Share with us the reasons behind why you got your 1st rabbit.

[larryng]

I had a cat befor I started keeping rabbits.

Pookey, my cat, developed a very nasty habit of pooping and peeing in my (carpeted)stairwell. I had to give her up to the pound because of this reason.

I wanted another pet.

Another cat would've out of the question because the next cat might poop and pee in the same location.

A dog would make too much noise for my liking.

I researched other animals and found a guinea pig didn't live that long. (2 years normally).

I settled on having a bunny. How about you?

 

[Nela]

I had always had pets. My favorites were guinea pigs but my father is dangerously allergic and despite having tried a billion various ways to keep them, we always ended up having to let them go. The last time I had to give my beloved guinea pig, we all cried so much and my father felt so horrible that he surprised me with 2 diamond doves. They were beautiful. They were fragile and not very friendly though but I loved to watch them. However, because of this, a co-worker of my father's saw that we had the wee doves and offered my father a turtledove so my father took her in. He felt she needed a friend so he and I went to get another from a pet store. It's only in the car that my father saw how badly off she was and of course that made us love her instantly. We nursed her back to health and I really bonded with my doves. I absolutely adored them so for several years, I became quite content with them.

One day, out of the blue, my father wondered out loud if he would be as allergic to rabbits. Well, he shouldn't have said it in front of me because from that moment I saw rabbits as a potential companion. Lol. I ended up at the pet store looking at some baby bunnies and the pet store owner told me all about the mini-rex breed and how much better they were for allergies. I asked my parents and eventually my father and I were pleading my mother to let us get a bunny. She was so mad because she figuredwe would end up in tears again. Sure enough, we brought home the wee bun and it didn't work. My dad had a severe attack that night so I took it back a day or 2 later. However, the pet store owner was so convinced we could deal with a mini-rex that he asked me to come back in a week as he was getting a new bunch of baby rexes that he was sure were pure-bred. That's what I did and I picked out a castor mini-rex.

Surprisingly, my father could *tolerate it* as long as I kept her in my room and changed clothes, washed hands etc. Of course, more often than not, he would sneak in my room to go see her. Luckily, she didn't like him very much and was always chasing him out of my room. LOL. Anyway, I eventually got more and it really pushed him to the edge allergy-wise butthey passed away, leaving me with just my heartbunny, andI moved out just in time so I got to keep her. :biggrin:

 

[fribble2110]

I have always had guinea pigs ( mine actually lived for 8 years ) and when my old guy passed away i was looking to replace him. I have never gone long without having a little friend. I was at my local garden and pet store getting stuff for my horse and i always browse at the small animals they have. I saw the CUTEST little guy running around doing binkies are over the place. I have never had a rabbit before so i asked the woman to hold him for a few hours, went home did some research and then went back a few hours later after i decided that i could take care of him.. Grabbed a whole bunch of goodies for him andd then brought him home 2 years ago!! I have been in love with my two guys ever since!

 

[ZRabbits]

Whenour Son, Henry passed,we weretotally devesatated and lost. We promised to take care of his Hamster, Hermione and when she passed a year later, it was like losing Henry again. Something he loved was gone.

So a few months afterwards, my husband sat down and out of the blue said, "What about bunnies?". I had no clue about bunnies, but started to research about them. We decided on smaller ones because we wanted them to be close to us.

I am so truly grateful for that suggestion. We started out with two and our tribe has grown to 5. They are our World now. Nothing ever will be the same after the loss of our Sweet Son Henry, but our bunnies do give us what we need. Living creatures to love and take care of and lots of laughter due to their individual quirky personalities. Wecherish their presence every day!

K

 

[MarisaAndToby]

At 21 I had never had a pet in my life. I felt really cheated because of that, like I was missing out on an important part of life. I was never a huge fan of cats, a dog was out if the question because I'm still in university, and I had researched bunnies and found them to be really personable and intelligent, not to mention adorable!

So, against my parents wishes, I went out and found my Toby.

 

[Meeky242]

I was always a cat and rat person. I loved my rats so much and was quite content with them and my gorgeous little kitty Rusta. I did think bunnies were cute but I'd never met one that was particularly friendly or loving. Most I met were living outside or in pet stores and they just never seemed quite nice enough.

One day I got a call from my mother about a cute little domestic bunny Ty had found wondering the streets, it had been wondering for quite some time (3? Weeks) before they were finally able to catch it. She had no idea what to do with it as it had a collar so was definitely a pet. I offered to take it while she found its owners so set up a temporary cage and went and got some bunny pellets and veges.

I almost cried when I picked him up. He was covered in mud, sticks, leaves and had matted hair everywhere. He was long coated so I think some type of angora or close too. I took him home and gently gave him a nice warm bath. I sat there for hours with him bun tranced on my lap in the warmth cutting out his matts. Afterwards he looks rediculose but he was very thankful to be free. We put him in his cage and he went to town on the pellets, drinking water and rolling in the saw dust we had on the bottom. He just loved it. We then got a call from my mum a bit later and was told they had found the owner.

We took him back that night and instead of getting someone that thanked us for catching and help their bin we got a very rude man who grabbed the poor thing by its ears and slammed the door in our face. Needless to say the RSPCA was called. I was so upset because I had fallen in love with him so much that my partner surprised me with another bun, Luther. He was so fantastic, cuddly, loving, he sought me out and even escaped his cage many times to come and fine me And thus, my love for all things bunny came to be.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

A friend of mine had gotten a rabbit and that sort of sparked my interest in them. I then did a presentation in school on rabbits. It was about a year after that that I finally got Korr. I was going to get another rabbit (a female lop of I remember correctly), but that fell through. There weren't any that appealed to me at the humane society. I convinced my mom to take me to a pet store and Korr was the only bunny there. I had wanted a female, but apparently he had other plans on that (the pet store person said he was male, so it's not like I bought a female and ended up with a male). I took him home and that was the start of a 6.5 year obsession. He has taught me so much about bunnies.

Before getting Korr, I had 2 dogs (still have them), gerbils, mice and hamsters. A few years (and a few bunnies) later, I decided to focus on the rabbits and dogs, so once the others passed away, I just didn't get anymore and sold the stuff for them.

 

[TinksMama]

I think my interest started after I got to pet a Castor Mini Rex at the local fair. After that for years I begged and pleaded with my parents (I think I was about 6) to get me one. Two years later (4th of July Weekend) we went to a local stock yard and there was a lady there selling baby bunnies for $15 I HAD to have one, so my parents bought three of them, a Male Castor Mini Rex for me, a Male wild rabbit colored one for my sister and a Male Black Mini Lop for my brother. My mom did some research on the internet and found out that Male bunnies don't live together well. So they all went back and we got two females in stead, a Castor Mini Rex and a Steel Mini Lop. Then several years later my aunt told me about 4h and how you could show bunnies there! I went to my first meeting and was hooked ever since then. Over the years I've bred rabbits dabbled in a few different breeds, Jersey Wooly, Mini Rex and New Zealands to name a few. In November of last year I quit breeding and decided to do other things, my dad also got a job that he has to travel for so the rabbits had to stay at my friends. Now they're spoiled rotten and living in her garage until I come back. I miss them a lot and can't wait till I can go back to Michigan!! Instead of breeding I'm thinking about doing rescue.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I have always had rescue pets in my life. As a kid we had hutch bunnies and then in HS I found a "dwarf" rabbit that turned out to be an American Chinchilla LOL so much for full grown. Cosette lived free in my bedroom before house rabbits were popular, I just didn't have the heart to put her in a cage.

Fastforward to being an adult. I had cats all along and when my heartcat died he left a huge hole that I tried to fill with all kinds of animals (man we have a house full now, but as they die off they will not be replaced). Finally I saw Rebecca on petfinder, which I would browse when feeling depressed. She was the cutest minilop at the SPCA just 5 minutes from work! I thought I knew how to take care of rabbits, but man did I have so much to learn! I now have 4 free roam house rabbits and will never be without atleast a cat and a rabbit in my home.

 

[JadeIcing]

I thought I couldn't get a dog and hubby had a rabbit in the past, an had mentioned he wanted another.

 

[patches2593]

with me, i just wanted a pet that only ME could care for and have to myself and love. at first i was begging for a hamster, but my mom wouldn't let me and she said maybe you should try to get a guinea pig or a rabbit. i went on Google for rabbits and i found out they were the pet for me. this was when i was in fourth grade maybe late third. i finally got one for Easter as a surprise and i cared for him for a few years but he died suddenly. now i have patches.

 

[FlowerBaby]

When I was around 12 years old, my friend had gotten a little white dwarf. He was the sweetest and most loving thing ever. I was really sad when she had to give him up. After that I had a hamster because it was the only small pet my parents would allow me to have. I haven't had one since, it's just too sad when they pass after two years of having one.

Fast forward to high school, ahahha. Because I had been showing beef cattle for 4-H at local fairs for a few years, I had been able to look around at all of the attractions and see what was there. There was this one friend of the person I showed for who would always bring his mini petting zoo to his local fair, and he breeds bunnies. I would always go to hangout with them, and then last year, I decided that I would go against my parents wishes and bought myself my little Flower. Although, when I brought her home I knew my parents would not be thrilled, so I told them that I won her in a contest, ahaha. Needless to say, I never got that little cuddly bun from all those years ago, but I would never give up my baby for the world♥

 

[gmas rabbit]

We got our first bunny when our kids were little. One of our kids was allergic to cats, so a rabbit was the closest thing to soft and cuddly. Thank goodness for her allergies. We have had about 10 rabbits over the years, each with their own personalities, but always finding a special place in our hearts. Now we have a grandson who lives with us who is allergic to rabbits. Too bad. He has learned to take allergy pills and the rabbit and him divide the house into areas where the other cannot go. lol It all works.

 

[StitchLover]

I've wanted a bunny since I was little but my parent wouldn't let me get one because I was just getting used to having a dog and they thought another animal to take care of would overwhelm me. But I never lost interest. As the years passed I wanted one more and more. I finally got my chance when the school built the barn. I go pick up my first bunny on Saturday.

 

[Trigger101]

I have always been a dog person,still am. when my parents and I moved out of my grandparents house we had an older rottweiler who couldn't tolerate town so we took him back to my grandparents to live out his years on the farm. So then I got a white rabbit(dont know breed) from the same place we got trigger from and the neighbors dog got a hold of her a few days later SO I never got to expience a pet rabbit. Then I had dogs,cats,birds,little critters. My mom decided we would go get ONE rabbit from the same place we got the white one from since they are shoved in cages and are abused. Plus my uncle had just gotten a rabbit and I wanted one We came home with 6!!! Trigger was the only one to survive. I have had her 2 years now. I LOVE her and plan on having a bunny 4ever My dad still doesn't get the point of a pet rabbits(he isnt an animal person).

 

[deaners]

My first bun I had when I was little had been found in the park close to our house. My dad built him a great hutch and he lived outside. During the winter dad attached a hay lined cat house for him to sleep in. During the summer he had the run of the yard all day and was put in his hutch at night. He was a sweet bun who liked to hang out with my dad in the garden.

The next rabbit I had, my husband and I bought from a petstore when we were newly married. We got her because our apartment building wasn't allowing any new cats. We figured they wouldn't find out about the rabbit since they are so quiet. Her name was Munches and she lived with us for nearly 11 years. She passed away in August 2011.

Our current rabbits are a Holland Lop boy named George who was born in August 2011 and a French Lop girl named Pearl who was born in November 2011. We bought then from different breeders at a local rabbit show in February 2012. My husband wanted a Flemish Giant, but we fell in love with these two. We still may get a flemy, but not for a little bit.

 

[melbaby80]

When I was around 7 my dad brought home a white bunny, I don't remember exactly what breed it was. He had built a huge pen in the basement of our house so the rabbit was never outdoors. I can't really remember too much about him, but I do remember going to the basement to look at him and I found him dead.

My next bunny was when I was 19 and I felt I could care for an animal on my own. I already had a huge homemade pen my dad had made for an iguana my cousin had, that didn't work out so I kept the pen for my chocolate rex boy named sammy sosa. I also had bought my sister her own lop mix who was a female. She ended up not being able to care for her properly so I ended taking her in. After a couple months and finally get a curfew I decided that my bunnies were too much work at the time so I rehomed them.

Years have passed, I'm 31 now and my 10 year old daughter has been begging for a bunny. I always said no, but something got the better of me and I began looking over craigslist a lot in the past couple months. I kept telling my husband I think I want a bunny, he would say no, until one day I came upon Domino's ad. It was her and another little guy, she was a double maned, her brother was a single and a broken black. The breeder lady was sure someone else wanted the white one(domino), so when it came time to pick my broken black bunny up she said someone wanted him and left the white one! :biggrin2: woohoo! I got the one I wanted and I am super glad. Domino is amazing.

 

[MikeScone]

There wasn't any reason behind getting my first rabbit - because he wasn't my rabbit, at first. My son brought home the softest, warmest little thing, dropped him on my lap and said, "his name is Scone". Here he is, that very night, his first picture:

Time passed, and Scone decided I was his human. My son moved on, to join the Army and get married, and Scone and I became family for seven and a half years. This is his last picture, my old rabbit gentleman:

So, you'd have to ask Scone what his reasons were for getting his first human. I only wish I could...

 

[ArdenBunny]

Wow!DidScone's fur really change color that much, or was it just the difference in cameras/lighting? :shock:

 

[MikeScone]

ArdenBunny wrote:

Wow!DidScone's fur really change color that much, or was it just the difference in cameras/lighting? :shock:

A little of both cameras and growth. The lighting was actually the same, since both were taken in essentially the same spot.

He started out quite neutral light gray, but his fur got darker and browner for most of his first year, changing a bit with each molt. The white markings got more pronounced, too.

I think seven years evolution in digital cameras made a big difference, too. The Sony I had originally wasn't all that good in white balance control.