Is a dwarf rabbit a good pet?

bunnies are a lot of work. You need to clean after them often. Cats I think are ok around this animal. I’ve had a bad experience with dogs.

I had a wonderful dwarf lop for four years. He was a fantastic pet! Bunnies can be litter-trained (a great plus), and most enjoy and need affection and interaction with other people/animals. My rabbit had a great personality and was really fun. He liked being held and petted, and he really enjoyed playing. Most bunnies can be socialized to get along very well with other animals.

My only caveat here is that you probably should not get one from a pet store. They are much more prone to health problems. My bunny developed serious problems with his teeth, and eventually, after much medicine and care, he had to be put down. Rabbits from professional breeders are a better bet.

One other thing. Rabbits are not “disposable” pets. They can live for up to ten years and need a fair amount of care and attention. I found it incredibly rewarding to be a rabbit owner, but don’t get a rabbit expecting a hamster.

See here: www.rabbit.org for more about owning a rabbit.

I agree completely with Michael. I have never had a dwarf rabbit, but I have had others, including half wild rabbit (a girl rescued an injured rabbit and placed it in the same cage as her show rabbits without sexing first). Rabbits are extremely intelligent animals, but they take just as much work as a cat and/or dog. They can be litter trained, leash trained, etc. They can also however, disappear very easily in your home and are “nesting” animals by habit, so they will tend to find places to do so. If you do decide to buy a rabbit, please do not buy one from a pet store. Find a local breeder in the country or a 4Her who raises rabbits for show.

several of them make a good meal. :-)

Rabbits can make wonderful pets but you must take them seriously. They aren’t like cats or dogs or rodents or any other animal. Please take the time to research rabbits, and to prepare 100%, before bringing it/them home. And be prepared to learn and adjust as you get to know your rabbit(s). Especially at the beginning you’ll need to spend a lot of time on the floor, talking to your rabbit(s) and letting them hop away from you unmolested, and changing up their habitat to better suit them. If your rabbit doesn’t feel safe and secure, and isn’t getting an appropriate diet, and doesn’t have appropriate toys and furnishings to vent his/her energies on, you will not have a fun time with your pet (nor will your pet have a fun time with you).

Dwarf rabbits have the benefit of being smaller than other rabbits, thus requiring less space, but they are also prone to more health problems and they have a shorter average life span.

Rabbits actually can mix very well with other animals (cats, dogs, birds—ferrets are problematic but even that can be overcome), the main thing to keep in mind is that even if your dog and rabbit are tight buds they mustn’t ever be left unsupervised together, nor should they be allowed outside together even under supervision. So it’s okay if you have other pets and want to consider a rabbit, but you must be able to house them separately.

People say rabbits smell but humans smell too if they’re housed in dirty environments. Litter boxes need to be scooped once a day (thoroughly cleaned once or twice a month) and their entire area should be thoroughly mucked out once a week. If you do this there won’t be any bad smells. Rabbits do have a ruttish kind of smell to them, but it’s not bad IMO. I’ve had cats and rabbits and I think cats are smellier. Rabbit urine is acidic though so keep vinegar on-hand to wipe up any accidents otherwise if left on the floor it could start to burn through the hardwood.

I feel like I’m stereotyping based on rabbit-race… but dwarf bunnies, while cuties, really do tend to be the most skittish. Think about how some (yes, not all) chihuahuas always look frightened around new people.

Pick your new rabbit for his personality!

I have a rabbit and a cat who get along quite well, except that they bully each other sometimes and need to be separated, but they certainly don’t hurt each other. The rabbit is not very affectionate, but he does have lots of personality, and lets you know whne he’s mad by thumping! (He really, really likes to let you know!) I like him, but I wouldn’t get another rabbit based on him..I like pets you can hold and actually pet, like my cat.