Children and Pet Rabbits
Parents will often get a rabbit specifically as a pet for their child. Your child looks at you with those big eyes and says “please” and the rabbit comes home. But rabbits are unlike cats or dogs and don’t react the same way to child behavior.
Rabbits have abilities that evolved in the species over thousands of years.They’re quick, have needlelike claws and teeth, and an escape response that motivates them to flee at the first sign of danger. But those very aids to the rabbit can be harmful to the child.
When a rabbit feels threatened it may bite. Rabbit teeth and jaws are powerful enough to cause a very nasty wound to a child, as my son quickly learned. Teach the child to stay alert, not to startle the rabbit, and keep its hands and arms away from teeth. Both parties will be happier, and so will you.
Rabbits have powerful hind legs. When possible they’ll use them to run away at top speed. When they can’t flee, they’ll fight. But the claws on their hind feet, even trimmed, can rip a nasty gash in a child’s hand, arm or face. To reduce the odds, teach the child not to stress or startle the rabbit. Approach slowly, don’t hold the rabbit when it squirms, and never yell or squeal in its presence. Those ears are large for a purpose!
Kids will need to be shown how and when to hold a rabbit (and how and when not to). Rabbits rarely enjoy being held firmly, and then only for short periods. They often enjoy human company, sitting beside someone and being gently stroked.Generally, though, it’s a good idea to stay away from the ears which are a natural magnet for children. The rabbit uses those for survival and interfering with them will sometimes produce stress.
Rabbits can see almost 360 degrees around. An eye is located on each side of the head giving them a wide angle of view. But because of the placement, they have a blind spot about 10 degrees wide just below the chin.The rabbit adjusts for the lack of depth perception we have from stereoscopic vision by moving its head. They judge the distance of objects by parallax (the two different views gained from two different angles).
Teaching a child about the rabbit’s visual and auditory systems helps them understand how the rabbit approaches the world. That makes it much easier to explain why some things are safe and others are potentially harmful or stressful to the rabbit.
But beyond physical safety for both the rabbit and child, there are a number of helpful lessons to instill.
Rabbits can be trained to perform a number of amusing behaviors.Helping the child to do that, involving it in the training, benefits both the child and the rabbit. The rabbit perceives the child as a companion and the child learns to develop skills that apply to many situations: patience, gentleness, careful observation and so on.
Find more information on rabbits at LuvMyRabbit.com
Categories: Pets Tags: pet, pet rabbit, pet rabbits, rabbit, rabbit cages, rabbit food, Rabbits, taking care of rabbits
Pet Rabbits For Pets
Are you thinking of getting a rabbit for a family pet? There are a number of things to take into consideration before picking a pet for kids. Take into consideration the size, habitat, and eating habits of any animal before you take it on as a family pet.
A rabbit may seem ideal for some families because of its size and eating habits. However, take into consideration that rabbits can be a little difficult because of their natural reactions and inclinations. For example, rabbits are a pet that doesn’t like to be held or touched.
When you try to hold a rabbit against its will they may try to bite, kick, or scratch trying to get free of your grip. Young children who want to hold and play with a pet shouldn’t be given a rabbit. Rabbits just aren’t social in nature, like cats and dogs.
Rabbits can also take a long time to adapt to a new environment and to bond with their owner. The time and patience required to domesticate and acclimate a rabbit make it a difficult pet for children to deal with. They aren’t good pets for children because rabbits require more time and attention than children are usually able to give.
Another consideration when choosing a rabbit as a pet is that rabbits can be destructive. Rabbits don’t destroy things to irritate you, but it is just their nature to chew up things that are around them. If you don’t put them up a rabbit will chew cables and electrical cords, or anything of interest they find in their surroundings.
The last thing you should keep in mind is that rabbits require time and attention. Rabbits must be fed pellets or fruits and vegetables. They are herbivores and will not eat any meat. Their cage has to be cleaned every day, and they have to be supplied with fresh water constantly. When getting supplies, you can find cheap rabbit cages online. It’s a lot of work to own a rabbit as a pet, however, for some individuals, rabbits make ideal pets.
Do Rabbits Really Make Good Pets?
You may find many challenges involved in keeping a pet rabbit. But there are lots of positives, too. Here are some of the pros and cons…
Rabbits can live a long time, some can reach ten years of age. That in itself can be either a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. People often view rabbits as something to amuse the kids when they’re yound. but having the life expectancy of a dog makes them a long term commitment. Think ahead.
Rabbits are prone to a couple of diseases that may be hard to treat. Since they can’t vomit, a hairball can cause them serious intestinal difficulty. The proper diet will help minimize the odds. They can sometimes contract a disease called RHD (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease), a virus that can cause death. Even if they survive, they can spread it to other pet rabbits. Rabbits can be subject to flea and mite infestations, with all the potential complications that it brings.
Rabbits require some grooming, more than a cat, but considerably less than a dog. Though bathing them is unnecessary, and indeed not generally a good idea (rabbits can become overheated easily), they still benefit from a regular nail trim and brushing.
Some of that grooming effort is for the benefit of the rabbit, some of it is for you. Keeping them well brushed, but not too hash, will help keep the amount of hair around the house down. Trimming their nails keeps them from being quite so destructive around the house if they’re left free to roam around.
A pet rabbit that is out of the cage can be quite destructive. They love to dig and they may chew almost incessantly. A rabbit’s teeth never stop growing and one way they keep them under control is to gnaw on things. That may be allright outside, but in the house it can be a problem.
With some effort and some expense, you can rabbit proof your home. You’ll need to lay down covers for the couch or plastic laminates (such as those used under office chairs) and devise other protective measures. But, there are many ways to do this and it doesn’t have to be done too often. Many people see the expense and effort as well worth it.
Veterinary care is important and, as it is for any pet, can be expensive and time consuming. But with rabbits there’s often an additional problem: few vets have much experience with pet rabbits. Often, the litte creatures just don’t get the attention a dog or cat might. When a rabbit becomes ill, they often die and are just replaced. That gives the vet less chances to treat them. Finding a good one in your neighborhood can sometimes be difficult.
But all that said, rabbits are still among the most fun pets. They’re cute, soft and they exhibit a surprising array of amusing behaviors. They can run around and express joy. When not in a stressful situation, they can respond well to a few people, like many other mammals. They are very affectionate, in their own way.
It’s hard to resist something as gentle, fuzzy and full of life as a pet rabbit. Weigh the factors yourself, then be prepared for surprises, just as you would with any pet.
Visit Just for Rabbit Lovers at LuvMyRabbit.com
Categories: Pets Tags: Do Rabbits Make Good Pets?, Pets, Rabbits, Rabbits as Pets
Pet Rabbits- Life Expectancy and Other Interesting Rabbit Facts
Rabbits are fascinating creatures, not least becuase they seem at first blush to be so common. But, in fact, rabbits come in several dozen breeds and exhibit behavior that is surprising to anyone who hasn’t owned on.
There are approximately 50 different breeds of rabbits recognized by the America Rabbit Breeders Association and there are more types of rabbits. But, of course, as a professional association concerned with keeping things orderly they have fairly strict standards. Snowshoe hares aren’t among them, for example. Hey wait, they argue, we’re interested in only domestic breeds. Fair enough. But do the rabbits know the difference?
But all those breeds have one thing in common that is something they are NOT: they’re not rodents. Though similar, rabbits are Lagmorphs. It sounds like something from a science fiction book? Rodents are Rodentia.
They have an interesting way of maturing, too. The average rabbit that is well cared for can live for about 10 years, whereas humans live for an average of 75 years. The like expectancy varies from breed to breed. Yet a human isn’t sexually mature at 3 3/4 years (75 divided by 20, which is 10 years/0.5 years), while a six month old rabbit is. They grow up fast, don’t they?
Their gestation lasts about a month, and it is true, they can have a lot of babies. Baby rabbits are called ‘kits’. But don’t confuse ‘kit’, as in rabbit baby, with ‘kit’ as in tool bag. They don’t like it when you try to pry beer bottles open with their teeth.
those teeth never stop growing, either, unlike human teeth that shift but don’t lengthen after adulthood. That’s not usually a problem, since they like to gnaw on just about anything they can get their hands on. Or, more accurately, their teeth on. Oh, maybe that is a problem where you live?
But they’re not just mindless chewers. Rabbits are a lot smarter than some people think. Rabbits can be litter trained and can even perform tricks. One Japanese man raised a rabbit called Oolon (after a type of tea). The rabbit could balance small objects on its head as it walked (or hopped) along. Quite a feat when you consider that most humans can’t do that, especially if they have to hop.
Rabbits can also be affectionate. Part of that head balancing ability may come from a rabbit’s tendency to tuck its head under an owner’s chin. Of course, you have to get along fairly well for a long time to get it to relax enough to do that. Rabbits are somewhat high strung. Or, maybe they’re just particular.
The stress they feel comes about whenever they sense danger. That is very easy for them to do since their eyes have almost a 360 view of what is around them. Set on the sides of the head, they geta peripheral view of almost 180 degress on each side. But because of the arrangement, they do have an approximately 10 degree blind spot directly in front just below the nose.
So, if you stand in front of your rabbit and lecture them about something they did wrong, don’t assume they’re stupid or stubborn. They may just not be able to see you. Of course, with those ears they don’t have any excuse for not hearing. They may just be ignoring you. They’re pretty smart creatures, after all, and they know your shoe was made for chewing even if you don’t.
Categories: Pets Tags: Interesting Facts about Rabbits, pet rabbits, Pets, Rabbits
