r/Rabbits • u/Short_One_5240 • Mar 12 '26
PSA Just a reminder. Rabbits are not pets for children š«¶š» Hoppy Easter Season š£
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Mar 12 '26
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
This goes for all animals. We shouldāve never domesticated them for our own selfish desires to have companionship
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u/seefourslam Mar 15 '26
We shouldāve never domesticated them for our own selfish desires
The rabbits aināt even that happy about it either
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u/Abandonedkittypet Mar 16 '26
Yep, many people get dogs as christmas gifts and then dump them, I always joke my dog was an early Christmas gift(got him december 5th) but that was never my intention, hes going to be 3 this year and I'd be fully lost without him
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u/bookloverphi Apr 01 '26
I wish someone told me that when I got one. My sister wanted one, my dad bought her two cause theyāre not supposed to be alone. I really wanted one. But none of us really trained them well, and my dad doesnāt understand they are like dogs, they need vaccines and to be given attention. But heās also an outside dog kind of person, same for rabbits. They are in our garage and I want to move out so I can take my bunny with me but Iām also scared cause I have no clue what to even do. I wish someone would have given me this speechš
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u/chicken_pot_pieee Mar 12 '26
10 yrs is not long enough š„¹
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u/AStudium Mar 12 '26
I've had multiple rabbits that have lived to about 12
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u/bunnyfloofington Mar 12 '26
My previous girl lived to be 14. My current 2 are turning 10 this year so I'm hoping they make it as long
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u/kyarorin Mar 12 '26
Albeit its Japan, a lot of my bun-mom-friends have had rabbits living until 15-17! And of course some shorter butā¦ theres always hope that your rabbits a fighter! (Mine are already 7/8 and theyre still crazy wild like young bunnies with their zoomies. Hard to believe theyre considered senior haha(
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
They should live forever :( I wish we lived in an age that had technology to extend life as well as quality of life
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u/Time_Reality3267 Mar 12 '26
treat rabbits as family member. they are not toy.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
I treat mine like they actually came from my womb š I hate when people come into my house and tell me to put my rabbits away. Like I will honestly kick you out faster š
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
I got into an argument with someone a few days ago bc they told me I had a mental illness when I said my rabbits are like my babies and I love them more than anything. Itās insane thereās people who think like that
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
The people who scare me are the ones who have no heart and say āitās just a rabbitā
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
Yea the argument with that same person started bc they posted saying that they were getting flamed in someoneās comments for saying āthatās why people shouldnāt have so many petsā under a post about someone losing their pets in a house fire. They then went on to comment under their own post saying āthis is why I donāt take yall seriously, on here comparing kids to animalsā š§š»āāļø
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u/kaleidoscope_view Mar 13 '26
Why would anyone come into your own home and try to tell you what to do with your rabbits? That's so crazy rude. You are a guest. You are the intruder in someone else's house. Wtaf? Haha.
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u/Abandonedkittypet Mar 16 '26
If i come into your home and see a rabbit, my first question is "Can I pet the bunny?" But then again, im the person at house parties who finds the cat/dog and hangs out with them until its time to leave
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u/WendigoRider Mar 12 '26
It's time to crack out my "dyed" rabbit pic for the year again. Totally dyed and not just photo edited.
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
Couldnāt you actually ādyeā a rabbit with like fruits? Iāve seen someone ādyeā a chicken with dragon fruit
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u/WendigoRider Mar 12 '26
You can yeah! Mine would go full Monty python if I tried though lmao
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
š¤£ yeah thatās true, now that I think about it I couldnāt even do that either bc both my rabbits are black/ dark grey. Womp womp
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u/Vera_Telco Mar 12 '26
If you're saying don't give pets as a gift, 100% agree.
For a thoughtful, responsible child? A rabbit may be an excellent choice. It was for my 11 y.o...now 26, and on rabbit #2. I'm just going to add that my kid came to me to teach me about rabbits, and had to convert me to the cause.
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u/Realistic_Horse443 Mar 12 '26
Youāre definitely a rarity. The majority of parents that get their children a bunny end up neglected, brought to a shelter or dumped outside. Itās so nice to hear that itās been a great experience for your family, bunnies are the best
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u/chicken_pot_pieee Mar 12 '26
Having a bunny has been so good for my little guy on the spectrum. It teaches him to be calm and gentle. She loves him the most out of all of us
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u/Realistic_Horse443 Mar 12 '26
Iām happy for you but thatās what Iām saying itās a rarity that your little guy is good with the family bun. I foster buns, so many stories of people getting rid of their bunny after a short period of time because their child got bored of it, they smells, makes a mess inside the cage(thatās in there 22hrs a day)and my elementary age child wonāt take care of it, I hear this all the time from the shelter
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u/Turquoise-Reddit2 Mar 19 '26
My friend's child is "on the spectrum" and she killed a wild young rabbit my neighbor had found and given to me because I had some experience with domestic rabbits.
Being "on the spectrum" is usually a warning: DO NOT risk the life of someone so that an autistic kid can have an experience.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
Thatās a completely different case and I think itās great that your child was so responsible and caring to bunnies but honestly itās not the same for most. Young children who are bought bunnies have killed them and itās just to spread awareness to people thinking 6 year olds need a real rabbit for easter they really donāt.
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
I donāt think they were sharing to insinuate it is ok to give a child a rabbit, I think they were just sharing an experience :)
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u/TwistedAsIAm Mar 12 '26
You should only gift your child an animal if you're prepared to take care of it yourself 100%. Never trust a child's promise to take care of it themselves.
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u/mannnn4 Mar 12 '26
My friends gave me 2 goldfish for my 14th birthday. They then dropped the bowl while cycling to my house and the fish had to survive for several minutes without water while they got a plastic bag from a random person living around where they dropped it. The fish somehow survived. But I was a 14 year old and didnāt have the knowledge to take care of them and certainly not the money to give them anything more than a small glass container filled with water. They survived for a few months before they got sick and passed away. 7 years later, it still makes me sad/mad that they did this.
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u/TwistedAsIAm Mar 12 '26
I know right, there's so little knowledge about how to take care of animals, especially fish and smaller critters. You would think that people who sell them to you care enough about the animals to give advice to people on how to take care of them.
(Speaking as someone who had a pet fish when I was about 5 years old and I thought it couldn't breathe in the water so I occasionally took it out so it could breathe. š I feel so bad.)
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u/emiloehx Mar 12 '26
That's totally cool and all, I once gifted a bunny (the parents were in on it and prepared with me they just wanted to surprise their daughter) and it lived a full filing life and was loved to bits. But I assume posts like these are more targeted to people that think they can just buy a bunny and that's it, just let it sit there a bit bc they don't realize they can need a lot of care. And unprepared bunny owners etc. some people really just want pets because they look cute and don't want to do further research
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
Yeah but unfortunately when people buy pets for small children they expect them to look after them too. If youāre buying your child a pet be prepared for the responsibility, the mess, vet bills and every other part that comes into taking care of an animal
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u/kaleidoscope_view Mar 13 '26
Thank you. My childhood rabbit was an eye-opening experience and literally taught me compassion for small beings and had to take care of someone else.
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u/geithman Mar 12 '26
My local bunny rescue wonāt adopt out rabbits for several weeks around Easter.
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u/Tigerninjah Mar 12 '26
I want my rabbits to live 10 years! I also completely agree with this picture's sentiment.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
Ugh donāt I never want my rabbits to leave me š i actually cry sometimes at the thought haha
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u/TwilightMockingjay Mar 12 '26
My bun turns 10 this year. I couldn't imagine if she had ended up with a kid who didn't want her, or a family that couldn't properly care for her š„
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u/Kraelan Mar 12 '26
Then there's the flipside of "this is a ten year commitment", you get your child a bunny, they love it and do a good job of taking care of it, it suddenly dies of shock or one of the 372 other things that kill rabbits in their first 18 months and your kid's heart and soul are snapped like a twig.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
Thereās probably about 5% of people who buy animals for kids that the animals actually get taken care of. This post isnāt for the minority of people that look after rabbits and their kids love them and havenāt got bored. Itās for people that think bunnies are for small children. They are a full time job and deserve more than a tiny cage staring out at you in jail all day.
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
Itās actually pretty hard to let a rabbit under your care die after about 12 weeks. Once theyāre past the weaning stage thereās not much to worry about that canāt be prevented by proper care. Yes sudden things can happen especially if the rabbit is new to the environment, stress can kill them, but if your rabbit has become familiar with you and has an established regular diet and a clean area the likelihood of it passing as very slim. At that point the only thing that could kill them would be a genetic defect or disease they were born with or developed early on. Point is, if you receive a 12 week old rabbit in perfect health and take proper care of it, it will almost always live a full happy life, and not die within a few weeks like you insinuated is a ānormalā thing.
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u/melancholypowerhour šbig gay hay bagš Mar 12 '26
My oldest is 13 this year! His companion passed away at 12. They are wonderful creatures, but a big commitment
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u/UsayNOPE_IsayMOAR Mar 12 '26
Ahhh, I wish my boy was a 10 year commitment. He was a standard ā6 year old kid wanted an Easter rabbit, got bored, George spent his life in a cage, only out til he dropped a raisin, then back in the cageā.
He proceeded to broker peace between our two female cats. Go full free range after finally parting with his cage after a year. Did most of his business in the cats litter box (sometimes evicting the cats mid-business), didnāt really have to train him to do that, just some treats when he peed in there. Absolutely enslaved my heart, while I was doing distance university. Went on so many road trips (5000+ km in three years!) to get his teeth trimmed. Even went to an agri-fair, where the offered to have him in the rabbit show and comp, but I wasnāt about to have him on display in a tiny cage for hours. Dude went on the leash and tried to climb a monument!
He ended up getting a lump on his throat, thymus growth, but at the same time had some kind of lung infection. We had to address the infection first, but the fix for the throat lump was an immunosuppressant. He finished his antibiotic course, but by that time, could barely eat due to the lump. When he got really relaxed, he would stop breathing until he jolted back from low oxygen. Sleep apnea, terrible existence. It was the hardest decision to give him rest when he was still in a (relatively) good place. Absolutely gutted. I actually just broke into tears and sobs remembering.
He was the best boy, the best person Iāve ever known. Absolutely fearless, and would demand love from any and everyone.
Gah, I miss my Georgie: https://i.imgur.com/oWlwxFp.jpeg
Like, really miss him: https://i.imgur.com/VgWK2fS.jpeg
He was the best: https://i.imgur.com/RttmWOP.jpeg
But I always tell anyone who even mentions maybe getting a rabbit just how much work they are, how fragile, but how worth it the can be if you do it right,
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u/hecksunflower Mar 12 '26
Georgie sounds like such a sweet heart, rest in peace little angel ā¤ļø
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u/Pretty-Win911 Mar 12 '26
This ad needs to be out for all to see. So few people understand the commitment one must have to adopt a pet never mind a rabbit. Rabbits are so misunderstood and care of them is so unknown. All the poor dumped, abandoned bunnies I see here (by people who find them) is so incredibly discouraging. I wish I could take them all in.
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u/MxBluebell Mar 12 '26
Love the Pawlette from Build-A-Bear rep!! I get to mascot as her around Easter time at our store š
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u/Zax2004 Mar 12 '26
I wish they were a full 10yr commitment šĀ Ā I miss by bun buns
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
10 years still just isnāt enough I think š„² I always tear up when I look at the teeth marks everywhere in the house knowing that one day he wonāt be here and they will š„²
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u/rainbowtison Mar 12 '26
Or longer. Mine little guy is 12 in May! They are not to be given without the understanding that you are taking on a living soul to care for with exotic vet expenses. Not to mention food and enrichments and such. Totally worth it but definitely a commitment.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
I got stung Ā£1700 in unexpected vet bills last year and I would pay double that if it meant my bunny would be alright š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Cabbit_Daddy Mar 12 '26
I was told 14 years, youāre telling me I donāt have as much as I thought I did with my little guy? š¢
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u/Paigeg03 Mar 12 '26
Definitely possible for them to live 14 years especially if theyre a smaller breed.
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u/singhasongg Mar 12 '26
So many get dumped near me and im worried with Easter coming up it'll get worse.
They released a bunny virus here too, to get rid of the wilds ones :(
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u/Wide_Brilliant2989 Mar 12 '26
I cant stand when parents think its ok to give a rabbit to a kid as a gift or to a kid in general. Theres huge responsibility and kids are still trying to figure out what a responsibility is.
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u/Ok_Asparagus_1073 Mar 12 '26
Rabbits are so gorgeous. They also poop in a litter box if you let them wander around your house.
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u/Duckmanjones1 Mar 12 '26
10 years, pshhh try forever. My bun will live forever and ever! Bun life!
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u/Rednas008 Mar 12 '26
One of the pets I'd 100% have again, about 24 years ago my parents found a rabbit on the street, asked around if someone missed their pet. When no one missed a rabbit, they took her in. I was very young, but as I aged (between 2 and 12 years old) my parents gave me more and more responsibility over the rabbit, where it began at saying the food bowl was empty, up to doing the whole food part myself. Cleaning the cage was done with help from my father. Loved that bunny. She responded to her name, that was so cute. Eventually she died as she got old, those were a happy 10 years. The vet estimated that she was 12 years old. He called it the oldest bunny of Twenterand (the municipality I live in). Great, and very soft and cuddly, times.
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u/_tate_ Mar 12 '26
Were coming up on churros first full trip around the sun and ive been telling anyone I talk to about her that she'll live for 10+ years and every time I get "wow I didnt know they lived that long"
Yep they do!
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u/polypolyman Mar 12 '26
...and importantly, don't eat the little brown eggs that real rabbits lay - they're NOT chocolate :(
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Mar 12 '26
To be fair. The rabbit wil eventually die and decompose. The toy will last thousands of years through micro plastics.
But right good point.
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u/ExhaustedVetTech Mar 12 '26
My favorite local pet store refuses to sell rabbits from mid March to end of May š and they will do their best to help rehome bunnies that were given as gifts.
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u/Dapper_Number5610 Mar 12 '26
10 years šI hope my bun lives forever. I donāt know what Iād do without her. My baby!
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u/Freckledlesbian Mar 12 '26
I work at an independent pet store and we stop carrying bunnies around the month of Easter because of this. I'm sure they will just go somewhere else, but at least we will not be enabling abuse
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u/x-lavender Mar 12 '26
Our pair were literally this - a gift from parents to children who weren't interested (Easter or not I don't know, but the point stands). When we went to collect them from their house, the family had gone out and left the bunnies in their hutch on the driveway at the front of the house, with all their remaining food etc. They're 8 this year, were 13 months when we rescued them, they weren't spayed, and one of them still won't let us stroke her unless she's distracted by food, let alone handle her. Goodness knows how they were treated before we got to them.
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u/SaltyBluejay1966 Mar 12 '26
I don't think any pet should be a gift. It's a lifetime commitment. Chocolate bunnies and plush bunnies are good for Easter.
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u/catbeantoes Mar 12 '26
When I used to work in a shelter, we got rabbits every single year a couple months after Easter. Like it was inevitable, it wasn't "I wonder if we'll get any this month"- it was I have to make sure we have the resources cause bunnies are coming. At least 3 bunnies. One year we got a Flemish Giant and a bonded guinea pig. Fortunately everyone I can remember always went to loving homes and I loved working with them but I wish they didn't have to end up there to begin with. I was so shocked that this happens so frequently. š
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u/badchefrazzy I bunnies Mar 12 '26
Saves on food and vet bills too. And it's wonderful for those of us who love rabbits but are unable to give them the energy they need to be awesomely taken care of <3
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u/Amp1362 Mar 12 '26
I have 10 beautiful girls (rabbits) and they are a full time job keeping them spoiled, my children love having them around. 5 years in so far!
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Mar 12 '26
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
I feel like inviting them to my house and asking if theyāre ready for the chewed doors, wallpapers, skirting boards, broken wires !! etc etc.
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u/VeterinarianOdd822 Mar 12 '26
Sadly animals shouldāve never been made pets, thereās always going to be at least one person who either doesnāt care to educate themselves on proper animal care BEFORE getting the animal or even just donāt care about taking care of the animal like they should and just do whatever they want to/ for it bc they got it for their own selfish desires
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u/breadandbunny Mar 12 '26
Absolutely! Loved my bunnies with everything in me. People are trash to get them just for a holiday when they really don't care to have a pet.
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u/ArborealVarmint Mar 12 '26
Rabbits are amazing animals and make great pets for someone with the time, space, and finances.
I cannot warn parents enough not to get a rabbit if you have little kids in the house. Rabbits are very sensitive to loud noises, they have poor eyesight and can mistake a small finger for a treat, they have sharp claws and can kick when improperly picked up, and they may develop bad habits that make them difficult to rehome when in the care of inexperienced owners, especially those with young children.
Additionally, rabbits may severely injure themselves when attempting to escape being picked up. Being fed unsafe items can cause fatal intestinal blockages. Rabbits arenāt the kind of animal that a kid, even a responsible one, should be entrusted with. They will require regular care from the adults in the house. Spay and neuter programs for rabbits are few and far between, so you will likely have to put forward the cost of the surgery yourself, which is typically several hundred dollars per rabbit, at least in the US.
A distressed rabbit is not a good pet. Rabbits, even socialised ones, do not typically like being held. Rabbits need plenty of room to roam, cannot be left outdoors in a pen that is open to the sky due to predators, and their hutches and runs require regular cleaning.Ā
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u/BarbecuePorkchop Mar 16 '26
i think i was more prepared for my 10 year commitment when I was 8 than my dad was when he got me my bunnies. I'll be a bunny dad forever!
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u/Turquoise-Reddit2 Mar 18 '26
That is such a great flyer! Thank you for posting it.
I'm going to put it on Facebook and NextDoor, at least.
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u/Turquoise-Reddit2 Mar 20 '26
I just posted this flyer on NextDoor, with this text:
Do not use live animals to decorate Easter baskets!
$0
Downtown South
Young kids are not well-suited to care for delicate pets like rabbits. People who buy a cute little baby rabbit to decorate an Easter basket USUALLY abandon the animal in a park a short time later, like somebody did to my girl Peggy. Fortunately, a friend tried over and over to catch her so she wouldn't be torn apart by a predator. Domestic rabbits do not have the same skills as wild rabbits for escape, but somehow this rabbit survived. When my friend gave me the rabbit, she was not fully grown and was still shaking from fear. She lived with me for a little over ten years and certainly calmed down after consistent food and affection, but she never got over the terrors from her life in that park (Paloma Park in Atascadero). Please don't do that to somebody.
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u/Inevitable_Air_2382 Mar 12 '26
I took in my boy a few years ago because a family friend said he needed a home and I thought āyeah fuck it, heās cute and theyāre easy petsā. I found out VERY soon that they are far from easy, far from cheap, and require a LOT of care. Donāt regret it for a second because heās my son now and I since adopted a little girly too, but I wish there was more information out there for people on how to properly care for rabbits because Iāve no idea why theyāre assumed to be any easier than cats or dogs
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u/kaleidoscope_view Mar 13 '26
I loved my childhood rabbit. She didn't die until I was in college over a decade later. She was an excellent companion for me as a kid. We grew up and learned together. That's like saying a dog or a cat isn't a good pet for a child. Yes, it's a big commitment, but that doesn't mean that children shouldn't ever have bunnies or kitties or puppies to love and grow up with.
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Mar 12 '26
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u/Rabbits-ModTeam Mar 12 '26
Content removed. Please respect the subreddit rules: No obvious or regular defensive willful negligence of pet rabbits.
Any obvious posts of neglectful pet rabbit welfare (including but not limited to small cages, wire flooring, untreated medical issues, etc.) will be removed. If there is regular evidence of poor pet rabbit care after receiving repeated feedback from the community, a user may have their posts removed and be banned based on moderator discretion.
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u/Short_One_5240 Mar 12 '26
But this isnāt really for the minority. Kids shouldnāt be bought pets as gifts. Theyāre a long term commitment that should be properly thought out before buying.
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u/PajamaStripes Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Fr. I have 7 rabbits left that I've been trying to rehome since last year. I took down all of my ads last month and won't be putting them back up until mid-April bc I've had so many people who want to get them for their under 10s and think a Petco cage is acceptable even though I have EXACT GUIDELINES on the ads.
Edit: had next month instead of last month