bunny or ferret???

[lute]

which is better for me?....

1. not smelly
2. cheap to care for
3. friendly with kids
4. easy to care for
5.something i can let run around my room

thanks

[Jods]

Bunny... Ferrets are really expensive they are like 200$ to buy and their cages are about 200$ the food is 20$ a bag Plus a bunny would like to be with you more my ferret only wants to run around when he's out. where as my bunny likes to sit on me and stays still LOL... My ferret is a nut job! I'm not trying to deter you from getting a ferret I just know they are very expensive and require a lot of energy LOL not that a bunny doesn't they are just easier to care for. Good luck!! Lops are nice I also like Lionheads... I have a dwarf bunny and I've had both I don't think dwarfs are as friendly as others although thats my opinion... They both are smelly I would say a ferret is more though, you need to get your ferret desented most places do this before you buy, but soem don't. Also some places ferrets are illegal so check into that.. For kids I think a bunny would be good also cuz it would liked to be held more then a ferret would...... This is only my opinion, They are both great pets and I love my ferret and my rabbit just the same!

GOOD LUCK HOPE I HELPED

[CathyBogart]

1. not smelly: Ferrets, even descented and properly cared for, have a bit of a musky odor. Rabbits....ahve moderately smelly urine but it's easy to keep them clean enough not to notice.

2. cheap to care for: Let's see...Ferrets need a somewhat specialized diet, an enormous cage, are prone to some health problems that can be expensive to fix, and tend to get into trouble everywhere around the house. Rabbits...are vegetarian, need moderately sized cages that can easily be built yourself, are NOT prone to expensive health problems, and are relatively mellow and well behaved.

3. friendly with kids: Ferrets are mischevious and endlessly playful, and when they get overexcited they can get nippy, and BOY do they have some sharp teeth. Rabbits usually only nip in self-defense, most don't care for being picked up in the first place so most of the playtime is on the ground, and they are playful in an entirely different way from ferrets, and much gentler.

4. easy to care for: I think this was covered in #2

5.something i can let run around my room: full time? Niether. Supervised? Both, but a rabbit will not climb all over the place.

[PJ's Mom]

I vote for a bunny. I've never owned ferrets, but my neighbors did, and they seem to be a handful, and an expense. We have a bunny (Thelmer) and when she's not attacking me, trying to bite my fingers off, she's a great pet.

[Karen]

Bunny! Bunny! Bunny!

[lute]

thanks.....i have had rabbits before,but i was younger and don't really remember much about them.

i guess i should have specified. i want one that can run around my room *supervised*.

i guess im kinda leaning toward a bunny. i never knew ferrets were so expensive.i'm glad i asked.

oh yeah,is there anypleace that i should steer clear from when buying a bunny? are petstores ok?

[Desert Arabian]

NO! Do not get a rabbit from the pet store. There are just as many homeless rabbits at the shelters as there are cats and dogs. Get one from the humane society or rabbit rescue- give a homeless rabbit a home!

My princess Peanut was at the shelter for 1 year in a crampped cage too small for her!

Research, research, research, research is all I can say. There is so much to know about them...I am still learning. I was at the vet yesterday with both of them and I was there for an hour and a half chatting with the bun specialist on general rabbit care stuff and learning how to bond them.

My rabbits do not stink, they are 100% litter trained so their fece and urine smells are masked extremely well by the litter. Ferrets make me gag, they smell too much for me.

So far, I have learned that they are not all that cheap to care for, just like rats, they require a lot of little things that add up quickly (litter, veggies, etc). I have had Peanut since September 9th and Buster since October 7th and I have already spent around $750 or so. No animal is "cheap" to care for unless you cheat them out of proper care (IMO). Rabbits do not do well with little kids, they do not like to be cuddled and held much- in fact they are one of the worst pets for little kids- one reason why there are so many in shelters. They are pretty easy to care for.

Go to the library and get all their rabbit books, start looking around on the internet- RESEARCH!

[Aspen and Misty]

About Bunnies.....

If you room has furniture, cords (which should be removed or hidden) or wooden furniture then you will need ot watch your rabbit like a hawk. I have 4 large holes in my carpet b/c of my rabbit. My Whicker chair was chewed to pieces. Besides these itoms they have destroyed : 2 books, 1 mattress, 1 homework paper, 1 workbook and the list goes on. Of course I take full responsiblity for these lost itoms because I didn't know they were there (well the chair and matress, but I didn't know he would eat them, lol) and I should have checked better. But everytime my bunnies roam in my room, I have to clean it.

My rabbits require an hour a day of clean up and then 2 to 3 hours on the weekend of "full cleanuop". I daily have to set up and take down a cage for them to play in which requires about a half hour a day.

Rabbits also need large cages. My rabbits cages costed about $40 each (Half the price of the 3 story ferret cage I own). It took me only a day to build it, which isn't bad. The cage department is pretty simple.

As far as food. They need Hay, and lots of it. We are spending $20 weekly on hay alone (Although you should only spend maybe 10 or so). It's something you can't skip either. They have to have it. There litter cost us about 5 dollars a bag and there food cost us 8 dollars a bag. With one rabbit A Bag of Litter *should* last you 2 to 3 weeks. The food should last you for a month (or more) if kept well. (Of course, this is my food and litter, your bags may be smaller)

Most rabbits do not like to be picked up, so cuddling with it is out of the question. They do however like to be pet on the head.

If your rabbit is not spayed or nuetered, you will need to do this. Luckily, our vet does ours for cheap ($100 for Females, $90 for males) but most vets don't, so I can't give you a price on that.

We've probly spent about $200 dollars on vet bills for the buns this year (not including nueteres and spays). So they will require vet care.

Research is a must before you get a rabbit! They have special needs that need ot be met and you also have to watch for things, like hairballs which can kill a rabbit quickly.

On a brighter note!

Rabbits are wonderful pets. They love the people who take care of them. Everything I do for my rabbits is well worth it. They are such wonderful animals and I think you would find what a blessing they are by adding one to your family. I really hope you are happy with wichever pet you choose!

Ashley

[lute]

thanks for all the info!

i will most definatly adopt one from a shelter.

i do have a couple questions about litter training. what kind of litter should i use? how do you litter train a rabbit?!

thanks lots!

[Jods]

for rabbits I wouldn't use regular cat litter... Dunno maybe some ppl do, but my other rabbit ate it... How about yesterdays news.... Dunno that one will hafta go to the litter train ppl lol my current is not litter trained he goes in the same corner anyways.. and when he's out we hafta put him on newspaper, but he will jump back in his cage to pee yes I'm horrible lol... I tried to litter train him he just wouldn't learn....

to train them whenever they go to the bathroom place what they did with bedding in the box put the box in the corner he/she uses they usually use the same corner... they catch on pretty quick usually...

[Aspen and Misty]

Originally posted by lute
thanks for all the info!

i will most definatly adopt one from a shelter.

i do have a couple questions about litter training. what kind of litter should i use? how do you litter train a rabbit?!

thanks lots!

Just a thought. If you are going to be leaving your bun bun alone for long periods of time (school, work, vacation, etc.). What about adopting a bonded pair? They get into less trouble. To me it's like only having one. They share one litter pan, one cage etc. The only thing that is diffrent is the food intake, but I've found 2 isn't much more, food wise, to one. Although, this also means double the vet bills, I think in the long run your bun would be happier.

What I did for litter training is, Walmart has these little cat pans. They are fairly in-expensive. I bought 4 of them and one the first day placed them in every corner. Then, I would look to see what litter pan the bunny used the most. I would then remove one litter pan (this could be the same day, days later or whatever, just when you see most of the bunnies poops in one pan). Then I leave 3 litter pans in his cage for a day or two. And then I would remove one. If he is going in another corner, I would put another back in and leave it till he started useing only the one litter pan again, or at least 2 to 3 days. Then I would take out the litter pan again. If you keep doing this, eventually he will only use the one. A thing to remember though, if your rabbit if already full grown he may be to big for the little litter pans and if you notice he is peeing just on the edge of his box, it might be because the pan isn't big enough, so you would need to buy him a bigger pan. Julian litter trainined in One Day useing this method (but he is freakishly smart). Jacom litter trained in *about* a week.

I personally use Kay Kob, but bunnies can eat it and choke on it. I've been looking and trying diffrent things and havn't found one that even compairs to it. I find yesterday news doesn't obsorb the odor enough, but diffrent things work for diffrent people. Alot of people like Woody Pet, but I also don't like this because of the way it breakes down when it gets wet. If, however, you do like it, and you want something really cheap, buy a product called AMB at your local feed store (our tractor supply carries it here). it is acctaully Horse Bedding, but is just like woody pet. My friend uses it, but first asked her vet about it and he said it was a wonderful bargain and completly safe. (Here is a product like AMB and Woody pet. http://www.guardianhorsebedding.com/pinepellets.htm ) You cna buy 40 pounds of AMB for $4.00, if you live in Ohio. The price may vary where you live though, but it's a really nice saving!

Ashley

[flamepony12]

Originally posted by lute

1. not smelly
2. cheap to care for
3. friendly with kids
4. easy to care for
5.something i can let run around my room

sounds like a rabbit to me!

[lute]

Aspen and Misty thanks!

i also heard that if you put the litter pan in the corner then put a few of it's feces in the pan it will learn to go in the pan. would that work, or is the person pullin my leg?

[Aspen and Misty]

I tried that with my foster rabbits, Molly and Golly, it didn't work for either.

Ashley

[Desert Arabian]

Yes, that can work. That is what I did with Buster and he is 98% potty trained, he still leaves some presents to mark his territory.

Peanut was already potty trained, so honestly I am not sure how to potty train rabbits because they were already potty trained when I got them.

I use Feline Pine and aspen pellets for litter. Do not use cat litter of any form, it is bad for their lungs and if they eat the crystals it is bad for their GI track. I tried using apsen shavings- it was too messy, did not mask the odor well, and they ate it too much.