Anyone have any thoughts on having a pet rabbit, from the perspective of what their presence might do in terms of keeping a lyme patient from getting well?
I guess mainly I'm thinking about the possibility of infection transfering, parasite or otherwise.
I've had the lyme docs ask me regarding what pets I had or not, so seems like they think there is a bit of a potential issue. But, then, I've never seen getting rid of pets an important step in getting well. I have seen with parasites to "treat everyone in the house".
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
Get the rabbit from a reliable breeder (like a 4H kid/family), not the pet store. I don't think that they are known to be carriers of parasites.
I had a mini rex when I was a kid and it was a great pet. I even had it litter box trained!
They are clean and intelligent animals. They like attention are very affectionate and are playful.
Don't keep them in a cage all day. If you get one as a pet, take it out and hold it and play with it. Let it run around. It will jump and make you laugh. Laughing will help you feel better immediately
We have a pet rabbit, and he's GREAT!! He's the sweetest thing. We don't even cage him. We bought a litter box, and he just stays in his area and uses the litterbox .... but he was 5 when we got him, so I don't know if a baby bunny would stay like he does.
We also have pet birds and had them through my whole illness.
I think pets are good to have around. They care when you're not feeling well.
I would be hesitant to have a pet that runs around outside and brings in ticks though.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Sounds cute!
moving to general support
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Wondering if a pet rabbit could be happy in an apt. or might get "under foot" as a puppy or kitten can if I trip from balance issues [sadly, for me, the answer is "yes"],
I found this good link that may be helpful for others as they consider rabbit adoption -- some grade schools may be looking for homes for the "class bunny" right about now.
Keebler.. get a hamster! Oh wait.. the wheel would drive you nuts, huh?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Yeah, those exercise wheels would drive me bonkers.
Hampsters are also just too fast. My mom and sister had a couple hampsters in my youth. They (hampsters, that is) would just zip past whoever was playing with them and get lost for days.
They always came back but it was a worry, sometimes for a whole week. They tended to love the maze of the inner walls.
I actually doubt my ability to properly care for or support any creature right now, though it was a nice passing thought. -
Posted by WendyK (Member # 18918) on :
We are a 4H family, with a sweet English Spot bunny. They are quite easy to take care of, and like others said, can be litter box trained, etc.
Very cuddly - and I've never found a tick on him, even though his luxury (i.e. huge - built to hold 4 and he's got the whole thing) is outside and sometimes we let him hop around in the grass with the kids.
He also likes to play with his bunny toys, which is fun to watch. (runs around with a fiber ball or old drink bottle, and tosses it around some)
So I second the idea of looking for a 4H bunny! the kids have to work hard and take care of them well - plus, its almost fair season - often they will have been working on producing litters for then, which may be for sale.
Posted by desmo (Member # 37727) on :
I beg to differ: Rabbits are a real pain to keep up with. Think of it being like a cat who lives in their liter box. Take it out of the cage and it "goes" EVERYWHERE. For something that shows no hardly any affection or anything, I couldn't deal with that nowadays especially with my lyme. It smells, the cages are tough to clean, and it's just not fun or worth it IMO.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Part of the reason we never lock our bunny in his cage is because he will use the litterbox if he can get to it. He doesn't go in his cage unless he's locked up in it.
And, he's very affectionate.
But, yes, you do have to clean up after them ... and if I had to clean the cage and litterbox, I don't know if I'd think he was as adorable as I do.
Posted by baileypup (Member # 22824) on :
We have a mini lop-eared bunny. Ours unfortunately is not litter box trained and loves to chew wires.
We have an outdoor pen on the grass that he hops around in during the day......and he does jump and make us laugh!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Keeb... I used to have hamsters in my classroom. I would usually send them home with a kid on the weekends. But yes, they can get lost so easily!!
Gerbils are even faster! OMG!
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
I have bunnies and they make great pets. Just like ALL animals there are certain illnesses that you can get from them
Posted by Larae30 (Member # 35220) on :
We have a pet bunny and we leave the door to his cage open and he poos and pees in there and hops around and does his own thing. We have to be careful and make sure cords are not within his reach. He's a cutie.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)