What you need to know before adding a bunny to your family.
Baby Bunnies
Baby bunnies are super messy until they are spay/neutered. There are also health and behavior reasons you should get your rabbit fixed. A spay/neuter surgery typically costs $75-$300
Bunnies live 8-12 years.
Who will take care of it when your child goes off to college?
Most Bunnies DO NOT enjoy being picked up.
Most bunnies DO NOT enjoy being picked up or held; this is because they are prey animals. Most often, instincts tell them that when they are lifted off the ground a predator has them. Make sure you have realistic expectations of having a rabbit for a pet.
Domestic rabbits need to live indoors.
Temperatures over 80 degrees can cause heat stroke. Outdoors they are susceptible to predators. Even if a predator cannot get to them, just the act of it trying to get to your bunny or being nearby can literally scare them to death (heart attack). Your bunny can also get parasites outdoors.
A cage is not big enough for a bunny.
Cages are hard to clean and the wire bottoms hurt their feet. Bunnies should have a minimum of 4ft x 4ft for their home. Puppy exercise pens work well and are much easier to clean. This is just enough room for their litter box, food and water bowls, a bed with a box to hide under and a space to stretch out. Wire bottom cages frequently cause sores on the bottoms of their feet and disfigured toes from falling through.
Bunnies need exercise.
All bunnies need a minimum of 3-4 hours of exercise outside of their enclosure daily (but still indoors). Be sure their exercise space is bunny-proof (it is in their nature to dig and chew). They should also be safe from any other pets (dogs, cats, etc.).
Consider allergies ahead of time.
Make sure no one in your family is allergic to bunnies or hay! A bunny MUST have hay 24/7. This is the most important part of their diet. A hay allergy means a bunny is not the right pet.
Despite what you have been told...
It is hard to be 100% sure if a baby is a male or female until they are fully developed at 3-4 months old so be careful if you get more than one bunny. If you accidentally end up with a boy and a girl they could start having babies as young as 4 months old!