Word.
I had some friends once who had a bunny. One night I slept over, in their son’s room where the bunny sometimes slept.
It kept me up all night, trying to hump my head. No smilie. It would not cut it out!!
We have two guinea pigs and a rabbit - the rabbit is definitely harder work to look after than the GPs - all of the things I’m about to say can either be great fun, or a big nuisance:
-The rabbit is more active than the GPs - they can be brought indoors and left on a carpet tile with some bits of carrot, and they’ll still be there two hours later - just sitting contentedly - the rabbit will sometimes lie down and relax, but more often, she’s hopping about exploring the room, getting into everything.
-The rabbit chews things - furniture, books, boxes, houseplants, cables - and must be supervised constantly in order to prevent an accident, or damage to property.
-Rabbits generally have more stringent dietary requirements than GPs - they can get quite upset (in the exploding bottom sense) by changes to their diet. GPs eat just about anything.
-Rabbits make a bit more mess and smell than GPs - not a great deal more, but the rabbit hutch needs cleaning out every day - the GPs only every third day or so.
-The rabbit stands for less nonsense and mishandling than the GPs - she’ll bite or scratch if she’s unhappy - the GPs just squeak - only biting if really provoked.
None of these are arguments about why one is superior to the other - after all, what counts is what you’re looking for in a pet - rabbits are cute and if properly trained and tamed, can be more affectionate and intelligently-friendly than GPs.
IMO, baseline requirements for rabbit or GP ownership should be:
-A personal commitment to clean the hutch, possibly as often as daily, and to feed/water up to twice daily
-An outdoor space where a suitable hutch can be properly located (with adequate attention to temperature and shelter from the elements, etc)
-Access to grazing - this can be as simple as a movable pen (with a lid) in which the pets can be put out on grass for a few hours or more each day (weather permitting)
-Proper nutrition - pet rabbits require feeding with a properly formulated dry mix. GPs need the same, but also need care to ensure that they get sufficient vitamin C, because - like us - they can’t synthesise it in their own bodies.
I had a Dwarf Lop Eared rabbit, and he was gorgeous. He also had a beautiful temperament, very laidback and happy to snuggle.
Despite that, I didn’t really enjoy having a rabbit as a pet. He made sooooo much poo! His fur was everywhere! There’s also not much interaction to be had with a rabbit- you can pet them, watch them eat vegetables, and clean up their poop. I much prefer dogs and cats.
Was his name Humper? You know Thumper’s 2nd cousin.