Rabbit

I have a lionmain rabbit and he is just the best he follows people everwhere and eats anything you drop we all love to watch him run around the garden , he is never inside literally his hutch is the whole shed and he gets let out into the garden at 6 in the morning and gets put back in the shed at 9 at night he loves it but if you do get a rabbit i would advise you work out a place to keep him rather than inside after all they are wild animals.

Although completely unsuitable for children under 12 years old (as it is cruelty to give a child a rabbit, they do not like children) I have had rabbits for years and have found a doe to be the best. Rabbits make such wonderful pets a really good addition to a person living alone or a couple. As long as they are adjusted properly they can be kept in the house for longer lives and can be litter trained and are extremely fun, they are affectionate and they always put a smile on my face. If a male he must be neutered to stop the circling of your feet, marking, squirting, and generally aggressive hormonal behaviour (e.g. attacking other pets) but I do prefer a female, they need a lot of fibre (as all girls do) and are generally cuddlier and have a brighter personality than the males. Overall I say that Rabbits are brilliant, funny, loving pets that can live for over 10 years! well worth the money!

Here's my rabbit review for the reviewcentre. I love rabbits, they are great furry, fluffy, cute animals. I've read plenty of rabbit reviews that say they have problem with teeths, but mine have always been fine. I've had rabbits since I was a little kid and I have had all sorts of different rabbits, from european rabbits to some more wild rabbits. You should get one.

Rabbits make great pets. People tend to say males are more sociable. However, they may need to be neutered if they become vicious or difficult to handle. I currently have a female though, who is very friendly. Although it is necessary to have females spayed if you are not breeding them, to prevent cancer. The more you handle your rabbit the more likely it is to be friendly & easy to look after. However, they can give nasty scratches if they panic and kick, so they aren't always great for small children. Other than that, they are fairly easy to look after and fun to have.

I have had 3 rabbits in the past, and I have not found them hard to keep. I would recommend buying a dwarf lop as these do not grow big, and they are relatively docile. They are also fairly cheap. Do not buy the very small breeds such as Rex or Netherland dwarf as these have an extremely short temper due to selective breeding to make them small. When you buy a rabbit ask to hold it first and look for the following things:

No diarrhea (I think you know how to tell this, yuck!!!)

No runny nose

Good temperament

No weepy eyes

Nice fur

Rabbits are nice pets for children, provided you get a good breed.

DO NOT keep a rabbit cooped up! It is a horrible thing. It needs space to run. I have two hutches for my rabbit. One is in the garage where he spends his nights (safe from nocturnal predators and the cold), and one outside, attached to a run made of chicken wire. The run is a big one like a chicken coop. I despise the small triangular runs. They are no bigger than hutches, and the ONLY advantage to hutches is that they provide grazing if placed on grass. You will find that it will be fairly cheap to construct your own chicken-coop-like run from chicken wire and a simple chicken wire gate with a wooden frame (you could buy this part).

Feed a mix of dry rabbit food that you can buy practically anywhere, and greens (left-overs from preparing a meal will do, but do not feed cooked vegetables to your rabbit).

Having kept rabbits for 27 years - mostly other people's cast -offs - do not buy a rabbit for your child. They will inevitably get fed up and it takes considerable dedication to clean, feed and exercise rabbits daily. They can live anything from 5 to 14 years. Rabbits also panic if handled clumsily by a child and a kick hurts. They also need all-day exercise in a large run or even better the whole garden. My two are quite happy to be with my (free-range) chickens. Even my rescue cat doesn't bother them.

Rabbits are prone to many health problems - I've encountered cancer, snuffles, fly-strike even though cleaning out is my obsession, overgrown teeth, partial paralysis, diarrhoea, walking dandruff. They also need up to two jabs a year for myxi and viral h disease.

Don't just feed a commercial mix - they need fresh vegetables especially dark greens and lots of sweet meadow hay.

It saddens me that so many rabbits are stuck in cages - they need freedom - a rabbit stuck in a cage will get aggressive and is more prone to health problems. Plus seeing a happy rabbit flick up while running (like lambs) is the most amazing sight.

Well, everyone has this image that rabbits are cute, fluffy, cheap and gentle animals, they are NOT! If you want a pet to cuddle and hold, don't get a rabbit, they are prey animals and don't enjoy being 'caught'.

Now don't get me wrong I love rabbits and have two at the minute and I love them to pieces but I see no point in being biased the fact is rabbits are not like what the majority of people think.

Rabbits need company of other rabbits - two males (bucks) will most likely fight and will need to get neutered by a good vet (it is pretty cheap). Two females (does) may also fight and are prone to womb cancers so MUST be spayed, again by a good vet. The best way is to buy a friendly male maybe from a rescue which has already been neutered and let him settle in then go out and find him a girlfriend of course she will have to be spayed as well. Some rescues have male and females already bonded and neutered best go to them it is the easiest way!

If you buy babies you will soon be experiencing the teenage tantrums and rabbits from three months on will normally display this. You may find this in the form of spraying urine, grunting, biting, charging and dominance! So now you can see what I mean about not the gentle pets everyone thinks! Neutering males and spaying females will basically stop all this and the rabbits will not suffer from cancers, sexual frustration etc.

If you are new to rabbits get adults (from a rescue) as then you will not need to go through the teenage tantrums!

Now rabbits are not cheap! For a start they need a really good sized enviroment and their cage should be tall enough for them to stand up on their 'tip-toes' and big enough for them to hop, lie down, stretch etc. If they are to be outside, the best home for them is a good quality shed, at least 6ft by 4ft as this means no dogs, foxes can get in, they will be dry and warm in winter! If you don't have room for a shed or really want a hutch, well, get as big a one as you can afford it should be sturdy with good locks, a bed area and a waterproof roof! In winter you will need to insulate the hutch as well so as the rabbits don't freeze. In summer they will have to be kept in the shade and the hutch needs to be cleaned twice a day where they pee and poop (rabbits are clean animals and pee and poop in one area) because the smell will attract flys and if the flys lay eggs on the rabbits then your pets will suffer from flystrike, which can be deadly!!!!! Also a sturdy, waterproof run should be provided and both should be lifted of the floor (rabbits will dig out if left on the lawn!!).

Now for the diet, it is pretty simple, 80% hay, NOT straw, not pre-packaged rabbit mix, HAY! The best hay is timothy hay or oat hay or if they are unavailable meadow hay is alright and the most common! Remember adult rabbits require a low calcium diet so alfalfa hay is only OK for babies (under six months). Rabbit mix should be around 1/4 of a cup for small rabbits, and 1/2 a cup for larger rabbits. This will make up around 10% of their diet. NOTE: Buy a good quality rabbit pellet, avoid the mixes, rabbits will only eat their favourites, causing obesity and a diet lacking in nutrients. Good pellets should be high in fibre, low in protein! Yes, thats right, low in protein, rabbits are herbivores (infact vegans)and therefore in the wild they have evolved to require low protein diets, unlike dogs and cats which eat meat which is packed full of protein!

The rest of the diet should be made up of safe, fresh vegetables! About two cups daily per rabbit, see how this all adds up....Safe veggies include brocoili, carrot (small amounts, very sugary), celery, carrot tops (the nice green leafy bits), cucumber, *spinach and *kale (*-feed no more than twice a week), parsely, corriander, basil, tomato, nasturtuim leaves and flowers, dandilion leaves, white clover and leaves, bok choi and pak choi. NOTE: introduce veggies slowly, in small amounts, one at a time or runny poops will occur.

Fruit can be fed in small amounts, one small bit daily, either one small slice of apple/pear, one grape, one strawberry, 2-3 blueberries.

Avoid all pet store treats - they are full of sugar and often have milk-remember rabbits are vegans, they cannot digest lactose (found in milk) and chocolate is very harmful to them, not only because of the milk content.....

Fresh water daily is vital, and those vitamins and minerals that can be bought at petshops in liquid form are not needed if the rabbits are fed the proper diet!

Toys are important as rabbits do have a fun, 'puppyish' character and toys are VITAL to keep them so you should provide one toy for each of these activities-chewing, flipping/tossing and nudging. Safe toys include untreated willow/wicker baskets, wooden chews, untreated apple tree branch (NOT cherry), willow balls, parrot rope toys, sturdy plastic balls and cardboard loo/kitchen roll tubes.

Rabbits need three hours, yes three hours daily outside of their cage and should be groomed once or twice a week to get rid of hair which they shed (more often for long haird breeds), vaccinated once a year against VHD and Myxomatosis (twice a year for those in 'High Risk' areas) and should be spayed/ neutered once they are of age. They need to be throughly cleaned out once or twice a week (more often for the 'wet corner').

Rabbits can live for 8-15 years so can you provide care for them that long? If bought for a child (under 12), do NOT expect them to be responsible for them, they are only children and have not yet learnt to look after themselves let alone rabbits (same applies with all pets).

I hope I have helped in some way but that is only the beginning...rabbits make excellent pets if taken care of properly and more and more people are choosing rabbits as pets because of their great little characters but all too many are forgotten at the back of the garden in a very small hutch!

Rabbit - They are cute. The best for anyone and live too short but they respect you.

I've had my rabbit nearly three years and I love him to bits. He shows a lot of love and affection. They do need company from humans if you don't keep them with another animal. They also need yearly vaccinations from the vets to protect them as well as occasionally needing their teeth and nails trimming.

Rabbits are great animals for both adults and children. They are relatively easy to look after, but they teach children a level of responsibility. I have just acquired two rabbits, as my friend's rabbits had babies (long story).

It's really cute the way that they are really affectionate with each other. I am glad I got a pair, as I think it would get rather lonely on its own. I have two males; I have been advised to get them neutered as when they get older they may start to fight. I think it's advised that if you're having a pair, a male and female are the best combination (I never got the choice though).

We introduced them to my boyfriend's collie; she is very intrigued, and quite playful with them, although she is very careful. If you are going to introduce them to another pet, please supervise them at all times!

Things to look out for a fly's laying eggs on their skin - I have bought a repellent, but it cannot be used until they are 12 weeks. Also watch out if your rabbit has flu type symptoms as this can be a sign of something more serious.