Is this the world’s fluffiest bunny?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t pull up any sort of Guinness Book of World Record for this feat. But if there were a record, it probably would go to this kind of rabbit, which is an angora.
For more photos, see: RiteMail.
I don’t believe rabbits are good pets. my neighbor has a bunny in her house and she uses this website. I don’t have any pets so I am not exactly biased, but dogs and cats, even ferrets make better pets. Ferrets are sure smelly,
but a friend at my college had one and they are affectionate. My neighbors rabbit sleeps in a sort of dog bed at night and the rabbit runs loose! Not even in a cage. The litterBox is smelly, and he act so dumb. when I came in the door he ran from me. My neighbor
is trying to persuade me to get one, but it seems kind of weird (actually REALLLY weird)to be so obsessed with them like that and going around with rabbit t-shirts screaming, “I love House rabbits” and all that.
Now my nieghbor is telling Me I can’t get a bunny for my 5y/o niece for her birthday because “rabbits are sensitive creatures…only for adults…blah ble”
My niece wants a rabbit and even though I hate rabbits my brother (her dad) says I should get one for her. She’s cute and who cares what my nieghbor says.
I went on here to see if there was any info about the fact “that rabbits don’t make good pets for kids.” I don’t even know why I’m listening to someone who lets a destructive creature
Run around their house! They chew and poop, an destroy everything you own, are stupid in my opinion, but my brother insists I should get one for her. So what would you say? Anything about angoras cuz If I gave this rabbit to my niece she would love this huge….I don’t even know what the heck this big fluffy thing is…. Big, bunny. She would love to cuddle on this. Anyways, this is a good format on the website….(coming from a bunny-hater) and I guess some people really are crazy about bunnies. I saw your rabbits photos too…. Gross you just let them run around like that, and no, they do not have personalities. Duhh! rabbits are meant to be hunted and stuff like that, not left to destroy and chew on baseboards in your home. I don’t know how you stand the smell and all those stains on the carpet.
Bunny people don’t care about that kind of stuff, huh?
Dan- rabbits definitely aren’t good pets for everyone, and by your own admission, they’re not the pet for you. That’s fine. But moving on to your second point, getting a rabbit for a child as a gift is never a good idea.
We have articles about this sort of thing:
http://myhouserabbit.com/tip_children.php
http://myhouserabbit.com/tip_thinking.php
http://myhouserabbit.com/tip_easter.php
But it seems like you already know it’s not a good idea.
Yikes! All I see is a furball with a nose! Where’s his ears, eyes, etc?
As for the first comment, I totally disagree with you! Rabbits are wonderful pets, can be litter box trained, (like a cat) Are much cleaner than cats, have marvelous personalities, are cute, cuddly, and affectionate!
And no, rabbits aren’t good pets for young children because:
They don’t know how to handle them properly, so they scare the bunny, they are very loud around them, so, again, scare the bunny, and when the novelty wears off, they abandon them! So Sad!
I could go on, but I won’t.
After reading the first comment:
“Dan”, you are…. Well, I don’t have any kind words for you, so I will not say anything mean about your opinion.
But rabbits are WONDERFUL pets for most people, (agreeing with Hope, obviously not pets for you.)
They are clean pets, and use a litterbox. They are certainly affectionate, but if I were a bunny I I would run away from you too! They are very smart, and my beloved buns(as they are affectionately called) mean THE WORLD to me!
I respect their needs and treat them as a member of the family…. THERE is NOTHING wrong with that – dog and cat owners do the same thing.
I certainly wouldn’t say I am crazy and “do not care about those kind of stuff” and in fact, yes, it is pretty gross to have stains and poop on your carpet – My bunnies don’t do that at all. I have two house rabbits that use litter boxes and we let them play around the house very often, those other times they live in large pens.
As for the other thing you said, My House Rabbit has plenty of articles for you to read about the idea of giving a bunny to a child. If you want get your niece a bunny, get her a toy one. There’s a lot of those things.
Hope is so right, children react to rabbits in a bad way and think of them as toys just because of the common stereotype Easter Bunny thing. We don’t celebrate Easter in the way most people do, embracing The Easter Bunny and go collecting eggs – It makes me too sad to consider there are hundreds of poor rabbits being received in this horrible manner AS GIFTS! Bunnies are not children’s pets, they are better pets for adults. They have individual personalities and may I add, my rabbit Daisy is much sweeter than any ferret. Sure, I respect ferrets, I believe that they are indeed friendly, but nothing tops a bunny. Children scare them to death, and then they are forgotten. Even adults have an issue with this, they don’t understand that a bunny is a COMMITMENT, a 10 year commitment in fact, and they get the bunny for their child without researching their needs. These bunnies are often placed in a shed and the care is based on everything people have known about bunnies – they are cute, cuddly and easy pets. (NOT!)
There’s nothing worse than the truth – BUNNIES ARE NOT CHILDREN’S PETS!
I’m done here.
Oh and may I add,
Read this info as well on my blog.
I put the pasted post
Here:
Every Easter, thousands of bunnies are bought in pet stores as a surprise for young children. They are brought home, stuck in an Easter basket, and given as an Easter “surprise.” Normally the children receiving the gift squeal with delight and play with the rabbit for a few hours, but lose interest after a while.
Then they leave the rabbit in a very unsuitable housing situation such as a cardboard box.
No Rabbits For Easter
Bunnies have particular needs. If parents just go out and buy a bunny, the rabbit is going to suffer. There are a handful of reasons why you should never get a “surprise rabbit gift” for anyone, including these “Did you Know’s”:
DID YOU KNOW……?
…….Pet rabbits can live from 8 to 15 years old?
…….Young children and bunnies are not a good match?
……..Pet rabbits aren’t “low maintenance” pets – they have specific dietary needs and must be handled with extreme care?
……..Rabbits must live indoors with the family(see all posts tagged rabbits, indoor, and housing)
Seriously Speaking
So, your child is really leaning on a bunny for a pet? Rabbits are family pets, so if you are going to get a bunny, then it’s best to get it as a whole family. In the child'(s)Easter basket(s), put a little note saying that “for a gift, we will visiting the pet shelter.” Parents should check out the local website and look for rabbits up for adoption beforehand. A few days before, get a rabbit care guide and read through it as a family. In all rabbit care guides they have a list of needs and things for the new bunny. To avoid improper misplacement of the rabbit, get the cage or playpen on the day before and get it ready. If you have a family of young kids under the age of ten, the bunny should always be a family pet for the rabbits safety. Although adults should be the caretakers, children can help with lots of things. Suggest to your child: “Sophia, help put fresh litter in the tray while I clean out the cage,” or “Daniel, would you like to fill this food bowl up for me?” Older children can personally own rabbits if they are seemingly independent and gentle to animals. Always check up on the rabbit to make sure he is being cared for. Some adults have a “whatever you think is best” state of mind. If a bunny hurts himself, the adult should be ready to help the rabbit and research the needs instead of letting the child always taking it upon himself to look it up. The adult should know just as much about the rabbit as the child does.
Bunnies are constantly neglected by people who buy them without research. If you know you yourself cannot take care of the bunny completely, then surely you wouldn’t get it for your child. The final statement is, if your family can obviously not take complete care of a bunny, get a stuffed toy or a candy instead.
And remember, rabbits are NOT low-maintenance pets! A hamster or fish might be a better suggestion instead!
A great place for more info is myhouserabbit.com. Check out the blog section to see a video about how Easter bunnies hurt rabbits!
Although rabbits are often portrayed playing happily with children,
young children should never be left unsupervised with them.
Instead of a pet bunny, get a stuffed or chocolate one. It’s much
safer and no one get’s hurt. (except, of course, the chocolate bunny!)
Wow. Everyone calm down. You’re acting like I’m about to kill someone!!! I still hate rabbits, and between Hope and Daisy’s Mom, I hate rabbits even more. Daisy’s Mom, you think I’m just going to like rabbits after reading that? my eyes are not opened, thank ya very much. As for this issue, you can prove something – they DONT make good pets for kids.(or anyone, for that matter) I talked to my brother and I am not getting a bunny for my niece. I did some research and iplan on getting her a betta, and I’ll also get her a toy rabbit if I have a chance. I understand(sorta) about the issue, but don’t you people think I’m going to like them more than a NORMAL pet like a dog or cat, or at all. In reality, I could care less, the real reason I am not gettin g her one is because my brother read they carry disease (grossss)and stuff so he totally ditched the idea.
As for the idea of them being a good pet? I have a little article for you. In my research, this is what I found:
The death of Spaz in 2004 brought to an end my four-and-a-half year long experiment with rabbits as pets. Although some people and organizations, such as the House Rabbit Society, might like you to believe that rabbits make great companions, I have determined that, while bunnies might look cute and cuddly, in reality they are ill-tempered, destructive, boring, unrewarding animals which, in my opinion, make poor pets.
My experience with rabbits revealed to me several reasons why they make poor pets.
First, they’re destructive. If you keep them indoors, they pull up carpet, gnaw on baseboards, chew on power cords, rip up books and nibble on clothing. They also urinate and leave droppings everywhere, even if you give them their own litter box to use. If you let them go outdoors, they dig holes and lay waste to your vegetable or flower garden. Even when I gave my rabbits pieces of cardboard to chew on, old newspapers to rip up or even entire bales of hay to dig through, they would still go after carpet, furniture, books and anything else they could sink their teeth into if given the opportunity. One time they even gnawed all the buttons off the remote control for our VCR!
While it’s true that dogs and cats can also have destructive tendencies, such as chewing or clawing, neither is as habitually destructive as a rabbit. Dogs and cats, after all, can be trained not to destroy stuff. Rabbits, I’ve learned, don’t take to training very well. Move their litter box to the corner of the room that they’ve been urinating and defecating in? They’ll just ignore the litter box and start doing their business in another corner of the same room. Yell “no!” to startle and disrupt them when they’re pulling up carpet fibers? They’ll just come back and start pulling up carpet fibers when you’re not looking.
Second, rabbits show no affection. One of the most important aspects of keeping a pet is the fondness it shows for you. Why, after all, keep an animal in your home if it doesn’t offer you its love and companionship? A dog will run to greet you, tail wagging, when you come home. A cat will rub your leg and sit in your lap. A rabbit will do none of these things; in fact, it will probably run away from you when you approach it and if you do manage to catch it it is liable to bite or scratch you. They tolerate being pet for only short periods of time and do not like being picked up. Even Nibblet, whom we handled as a pup and raised by hand after Nibbles died, did not enjoy being pet or show us any affection. She was, in fact, perhaps the meanest of the three rabbits we had.
Rabbits are not just mean to humans; either. they’re also mean to other animals. Spaz and Nibblet had a habit of chasing our cats all over the place. It was actually comical to watch – one would expect that the cats, beig predators, would be the ones doing the chasing and the rabbits, being prey, would be the ones trying to escape. In fact, it was th other way around; the rabbits had no fear of our cats and regularly chased them away when they got too close.
Third, rabbits are rather uninteresting creatures. They don’t like to play. They don’t like to be handled. They don’t make any noise. They don’t make any expressions. They don’t attack balls of yarn or chase after Frisbees. They do little more than sit and stare. In fact, the only time I found I really enjoyed watching them is when were eating or when they were chasing our cats.
In my mind, there needs to be at least some sort of entertainment value to a pet – something an animal does that we find humorous, comforting or otherwise interesting. Dogs have it. Cats have it. Rabbits don’t. They are, in a word, boring.
Fourth, rabbits require a lot of maintenance. Consider everything that had to be ready for Nibbles and Spaz when I brought them home: cage with removable bottom, water bottle, food bowl, hay bin, salt wheel, absorbent wood chips, and even a litter box outside of their cage that they could use when I let them out to run around. I also provided them with mats to lay on and toys to play with and chew on. I kept their food bowl stocked with pellets and their hay bin stocked with hay. I even fed them fresh vegetables or fruit from time to time, as rabbit owners are supposed to do (interesting that I don’t have to feed my cats fresh meat from time to time – why do rabbits need such a varied diet when cats can survive just fine on a steady supply of Meow Mix?).
I also had to clean the rabbits’ cage on a regular basis; after all, it got rather stinky in a hurry. And, since I kept the rabbits in a cage, I had to let them outside often to run around. And when I let them outside, of course, I needed to watch them to make sure they didn’t relieve themselves on the carpet, gnaw on the leg of the coffee table or rip a hole in the upholstery of the couch.
To keep rabbits from destroying everything, in fact, we had to try to “rabbit-proof” our home. That meant buying even more stuff, such as urine guards to keep the rabbits from peeing outside of the cage or a long plastic sheet for the rabbits to lay on when they hopped underneath our couch so they wouldn’t relieve themselves or pull up carpet while they were under there. And even then, this “rabbit-proofing” didn’t keep the bunnies from wreaking their destructive ways.
Did I mention that rabbits need to be constantly groomed, too? They shed fur more than your average cat or dog. Almost every time I picked up one of my rabbits I would find myself covered with rabbit hair.
Simply put, rabbits require much more care than a dog or a cat. All the various needs of rabbits are listed on the House Rabbit Society’s various FAQs. The amount of stuff these small animals need in order to live is mind-boggling. (Interestingly, had I known about the House Rabbit Society’s website before I purchased the two rabbits, I probably wouldn’t have gotten them. I did attempt to do some due diligence by buying and reading a book about rabbit care before I got the actual rabbits, but the book turned out to be woefully inadequate.)
Finally, rabbits live short lives and die sudden deaths. Nibbles was only about seven months old when she passed away. Nibblet only lived two and a half years before I found her dead body sprawled in the hutch in my parents’ backyard. I don’t know why she died, but I’ve since discovered that something like 85% of female rabbits die of some sort of uterine cancer at about two years of age, and that all female rabbits should be spayed. And I thought I was doing Nibblet a favor when I spared her the knife and had Spaz neutered instead. (Also, some rabbit lovers claim that rabbits become less agressive or destructive when they’re spayed or neutered. This was definitely not the case with Spaz.)
Spaz lived the longest, dying in July 2004 after a very brief illness, but even then that’s a pretty short lifespan, compared to the dog that lives 12 years or the cat that lives 15 years. The House Rabbit Society claims that rabbits kept indoors can expect to live 9 to 12 years, but that rabbits who live outdoors usually only live half as long and that’s why rabbits should be kept indoors. Of course, keeping them indoors after we moved back to Houston really wasn’t an option due to their destructiveness.
Wow. You used the “Rabbits Make Lousy Pets” article, huh? First of all, that is the only article in existence that claims rabbits make bad pets – you know why I hate that article? Because he basically took everything rabbits ARE and put the words “are ” and “not” in front of them. Plus, he disrespected the House Rabbit Society! Ugh, how I despise whoever wrote this.
First of all, rabbits do chew on things, and YES, to own a rabbit you do need to rabbit proof things but it’s worth it! This is the one thing that IS true.
Rabbits use litter boxes frequently, and fixing them decreases the poops territorial droppings. At a young age they do urinate in various places but as for urinating at an adult age on the carpet, rabbits DO not do this!
Moving on, I notice the article says this:
“Second, rabbits show no affection. One of the most important aspects of keeping a pet is the fondness it shows for you. Why, after all, keep an animal in your home if it doesn’t offer you its love and companionship? A dog will run to greet you, tail wagging, when you come home. A cat will rub your leg and sit in your lap. A rabbit will do none of these things; in fact, it will probably run away from you when you approach it and if you do manage to catch it it is liable to bite or scratch you. They tolerate being pet for only short periods of time and do not like being picked up. Even Nibblet, whom we handled as a pup and raised by hand after Nibbles died, did not enjoy being pet or show us any affection. She was, in fact, perhaps the meanest of the three rabbits we had.”
Haha! Rabbits are extremely affectionate. They are very shy, but as prey animals, this is normal.
They are not affectionate like cats and dogs because they only like the people they are bonded with. Cats and dogs might come up wagging tails right way, but don’t
expect that from a bunny. You have to earn their trust and respect, which can take months. They are prey animals so they are quite different. For example they will not want to be held. It’s in their nature to feel uncomfortable with being held. You really have to work at the relationship everyday. They can be affectionate once they know and feel your their friend and part of their pack in the wild.
Uninteresting creatures? Do you know what a binky is? Rabbits binky a lot, shaking in the air, almost like a hoppy rabbit dance. When a rabbit binkys, they feel happy and it is entertaining to watch. If you think that sounds boring, watch “rabbit Harlem Shake” actually here on My House Rabbit! They are funny, exciting, and agile. Don’t agree? Fine. You may never will until you adopt a bunny! (:
YES! Rabbits do require maintenance, but not as much as most animals, like dogs and cats like he keeps referring to. That’s another reason they don’t make good pets for KIDS!!!
Constantly groomed?
Well…Rabbits, especially outdoor rabbits, do shed! The fluffy angora bunny above would need to be groomed, but a normal-haired rabbit like my bunny does not need to groomed. It is nice to brush rabbits from time to time, but it is not required. Rabbits go through a shed twice a year, and it does involve hair all over clothing, etc. but is not major.
Rabbits outdoors do live short lives. At this point I am shocked at the way he taunts HRS, they are right. Rabbits do need to be kept indoors. They are no pet if they aren’t.
Rabbits are awesome pets, and if you still disagree, just stop posting rude things and pasting WRONG information. I love rabbits, and you don’t. You cannot change my love for bunnies, and maybe I can’t change your hate.
Listen Dan, if you hate rabbits so much than why are you here?
julia, i am having a problem. a rabbit requires hay or grass as main diet, but its not easily available in my area as we dont have pet food shops and the chilly winter is not allowing us to grow grass in our lawn. can you suggest any substitutes. i have been feeding my rabbit only green leafy vegetables and I’m worried he might get a stomach problem. By the way, he’s a himalayan buck.
Rabbits are good pets for men too! So, dan, if you think a rabbit will affect your “manliness,” then don’t think that. Rabbits make wonderful pets, and can be very sweet and affectionate if you give them the attention they need. They can also be litter trained ! 🙂 I litter trained my bunny very easily. They can live to be approx. 8-10 years if cared for correctly. They are great pets, as long as your willing to do your part and care for them properly and provide them the love and attention they need 🙂
That’s one FLUFFY bunny haha.
Omg that is a very big cotton ball of fluff. I don’t even think it’s real! I hope that poor bunny has no trouble living a normal life with all that… Fur. 🙁 oh and dan, I have a lot to say to you but I won’t! I agree with Julia and Nate & his rabbits and Hope: BUNNIES rule! 🙂 :/
Just found out you can do smileys on here! Thanks “Nate” for showing me that
Let’s get up to 10 comments people! Yay I did it ookay I’m done here
… and that’s why our refrigerator failed … insides of the moving parts full of 8 years of accumulated rabbit fur!!!
That bunny certainly looks extremely huggable and pettable with all that fur. I agree with Joyce though, hope the sweet thing can live a normal life like that.
I’m so happy to hear others echoing my thoughts and sentiments regarding bunnies in the replies to try to set “Dan” straight. Although his rants were disrepectful to bunnies, their owners, and those who try to help rabbits, at least we know one bunny will be spared being a gift for a child that thinks they’re cute but probably would be totally unaware of the committment you must make if you want to have one of these sweet animals as a pet.
I was going to comment something else, but Nate & his rabbits and Julia-Daisy’s mom pretty much have it covered! 🙂 😀
Bunnies ROCK! Woohoo! 😀
(did I mention my rabbit licks my face, arms, etc, and she is trained to do a trick or two?)
well well… i understand what you saying (Dan) about them being dirty but it is up too the person raising these pets in there house to maintain it..
i have 5 rabbits and the are kept cleaned and very smart in there own way… My rabbits take baths and are well kept groomed. they are also trained and know when I say something they do understand. my rabbits give me kisses and follow me around like a dog and cat would do. i also have a cat and dog and they are all good pets. they all know when I have had such a rough day.. they make me smile and feel much better!!
The picture of that big ball o fur.. you should keep it well groomed where it is able to see and hear!! that is a ball of mess!! Don’t you think the rabbit would love to see what hey are missing!!
I think I covered everything… (: today my rabbits both got into the pots and and pans… An incredible feat! 😐 (; Both Daisy and Lily were helping each other to eat the treats we thought we had hidden well enough from behind the pots and pans…. Hubby and I laughed and it was hilarious. Sure somebunns do get into trouble but we forgive them because they make up for it anyways with all the joy they bring. If you have rabbits in your childhood you are guaranteed not to have allergies. – just learned that on a bunny website… So we are raising healthy kids in more ways than one!
Have to agree with the person who says rabbits don’t make good pets. Honestly, they just don’t.
I love my rabbits to death and have had them for years (ages 7 and 6 1/2) and they are incredibly well taken care of, but when they die I will not be getting more rabbits. They’re very expensive to take care of, require a huge amount of work compared to a dog or a cat, are very destructive and, no, they’re not particularly affectionate.
Yes, this is coming from someone who adores her rabbits but they are also the last rabbits I will ever own.