurk on some forums. I learned how important it was to spay/neuter rabbits, the actual amount of space required (vs the small cages at the pet store), how important the diet was versus a dish of pellets....etc. I also learned how difficult it can be to start with a baby rabbit considering you have to go through a hormonal change, and you can't really determine an adult personality from how friendly or gentle a baby is. We have close friends that bought an adorable, cuddly baby from a pet store, and ended up with a biting adult and refused to spay because it cost too much. We didn't want to make the same mistakes.
I had feared that going to a rescue would inhibit us from from forming a close bond with a bun since we would not be starting from a baby, but learned that this is not true. So, I started looking at local rescues. I already have enough teenagers at home.
Anyway, a couple of weeks later, we came home with Bella, an 8 month old spayed female Dutch rabbit. She's a dream. She has immaculate litter habits so I've never had to train her, she loves being petted and held, and she's inquisitive and a joy to watch. In her former home she wasn't allowed out of cage time, so it's great to watch her explore her NIC condo and the house. She came spayed since she was in a rescue, and we payed a grand total of $30, rather than having to pay hundreds down the road. Now, we would have paid to neuter, but it's nice to save the money for other vet issues we may have down the road.Anyway, I just wanted to share our story and how wonderfully rescue has worked for us. I think for first time owners who are novices with rabbits that it really makes a lot of sense to find a compatible adult so you can be more confident of the temperament that you are going to have for many years to come. Babies are adorable, but they only stay babies for so long. Plus, you don't need to worry about spaying and neutering (the cost or the slight risk to the rabbit.) I've found many stories regarding impulsive buys of baby rabbits that are looking to be rehomed down the road.
I'll get off my soap box now, but I just wanted to share our thought process as new owners and how wonderfully our girl worked for us. Again, it's important to stress that there are a lot of people who go through breeders or pet stores and do wonderfully with their buns, but I just wanted to share the success and simplicity of our rescue of Bella.
Now I can't get the thought of another out of my head....are rabbits like potato chips??
We might take Bella to the rescue down the road to start "dating." Thanks for reading...
