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rabbits and children

leanne2525

Warren Scout
i have mini rexs and i love them and i let my 3 year old get involed (my 1 year old watches from patio doors i think shes a bit too young to join in)
but i think maybe rexs aint the best for children although my male rex is stupidly friendly i am looking for a really placid rabbit for him , was thinking a mini lop? i had one as a child and remember her bing very very tame, of course i will be helping him look after it but i dont mind as i have my own already to do :D
 
Why not ask a rescue? They will know the temperaments of their bunnies and whether they 'like' small children or not.

I've never got a rabbit for my kids - only for me!! :lol::lol::lol: It's me that ends up doing all the looking after and paying vets anyways. ;)
 
yeah i know ill be doing all the cleaning while he gets to help feed and have the cuddles, but i dont mind, only reason i was gonna buy one rather than rescue a adult is so we get it from a baby and know it will grow up with him and be happy around children :)
 
They have babies in rescues too. Honestly, i'd never buy from a pet shop ever after seeing a rescue and reading on here how overrun they become. Quite often they have litters in rescue centres too. :)

Rescues often can help with bonding too - or you can adopt already bonded pairs from them if you wanted to keep them seperate from ones you already have. I'm dead jealous you can have more! We havent the space for more yet but i'd love tons of them! :lol:
 
You can get babies from rescues, there are often pregnant females given in.

Mini lops are very placid but with all breeds some are friendlier than others. Rabbits aren't really children's pets though, even mini lops don't like being picked up.
 
You can get babies from rescues, there are often pregnant females given in.

Mini lops are very placid but with all breeds some are friendlier than others. Rabbits aren't really children's pets though, even mini lops don't like being picked up.

This ^^ Ginger was a baby, admittedly, i didnt get her til she was a little older, as i waited for her to be spayed, as most rescues spay/vacc before they adopt a bun to anyone.

Then (2) about the mini lops - i have (or maybe dont have) a lop who detests being picked up. Breeds don't always affect temprament, just character :)
 
i used to help out with rabbit rescues with my sister when i was younger and ended up with loads as felt so bad for them, as i said i have my own mini rexs, and i have a rescue one of them at moment but cant rehome as she is ment to be pregnant and i wanna make sure shes ok, a woman near me had a few rabbits and the breed them all and became over run with pregnant rabbits :roll:
its madness i often see people given rabbits away andthey dont check where there going and many people are happy to take them and feed to there snake :evil:
i do think maybe lop would be best for a childs bunny :)
 
As others have said, there are many babies in rescues.

yeah i know ill be doing all the cleaning while he gets to help feed and have the cuddles, but i dont mind, only reason i was gonna buy one rather than rescue a adult is so we get it from a baby and know it will grow up with him and be happy around children :)

This is a total misconception though.

If you get a baby, then you know it only as a baby. You have no idea what might happen when it reaches adolescence and its hormones arrive, and no idea what it will be like when neutered/spayed, and no idea what its like as an adult.

I had a rabbit born here. He never had anything bad happen to him, and had a priviledged life. He spent so much time with me. Then, when adolesence arrived he turned into a vicious little ball of biting fluff. That was all created by hormones. When he was neutered he was a bit better but not loads.

Contrasting to that, some of the adults I've got from rescues have been perfect child rabbits because you can see and choose a rabbit that has gone through adolescence, gone through spaying/neutering and is settled as an adult. I had the most beautiful rabbit called Summer. She was an old lady when she came to me but she was just the most loveliest rabbit, for adults and kids. Her bond friend came to me from a neglected situation and she was a great rabbit and both of them ended up as unofficial and sporadic 'therapists' for a few older people.

If you choose a rabbit that is at a rescue, one the rescue itself can say would be good around children, then you know exactly what you are getting. You just never know with a baby.
 
You can get babies from rescues, there are often pregnant females given in.

Mini lops are very placid but with all breeds some are friendlier than others. Rabbits aren't really children's pets though, even mini lops don't like being picked up.

i wouldnt really recommend rabbits for children either but where his been helping me i kinda think he would get a lot out of it and he is really good with them, (and ill be doin all hard work :) )
 
i wouldnt really recommend rabbits for children either but where his been helping me i kinda think he would get a lot out of it and he is really good with them, (and ill be doin all hard work :) )

Aw, that's nice then. I think it is good for children to experience rabbits but under careful supervision and not for the parent to automatically think 'oh it's Johnny's pet, I don't have to take responsibility' but you don't sound like that sort of person. :)
 
As others have said, there are many babies in rescues.



This is a total misconception though.

If you get a baby, then you know it only as a baby. You have no idea what might happen when it reaches adolescence and its hormones arrive, and no idea what it will be like when neutered/spayed, and no idea what its like as an adult.

I had a rabbit born here. He never had anything bad happen to him, and had a priviledged life. He spent so much time with me. Then, when adolesence arrived he turned into a vicious little ball of biting fluff. That was all created by hormones. When he was neutered he was a bit better but not loads.

Contrasting to that, some of the adults I've got from rescues have been perfect child rabbits because you can see and choose a rabbit that has gone through adolescence, gone through spaying/neutering and is settled as an adult. I had the most beautiful rabbit called Summer. She was an old lady when she came to me but she was just the most loveliest rabbit, for adults and kids. Her bond friend came to me from a neglected situation and she was a great rabbit and both of them ended up as unofficial and sporadic 'therapists' for a few older people.

If you choose a rabbit that is at a rescue, one the rescue itself can say would be good around children, then you know exactly what you are getting. You just never know with a baby.

I totally agree with this post.

My rescue bun Daisy is 18 months old and a perfect bunny to be around children (Lucky doesnt like them - especially boy ones) - she's cuddley and soo placid. And she's not really that 'old' being 18 months either. :)
 
i took a rabbit in as rescue before that had been a childs pet and the mum didnt check on it just expected the 7 year old had been doing it all :roll:
 
i wouldnt really recommend rabbits for children either but where his been helping me i kinda think he would get a lot out of it and he is really good with them, (and ill be doin all hard work :) )

you are right - i think children do get a lot out of having a pet at home. My girls are fantastic with helping (they are 14 and 11 though) but it's still mainly me that does it. They can see 1st hand what a responsibility it is. :)
 
Are you keeping the Rexes you are breeding ?

I dont think you can guarantee that ANY Breed will be 'child friendly'
Certainly I have met some well scary mini lops in my time
 
Picture203.jpg


This is my 2 year old with Henry and you can see in the background they both have made a mess together:lol:
I agree i think its very good for children to be around animals
 
Are you keeping the Rexes you are breeding ?

I dont think you can guarantee that ANY Breed will be 'child friendly'
Certainly I have met some well scary mini lops in my time

i didnt breed them, i got them from a woman that had loads that had mated them all to same buck and i took milly (my female) and the buck bob, and my doe turned out to be pregnant, but i dont mind shes a good mum and babies are beautiful,
i went and took another rex that is not staying but i felt sorry for her, i will be rehoming but not till i know if she pregnant or not and ok, i may keep one of the babies but in my experience rexs can have a bad temper which is why i was thinking a mini lop may be better as "his" rabbit
 
Picture203.jpg


This is my 2 year old with Henry and you can see in the background they both have made a mess together:lol:
I agree i think its very good for children to be around animals

i think children should be with animals and learn how to treat them, mine have been indroduced to dogs,cats,rabbits,horses,hedgehogs,frogs and all sorts lol
 
The only way to see if a rabbit really likes children is to introduce them carefully, and a rescue can do that while a pet shop probably won't.
My Maia is a feisty little madam, but her favorite human (I daresay, the only human she doesn't much dislike) is a 3 1/2 year old girl.
Of course the child needs to be taught that a rabbit can't be cuddled like a doll and has likes and dislikes.
 
I have had a very friendly mini rex, a grumpy minirex and the one I have now is friendly as long as I don't try and pick him up. None of them have been aggressive.
 
Being a fosterer for a rescue I get to know the buns I have pretty well and have a 3 year old so know which will be suitable for children and which ones I wouldn't leave my child alone with. We have just rehomed an absolutely adorable 4 year old lionhead x angora who was a perfect snuggle bun
 
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