getting a rabbit as a pet during third year?

[Kara31191]

i have an Amazon parrot and a Severe macaw...

It's true that parrots need a lot of attention and stimulation. I've had mine for over 10 years, so they're used to my crazy hours and sporadic playtimes. (wake up birdy, lets play hide and seek at 3am...) They make for great company.

I worked in a research lab with finches, though. They require minimal care, don't make a lot of noise, and are pretty cheap ($10/each as opposed to thousands for my parrots)

Yeah, if they are used to that lifestyle they will do fine. Plus, you have two of nearly the same size for company (depending on if it's a Panama zon, or a yellow nape amazon!)

Rabbits are pretty fun though. I had a netherland dwarf. She was NOT well socialized as a young one and you could tell... My friends little sister has him and she lets him in a pen all day and it's great. If you live in a quiet home, a rabbit would be a pretty great pet. I would love to get a small rabbit, about a month old, and socialize them and watch them grow and live!

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[philomycus]

I have had a bunny for 4 years now. He has an outdoor cage and an indoor play area. He's litterbox trained and is really affectionate. He likes playing with the cats too. They just poop a lot. It's not too smelly, but cleaning is a daily thing, not a weekly thing.

I had a bunny I rescued out of the middle of the road once. I was driving at night and saw this floppy-eared thing hopping through traffic. He was the best one I had ever owned. He even came when you called him.

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

I've had 2 turtles throughout med school. They're not as cuddly as a rabbit but they don't require as much maintenance as one either, and they are more fun to watch in a good deep tank than fish. And you can let them out and they will run around your house too if that's important to you.

My friend had a water dragon which was a lot of fun that way too. And don't forget birds, most higher-order parrot-like birds are fun to play with.

I acquired a baby red-eared slider from my roommate in college and it gave me salmonella for half a year. When I finally figured out why I was sick for so long, I palmed the thing off on one of my friends. He says he won't use the mouth siphon to change the water like I did. I guess I learned never to take a baby animal found in a Texas creek. In conclusion, don't raise baby turtles. They'll try to kill you. Wait, what were we talking about?

 

[StealthDog]

about a month old

Yikes! Bunnies are just like puppies and kittens- you can find four-week-olds for sale in pet stores but that doesn't mean they were properly weaned. Look for a eight-week-old instead

 

[Ashers]

Yikes! Bunnies are just like puppies and kittens- you can find four-week-olds for sale in pet stores but that doesn't mean they were properly weaned. Look for a eight-week-old instead

Some of the best cats we've had, we've found when they're under 4 weeks old. 1 is nearly 17 years old now, and we acquired her at the Orange County Fair grounds when people were cleaning out the a/c vents and were going to take her to the pound and put her down. She was about 4 weeks old.

One of our other cats we got when she was about 1-2d old. A security guard at my old high school found her when my mom was working there, and my mom took her home. We raised both.

We acquired all of our last 4 cats by either finding them, or them finding us. However, we didn't buy them that young at the pet stores. Any we've bought at pet stores have been sick.

 

[Kara31191]

Yikes! Bunnies are just like puppies and kittens- you can find four-week-olds for sale in pet stores but that doesn't mean they were properly weaned. Look for a eight-week-old instead

Oh thank you for telling me! I pet store here sold them at a month old! Force weaned huh? Poor things! I hate that.

I haven't done my research! =P What is your favorite type of rabbit? Just curious.

 

[StealthDog]

Some of the best cats we've had, we've found when they're under 4 weeks old.

I'm not saying that puppies/kittens/bunnies separated from their moms early will be bad pets, but to give them the best chance at life it's ideal to let them stay with their moms for eight weeks. Pet stores sell them younger because they're cuter at four weeks than at eight. A kitten weaned at eight weeks gets more time to develop a strong immune system and gets important lessons on kitty social skills from mom. Obviously abandoned kittens don't have a choice about when they wean, but if you're getting a kitten in a more controlled setting you should look for an eight week old.

What is your favorite type of rabbit?

There are so many to choose from! I showed Britannia petites, which are lovely little rabbits but not the best pets (high-strung, a little like the chihuahuas of the rabbit world). I also showed French lops, which are giant teddy bears, almost more like owning a dog than a rabbit.

I love the smaller breeds, but if I had to pick the best pet breeds, I would probably say mutts (adopt from a shelter!), mini lops, or dutch.

 

[Kara31191]

I'm not saying that puppies/kittens/bunnies separated from their moms early will be bad pets, but to give them the best chance at life it's ideal to let them stay with their moms for eight weeks. Pet stores sell them younger because they're cuter at four weeks than at eight. A kitten weaned at eight weeks gets more time to develop a strong immune system and gets important lessons on kitty social skills from mom. Obviously abandoned kittens don't have a choice about when they wean, but if you're getting a kitten in a more controlled setting you should look for an eight week old.



There are so many to choose from! I showed Britannia petites, which are lovely little rabbits but not the best pets (high-strung, a little like the chihuahuas of the rabbit world). I also showed French lops, which are giant teddy bears, almost more like owning a dog than a rabbit.

I love the smaller breeds, but if I had to pick the best pet breeds, I would probably say mutts (adopt from a shelter!), mini lops, or dutch.

Thank you for the info!

This rabbit owner came in with two siblings, both black and white. They were georgeous and more loving and playful then most dogs/cats I've seen! They were amazing. This lady loved them so much. She was in her twenties! Adorable rabbits!

 

[Perrotfish]

So, I've been thinking about getting a rabbit for a while and I finally went to the pet store today... and was attacked by a rabbit. Seriously this thing bared its teeth, hissed at me, and hopped at me so aggressively that it ended up slamming head first into the cage. Anyway I'm still rabbitless.

Has anyone else ever had problems with Rabbit agression?

 

[StealthDog]

Has anyone else ever had problems with Rabbit agression?

Oh, definitely! I've seen that type of cage aggression mainly with females, but it can happen with males too. Once girls hit breeding age (which can be as young as 10 weeks!) they can get very territorial. This is the other advantage to spaying- besides the health benefits, you can usually avoid these nasty hormonal behavior changes.

I would suggest checking the link to the House Rabbit Society that was posted earlier (rabbit.org) and looking to see if there is anyone that fosters pet rabbits in your area. Foster "parents" often do a really good job of socializing their fosters. Otherwise, you could check with local shelters, Petfinder, or look for a rabbit show in your area (http://www.arba.net/). Any of those places should give you a lot more variety and more information about the pet you'll be getting than you could find at a pet store.

Good luck!

 

[Nikki2002]

yes bunny rabbits can be very evil.


and they stink

 

[MastahRiz]

Anyone ever owned a ferret? Is this doable in medical school? Do only dinguses own ferrets?

I have a friend in medical school who owns a ferret.

I don't know how the normal ferret behaves, but his is rather intelligent. It actually piles his text books on top of each other to reach the upper shelf on his desk where he left some oreos.

I used to do this myself, as a child.

 

[nowanmd]

You can always use your rabbit for food or comparative anatomy. Than again if you get a rabbit it might always say "what's up doc?" LOL couldn't resist

 

[tulane06]

Lapin a la moutarde

 

[Drogba]

Looks so tasty. Rabbits are so cute alive and so savory as food. Such a conundrum!

 

[Dr.Izzy]

I bought two parakeets during college. They are the perfect pet. They have a life expectancy of about 5-7 years. With two of them in a big cage, they are very self-contained. I play with them once or twice a day. Sometimes they sit on my computer while I work.

Low maintainance, cost effective, good life span, and much more fun than fish!