A rabbit or bunny, especially miniature or dwarf rabbits or bunnies make excellent pets for children

How to creat a great life for your rabbit with you and your children at your home

Choosing your first bunny

The first tip when deciding to buy a rabbit is to go to a professional breader.  Professional bunny breaders can be easily found via the Internet.  The reason you need to buy from a breeder is because the three most important things to consider when shopping for a rabbit is temperament, temperament, temperament.  Some rabbits can be so laid back that your children will be able to dress them up in doll's clothes and wheel them round in a pram, while other rabbits definitely have attitude problems and will bite and scratch with very little provocation.

Your local pet shop will allow you to sellect the colour you want, the size you want and whether its ears stick up or down, but they will have little or no knowledge of its likely temperament.  Only a breeder with knowledge of its parents and grandparents can have an informed opinion about it likely disposition.

Myths

Myth 1: Rabbits prefer company but you can't introduce a new rabbit to an established adult rabbit because they will fight.  I've even heard vets say this, but in my experence you can do this, but with caution because they may fight.  I tried to introduce a another female, Britney, to my own neutered female, Thumper, and they fought, I then introduced a very laid-back buck, Pumkin, and the pair got on like the proverbial house on fire.  I believe that it would have gone even better if the buck had been neutered.

Myth 2: Pet rabbits can't eat grass.  I was even told this by a professional rabbit breader.  All I can say is that Thumper spends most of her day nibling fresh grass and is perfectly healthy.

Recommended Resources

It is important to wise yourself up before buying your new bunny or bunnies.  I can thoroughly recommend two books:

There is one ebook that that I whole-heartedly recommend is: How to Train, Care and Build Trust with your Pet Rabbit.  Its merit is that it is very comprehensive and an easy read: anything and everything you want to know about your rabbit friend is here.  See the two testimonials below.

A smaller book aimed at children is: Taking Care of Your Rabbit (Young Pet Owner's Guide). Nowhere near as comprehensive as the above book for obvious reasons, it is aimed at small children, but very good nonetheless.  It will certainly be enjoyed by your children or grandchildren.

 

Reader's Testimonial - 1 "This e-book is a comprehensive, extremely readable guide that teaches you the essentials of owning a healthy and happy house rabbit ... For experienced bunny owners and first timers, this is a great book to teach yourself about what wonderful companions rabbits can be...." - Mona Jordan.

Reader's Testimonial - 2 "I believe this is one of the most complete pet rabbit books I've ever read! Between many rabbit books, magazines, APR, and personal experience I have gathered my knowledge on these wonderful lagomorphs. It's hard to find mostly all the info I've needed in one book. Not only do I believe it is a great compilation for experienced rabbit owners to have but also a great new introduction for beginners too! From the beginning of learning the ancestry of our own pet rabbits to teaching them tricks, it's all great info! Overall, I loved this book and found it VERY easy to read. One of my favorite parts was the section on tricks! I can’t wait to try them out! If there is one book you need to have when owning a rabbit, I believe it's this one, and I will be glad to recommend it to rabbit owners I know!" Sincerely, Elizabeth, USA (owner of five bunnies, six ducks, two cats and hamster and member APR)"