Students keeping rabbits

I am a vet student at Liverpool uni and as you can probably tell am rabbit mad. Some of my friends from uni want to get a rabbit for their student house and I want to try and talk them out of it. My argument being it will cost them a huge amount of money for a proper sized hutch and to vaccinate and spay or castrate and that it is unfair to keep an animal that lives in a social group on its own. The area they live in is also not really safe to have a rabbit outside. Can anybody offer me any advice on how to offer them my opinion or any other arguments as to why it is a bad idea. I am desperate rabbits again but it is such a huge responsibilty I am waitng until I have finished my degree.

Who would have the rabbit after they no longer live together? Even a hamster is likely to live longer than the students will live together. And what about the holidays?

I have spent an absolute fortune in the 6 months I've had my 2 bunnies - having been a student in the past I know very well that I couldn't have afforded it when I was a poor student.

Hmmm I was a student with bun, but then I guess I always had buns and where I go they go with me!!!

So i suppose I knew the conditions before hand!!

we did also get a student hamster callled archibald though.

Go for a pair of Rats, they're more likely to be awake when you crazy students come in at 3am

:wave: Nice to see you back by the way!!

what will they do with it in holidays? And when they finish uni? If they get a baby and do a three year degree it could live for 7 years beyond them finishing uni....

Who will take it? How do they know where they will be living then and would be in a position to keep it?

And what if their landlord finds out? Theres no way the average student landlord would allow a pet rabbit, and even if he/she does then they may not stay in the same house for their whole time at uni and the next may say no.

ps. I was a student with rabbits, but a 'mature' one, i have my own house and live with a bf.

Thanks that has got me thinking. If I tell them my rabbit cost me £400 in 4 years that might make them think! I have had a crazy summer doing work experience at farms everywhere so haven't been able to get to a computer!

I have spent about £1,500 on mine in 6 months. Actually that is probably an understatement!!! :shock: Vets' bills make up the bulk of that, but also the price of the hutch, the run etc etc.

I've just started uni again. But I'm still living at home and have been working for the past three years and will get a part time job so I'll definitely be ok. Show them this, that'll make them think twice http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/rabbit_costs.asp

I had a 10mth old come into rescue not so long ago, a student got it while she was at uni and when she finished she moved back up North to her parents and decided to go travelling and therefore it was left to her mum & dad who contacted me because they didn't think it was fair on the bun.
She does however have a brilliant home now with Apache I would go along the lines of how time consuming they are and how tying they are too.
Good luck in your persuasion.

Something else as well...

They'll probably say that they have agreed that so and so will take the rabbit when they finish uni. They must NOT relie on this- when i was living with friends (two couples) after uni we got two rats, and because i was going to go travelling eventually, the other couple said they would take them if they were still alive then....well they broke up shortly after, and the girl moved home with her parents where she couldnt have the rats, so they lived with me and my boyfriend until they died.

I still went travelling, but I wouldnt have been able to if the boyfriend didnt look after them, or if he had wanted to come with me it would have been a problem.

I would NEVER have given them up, but it was a very frustrating, unexpected tie.

I wouldn't recommend it. I'm more enthusiastic about rabbits than most people but it is SUCH a stress having them as a student. I would never give them up because I love them and have more of a sense of responsibility to them than that... but as a student you never know what financial troubles are around the corner. As for "friends" in a house wanting to get a pet together... bad idea. I know beyond my 2nd year of uni most of the people I lived with didn't want to see each other ever again (I know I didn't! :lol: ), the "group" went from around 12 people, and I only see 2 of them on a regular basis now! Bunny-proofing a student house is HARD, inevitably someone will get bored/annoyed with it and blame someone else... and this is before we even get to the COST!

I'd just tell them that it's no less responsibility than a dog or a cat - in fact I often think that if I'd got a dog or a cat instead of 2 rabbits my life would be a lot easier! No hutches/crates to move, no bales of shavings and hay all over the house... no chewing of wires... etc...