Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

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teffi
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:51 pm

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

Post by teffi »

Ok all you Chas and Dave fans now I have your attention: Am thinking of getting a pet rabbit for DD for her 9th birthday. Who am I trying to kid? I WANT ONE! It's really for me. Please advise as to breeds, upkeep etc. My sister used to have a Rex it was beautiful. Typing quickly cos the Mr Bean dvd that DD is watching will finish soon then she may come over here. . .
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

my children and Himalayans. My uncle bred them for shows. They are quite big, white with black ears and tails and really docile.
teffi
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:51 pm

Post by teffi »

Thanks yoyo123. They sound very good.
clarendon
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:15 pm
Location: Birmingham

Post by clarendon »

Hi teffi.. it's recommended to get 2 rabbits... they get lonely on their own. Neutered female and male best combo. We had 2 female Dwarf Lops.. very cute with the long floppy ears. Sadly we lost one. Anyway, she will be 4 next month and children more or less lost interest after 5 days!!
If not handled and tamed they can become quite aggressive. Remember that if the kids don't feed/clean out you will invariably end up doing this.
Also when you go away.. even a night.. arrangements have to be made for the care. This can be a problem and means more spur of the moment things can't easily be undertaken.

Hope I'm not putting you off but I wish we'd been given more advice before buying.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Post by Amber »

Oh yes, the responsibility of looking after a friend's rabbits weighed very heavily on me last summer. I lay awake at night fretting about whether I had done the hutch up properly, fixed the cover completely and not traumatised the rabbits with my insensitive handling - they had to be transferred from hutch to run and back again later on, and only liked to be held in a certain way. They are quite delicate apparently, and also rather aggressive - I ended up with some quite nasty surface wounds. The list of instructions ran to 3 pages of A4: specified types of hay, exact weight of food, optimum temperature of hutch, which radio station they liked. OK, not that one, but you get the picture. I broke out in a sweat when my friend 'booked' me again for this summer. Little does she realise the effect on my delicate mental health. The 11+ has nothing on looking after rabbits.

In short, line up a friendly and gullible neighbour before parting with hard cash at the rabbit farm.

Or get a cat instead.
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Post by Marylou »

Amber - those rabbits sound quite "prima donna"-ish. We sometimes look after our neighbour's, who is extremely docile apart from hurling himself at the wire in excitement when he sees us coming to feed him. One scoop of food and a handful of hay, and he's anybody's!
Good luck with your duties, anyway - hope they bring you back a decent present for your troubles! :wink:
Marylou
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Post by Amber »

-
hope they bring you back a decent present for your troubles!
Hmm... Welsh/West Country/Scottish clotted cream fudge, local Devon/Welsh/Scottish/French biscuits... All the same, just a different postcard glued on the box.

No, I do it for love, can't you tell?
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Post by pheasantchick »

We've looked after my neice's rabbit, Alfie (named after Alfie Moon)Eastenders!) who was fairly easy - feed, clean hutch out - and thats it! And give back two weeks later. All the fun of having a pet, with no long term commitment.

We got given Greek Olympic caps (it was during hte Athens olympics) one year, and cider for looking after another friend's guinea pigs.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Post by Amber »

Hmm, I feel very underchanged here, as well as overworked. Maybe such demanding rabbits deserve more than the Norfolk chutney I got last time.

Just deviating very slightly from the original topic here, the best thing I ever got from someone's holiday was a fertility belt from Guatemala: I lent my Rough Guide to a chap from work, he lost it and gave me the belt instead. I was single at the time and in no need of it, but it was a nice thought, I suppose.

Back to OP - DH says have you considered ferrets? Cute and cuddly like rabbits but full of personality, apparently. :?
mike1880
Posts: 2563
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:51 pm

Post by mike1880 »

But they make a truly disgusting casserole.
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