Why did you choose a rabbit as a pet? What you love?

[Alek]

Here's something I thought might be fun. I'm curious, what is it that makes you enjoy rabbits as pets. Most people pick cats, or dogs, or even guinea pigs, but what is it that makes you choose and enjoy rabbits.

Personally;
I love the attitude that rabbits have. They are very much a 'golden rule' pet, meaning, if you treat them well, they will treat you well. But if you are mean to them, not only will they be mean to you, but they will exact revenge against you (pee on bed, chew cords, bite). I like an animal that has that sort of view/behavior towards the world. A dog will love you no matter what you do. But a rabbit requires you to get on their level, and to maintain a respectful and mindful relationship. Also, when they open up to you, it's so very rewarding because you work for their love and earned it, it wasn't freely give to you. A rabbit that loves you will give you it's toys, lick your face and hair, and cuddle with you. I also appreciate an animal that has 50lbs of personality in a 2lb body (reminds me of me LOL)
People often think rabbits are boring and stupid animals, but it's all due to ignorance. I often think that when someone tells me they don't want to work towards earning an animals affection and respect, that they must not be a decent friend (I have intense anxiety, which can be difficult for people).
As a kid, my mom loved to regale me of stories about her angora rabbit, Cassidy. And how loving, sweet, and hilarious he was.

So, what are your reasons for choosing and loving rabbits? (besides them being so insanely cute)

 

[stevesmum]

What a good question... let me count the ways!
Rabbits are pretty. Even the "ugliest" roughest looking rabbit is beautiful to me. They have a certain poise and grace, I love their shape and form and I love to watch them do anything, even dig in their own butts for poops to munch...
Also there's something special about earning the (albeit tentative) trust of a creature that thinks everyone is out to eat them.
I didn't get my first bunny til I was 29. But when I did something just went CLICK and I knew I had found something I absolutely loved. That's why our home is full of rabbity stuff and people probably call me crazy rabbit lady behind my back.
To me, there's only one real drawback to having rabbits as pets, and that's the fact that they're not "portable" pets. Which limits us in our travelling and I know bugs my husband a little. But oh well. Worth it to me!

 

[leighann7]

For me, it's the ears. Just love the long ears. That said, I was never going to have bunnies again. Didn't have time for that, or so I thought. I hadn't had a rabbit in 10 years, and was not interested in having one again. Then I was visiting the man down the street. He raises meat bunnies, and they're not nice. They'll bite you just for looking in their direction. But there was one, smaller than the rest, who had a torn ear and looked scared. I made the mistake of picking her up, which you're not supposed to do with the meat bunnies, and it was love for both of us. Brought her home, didn't even have a cage, so she ended up sleeping in my bed. I'm not even sure I love rabbits, but I love Tawny. Long ears, a sweet face, and just a terror when she steals anything she can reach. It's hilarious.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our daughter went in the service and left us with 2..loved the personalities, so we have rescued over 40 down the years. We also have Great Danes.

 

[samoth]

Good question. Hmm, let's see...

- I bred hamsters and guinea pigs when I was younger, so I kind of had an affinity or predisposition towards small mammals.

- My parents got me a dog when I was, like, 8 years old. I was allergic to him, so he went to my grandparents after just one year. I haven't had issues with allergies since I was younger, but didn't really want a large hairy thing in my home just in case.

- I tend to not do normal or average things that everyone else does. Everyone has dogs and cats; so, of course, that means I don't really want a dog or cat. I'm also a guy. Seriously, what kind of grown dude has rabbits for pets?

- I'm a pretty clean person, so I'm not too keen on the idea of a 50-100 pound ball of fur in the house. And on the couch. And on the bed.

- I had a wild rabbit friend a few years back that I trained to come when I called. I named him Triscuit, for his favorite food, and feed him every day. He taught me a lot about his kind.

- Rabbits work great with my life/career: long days and sometimes nights/weekends, along with a decent commute. With rabbits, I don't need family to care for them or walk them while I'm away. They're up with me in the morning and after work, and sleep most of the day.

- Rabbits are highly underrated as pets/companion animals and utterly fascinating little mammals. I bought a dozen different vet, medical, behavioral, pharmaceutical, etc. books to learn about them before I ever got my buns.

- They're generally treated poorly/improperly by humans and relegated to small cages. I adopted two rabbits who may not have fared well otherwise.

- I've shared my experiences with others and, in a small way, changed the views others have of rabbits for the better

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Rehabilitating eastern cottontails for numerous years taught me that these gentle herbivores are quiet and comical to watch. After having house cats, a lab/retriever, and then stepping aside from rehabilitation for the winter months, adopting a companion pet from the shelter was the right move to make! I dearly love their gentle nature, velvet kisses, and various personalities. Our dog was a stray, and she had our love for over a decade. She was constantly wagging her tail the minute I walked into the door from a hectic day at work, and that was a good thing to see. Observe her wagging tail and energy. She wanted to be walked often (which I did), and barked at trucks (which was good). This was not so good when hubby wanted to rest without being awakened by our lab/retriever barking. I also enjoy the moments when I can sleep in, and not be chaperoning our lab/retriever in the yard on her bathroom duties at 11 pm or 6 am. i.e., on Cold nights when our dog wished to sniff everything in the snow or grass. We were ready for a quieter species companion pet! Hubby has a fondness for lagomorphs as he was an admirer of cottontails since he was a youngster. -- Velvet kisses, their quiet nature, and being able to hold "my family" near my heart as I relax and unwind is ideal therapy and R&R. Our fosters/rescues/adopteds included 3 lb. personality-plus "clowns" and sweethearts, and our largest rescue weighed about 9-10 lbs. - Rabbits have changed my mind about the items I buy and consume and I'm healthier in return. Glad of that! Lagomorphs are overlooked & misunderstood companion pets; made fun of by those who do not speak rabbit language, plus they are labeled as poultry & disposable items by USDA. They've become my best furry friends. I hear you samoth. Thanks for posting your reasons.

 

[MikeScone]

I didn't choose a rabbit, at least at first. One evening, my son walked in and dropped a ball of soft, grey fur on my lap and announced that the furball was a Mini-Rex rabbit named "Scone".

Scone was supposed to be Joe's bunny, but I wound up taking care of him over a few weekends when Joe was out of town, and pretty soon his cage moved out into the living room, and when I was home, Scone was out hopping around the house and exploring. Very quickly, Scone decided I was his human, and that was that. To my surprise, I discovered that Scone was intelligent, loving and funny to watch, and he learned how to get everything he wanted out of me. I joined an internet rabbit group and read everything I could about rabbits, and met all sorts of nice new people who were also bunny parents. Along the way, I gave Scone his last name, MacBunny.

Before long, my son joined the Army and got married, and made a life of his own. Scone and I enjoyed each other's company for almost seven years, as he aged into a dignified old rabbit gentleman. Every morning he woke me to make his breakfast, and every night he jumped into bed for a good-night kiss.

Finally, in June 2010, Scone MacBunny hopped into bed with me one last time, then ran back to his cage. He passed away in his sleep that night.

A few months later, another rabbit hopped into my life. Natasha had lived with my niece and her boyfriend (now husband) for her first two years, but they were planning to move to Colorado and start a life together and they decided that I could spoil their rabbit Natasha better than they could. And so, I became Dad to Natasha Rabbitova.

Natasha's personality was very different from Scone's - but not a bit less interesting. Her intelligence shined through from the very start, and she made sure that I knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it. We have lived together going on for seven years - she'll be nine in August - and although she's about my age in rabbit years, Natasha's never stopped being a thinking she's a young bunny. She runs about the house playing with her toys, chewing on boxes and toilet-paper tubes, flinging keys and grooming her stuffed friends. She, too, gets me up in the morning, greets me when I come home from work (as long as I give her the appropriate treat on my way in the door), and she runs into my bedroom every night after her bedtime snack, to spend the night next to my bed.

I hope we have many more years together...

 

[ravenmoore36]

There were no plans to have a house bunny. People where we live new we had small furrys and occasionally rehomed them. In december 2007 luna enterd our lives when her then owner was bored of her and was mistreating her and we never looked back. We had nine amazing years with her. She was intelligent, had a sense of humour, caring. We learnt so much from her. Bunnies are bright inquisitive creatures. We miss her so much.

 

[Alek]

I didn't choose a rabbit, at least at first. One evening, my son walked in and dropped a ball of soft, grey fur on my lap and announced that the furball was a Mini-Rex rabbit named "Scone".

Scone was supposed to be Joe's bunny, but I wound up taking care of him over a few weekends when Joe was out of town, and pretty soon his cage moved out into the living room, and when I was home, Scone was out hopping around the house and exploring. Very quickly, Scone decided I was his human, and that was that. To my surprise, I discovered that Scone was intelligent, loving and funny to watch, and he learned how to get everything he wanted out of me. I joined an internet rabbit group and read everything I could about rabbits, and met all sorts of nice new people who were also bunny parents. Along the way, I gave Scone his last name, MacBunny.

Before long, my son joined the Army and got married, and made a life of his own. Scone and I enjoyed each other's company for almost seven years, as he aged into a dignified old rabbit gentleman. Every morning he woke me to make his breakfast, and every night he jumped into bed for a good-night kiss.

Finally, in June 2010, Scone MacBunny hopped into bed with me one last time, then ran back to his cage. He passed away in his sleep that night.

A few months later, another rabbit hopped into my life. Natasha had lived with my niece and her boyfriend (now husband) for her first two years, but they were planning to move to Colorado and start a life together and they decided that I could spoil their rabbit Natasha better than they could. And so, I became Dad to Natasha Rabbitova.

Natasha's personality was very different from Scone's - but not a bit less interesting. Her intelligence shined through from the very start, and she made sure that I knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it. We have lived together going on for seven years - she'll be nine in August - and although she's about my age in rabbit years, Natasha's never stopped being a thinking she's a young bunny. She runs about the house playing with her toys, chewing on boxes and toilet-paper tubes, flinging keys and grooming her stuffed friends. She, too, gets me up in the morning, greets me when I come home from work (as long as I give her the appropriate treat on my way in the door), and she runs into my bedroom every night after her bedtime snack, to spend the night next to my bed.

I hope we have many more years together...

I envy you, I've love my rabbit to free range indefinitely and sleep in bed with my husband and I. Instead she's confined to my office/guest bedroom. I have a service dog, and two cats, and even though they are all very rabbit friendly, and lovely, my service dog tends to be too intense of a lover for my shy little Netherland Dwarf. With my angora, my dog was just the right amount of love per pound for the bunny, but she's a wee thing, and his giant face intimidates her sometimes, especially when he licks her and her entire body gets drenched. LOL

 

[Lokin4AReason]

my girl bun was for the ex wife before she left and left the bun no caring for her anymore. after she left her, i just didnt have the heart to bring her to the SPCA, so i kept her

 

[bunnyman666]

I am a rabbit person. Dogs are too needy, cats are too aloof, and I just plain am a rabbit person, period. Many of you may know my charaterisations of Trixie in the "bunny chat" section. She was JUST like that. She was the biggest dork, yet she was very cool. We were buddies from the start, and she waited until I had recovered from my surgeries to hop onto the rainbow bridge. She was definitely the hardest one to get over- heck, it's been two years and I am not over her leaving. But she was bunny through and through. I could never get this with a dog or a cat.

 

[katiecrna]

Just the sight of rabbits make me happy. I think they are the cutest animal God has created. Then who they are makes me love them even more. I honestly feel like they are magical. These super cute creatures that hop around and eat veggies and grass and they dont hurt a thing yet are constantly being hunted down even though they are innocent makes me love and pity them. They are pure innocence to me.

 

[RavenousDragon]

I love rabbits because they don't love me back just because. I have to work with and for them to gain their trust. They sass me, infuriate me, and still give me kisses before bed every night. I love that they pout and fuss and get so ANGRY when I take away a toy to clean it. I love the challenges they set for me and I love how much more intelligent they are than I am.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cat, but she'd die right this second if she thought it would make me even a little happier (she's a VERY loving and loyal creature) and that's not as much fun. I mean, what animal allows me to dress her in a pink sweater and take her on walks, only to thank me with purrs and love after? It's very disappointing.

 

[Kinai]

I didn't exactly choose AJ. But I won't give him up now either!

I honestly, and don't hate me for this, did NOT like rabbits as a kid/teen. My dad had two and they weren't the friendliest things. I also have never liked rodents in general. That said...

Since getting AJ and seeing how he has a personality, that is actually quite interesting and annoying at times, he has changed my mind on rabbits at least.

He loves being scratched, petted, and loved but during the day he will only allow you to do this in his cage. At night he plays boop mom and run like crazy back in my cage. He has free run of my bed if I am home since my house is NOT rabbit proof and I have no way to block off the kitchen so I could leave him there alone.

Would I choose a rabbit AGAIN as a pet? 100%

I have Bipolar, PTSD so lots of anxiety, but I also have problems with keeping a routine and sleeping. With the help of switching the time of my antidepressant and having AJ it has helped me a Lot.

So in a little 2 pound ball of fur I have found a friend, a personality without end and a natural aid for my Mental Illness lol. Best "medicine" ever!

My dog would not agree though

 

[BunnyBusiness]

My lop Clementine is my first rabbit, I didn't even think of getting a rabbit as a pet, I was there with a family member to get a lionhead and the store owner gave me her to hold while she was sexing others, as soon as I did she started to lick my chin and nose and nibble on my shirt and I sort of feel like she picked me in that moment, so I couldn't leave her in that store.

What I came to love about her and the lionhead is how smart and energetic they are, I was surprised of how much personality both have also, the lionhead (Negan) is pretty much an Energizer rabbit, never stops binkying and loves running, while Clem is more reserved and just like jumping straight up occasionally. I also love how clean they are as animals.

 

[MikeScone]

I also have never liked rodents in general.

No problem there. Rabbits aren't even remotely related to rodents. They're lagomorphs, along with hares, cottontails and pikas.

There was a DNA study a few years ago which showed that the nearest relatives to the lagomorphs are not rodents, but primates. So you're more closely related to your bunny than Mickey Mouse is.

 

[RavenousDragon]

No problem there. Rabbits aren't even remotely related to rodents. They're lagomorphs, along with hares, cottontails and pikas.

Let me tell you how many times I had to say that to apartment complexes that didn't allow 'rodents' as pets before I found where I'm at now. Apparently, that's not a good enough argument. :lalalala:

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

I chose a rabbit because they offer the best in pets with the least in problems. To me, dogs need too much attention and training. To me, cats aren't very affectionate plus their littlerbox stinks up the entire house. Hamsters are great but they don't live very long and are so small that you can't snuggle them. Other pets: Sugar Gliders; snakes; chinchillas; iguanas; hedgehogs; don't seek out and enjoy human company reliably. A rabbit is the best pet! They litter box train easily; they don't need walks outside; they don't need constant attention; but they do seek you out for cuddles periodically during the day; they can play games and are very interactive; they don't bark and make noise; they don't stink up the house; they don't have dander and they don't tend to normally carry bacteria and parasites that infect humans ( like cats do). Rabbit let you snuggle them like teddy bears and nap with them; their kisses aren't slobbery and gross like dog kisses; they don't need much grooming; they aren't expensive to feed... oh my gosh I could go on and on about how superior rabbits are as pets. I can't understand why they aren't more popular.

 

[Kinai]

Let me tell you how many times I had to say that to apartment complexes that didn't allow 'rodents' as pets before I found where I'm at now. Apparently, that's not a good enough argument. :lalalala:

Ravenous.
Related in topic but not animal. I had 5 firebellied toads and my housing doesn't allow reptiles, or rodents. When the woman mentioned about the reptile because of my toads I asked her since when are Amphibians reptiles.... her answer was they 're still not allowed.

I will look up lagamorphs. Sounds interesting. At least bunnies aren't rodents, although they look similar sometimes.

 

[Capri]

Someone summed it up beautifully in an earlier comment on how rabbits have all the best of various pets rolled up in one. I couldn't agree more.

Had a Guinea pig for a time as a little kid. Couldn't cope with the smell. Cage needed to be cleaned out daily. And it just doesn't work when you're a little girl who would rather have a kitty in the worst way.

Had hamsters for a few years, the first one was given to me for Christmas by a friend, who fell out of love with him, due to her believing he had injured a mouse. That was a gem of a hamster. He sat and cuddled in my hand or on my chest for ages during the day, but ran endlessly at night. He looked in your direction when you said his name. None of the other hamsters I had since were like that. They were fine with being picked up, but weren't interested in being held/cuddled. And hammy vocalizations really freak me out, especially when they are scared or fighting. I've also been on the receiving end of a few vicious hammy bites from those that were not my own pets. So that has made me very nervous of hamsters now.

Never had mice or gerbils, though I would choose gerbils between the two. Mice are cute but they stink. And none of these seem to be much for cuddling, even if they would be entertaining to watch during play.

I haven't owned hedgehogs or ferrets, but suspect they would be hard on my sensitive nose, and both are much coarser to the touch, handling a rabbit is IMO just that much nicer.

As soon as I got over my fear of dogs, we had dogs in the house until the death of the last one was just too hard, and so would be the maintenance of getting yet another. But dogs just aren't for me. I don't get much enjoyment out of petting a dog, and there is the doggy smell, the barking, the insufferably loud eating/drinking/licking itself/chewing on bones, and they are just too demanding/in-your-face and prone to spazzing out for me.

I love cats, but can't own one because I live with people who don't like them, and one is horribly allergic. But rabbits don't present a problem, and strangely enough, both people love the rabbit. She started out as "my rabbit" and soon became "our rabbit.

A lot of people's cats are as skittish as rabbits are said to be by so many people. My sister's cat was not. She was as affectionate as a dog, but not in-your-face about it. I loved that cat and always thought she should've been mine.

A rabbit is sort of like a cat for people who can't have cats. They tend to have an independent character, and always want more of a good thing when they recognize it. They feel like cats too. If you shut your eyes and stroke a cat or rabbit down its back or side, their fur is so similar. You'd have to go by body shape to tell the difference.

My first rabbit was given to me by a school, since they saw how in love I was with him and he with me. It was a thank-you- gift for something I did for one of their classes.

he was a Dutch rabbit, and he could shatter any dog's record for licking, and yet was not drooling and annoying about it. He was an armful of snuggle.

And I've always had good experiences with rabbits, including those in pet shops. Once, I had my arm mauled by a bunch of baby bunnies at a pet shop, all of them in the periscope position trying to climb up my arm, and licking the heck out of me.

Now I have a lionhead, and she is very cuddly and affectionate. She gives kisses and asks to be rubbed on the head, and she goes totally spazz when she thinks she's getting a treat. Her playfulness is so entertaining to watch. And she is so much easier to clean up after than some other pets are.