Introducing Our New Pet
My 8 year old daughter LOVES animals. She is not the kind of kid who will play with toys, but she can sit for hours on the porch with the cat and play. She thinks the hottest TV show is E-vet Interns (Emergency room veterinarians) and reads book after book about animals.
A few weeks ago her friend announced that her rabbit had babies and that they were selling them. You should have seen Miss M’s eyes! She did nothing but wish about that bunny for days before mustering the courage to ask Daddy if she could have one. Dad wasn’t thrilled with the idea of adding to our menagerie of a dog and two cats, but Miss M wore him down.
She spent the night at her friend’s house last night and picked out the bunny she wanted. She kept checking to make sure that the super soft, shiny, black coated Rex was the one she wanted. And it was. The bunny doesn’t officially have a name yet - she just can’t make up her mind - but it does have a home and a very loving new owner.
Tags: household-pet, pet-bunny, pet-rabbit, tweensRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Pets
19 opinions for Introducing Our New Pet
Kate
Mar 25, 2007 at 11:47 am
What a cute new pet. Congratulations and let us know how the care and training go!
char
Mar 25, 2007 at 11:54 am
Thanks Kate. She and this rabbit are having a great time already. She took it up into the top platform of the swingset for some bonding - including a ride down the slide on her lap. I hear we need to go get a rabbit harness so she can take it for walks in the yard.
We’ll keep you posted.
Karen
Mar 25, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I’ll sure she’ll have a great time with her bunny. Our bunny was kind of old when we got him, so there was no training for a harness. He doesn’t take well to it. I was told by the previous owner that he was once a wild bunny. You wouldn’t know it now by the way his heart races when I take him outside. Unfortunately, I am allergic to our bunny, Hippy, so his cage remains in the garage. It’s good that she got her bunny when he is young, so that he can get used to all of the activities.
kellys
Mar 25, 2007 at 2:33 pm
What an adorable young lady and bunny! You have done a great job! I wish we could have a bunny or a puppy. I am highly allergic to animals but my daughter loves them! Maybe when I can stay home full time, we can get one of those little dogs that have hair and not fur. I think I could do one of those.
char
Mar 25, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Karen - any bunny care tips for us?
Kelly - all our pets are outdoor pets - even the bunny. Our dog is a Rhodesian Ridgeback - they have very short hair and are really good with kids.
Karen
Mar 25, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I would suggest getting one of the brush gloves. This helps to catch all the hair from shedding. Rabbits shed horribly every year when they get their winter coat. Also, invest in a nice pair of nail clippers (for rabbits). Also, rabbits enjoy having old t-shirts or towels in their cage. They like to hide under them and chew them up. I keep a towel hung up on the side of the cage to make it easier for him to hide. If you have him living outside, you might want to consider a cage that allows him to come outside into the weather, with a section that is enclosed where he can go for privacy and to be out of the weather.
Rabbits have a sweet tooth! My rabbit really enjoys raisins, dry cereal, apple slices, dehydrated pineapple, carrots, bananas, and more. You do have to limit the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, so that they don’t get loose BMs. Also, feed your rabbit green leaf lettuce, not iceburg. The iceburg lettuce is too watery and also causes loose BMs. We keep a large bag of Timothy Hay on hand. I give him a handful each day.
Go ahead and get a corner litter box. Rabbit litter boxes are nice because they have a high back on them to keep the rabbit from peeing in the cage. Although our rabbit was older when we got him, he took well to the litter box right away. I recommend “Yesterday’s News” for the litter. PetsMart sells it. When it’s on sale we buy 2 bags and it lasts us a while. We have tried many products and this seems to work the best for odor control and it seems to last longer, as well.
I’d recommend getting a book or two on rabbits, especially since your daughter enjoys reading animal books.
Hope this helps! :)
Karen
Mar 25, 2007 at 5:42 pm
P.S. Rabbits also enjoy dry, plain oatmeal.
char
Mar 25, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Wow Karen! Thank you so much for the helpful advice. The rabbit is living outside. My husband built an insert for the hutch she is in now so the bunny can go in and out. We’ll probably get a larger hutch and the litter pan at some point in the near future.
Christina
Mar 25, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Wow, what a happy, lucky girl! Congratulations!
Karen
Mar 25, 2007 at 7:00 pm
You’re welcome. Glad I could help.
I thought of some other treats my bunny likes - leaf spinach and kale. It won’t take you long to figure out what your bunny likes.
Karen
Mar 25, 2007 at 7:47 pm
http://www.parkvets.com/clientinformation-poisoningyourpet.html
I just read this tonight and thought I’d let you know about it. Be careful about the kinds of flea treatments you use on your bunny.
Hsien Lei
Mar 26, 2007 at 2:43 am
Awww. Happy bunny, happy child. What more can you ask for? :)
char
Mar 26, 2007 at 2:53 am
Karen - thanks again for the advice. We know who to come to for all our bunny needs.
Hsien - the only thing I can hope is that she will be as enthusiastic about the clean up ;-)
Christina - thanks for the kind words.
Casual Keystrokes » Show and Tell
Mar 26, 2007 at 3:36 am
[…] Introducing Our New Pet - our daughter wore us down and we now have the softest, black bunny as part of our crew. Check it out - they are both so cute. […]
Gayla
Mar 26, 2007 at 5:47 am
Char ~ I just love rabbits. I always had rabbits when I was growing up. The perfect pet for a little girl.
You’ll have to let us know what name she chooses. Right at Easter time too - how fun.
Karen
Mar 26, 2007 at 5:48 am
Cadbury sounds like a cute name. :)
char
Mar 26, 2007 at 10:38 am
Karen - Cadbury is a perfect name - I am going to suggest that to her.
Gayla - do you have any bunny tips?
Gayla
Mar 26, 2007 at 10:42 am
Only one Char — just know those little boogers DIG and they dig quick and hide well. We had one get under our house and we never saw it again :( Don’t tell your daughter that, just tell her never ever let it dig :D
Karen
Mar 26, 2007 at 11:38 am
My friend had a rabbit and she kept it in the fenced backyard. About a block from our house, there is a house that has rabbits living in their yard. They have a big cage for the rabbits to go in and out as they please. It’s cute, but I get concerned about the rabbits getting attacked by cats or dogs. Maybe they just treat them like wild rabbits and provide them with food and shelter.
I think Thumper is a cute name too. Mr. ______ would be cute too. I just can’t think of what to put in the blank.
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