Would really like to get a rabbit.

[yasha2802]

I was thinking it sounded like green were going to be the most pricey. I may have to even end up buying more then I am now but I will just have to wait and see about that.

Seems our Lowes and home depot doesn't carry and wont get the wood pellets shipped to a store by us.
Our manards seems to carry them it's a little more of a drive but I'm sure I can get up there now and then. Guessing if stored well the pellets will last some time so may just have to buy a few bags at a time to save the trip. Does this look like the right item? https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...od-pellets-40-lb/6408282/p-1444439109194.htm#

Does this hay work I'm thinking it would and is still cheaper to get then the stuff marketed at bunnies. https://www.chewy.com/standlee-premium-timothy-grass-grab/dp/170849

Still have to check the animal supplies store and stuff but this is just what I'm coming up with off of web searches.

I also realized Oxbow made the rat food I used back when I had rats. Does the rabbit food have a lot of powder at the bottom of the bag? With the rat food it seemed like sometimes about half the bag was just powdered pellets. It was a little annoying but I used the powdered pellets to cook them some treats.

 

[A & B]

Those wood pellets look good and so does the hay. That's the type of hay I get and my bunnies and I love it. I find that in my Oxbow pellets, there is some powder/crumbs, but not a huge amount.

 

[yasha2802]

Ok thank you

 

[SableSteel]

Do be careful when getting a lionhead - they are one of the most backyard bred rabbits out there - when they were first brought to the US they were bred to almost every breed, and because the gene that makes the mane is dominant lionhead crosses would look like almost exactly lionheads, but would have temperaments all over the board. The vast, vast majority of 'lionheads' you see today are lionhead crosses. If you're wanting a lionhead with 'lionhead' temperament, the only way to have a relatively consistent chance at getting that is from a show breeder. You might want to check with this club to try to find a breeder: https://www.lionhead.us/ You might find a wonderful adult lionhead cross to rescue, but keep your mind open, its personality might not be exactly what you expected.

I entirely agree with your assessments of Kaytee and Critter Care. I myself feed Purina and haven't had any problems with it (but it's pretty high in energy, 16% protein, meant to be a complete diet - if you fed it you'd be better off not supplementing very heavily, and feeding a timothy or grass hay instead of alfalfa. I've also noticed intact and younger rabbits do better on it, while older and spayed rabbits sometimes do better with lower protein feed and higher fiber).

For bedding, I found the most absorbent and cost effective bedding are pine pellets, sold for horse stalls as well as for stoves and other uses. I can get 40# of them for less than $10. You might want to check with local feed & tack stores, that's been the most consistent place to find them, for me.

 

[yasha2802]

Thank you for the reply.
I know nothing about there personalities I just like there look. But in all honesty picking a animal for its looks is just asking from problems.

I'll see what's around and in need of a home when I'm ready and if I get a lionhead or even a cutie one cool. If I get one only a mother could love that has a good personality for me then honestly that's the best you can ask for.

I'm thinking a adult that's already litter trained and used to people sounds like it's the best bet. My parrot I got as a baby and didn't do as well as I would have if I had knew more. Dont get me wrong he's my baby and I love him but now I have some wrongs to right with a adult bird. A quick one I can name is letting him bite as a baby. It was no big thing then and I didn't think much into it (was just a kid enjoying my new pet) now that bite while he doesn't mean to hurt still feels like it's going to break my finger and if he wanted to he can.

A rabbit can sure do some damage to and while I know more now. Knowing a adult personality should help me understand more if I ever got a baby.

 

[Hermelin]

I'll see what's around and in need of a home when I'm ready and if I get a lionhead or even a cutie one cool. If I get one only a mother could love that has a good personality for me then honestly that's the best you can ask for.

I'm thinking a adult that's already litter trained and used to people sounds like it's the best bet.

Myself bought a bunny that was rehomed, when I saw him. He was really docile and sweet, he was extremely calm while a child was carrying him. Can just say, 6 months I had to struggle with his biting and attacking humans. Don’t know how the family made him so sweet, when I met him.

But he had a lot of hidden luggage and still scared of humans.

So be sure to try meeting the bunny and think about how you want your bunny personality should be. If you don’t want the extra job raising a bunny or make them tame.

Bunnies are great pets, not trying to scare you. But often people say their bunnies are sweet, cuddly and never have bitten anyone.

A tips it’s to have a budget for your bunny veterinarian costs/ food emergency at the side, always putting a little money in it. So if you have a month where the money don’t make it. You can will never have to worry about it or your bunny suddenly have to go to the vet.

 

[yasha2802]

A lot of people rehome animals become of behavior problems. That is why it's nice to find a person that's being truthful about the reason not that the animal will act the same for you as with them.

I've been on both sides of that rehome situation (not with mean pets as much as other problems). We did however that took a nice piece of skin out of everyone in the house even though he was the sweetest thing when we met him. Sent me to the hospital for stitches and the rest of the family with wounds. I don't know what happen in his old home but with how much he hated paper and towels I'm thinking the poor guy may have got hit. I think my family would have kept him if it wasn't for the fact we were just kids at the time.

Your right by just one meeting you can't know personality and even if it's a animal say a friend has and you meet a lot the move and new environment can still change them.

We have both raised pets and took in older animals in need of a home. People say you can see how happy the other ones are forgetting adopted and somethings that's true but I can also see that with ones I have had from babies. Then you have the ones you adopt that all you really see is the fear and sadness they when though. We had a dog we found in the middle of the road. Long store short found owners they were bad people. Kept the dog for over a year to potty train it. It got along with are dogs ok but always hide if we didn't call it over. We got her in a new house with less going on and she never hide (still acted beat up) just shows how environment does have a big impact. She was sweet and I would have loved to keep her but we only can have 2 dogs and she wasn't as happy as she should have been here with us.

It just sounds like a adult maybe easier and I think that maybe the way to go but I still have a lot to do before then. I really don't know the personality of rabbits. I've read some post on here of people having trouble. I've seen some videos and stuff but the only real personality I know is that of the rabbit we babysat that was very much like a fish free roaming your home. That's to say he was a hands off just watch him do his thing type of animal.

 

[Blue eyes]

A lot of people rehome animals become of behavior problems. That is why it's nice to find a person that's being truthful about the reason not that the animal will act the same for you as with them.

I honestly don't think this applies much (if at all) to rabbits from rabbit rescues. Allow me to explain. The rabbits that end up in rescues for "behavioral" issues are only there because they have reached the age where hormones have taken over. The simple fix is neuter or spay. But too few are willing to pay the cost (or are simply unaware that the solution is so simple).

Another reason rabbits are given up is that the owner thought a rabbit is a fine pet for a small child and the adult simply didn't understand the extent of care involved.

On a similar line is that the child bores of their rabbit because it is housed outside in a tiny hutch away from the family...

OR ...the rabbit no longer likes to be manhandled once it becomes an adult (6-7 months) and the kid assumes the rabbit isn't friendly anymore. (no wonder, if it wasn't getting daily interaction)

All of my rabbits (save 1 or 2) have come from various rescues. I find that choosing a rabbit from a rescue is a fantastic way to get a rabbit (my preference hands down -- but not because I'm "saving" a rabbit).

Rabbits from rescues are already fixed and I have found that the rescue workers tend to know each and every rabbit and its personality. They have always been up front and honest because they want the rabbit to be a good match (not turned back in from disappointment).

This is why I like going through a rescue. I can meet prospective rabbits. I can find one with a personality I like and one that seems to like me as well. Getting a baby rabbit is a total hit or miss since one can't change their innate personality but that personality won't be apparent until after adulthood (or after being altered). When I'm looking for a new rabbit, my first go-to is a rabbit rescue.

 

[yasha2802]

That's what we did with our ferrets as a kid. We when to a ferret rescue and sat in a room full of ferrets most were cages up other then the ones that seemed like a good math or that we wanted to look at. After going back for like the 5th time the lady didn't cage all of the others and show us a small group but just let us look at them all. She still told us if she didn't think one was a good Idea but we had about 15 of them at that point from her and I guess she trusted that we knew what we were doing. the 1st visit we sat there for hours talking to her answering questions telling her about our set up and looking at about 5 I think she had out for us. We couldn't believe how she could tell all of them apart and knew so much about each one. I think we when home with 2 that time and came back again to re-look at one later. I think we end up with 20 of them 1 being from the store 1-2 from people that ended up knowing we had them and asked us to take there's and all the others from that rescue. She was a really nice lady and did really well looking after them all and knowing what they were like and where they came from.

It does leave me with a question though I'm guessing I could look it up but as I was just thinking about it I'll just ask. Do rabbits need shots?
Our ferrets did and I can't tell you how long it took chasing them all down looking in every drawer in the house to see if they were sleeping in it. Took us the starting to long them off in a room the day before still trying to find that last one the day of the visit. I pet the vets so loved us walking it with a few of those store bought "rabbit cages" full of ferrets. 1 of them are oldest sweetest girls always had a reaction to the shot so after finding out the 1st time and having to run her back in she was always 1st to get her shot as well as a shot for reactions.

Unlike rabbits the ferrets by law all have to be fixed and descented before being sold so we never had to worry about a surgery to get them fixed which I understand is a lot more likely to have problems. That is one thing that I like about the idea of getting a adult.

If you can't tell I've had my fair share of pets growing up. I was born into a house of animals and I don't think we have ever had less then 10 at any point. I think most of them were got as older animals, while we have breed and hand raised babies as well.

Random interesting story I think one of the hardest times I had was 2 baby hamsters we got sick with wet tail. We got permission for me to take them to school(6th grade I believe) with me so I could handfed them throughout the day. They made it and were the sweetest hamsters ever according to the lady we rehomed them with. My mom used to work at the vets I have other family members that hand raises wild orphaned animals to be released back into the wild. I even raised a baby racoon and rabbit for a week till we could find a rescue for them. Everyone at school and that lived around us knew of all are animals so any time one was found hurt or in need of a home people would come to use. It ended up with as caring for and rehoming a lot of animals and turning a lot of people down. Maybe both luckily and unluckily after we were out of school and time passed re didn't have as many animals come to us. Lately in the last few years its one been a handful of kittens and that stray dog I talked about earlier.

Back on topic if I go with a rescue I would like to find one like the one we found for the ferrets. With someone willing to make sure its going to the right home and ok with taken time to get to know me and let me sit and get to know the animal. I don't want to find one like one we tried to get a dog from in the past. They seemed to not want to adopt out there animals. I fully got the vet for reference and filling out a lot of questions but there was no one on one with someone that worked there and seemed a lot of people had problems trying to adopt from them. They turned us down just because we had a unfixed male dog even when the dog we were looking at was fixed. I really couldn't understand that. I could understand if we were looking at a unfixed female but a male with a fixed female couldn't do anything. He was health with vet papers but just the fact we didn't get him fixed was a no go and they couldn't even tell us that till we found one we wanted. :/ 10 years later I still have my boy he's still unfixed and only heath problem he has is strokes and a dry eye from not being able to move side of his face. He actually has most of the movement of his face and eye back now only needing eye drops on bad days. He's had about 5 that we know of and for now is still health and acting like a puppy but sadly they may do him in and not his age.

Sorry I really like to get carried away typing when it comes to my pets there my babies and I could talk about them non stop till the day I die.

 

[Hermelin]

It just sounds like a adult maybe easier and I think that maybe the way to go but I still have a lot to do before then. I really don't know the personality of rabbits. I've read some post on here of people having trouble. I've seen some videos and stuff but the only real personality I know is that of the rabbit we babysat that was very much like a fish free roaming your home. That's to say he was a hands off just watch him do his thing type of animal.

The personality of rabbits varies a lot between them. At least all of mine are sweethearts that follow you like a shadow. Even the scared one will follow you like a dog when he free roams indoors. Only time running away it’s when he’s going to sleep or get scared.

Maybe I just have the clingy bunnies, that always love attention and getting petted. They have no problem snuggling up and spending time, lazing around with me.

So in my opinion bunnies are affectionate pets, they are like cats but still not a cat. They are independent and do whatever they want. The joy of watching them being happy and being so cute, truly melts your heart.