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Vicki: How easy the buns are to litter box train

– Michelle: But you don’t train THEM to use the box; they train YOU where to put it!

– Vicki: You got me there. Exactly why 2 bunnies have 4 litter boxes.

– Margaret: My one bunny had 2 litter boxes at one point, next to each other, too!  Now she has a huge cat litter box.

Mary: First time rabbit owners need to take “Bunny 101” type of class. Our House Rabbit Society in GA. offers one. We were required to take one before we adopted. I’m so glad we did on top of buying a few recommended books about rabbits.

Penny: Be prepared to have your heart stolen, completely and permanently.

Liz: That you should be prepared to find hay EVERYWHERE. We found it in the freezer once. No idea how that happened.

Derek: To be prepared to take care of the little fuzzy for at least ten years. Really think about the long time responsibility and commitment. Be prepared to change your life around ensuring the little one has a good safe and caring lifestyle.

Trudy: 1-Learn their dietary needs, and follow them! 2- They are social animals that can be trained, please don’t keep them in their cage all of the time! 3- They’re social, and should be considered a part of the family, not a nuisance. 4- Before you get the rabbit, find a knowledgeable vet. 5- They are not good with children or loud noises. Plan your life accordingly, and remember they should have seniority in such decisions. I would say that’s about it for tonight!

Patricia: Never let just anyone bunny-sit.

Katana: Love them unconditionally! Don’t get frustrated when they don’t want to show you affection, it’ll come eventually (carrots help!)

Margaret: They eat a lot, doesn’t mean pregnant. Timothy Hay all the time means literally all the time. Cage your wires, not the bunny. They like cork, elastic, and combat boots.

Dana: Understanding their social needs.

Lemon: Wait… What is this I am reading? Many of you seem to have meek rabbits. Mine purposely sneaks up on me to scare me whilst I sleep. Mine will chew on my hair when I’m not looking, steal food off the tea table, ransack toilet paper rolls, sneak into my backpack, steal clothes from the laundry basket, chew on my pant leg for added attention, eat my library books, scare the cat into anxiety disorder, and outsmart every family member in every way possible.

Jan: That there is pet insurance for them (VPI – www.petinsurance.com)

Ashley: That a good vet is vital and not just any vet but a small animal/exotic pet vet, which is generally extremely expensive. Expect to spend a minimum of $100 on any given check-up. But only the best for my buns!

Becca: That they are high maintenance, that they do better in pairs, that they may have teeth issues, that they are not lazy, calm, or cuddly. lol

Rabbitats: Well, maybe not before my first bunny, but had I known that it’s easy to bond multiple rabbits when you get them all at once and put them into a new place together, I would have started off with a colony instead of singles and pairs!

Aimee: How to read their poop and what to feed. Specifically not to feed the treats and rabbit food with fruit and seeds that are sold at every pet store.

Lenis: Get two at once so they have a bonding buddy.

Nancy: Keep them in the house…no rabbit hutches outside. Also, get them fixed. Big big difference.

Elizabeth: The extreme importance of proper diet and EXACTLY what a proper diet for a bunny consists of. I lost my first bun due to ignorance on my part and that of the person that gave her to me. Also, the signs that something is wrong.

Aimee: The importance of regular grooming including scent glands and nails.

Liz: Target train, fresh air, grass and sunshine is good for them, change their environment around, less destructive when busy, use food toys instead of a bowl.

Kristina: I wish I had known about stasis, and also that bunny needs to be looked over everyday – fur, ears, teeth, eyes, and feeling for any unusual lumps/bumps (which would require one to learn what the usual ones feel like!).

Emily: That they are fragile and sensitive, and need a quiet environment.

Michelle: Shedding time is a nightmare. And keep everything “chewable” out of bunny’s sneaky reach.

– Kevin: Yes, we learnt – phone cords!!!!

Meg: Pairs are better! Bonding my two buns was HARD, so it would have been much easier with two from the beginning!

Susan: Proper diet.

Christie: That last one is so true. 1st bunny from a pet shop (didn’t know better then) second from a rescue, both let me hold and cuddle them at the time, but then never again! Fair enough though, I understand they like their feet kept on the ground!

Pamela: Yup, my first bunny ate pellets with hay – I didn’t know pet stores DON”T KNOW RABBITS.

Lisa: That they chew telephone wires, as I was gabbing away on the phone and the line suddenly went dead and the rabbit was looking very pleased with himself. lol

Laurie: Do your homework about rabbit housing and care. Find a good vet that does rabbits everyday. Once you are ready for the commitment, enjoy your rabbit and love them to pieces. They’ll show you amazing personality when they become part of your family.

Leah: I wish I would have known about the bunny flop, it still gives me a heart attack!

Teresa: What kind of housing options, and CLICKER TRAINING!!

Jennie: Everyone has written the bad side of owning a bunny (more like they own you!). People need to know how smart, loving & great pets they can be! Easily litter box trained & love to be in the center of everything. They are great eco-friendly pets. You can use their poops to fertilizer your garden to grow food for the bunnies.(& yourself) On the down side they molt/shed A LOT & you have to brush them since they cannot vomit up the fur they ingest which can lead to serious tummy issues.

Marsha: They are cute and in charge. Nuff said:)

Glenda: Get them neutered and spayed! Besides getting cancer Male Rabbits will spray. I can attest to that one as my 9 year old Bailey is still squirty when he gets cocky!!!

Emily: About cleaning scent glands !!!!!!

Jaimi: That they can and should be desexed. What a proper diet actually is. That some head tilts can be treated. I had 2 of my favourite bunnies as a kid suffer from head tilts and was told by a vet to have them immediately put to sleep. We did not know any better at the time.

Megan-Marie: Prepare for every aspect of your life to suddenly get more adorable, and do whatever they tell you to. (figure out how to understand what they are trying to tell you. get on their level and let them do almost everything they want. but do not let them eat whatever they want; they have sensitive tummies.)

Nancy: Find a good exotics specialist. Don’t expect a bunny to be affectionate if you leave him locked up in a cage all day. They are social creatures and need stimulation, too. Importance of proper diet!

Lalis: What to NOT feed your bunny. Ours loved EVERYTHING and yeah… Not good.

Karen: That such a little guy could be so destructive! Has eaten baseboards and sheet rock.

Elizabeth: That its best to know who are real bunny vets in your area, compared to those who “claim” to know about rabbits. That took awhile to find the one who knows rabbits for real

Tracey: How complicated they can be medically.

Fritz: That the first bunny should always be at least two bunnies.

Lynn: Cage setup……toys, hay, food, litter

Anonymous: I wish someone would have told me never to feed your rabbit crackers. He might still be alive if someone had told me this.

Linda: That just spending time around them, you can grow so attached to them. They just become a part of the family like a dog or cat does. BUT…if like Edward….they can eat you out of house and home….lol

Jennie: They should not have a “mix” food.  Just plain pellets. Better yet go pellet free as they don’t actually need pellets (Once over a year old). My guy only gets pellets as a treat & usually he has to work for them as I put them in a treat ball so he has to roll it around to get the treats out!

Amy: Regular vet checkups with a bunny vet who will check teeth for spurs!

Moses: I have so much to say about this very sensitive topic for me personally. But if I had to choose just one thing, it would be stress the absolute importance of giving rabbits unlimited amounts of hay, and to NOT wait until they finish the hay one has already given them, before giving them more. Coupled with that is to never give them store-bought treats, as this spoils their appetite for the hay, which can cause them to die. And, the psychology of rabbits…how they do not like to be held, how we need to get on the ground for them to even think of approaching us, and most of all, how not every rabbit is compatible with every other rabbit, but that rabbits must be very carefully matched for true compatibility.

Jordynn: Females are moody and they like their bananas.

Robyn: 1.Vet bills for rabbits are NOT cheap! 2. If your bun stops eating and pooping don’t walk to the vet. RUN. They can die in 24 hours. 3. Make sure you go to the vet after you adopt for a well bunny exam. And have teeth checked. 4. Don’t EVER use pellets that have little goodies mixed in. 5. Behavior that you get from a bun at the shelter will be different when you’re home. My bun let my hold her at the shelter for 45 minutes. It has NEVER happened again once we got home.

Jody: There’s a lot of information out there, and not all of it is good. I think the biggest lie I’ve discovered that rabbits make easy pets and rabbits are clean. To keep rabbits fat and happy is NOT without hard work and there’s hair and hay everywhere. In comparison, my dog is spotless. Still, if you’re willing to put in the work, they’re good pets, (and not all of them like to snuggle).

Bunny Cottage: Be prepared to sweep, mop, clean and wash! You’re going to completely enslave yourself to the bunnies!

Merle: How to take up a rabbit. I was shown the way to grab them by their neckskin and did not know better as I was a child of 7 years….. poor bunny!

Kris: EVERYTHING!!!! That they can use a litter. Need their nails trimmed. Proper diet. Can build a condo instead of buying a cage (mine are both cage free, but still). Chew on baseboards and wires and where to buy the covers.

Sarah Ann: Lol where can I begin – I’m still in shock with how much I didn’t know – health, behavior, expense, and how much they can make you fall in love with them.

Cassie: Their dietary needs. I feel so horrible for anyone’s rabbit that is fed only carrots and lettuce.

Rosie: Neuter, pairs are better, adopt from a rescue, 90% hay diet

Mary Anne: That they can be litter trained, some hate being handled. Oh, and they love wires, too.

Penny: That rabbits are very sensitive to heat. I lost my first one to a heat stroke.

Lauren: The need for a routine … and the consequences of straying from it.

Jill: That they are easily litter box trained. And to rabbit proof your room, so your bunny is safe and lives with you.

Jessica: More chew toys for them like phone books, cardboard boxes, sticks, etc, so less damage to the carpet, wires, furniture while growing up.

Rachel: Trying to bond your bunny with one they don’t like will never work. My bunny’s whole personality changed when we tried bonding her. She started chinning everything and growled when touching “her things”.

Karen: That when a friend says to get all wires out of the way or cover them with proper protective cable covers – believe her!

Mickey: OMG! I wish wish wish I had know that the rabbit vets listed on the House Rabbit Society website weren’t the only ones! They aren’t necessarily the best or least expensive either. Contact local rabbit rescues and ask them to advise.

Vanessa: That they reach maturity at 4 months and that they can be neutered sooner (and that the doe gets pregnant the same day she gives birth). Rehoming 9 babies to good families was a tough job !!!

Amy: Hay hay hay! Don’t like being picked up or held, generally. They want their feet on the ground and feel more secure that way.

Emi: Tips for a good alimentation!! For example: is not good to give them fruit every day.

Maggie: Proper diet, we over did it with the wrong kinds of treats.

Patricia: The biggest mistake I made was buying treats at pet stores. Also, I now buy most supplies online. Way cheaper. Medications, too.

Bobby: That they could die from eating carpet fibers.

Chloe: How much they are like a dog.

Valarie: That he would chew on my favorite shoes because of the leather on them….he is up to 4 pairs now.

Megan: That their pee is orange red.

Jaime: Save a lot of money for emergency vet visits! They will happen!

Gemma: Get it desexed and learn bunny behaviour habits.

Kristina: Bunnies can get mites and fleas. They need to go to the vet more often than u think.

Brian: Wish they told me about its body language and sleeping habits

Lemon: Bunnies are more independent and more intelligent that I thought. My bun has outsmarted me too many times. I’m pretty sure she has world domination plans up in her brain, too. Hmmm.