Rabbits as Pets- pros and cons :) please respond, thanks <3

[Peep]

Hey everyone! I have two rats, a hamster and a dog! As you can tell, I love animals 
However, this question isn't for me but for my friend aha 
Soo the title kind of tells you what I want to know, but my friend doesn't have any pets, she used to have guinea pig but she died a while ago and so now she really wants a rabbit and she was wondering how they are as pets.
She wants to know how much work they are, how affectionate they are, how smart they are, what kind of housing and excersice they need and anything else you want to share! Thanks. 

[Marybelle]

Rabbits are a lot of work.  They require a lot of attention, and a lot of room, if you want a happy, healthy rabbit.  They also tend to chew a lot, so are not exactly appropriate for rental places, or anyplace where a parent/roommate, etc. will get mad if stuff is chewed.

I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of, and I haven't covered any positive aspects, really, but I'm on my way out the door, so it'll have to do for a start!    Tell your friend she's going to want to do a LOT of research before jumping in to getting a rabbit, at the very least.

[ratzluver]

They are pretty hard to care for! They are fragile animals and she must have at least one room bunny proofed! Most bunnies are pretty affectionate, but usually they don't like to be held or cuddled. They are very inteligent! They should have a fairly big indoor cage. Enough room for them to stand up on their hind legs, turn around easily, and lay stretched out with room to spare. They need at least 2 hours of play time a day! THey bigger the rabbit the calmer, but then you need a  bigger cage. Rabbit can be litter trained too! Rabbits must be spayed/neutered or else they stink more and can get cancer. Like marybelle said they tend to chew a lot! They can be very destructive! The bunnies I pet sit also like to "borrow" in the carpet! Over all bunnies are great pets, but a lot more work than a guinea pig! Here are some awsome sites:
www.rabbit.org
www.binkybunny.com (pm me for my username if you want)

[Novakain21]

I have a bunny whose name is bunny lol Ive had her before she was even weaned... (her mom died) she was the only survivor of the whole group...... she is a great bunny I have a big cage for her and I let her run around the house all the time... she knows not to chew on wires or leather couch lol I call her if she tries to get funny lol... right now she is cuddled up to my puppy roscoe haha bunnys are great and they do take a lot of work but if you are lucky enough to get a great one that is tame as all get out like mine than you will thoroughly enjoy it... good luck tell your friend all this lol

[theeternalbleeding]

lots of work... they pee alot so they would need their cage cleaned frequently and their urine smells. i would also say they scratch but they dont mean to they just have sharp long nails. sometimes if a bunny is not tame it will bite. if you pick up a bunny and it starts to kick drop it... try dropping it lightly though.. cuz if you dont and just hold onto it it has a chance of breaking its back, neck, maybe its hind legs from kicking so hard. bunnies need lots of hay, perferably timothy. bunnies need lots of chewies so their teeth dont get too long, if they get too long they need to be trimmed by a vet. you can trim a bunnies nails by yourself but you need to research how. i read an article that says that their scent glands need to be cleaned out once a month, i havent done that and they seem fine. they are very affectionate but you cant make them be affectionate. it takes lots of time for them to be affectionate, lots of bonding. if your friend ever considers breeding she needs to know how to sex the bunnies. their are some veggies that bunnies cant have. bunnies need to be touched. so you need to play with them no matter what. use aspine bedding and not pine. i would get a fairly large water bottle they drink alot. anything else you wanna know tell me

[Scubbs]

Actually, I've never had or fostered a rabbit that smelled, whether by way of themselves or their urine.  As long as you keep their litter box clean, there should be absolutely no smell.  In fact, I found that rabbits were cleaner then even cats.

Never, ever drop a rabbit.  I can't believe that advice was given.  You need to properly support the rabbit's bum/feet so they don't feel so insecure while you're holding them.  If the rabbit starts kicking, just gently lower it to the ground - you do not need to drop it.

They don't have sharp nails if you keep them trimmed.  They should be given a water bowl, not a bottle.  Some rabbits never learn how to use a water bottle, and their mouths are equipped to drink from a flat surface.

For the OP, check out this website for some good starter information.  Rabbits live for a very long time, need a very specific diet, and can be extremely expensive.  Your friend needs to research for a long time before she adopts a bunny!

[theeternalbleeding]

a water bottle is better because one small movement could tip the water bowl over.

[Scubbs]

There are heavy ceramic and non-tippable bowls available.  Easily remedied.

[Novakain21]

I forgot to mention taht my rabbit is liter trained  makes it soooooo much easiar... at first she did pee and poo all over now its like heaven... she is chasing her shadow as we call it right now... running and jumping all over the place

[Punkygirl0101]

I personally prefer ceramic water dishes..and my bunny does too. When I used a water bottle he didn't drink as much water as he should, and it didn't look like he liked drinking out of the bottle.

I bought ceramic bowls from the dollar store in some pretty patterns, and also Walmart has some cute bowls with cool designs.

[liza]

We are fostering a bunny and I must say, I have grown very attached to her. She was adopted out but then returned to us. The bonding with the existing bunny was too difficult, she was returned after two days.
I can only speak from this experience since Velvet is my first rabbit in my adult, responsible life.
Advice has already been given, but I want to make sure your friend understands that rabbits need to have an unlimited amout of high quality hay at all times. Also, rabbits are considered exotic pets, thus they need to be seen by exotic vets. Does your friend have the funds for this? Exotic vets can be extremely expensive!

I feed Velvet twice a day fresh foods, I have a covered pen outside in my fenced yard. She gets to play out there every day. Again: a covered enclosure because a hawk or a cat could snatch her away within seconds. Velvet lives in a large x-pen (a dog pen) but she gets to run around the dining room and kitchen for a minimum of 7 hours a day. Velvet hates being picked up but there is nothing she loves more than attention, which means I sit down on the floor with her and pet her for hours and hours. She loves that!

So, all in all, I admit I would have never thought I could love bunnies as well, but I do. However, we do have the financial means to support all medical needs in case Velvet should need it. I cannot state it enough: if someone is financially stable, has a steady income with money they can save, then adopting an animal makes sense. If parents' money is needed, then you'd better make sure your parents (well, your friend's parents) are 100% behind the decision of adding a pet to the family.